《Nameless Sovereign》


 Chapter 1 - Wake Up

    "Protect the grove! Don''t let a single one of them through!" A grave voice rumbled over the battlefield, overwhelming even the deafening sounds of conflict.


    The screams woke Red from his stupor. Feeling over his body gradually returned and his eyes slowly took in his surroundings. What had once been a beautiful palace had been mostly leveled to fine powder by all the explosions, the sole exception being a white temple. His vision was blurry but even then he could still make out the motionless figures around him. Countless bodies laid on the ground clad in shining armor.


    ''My allies.''


    They were trying to fend off an invader, but recalling the details was made difficult by the sudden re-emergence of a dull pain spreading outward from his stomach. Looking down, Red was unnerved. There was a large hole going through his belly, large enough to see out the other side. He was surprised and rather glad that he was even still alive.


    Loud thumps followed. Turning his attention away from his injury, he looked up just in time to see more bodies falling from the sky. These men were dead before they even hit the ground. He followed the direction where they had been coming from, looking up above. Far beyond in the sky, he saw a sight his mind had a hard time wrapping around.


    An enormous vortex spanned the heavenly horizon as far as the eye could see, slowly rotating as more and more golden-like beings poured through it. They had an additional eye on their forehead, wings on their back, and additional limbs. They were the invaders. Rushing below, they soon clashed against the defending human forces, blinding spells and huge disorienting explosions bombarding the senses incessantly. Despite heavily outnumbering the invaders, Red could see his allies being pushed back and killed more and more as the seconds ticked by.


    Amongst them, one figure held still against the swarming tides of enemies. Holding a single glowing blade in his hand, this single man clashed against multiple invaders at the same time, holding the line almost by his lonesome. Red instinctively recognized the man as his leader, whose voice rumbled through the battlefield. He didn''t know why, but the sight of his figure fighting alone against so many enemies lit a burning spark within his spirit and forced him to his feet despite his wound, ready to rejoin the battle.


    Suddenly, a flash of light came from the vortex, blinding everyone on the battlefield and putting the fight to a momentary stop. When everyone¡¯s eyes were able to see again, they noticed in the place where that human warrior once stood, only a figure wrapped in burning white flames could be seen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Let them¡­¡± As the general struggled to let any words out, the flames slowly burned away at his body, until finally nothing was left in place, as if the man had never been there.


    The invaders roared seeing their biggest obstacle being reduced to ashes and pushed the defenders back with renewed vigor. Casualties mounting, they began to flee and scatter into a rout.


    Looking up, Red watched as a gigantic, rune-covered golden arm emerged from the vortex. It pointed down with its index finger at the last standing temple down below and a beam of condensed white flames shot towards it in blinding speed. A cloud of fire started expanding from where it hit, slowly consuming everything in its path until it reached the very heavens itself with no sign of stopping. It was the end of the world.


    ¡®How bright¡­¡¯


    This was the last thing Red thought before the flames consumed him too.


    ¡­.


    ¡°Red.¡± A loud voice woke him up. ¡°Wake up, your food is here.¡±


    Just as suddenly as the dream had started, it had ended too. When he opened his eyes, what greeted Red wasn¡¯t the bright sky lit up by a war between gods, but rather the rock ceiling of a cave dimly lit by torches.


    ¡°Had another dream?¡± The same voice asked. Sitting up, Red saw a middle-aged man staring at him while holding up a piece of bread in his direction. His battle-worn face was covered by a bushy greying beard and featured a scar that crossed over his nose.


    Red nodded, before grabbing the bread from the man¡¯s hand and unceremoniously taking a bite.


    ¡°What was it about?¡± The man proceeded to ask.


    ¡°White fire¡­¡± The boy responded impassively in between bites. All around him he could see other slaves in ragged clothing eating their own pieces of bread just as eagerly, while a handful of the burlier slaves distributed the food from a basket.


    ¡°Is that so?...¡± Seeing that the boy didn¡¯t seem interested in elaborating, the man let the matter go. Sitting down nearby, he started eating his bread too, a far larger piece than the one he had given to Red.


    His name was Viran, and he was the self-denominated leader of the slaves in the cave. The man was a former soldier, and this was made evident soon enough when he beat everyone who questioned his rules into obedience and set his own rules in this almost lawless land.


    All the slaves down here were assigned to gather precious ores. At the end of every three days, they could exchange what they had gathered for food and some other goods with the guards near the cave¡¯s entrance.


    Suffice it to say, the overseers of the mine really didn¡¯t care about how they handled things down there as long as they got what they wanted. The exchange rates were horrible and there was barely enough food to go by. Before Viran got here this was a lawless land where slaves would backstab each other over a piece of bread, and sometimes even resort to cannibalism. Now, after he beat all of them into submission, Viran had made the gathering of slaves into a semi-functioning society, gathering ores more efficiently to exchange all at once and distributing the food according to each person¡¯s contribution, as well as generally outlawing murder and fighting.


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    Of course, this was beneficial to the barely ten-year-old Red, even if in the end their new leader did get a bigger part of the food than he deserved. He didn¡¯t have the strength to contend with the older slaves even if he did gather more ores, and so he had to often give a big part of his food to other people just so they wouldn¡¯t beat him to death before Viran arrived. Now instead of living in a perpetually starving state, he was filled enough to get by the cave tunnels more easily.


    That would have been ideal, however, if it wasn¡¯t for another thing he now had to worry about.


    ¡°How many [acupoints] have you opened since the last time?¡± Viran interrupted his meal once again.


    ¡°...One.¡± The boy answered sincerely before stuffing what was left of the bread in an improvised pouch in his trousers. The man frowned.


    ¡°...That¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best.¡± He told the truth once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not enough...¡± After a few seconds of silence, Viran spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking with the guards¡­ I might be able to get a Vein Opening pill from them soon enough, but you¡¯ll have to have reached the third gate by th-¡± Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a scream.


    Not far away from them, the slaves had formed a circle around two men. One of them bled profusely from his head, where a large rock had made a clear indentation. His skull was fractured. The other one stood above him, with the said weapon in hand, ready to give the final strike before he was tackled to the ground by one of the slaves that had been distributing the food. The slave tried to fight back before another two slaves piled on and immobilized him.


    Red barely had the time to register what was happening before Viran had already approached the scene with a furious expression. Crouching down, the man examined the other slave¡¯s wound before shaking his head. He had his skull partially crushed already and his eyes wandered over aimlessly while his mouth babbled incomprehensible words. It made for a rather disturbing scene, but the boy was already accustomed to such sights from living down in the caves for years.


    With practiced movements, Viran put his hands around the man¡¯s neck before twisting it with a sickening crack, putting him out of his misery. All the slaves around watched in fear as their leader stood up again and walked in the aggressor¡¯s direction. Suddenly, the bloodlust-filled state left him and he stared at Viran in fear as two other slaves put him on his knees.


    ¡°He lied to me! He went into our stash and ate everyt-¡± Before he could finish, another crack sounded out as Viran twisted the man¡¯s neck like how he had done to his companion. Complete silence filled the large cave chamber as the slaves stared at the two bodies in fear, too afraid to say anything.


    ¡°Put both of them near the hunting room. It seems we finally have some new bait¡­¡± Viran spoke breaking the silence as the burly slaves started to do his bidding. ¡°What are the rest of you staring for?! If you¡¯re done eating go do your job!¡± The rest of them started spreading and leaving the chamber like startled ants.


    Shaking his head, Viran attempted to finish his conversation, but before that Red had disappeared just like a ghost. This time, however, Viran only sighed helplessly.


    ...


    Walking through a narrow tunnel, Red retraced his steps as he did so often. These cave tunnels seemed to be endless. Some slaves said it went miles deep into the ground, but of course, none of them were stupid enough to go and confirm it. As such, it was extremely easy for anyone to get lost in such a place.


    The red-haired boy, however, was already used to wandering these tunnels from an early age. He had his own markings to recognize the paths he walked by, as well as his own preferred routes to search for minerals and avoid other slaves. Remaining inconspicuous and unnoticed was extremely important for someone as young as him if he wanted to remain alive.


    So, like a ghost, he walked barefooted through the rocky grounds, the only source of illumination being a bright green rock he held in his hand. This was the so-called moonstone, one of the more common ores down in the cave that the slaves were tasked with gathering. It was abundant enough down here that it was one of the main materials they used in exchanges. Not to mention, it glowed relatively brightly in the dark, being easy to find and offering illumination when torches and such were in short order.


    With the green stone to shine his way, Red finally arrived upon a small intersection. This path led deeper into the more unexplored areas of the caves, one of the areas full of danger, hence not many people walked by here. Looking around, the boy came upon a small rock mound that blended quite well with the cave background.


    Throwing the rocks out of the way, a small path opened, one that no adult could ever fit in. Thankfully, if there was any advantage to being a young kid in such an inhospitable environment, it was that he could get into places no one else could.


    With no hesitation, Red got into all fours and started crawling into the small passage, the moonstone illuminating his way forward. His arms and knees scraped against the rough ground, but the boy barely registered the pain.


    Soon the passage narrowed even further, such that even the boy had to lay prone on the ground to continue. This was the longest part of the journey. It took him 20 minutes of breathing rarefied air and scraping his front body against pebbles and rocks before the passage started widening enough to crawl again.


    Then it widened once more, this time allowing the boy to stand up. Ahead of him, he could already see faint purple light from around the corner, different from the one that his green moonstone gave off. As he walked further in, Red finally arrived at his destination.


    Ahead of him the passage suddenly grew into an enormous chamber, far bigger than the one the slaves gathered in before. Huge black-purple tentacles spread all over its walls, being thicker than multiple humans put side-by-side at some points, and emitting a faint and gentle purple light that allowed one to distinguish its shape.


    If one followed the tentacles to its root, they would find a strange and bulbous circular shape near the ground, roughly the size of a grown adult, riddled with veins and pulsating weakly as this purple glow flashed from it and spread into its surrounding tentacles, seemingly feeding them with its light like a heart.


    As Red approach, an oversized human mouth formed on the ¡°heart¡¯s¡± surface out of nowhere, before it began to move.


    ¡°Human, is that you?¡± The boy heard a voice that seemed to belong to a child. Although the mouth formed the words, it seemed like the voice was heard inside of his own mind.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Red responded, unphased by the situation. Fiddling around with his pouch, he picked up a piece of bread. ¡°Here, I brought you food.¡±

 Chapter 2 - Spiritual Veins

    ¡°Is it meat?¡± The strange blob asked, his voice full of expectation.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s bread.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The voice sounded disappointed.


    Without standing on ceremony, though, Red threw the piece of bread in the blob¡¯s general direction. Even after spending such a long time together and some sort of cooperation budding between the two, the boy still didn¡¯t dare to get close to it.


    A pink lizard-like tongue emerged from the mouth, flicking through the air for a few meters and snatching the piece of bread back with such speed that it was hard to follow with the naked eye. Quiet chewing sounds could be heard as the being still ate the food with undisguised excitement despite how disappointed it seemed before.


    At that point though, Red had already stopped paying attention to it. Turning around, the boy headed to the center of the room and took on some sort of combat stance with his legs slightly bent and both of his fists held to the side of his waist.


    Soon enough, Red started punching the air in front of him in a slow and deliberate manner, alternating with his hands, taking care to time it with his breathing very carefully. After repeating the same slow motions for 30 seconds, he started changing his movements slightly, bringing his foot forward along with his punches. Then low kicks started to get mixed in, and slowly but surely, the speed of his repetitions started getting faster, moves chaining into each other to form a far more complex routine than the training seemed at first.


    Red¡¯s force in his punches left much to be desired even for someone of his age but his form was still very good. Or at least, that was what Viran said to him when he had taught him these very specific sets of moves. All he could do was to exert his body as the old soldier told him to, and sure enough, after less than a minute of the high-intensity training routine, Red felt his muscles begin to ache as sweat gathered on his body.


    He never considered himself to be strong, much more so down in these caves where one barely found enough food to stay alive, but even then these sets of exercises seemed to take more out of his body than seemed logical. This was the intent, Red had come to learn, to squeeze the body to a point nearing exhaustion, where it would be in the optimal state to absorb spiritual energy. And the boy wasn¡¯t far from it.


    The routine continued for thirty more seconds in what seemed like an eternity for him, until eventually beneath his aching muscles another feeling appeared. It felt like a dull spark but before long it intensified into an electric numbing feeling that covered his spine before spreading to his upper arms. Red knew this was the cue.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He called out to the blob. It had been chewing that single piece of bread for the entire time the boy was practicing his moves before it stopped as it heard his voice. ¡°Do it now.¡±


    The chewing stopped as the dark blob pulsed slightly, swallowing the piece of bread. Suddenly the purple lights emitted by its tentacles started to move along the appendages before gathering in the central ¡°heart¡± in a far brighter manner. Suddenly the mouth opened again, before expelling a purple mist which quickly dissolved into the chamber¡¯s air as its tentacles regained its previous glow, this time fainter than before.


    Although Red couldn¡¯t see the purple mist anymore, he could feel it. It was a very pure spiritual energy. The numbing feeling around his arms got stronger before he sat down cross-legged, grabbed two moonstones with both of his hands, and concentrated on that sensation, ignoring the aching pain that his muscles felt as his breaths got deeper and deeper.


    The boy was trying to open his spiritual veins according to the method Viran had taught him. As the man had explained, everything in the world contained spiritual energy, even the air that they breathed. It was a wondrous type of invisible matter that could be harvested and used to control the elements and shape the world at your will. Red was skeptical at first, but by following the instructions given to him he was really able to sense this so-called spiritual energy and unlock these organs he didn¡¯t even know existed before.


    Opening the spiritual veins was the first step towards being able to control this energy. From what he was told, Red knew that there were twelve individual spiritual veins in the human body, 2 in his arms, 2 in his legs, 4 in his torso, 3 in his head, and one that connected all of them together through his spine. Together they formed a perfect circuit through which the energy could flow freely. To open each of them, you needed to use spiritual energy and slowly force the acupoints in each vein open. This was an extremely dangerous and delicate process. Any deviation in the practice could cause one to cripple their spiritual veins in the best case scenario and even explode their entire body with excess spiritual energy in the worst one.


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    The majority of human beings weren¡¯t born with any sensitivity towards spiritual energy either and the process of opening their veins was much harder for them. In other words, those people had little to no talent in manipulating spiritual energy. Red happened to be one of those people. However, although the path was more difficult it wasn¡¯t uncrossable either.


    Viran just so happened to know a set of special exercises and breathing techniques that could help someone in opening their spiritual veins, and he seemed to be very experienced in the matter too. Pretty much everything the boy came to know about spiritual energy was from the man. Red had heard about it before from some slaves, but never in as much detail as from the old soldier. Not to mention, his unnatural strength seemed to back up his knowledge, as the man was capable of beating any other slave in these caves with the same ease, no matter how big or strong they were. Even many monsters had fallen in his hand.


    The effects of opening his spiritual veins were showing themselves to the boy too. Red had completely opened the spinal vein, and he had never felt as energetic as he did that day. Even with the same amount of food he ate, he felt he could run twice as long and these exercises which seemed hellish at first started becoming less draining on his stamina. This much already was accomplished with Viran¡¯s help and close guidance. If the boy had to go at it alone from the get-go, then he had no doubt that something would have gone wrong already with his practice.


    Still, either Red was a quick learner or he had a very good teacher because since then he had managed to do these exercises and the breathing technique by himself. Viran had even encouraged him to do it on his own, mentioning that even he wouldn¡¯t be able to guide every step of the way for the boy, not because he didn¡¯t want to, but rather because he couldn¡¯t. Right now, for instance, Red was focused on opening his second spiritual vein, this one was located in his upper arms and on his shoulder, where they connected into the central spinal vein.


    This was, however, proving itself to be much harder than he initially thought it would be. Viran had warned him of this too, that this task was much like climbing a mountain, getting harder and harder as you got higher. However, Red had never thought it would be this monumentally difficult this early on. Even opening the first acupoint on this second vein took him close to a week, where the first few ones he had succeeded in a matter of days. The old soldier had been incessantly bothering the boy about being quicker, but it was to no avail. It seemed all his potential was already being tapped.


    It was to his luck though, that in his time of need Red eventually met that thing.


    ...


    As soon as the purple mist completely dissipated into the air, the boy concentrated on his right arm, feeling a strong torrent of spiritual energy pouring into it, far more than these caves normally held. Using his already opened veins, Red had some mystical degree of control over the energy that entered his body. Well, he didn¡¯t so much control that spiritual energy as much as he pointed it towards the general direction of the closed acupoint before it could do any damage to his body. A sharp pain started to spread in that general area as the invisible energy battered against his closed vein, trying to open a path that it knew was there but that had been sealed tight.


    A few minutes passed by as it took all of his attention to not let himself pass away from the sheer pain and exhaustion that his body was going through. It was an arduous process for someone of his age, but it was one that Red had been training for a long time to be prepared for, and suffice it to say, for someone who had been raised in such a hostile environment, his threshold for pain was far higher than most other his own age.


    His efforts eventually paid off, as he felt the acupoint give way and let the spiritual energy through. This was the sixth acupoint he had opened in this second vein, almost halfway through it. Even after having progressed, Red didn¡¯t feel the spiritual energy around him dissipate that much. However, any further practice would have to wait, as he felt his body was near the limits of what it could handle, and if he continued he would most likely suffer from some very nasty side effects.


    ¡°You know, you could be doing this much faster.¡± The same childish voice resounded in his mind, as Red turned his gaze over towards the blob, seeing its mouth moving in conjunction with the words. His face though remained as impassive and emotionless as ever.


    ¡°How?¡± Although he indulged the creature, he had a feeling about where this was going.


    ¡°Bring me meat!¡± It responded excitedly. ¡°It could make the energy around here purer and you would be able to open those channels in your body much more easily.¡±


    Red shook his head. This wasn¡¯t the first time the matter had been brought up.


    ¡°I would bring you meat if I could, but it¡¯s not easy to come by.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. What meat they acquired from hunting monsters was very carefully divided, cooked, and eaten on the spot, most of it going to Viran either way. Red received some of it too, more than a child deserved according to the rambling of some slaves, but he would never give that nutrition up no matter how much his training speed could improve. It was one of the few things that kept his body in some functioning shape. What use would it be to increase the speed of opening his spiritual veins if he could barely defend himself?


    ¡°Well¡­ The deal still stands whenever you do get some meat.¡± The voice sounded disappointed once again, but the boy knew that the next time he came by it would probably bring up the same matter again, and he would give it the same answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Saying so, Red patted the dust off his pants and turned around, heading towards the exit with no plans to indulge the creature with any more conversation.


    ¡°Farewell, bring some meat the next time!¡± The voice responded, its mouth suddenly retracting into its blob-like body.


    Even as his body ached, the boy made his way through the twists and turns of the narrow passages leading to his hidden training room. He didn¡¯t dare to spend one second more than was necessary in that place. Even if that shadowy being was intelligent and not intent on hurting him, there was no telling what sort of things could happen if he stuck around too much, considering the thing¡¯s hunger for meat.


    As he crawled through the narrow tunnel, Red could not help but wonder to himself for how long he would be able to fit in here. It would be very unfortunate for the day to come where he couldn¡¯t partake in dealing food in exchange for pure spiritual energy with that strange creature. Still, this was a matter for another time.


    Exiting through the other side, Red proceeded to carefully hide the small tunnel entrance with a pile of rocks. As he got ready to return to Viran though, the boy heard faint but quick steps approaching from a connecting corridor out of his vision.

 Chapter 3 - Mentor

    The first thing Red did was to hide in an adjacent corridor, behind a piece of the protruding rock wall that perfectly hid his small frame in the dark and tight space. This was a place that he had picked beforehand when he started visiting the room. Well, it was one of them at least. One of the things that had kept him alive for many years inside these caverns was an absurd amount of caution and planning against things that could kill him, far more consideration than a normal person would put into it, much more so someone with his age. Just so happened, other older and stronger slaves were pretty much on top of that list.


    The steps approached, and soon enough Red could guess that it had reached the small opening, where it had stopped in its tracks. Faintly, the boy could see a green light coming over from that direction. A few seconds of complete silence went by before the individual spoke up.


    ¡°You little shit, are you here?!¡± A rough male voice echoed in the cave. There was frustration in its tone.


    Red recognized the voice. This was Gruff, a strong guy and one of Viran¡¯s direct ¡°assistants¡±. Still, he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Fine!¡± After waiting for an answer, the man bellowed in frustration. ¡°If you¡¯re not gonna come out I¡¯m gonna drag you myself!¡±


    The boy heard the shifting of steps echoing around the clearing. The man seemed intent on finding the boy at all costs, which didn''t necessarily have Red worried. He could hide from Gruff all day in these tunnels if the need arose, but there was something else he didn''t want the man to find in this cavern.. As such, he was left with very little choice but to make his presence known.


    Leaving his hiding place, Red had his steps loud enough to bring the man''s attention to him, while still keeping a good distance between them. Gruff was a large bald man who always carried a frown on his face, the poor diet in the caves doing little to diminish his menacing figure and the power held behind it.


    ¡°Finally gonna show your face huh?!¡± The man stepped forward in his direction, clearly angry and holding no good intentions.


    ¡°What does Viran want?¡± The boy asked in an impassive voice, even as the bumbling giant made his way towards him, showing no fear in his composure despite his aching body.


    This made Gruff stop in his tracks. The boy was able to easily guess why the older man was here, and he was fairly certain he wouldn¡¯t try to kill him or hurt him out of fear of his leader¡¯s retaliation. Still, he was ready to run if his reminder wasn¡¯t enough to dissuade the goon, since many people in this place weren¡¯t really prone to acting logically.


    ¡°...Hmph, like I would know why he wants to waste his time with a useless brat. Just follow me!¡± Gruff responded, clearly more frustrated than before.


    ¡°After you.¡± There was no way he was going to give his back to the man.


    Fed up with having to waste any more of his time, Gruff simply sneered before making his way back through the tunnel. Red waited until he was almost out of his view before following him.


    Throughout the whole walk back, the boy was occupied with his thoughts. Viran had just met him while they were distributing the food, if he had something important to tell him why didn¡¯t he do it back then? And then there was the more worrying problem. How did they manage to find out where the boy was?


    If there was one thing Red prided himself in, it was being able to walk around the tunnel undetected. It was what kept him alive all these years while other slaves were out there killing each other for some breadcrumbs. He was fairly certain that he had never been followed while going to meet with the strange blob thing, he had checked many times, but now he was not so certain anymore.


    Red wasn¡¯t worried they would discover his business partner since the tunnel was barely wide enough for a kid to fit in, but the mere thought that he might have been unknowingly followed was uncomfortable for the boy.


    It was unlikely someone as stupid as Gruff would have been able to track him down here and none of the other slaves seemed skilled or smart enough to do so, so only one answer came to his mind.


    Viran.


    To everyone else around him, the relationship between the two seemed to be of a mentor and a student. To them, the old soldier had taken pity for the young boy who had been cursed to live a miserable life in these caves and took him under his wing, keeping him fed and training him to deal with threats by himself. Red obviously knew this was not the case. After Viran had taken over as the leader of the slaves, he had proposed a very simple deal to the boy.


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    Red would be protected and fed under his authority. In exchange, he would need to practice the spiritual vein opening technique that the older man was going to teach him. This obviously seemed too good to be true, after all, it was a win-win situation where he was protected by the leader of the slaves and also had the opportunity to get stronger practicing whatever magical method Viran had in mind. Nothing the man had displayed during his time down here indicated him to be the soft-hearted type, so there must be something he gained from this, Red just couldn¡¯t see it.


    However, he felt he was left with very little choice but to accept it, knowing better than to test the man¡¯s patience like many others had done before him. So it was that the boy took on his role as an apprentice under Viran. Much to his surprise though, after months of practice under his new mentor, nothing bad had happened to Red. Perhaps he was truly overthinking the matter and the man didn¡¯t have any bad intentions towards him, but he wasn''t about to put his life in the hands of someone he couldn''t fully trust.


    That was why Red hadn''t told him about his deal with the dark creature, and also why he had lied about how much progress he had made in opening his spirit veins. Even though right now no one else bigger than a child could make their way through the tunnel, the boy didn''t feel confident Viran wouldn''t be able to find out about it.


    If that was the case, what would happen? Would the dark creature make a deal with the clearly stronger and more capable man instead? Would Viran think that Red had outlived his usefulness now that he had a spiritual energy spewing fountain at his disposal? Would he just freak out about the strange creature and kill it or get himself killed by it?


    Red wasn''t too sure, but clearly, none of the options meant anything good for him. That''s why he couldn''t afford for Gruff to snoop around this place and find the hidden tunnel.


    All kinds of thoughts were happening in his head before the sounds of talking and shuffling feet became clearer over their steps. Soon enough the boy was able to see yellow light coming from the tunnel bend ahead over the big man''s shoulder. Coming up on the clearing, Red was able to see that a lot of slaves were shuffling around messing with all kinds of equipment.


    Ropes, stone spears, bone spikes, and even some knives made of a shining black material. He knew this wasn''t metal, but rather pieces of the carapace of the monstrous insects further down in the caves. None of these made for very good weapons, but it was better than being barehanded with what they were about to do.


    There were about 20 slaves here, most of them men, still in good enough physical condition to offer help to Viran. They gathered in circles as they talked to each other while checking their equipment. Around them, boxes carrying all types of items could be found, such as torches, torn clothes, and a copious amount of moonstones. Some improvised bedding was also strewn all throughout the clearing, a kind of luxury that these slaves that worked under Viran could afford.


    By the side, Red also saw the bodies of the two people he had seen Viran kill earlier. Their corpses were being prepared for transportation by other slaves.


    Gruff stopped near the middle of the clearing, before pointing towards the direction of a rather big tent made up of run-down and patched leather that was raised up towards the back of the cave. The shadowy silhouette of a figure could be seen inside the tent highlighted by a bright light.


    "He''s waiting for you." Gruff said before turning around and walking in the direction of the other slaves, paying no more attention to the boy.


    Red stood in place looking at the entrance of the tent. After what felt like an eternity of consideration, he simply shook his head and walked in, lifting the flap over his head. What greeted him was an environment that seemed very foreign to find inside of these caves.


    Two torches tied to upright sticks illuminated an improvised desk made out of a large piece of rock with a flat surface, covered by a large piece of leather, and with a smaller flat rock serving as a seat. On the desk there were all sorts of yellowish papers and a small stone bowl filled with whatever Viran used for ink. Red didn''t know how to read, so he had no idea about the contents of those.


    Occupying the adjacent wall was the man''s bedding, covered by pitch-black fur and even having some kind of stuffing that passed for a pillow, an extravagance only the leader of slaves could afford down here. Apparently, Viran had been able to trade as much from the surface guards in exchange for some rare minerals and monster parts he had been able to gather down here. Suffice it to say, even though it was far from ideal, the old soldier was still able to afford to live far more comfortably than anyone else down here, something he had managed to get with his own effort. Those that tried to challenge his privilege or even steal it from him, by force or otherwise, were no longer around to tell their story.


    On the other side of the spacious tent, Red saw the man himself, sitting on the ground and slowly sharpening his iron knife against a smooth rock, an acute noise resounding in the shelter. It was the only metal weapon down here, and it had seen the blood of no small amount of people. Viran always kept in on him and it was clearly more precious to him than any other of his possessions.


    The man lifted his head to look at Red who stood by the entrance waiting patiently, his rough and stern-looking features forming what the boy thought was a smile for a second, before returning his attention to sharpening his knife.


    "You''re coming to hunt with us." Viran spoke with such a tone that clearly indicated this was an order, not a request.


    "...I have never hunted before." For some reason, Red felt alarmed that this matter was brought up out of nowhere, but it didn''t show in his voice or expression.


    "I''ll teach you." The man continued. "You won''t need to take an active role anyways. Any of those things could tear you apart with ease, so you can take this as a learning experience instead. Just listen to what I say, hang back, and don''t get yourself killed."


    Red didn''t know what had compelled the man to invite him on such a risky venture out of nowhere, but like always the boy didn''t think of complaining. In truth, he had always been eager to learn how to hunt those horrible depth monsters and he didn''t feel like Viran would go over such hoops just so he could dispatch the boy. He could snap his neck in front of everyone in the camp and no one would rise up to complain.


    "...I will need a weapon." After a few seconds of silence, the boy brought up another matter that obviously interested him.


    "Hah!" Viran gave a short and loud laugh, before stopping his repeated movements, bringing the knife close to his face as he ran a finger over its edge, examining the sharpness. Finally, after a nod of satisfaction, he threw the knife up towards Red.


    The boy expertly caught it by reflex, taking care to grip around the handle lest he cut himself. Although his expression remained impassive, a glint could be seen in his eyes as he examined the weapon very closely, imitating Viran by running his thumb over the edge, at which a very small cut was formed as a drop of blood slid down the blade.


    "You can use that for the hunt. Now, let''s get the rest of the hunting party ready." Viran continued as he got up, a dangerous-looking smile forming on his face. "We have some big bugs to kill."

 Chapter 4 - Hunting

    The slaves marched in an orderly double line through the tunnels. Viran took the lead while carrying a stone spear in one hand and a chitin black knife in the other, while Red stayed more towards the middle of the pack. There were about 20 people in the hunting party, all armed with some kind of improvised weapon. Five of them carried torches, making the space around them fairly well illuminated. Two of them had the wrapped bodies of the slaves that had died earlier in the day. The bait.


    All in all, Viran had managed to beat some discipline into the group of slaves, and they carried themselves with some confidence, even though their clothing and equipment left a lot to be desired. This wasn''t the first time they had done this, and while in the past they had to fear and avoid those monstrous insects at all costs, under their new leader''s guidance and great strength they could now kill them and get another source of food.


    This was why some of them were unhappy when they heard they would be taking a child to hunt with them.


    "Don''t know what he''s thinking." Towards the back, Red recognized Gruff''s voice speaking while he carried one of the two wrapped bodies. Even though the man tried to speak in hushed tones, it was still loud enough for those around him to hear. "Kid''s just gonna get in the way and not help with anything, and we have to share our meat with him?" He scoffed, this time not even attempting to hide it. "Not fair I tell you. If the little shit gets in danger I''m not helping him no matter what Viran tells me."


    "Shut up..." Came a response from someone else beside him. "Do you want him to hear us and tell the bossman?"


    "Hmph, like I care..." Even though Gruff said that he didn''t continue the conversation.


    None of the other slaves berated him for his complaints though. Red knew they also thought the same way even though most of them were not brave enough to speak up about it in Viran''s presence. He could see the gazes they threw at him and how they spoke about anything to him. They did this in the past too because of Red''s seemingly privileged treatment given by Viran, but now that the boy was about to take a share of their meat down here their distaste for him became all the more palpable. He had no doubt some of them wouldn''t mind killing him off when their boss wasn''t around just to sate their anger. They tried that before too, but Red was too good at hiding for them to catch him.


    Every slave knew about how important meat was down here, even that which came from insects. It was essential to any healthy diet if they wanted to keep themselves fit enough to survive another day. The guards up top rarely exchange for any kind of food that wasn''t bread, and that by itself was rarely enough. Before the old soldier arrived they had to steal what they had from each other or scavenge the nooks and crannies of the cave for the rare edible mushroom, but since Viran came around and proved he could hunt down and kill the monsters that dwelled further in the mines, all the slaves were extremely excited to get their share of meat too.


    This became a sacred activity for them, and even though it wasn''t uncommon for one or two of them to die every other hunt, all of them were more than willing to put their lives on the line for the chance at a full stomach.


    Of course, what they were hunting down wasn''t just any normal animal. It was these giant insects bigger than the average human man that lived deeper in the tunnels. Generally, they didn''t stay near the surface like the slaves, but it wasn''t unheard of for a few of them to make their way up in search of food, and these people, who wouldn''t even be able to fight back in their best condition, made for easy prey.


    This was also why Viran started using the bodies of dead slaves as bait. In the past, one of the reasons why these beasts got near their dwelling so often was because people would simply leave dead bodies near places where they hung around, and these insects who relied a lot on their smell to interact with the environment around them could detect the scent of blood blown by the wind down the cave tunnels from very far away. By using the corpses of these unfortunate slaves as bait, Viran was both getting rid of a monster attractor and also getting insect meat for him and his subordinates to eat. He got a fair bigger share than everyone else, of course, but none of them dared to complain after they saw him fight.


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    "Should be getting near the clearing." Viran''s voice came from up ahead. "We''ll set up the bait and then kill our torches, after that set up positions behind cover and stop fucking yapping your mouths."


    All the slaves nodded their heads as they continued to walk. Red himself didn''t know what he was supposed to do here, Viran had neglected to explain anything to him, so he thought he would just hang off to the side and watch as the other slaves worked. Feeling the knife hidden in his trousers by the side of his waist, the boy couldn''t help but feel somewhat excited. All he had done for his entire life down in these caves was avoid combat due to how small and weak he was compared to the other slaves, but now that he had started opening his spirit veins he could feel his body becoming more durable and stronger as he advanced, the progress slow but certainly there. Red was quite certain that this wasn''t enough to fight against someone like Gruff, who could still easily twist his neck with one hand, but the boy was confident the difference between them was steadily getting smaller.


    Of course, he still didn''t let his guard down. Viran had never taught him anything about combat in the past and Red doubted he had invited him to this hunting party because of the goodness of his heart. Even now he was somewhat worried about what would happen when the confrontation with the monsters went down. Perhaps Viran would use him as additional bait? It didn''t seem like his style, not after giving the boy his knife. He usually didn''t trick people when he wanted to kill them. Still, Red would be foolish to not suspect the old soldier to some extent.


    All kinds of thoughts ran through his mind as the group continued to walk for half an hour longer in the twisting tunnels before the passage started to suddenly widen into an opening ahead of them. Red guessed this was where they would be doing the hunting. The space was very wide, even more than their gathering area near the surface. The ceiling was easily about 5 meters high and the room opened into a wide circular shape that was 50 plus meters across. A very large space in these caves, but what caught his attention was located towards the back of the opening.


    A small pond was formed against the wall, the clear water reflecting the light from the torches, signs of dripping water decorating the rock behind it. Pure water. Generally what they got to drink was gathered by them with pots from the dripping water from the ceiling, but it was just barely enough for the slaves to survive. These kinds of ponds were rare down here, much more one this size. Red unconsciously swallowed, not noticing how dry his mouth was until now. This hadn''t been a short walk, after all


    He wasn''t the only one who thought so. Many slaves looked towards Viran as they spread around the opening''s entrance, waiting for permission to walk forward and approached the pond.


    "Everyone will have their turn." Viran looked towards a few people as he spoke, more specifically the ones carrying ropes and the human bait. "You guys help me set up the bait, the rest of you can go drink." He said, nodding his head towards Red too.


    With that, the boy was somewhat relieved. At least he could cross off being used as live bait for giant insects off the list. Many other slaves had rushed past him though, eager to be the first to drink from the pond, so Red decided to hang back until they were mostly done, wisely staying out of their way.


    Taking the time to look around the room, he also noticed two additional passages that lead to this opening other than the one they had come from, these ones leading down and deeper into the caves. He supposed this was where the insects would be coming from. Perhaps they frequented this place to drink too, but right now Red could not see any signs of them.


    Around the walls of the opening too, he could notice faint green glows. Those were moonstones, embedded in the rock surface, giving off some illumination but not nearly enough to see without the torches. No one had gathered them yet, not to mention that they would need to have some sort of pickaxe to pry them from the wall, something none of them brought down here.


    Red was always fascinated by the thought of these stones. Perhaps the most interesting thing about them is that not only were they abundant down here, but they also seemed to grow out of nowhere in the cave walls. If you collected the moonstone from a certain vein and then waited for several weeks and came back, you could notice small green spots at the same place, regrowing the moonstone that had been extracted around the vein. It was a weird and unnatural phenomenon but at the very least it made it so the slaves didn''t have to head further down the cave to the monsters'' lairs to gather more of this stone for survival.


    Red himself had his own secret gathering spots. Although he didn''t have any equipment to mine these stones in huge chunks, he was still able to grind them down into small pieces with some sharp rocks, which yielded him a good amount of moonstone to exchange for food.


    While he waited for his own turn to drink, his gaze wandered to the ceiling, where he saw a few more of the weak green spots of light in an area that wasn''t well lit by the torches. They truly did seem to grow everywhere in this cave. Suddenly, a large section of the green light disappeared for a brief second, as if something had passed over it and blocked the light. A moving shadow. Red''s eyes narrowed.


    "There''s something ther-" His voice had barely come out before deafening screams drowned it out.


    Looking down, the boy saw it. A man had his torso pierced by a huge set of insect jaws, bigger than his own head, as he was dragged into the air by a giant insect. Red could only see part of its body, segmented in many parts all with their own set of legs, covered by a pitch-black carapace, and its head in which a meter-long pair of antennas waved around its environment, sensing all the prey that had gathered for it.


    "Help me!" The man who had been caught by the creature''s jaws screamed, still alive and struggling against the grip.


    This was the last coherent thing that Red heard before screams started to erupt all around him.

 Chapter 5 - Centipede Attacks

    In another corner of the room, blood-curdling screams were also echoing. Taking a quick look, Red could see another one of those creatures by the pond with another slave grasped in its mandibles. He didn''t have the time to worry for others though, since the first centipede-beast dropped from the ceiling just a few meters ahead of him, wrapping itself around its victim as the man''s screams eventually died down. Under better illumination, Red could finally witness the full appearance of the monster.


    From head to toe, he guessed it was about 5 meters long and had the width of a human torso. Its segmented legs wriggled around as it wrapped itself around the body of the slave, not releasing its mandibles'' grip until it was finally certain the man had died. The boy was not certain, but he swore he could see a smaller set of mandibles covered by the bigger ones that had started biting through the slave''s shoulder.


    At that point, the people around the room started panicking, some of the braver ones around him lifting their weapons in the monsters'' direction, while others already had thoughts of running away. It seemed that as much as they were used to hunting down these things, being instead hunted themselves came as quite a surprise.


    "Stop fucking screaming!" Viran''s voice drowned all the other panicked shouting, snapping the slaves out of their panic. "Tie the ropes around them and stab them where you can!" Red turned his head to stare at their leader, noticing the man himself was facing another two of the giant centipedes, which hissed menacingly in the man''s direction as 6 other slaves, Gruff being one of them, stood behind him ready to help the man but not courageous enough to step forward.


    It was quite clear that Viran was too occupied himself to come to the aid of the other slaves, as they separated into three groups, one by the bait near the center of the room facing the two centipedes, a larger one by the pond facing another one, and then another one by the side of the room facing yet another monster, composed of Red and one other slave that was nearby, not including the recently deceased one.


    Perhaps it was only now that the boy truly realized the kind of situation he had found himself in as he sized up the horrendous creature in front of him. He hesitated for a few seconds, staring unblinkingly at the centipede. Red felt a sense of dread rise over his body, but he didn''t let panic take over his mind, his face remaining as impassive as always. Ignoring the sounds of clashing weapons and screams coming from around them, the centipede seemed content on feasting upon its victim. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Red''s feet slowly slid backward, trying not to draw the attention of the monster as he sought to regroup with the rest of the slaves.


    Too bad the other slave behind him didn''t think to do the same, running in a panic towards Viran''s group. It was at that point the monster stopped its feeding, lifting its head towards Red''s direction. He could almost swear that he saw its small pupilless eyes staring at his own, thinking him to be the source of the hurried steps. He froze, but the centipede had no such hesitation. With a loud hiss, the creature unwrapped itself from its food and slithered with an impressive speed in his direction.


    Red could only run away, as he heard the rapidly approaching sound of the beast''s multiple legs. It took him but a second to arrive at the conclusion that he wouldn''t be able to outrun the nightmarishly fast creature and reunite with the rest of the slaves. As he looked back, he saw the monster arch its upper body as it lunged in his direction. In a desperate reaction, the boy threw his entire body to the side, feeling the wind blow against his back as he barely managed to avoid the mandibles of the beast. Rolling a few times on the floor, Red felt his body bruise against hard rock, but he didn''t even have the time to register the pain.


    Another hiss came from behind him. The centipede was apparently quite mad that its prey managed to escape it, but it didn''t give up the pursuit. Red hurriedly got up to his feet and started running again, taking a split moment to localize himself in the cave''s clearing. The monster had unintentionally put himself between the boy and the rest of the group, cutting off his only route towards a safe retreat. He thought he could perhaps hide, but he was quite a ways away from the connecting tunnels and the clearing itself didn''t have any protruding rocks that he could use for cover.


    Struggling for a decision, Red could already hear the centipede''s feet quickly approaching, the possibility of death becoming clearer and clearer in his mind. As he looked for a way out though, his eyes quickly came upon the body of the slave the monster had previously been eating, and a plan formed in his mind. With a dive, Red managed to reach the body on the ground and pulled at its clothes with the kind of effort one could only muster in the face of death, putting the body over himself for cover. It was not a moment too soon that he did it either.


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    He felt a weight crash down on top of him, taking the air out of his body. Twisting his head under the tremendous weight, he could see the centipede''s legs wriggling around, its pounce being thankfully stopped by his quick thinking. Gathering some much-needed courage, Red shifted his body up with some effort, looking over the shoulder of the corpse. The centipede had sunk its large mandibles deep into the man''s torso again as it stood still, seemingly waiting for the life of its victim to disappear.


    It took a few seconds for Red to notice what had happened. The centipede must have been thinking that it managed to bite the victim it had just been chasing, clearly unable to differentiate between one human prey to the other. Still, the situation for the boy wasn''t that much better. If he tried to move from under the body, he was quite certain the centipede would just chase him again, and from this close distance, it was unlikely it would miss again. Not to mention, Red wasn''t entirely sure he could escape from this position with the heavy weight piled on top of him.


    He heard the sounds of chewing from his position, as after a few seconds the centipede started munching into its prey again. With little other option, Red fumbled around with his right hand, reaching into the side of his waist. He felt around his trouser, until, with some difficulty, he managed to get his grip around a wooden handle. The iron knife. Of course, the boy himself was not sure that trying to attack the centipede was the best course of action, but he would rather take his chances than wait down here for the monster to notice that there was another delicious prey hidden below the one he had just been eating. It was best to take his chances and then try to run afterward.


    From his position, there was not much Red could reach with his relatively small child arms, not to mention he wasn''t quite sure with his strength he would be able to pierce the sturdy-looking carapace of the centipede. Examining his options, his gaze wandered over the centipede''s head, holding his breath in hopes it hadn''t noticed his movements. Still, the creature seemed too occupied with its food to notice his squirming movements, perhaps confusing them with the last death throes of its prey.


    Red saw what he thought was a single set of eyes earlier in the centipede, were actually multiple small sets of circular eyes clustered really closely together in each side of its head. An idea formed in his head. Thankfully for him, the creature had to put its head quite close to its food so its smaller set of inner jaws could tear and gorge on the food. This proved itself to be a perfect opportunity for him.


    With a deep breath, Red focused on the movement of his arm, freeing it from under the corpse of the slave as he made sure he had enough room and strength to perform his next move. Just as the centipede noticed the weird moving limb right in front of his eyes, the boy stabbed down with all the strength he could muster. His aim was true. With an even louder hiss than Red had thought the monster capable of, it freed its mandibles from the corpse of the slave, arching up its whole upper body in pain. The iron knife had managed to lodge itself up to the hilt of where the centipede''s eyes were once located.


    Pushing the corpse off of him, Red freed himself once he saw the centipede had twisted around quite a few meters away from him. As he got up, he felt a sharp pain in his torso that threatened to almost pull him down to the ground again. He was quite certain the impact from earlier may have broken his ribs. Struggling for air, he turned around to start to run back towards the group of slaves, before a shadow came at an impressive speed out of the corner of his eyes.


    The boy had barely enough time to avoid a direct collision, as he felt the strong carapace of the centipede strike a glancing blow against the side of his body. Even still, the blow had enough force to send him tumbling. All Red could think of at the moment was that if he didn''t have a broken rib before, then surely he would have one now.


    His vision was blurry from the pain, but the boy still struggled to get himself up and look at the centipede. It didn''t seem like it was targeting him as it continued to thrash around the cave in pain. Red was just unlucky to have been caught in the way of its rage. Still, he could see that some sort of sense was coming back to the monster, as it started to look around for the one that had wounded it so. He didn''t have enough time to get up and run back to his allies, not to mention he wasn''t quite sure he could be as quick as before when he was struggling to even gather enough breath as it was. Running even 10 meters would be a struggle, not to mention in the condition he now was.


    He had nowhere to hide or to escape to.


    Red, however, was no stranger to pain or the pure threat of death. He had been hurt in these caves multiple times, either by other slaves or by accidents while exploring by himself, and yet he had lived to tell the tale to this day. Under the most dangerous situations, the boy had still been able to maintain a calm and analytical mind. He was still afraid of dying, perhaps even more than most people would think under his emotionless visage, but he had always been able to push past these emotions to act with the utmost serenity and logic. Or at least, as much of that as he could muster at the moment.


    Running over the possibilities in his mind, Red knew that if he tried to run the centipede would quickly detect his movement and attack him, so that was obviously not a very smart idea. The only thing left for him was to hide. However, where could he do it? The body he had been using for cover had been thrown far away during the monster''s rage and there were no other hiding places in his sight that he could use.


    As he struggled more and more thinking of a way out, the centipede gave its back to him as it started calming down, and a plan quickly came to him. Struggling to move ahead, Red stealthily took step after step forward, but not towards his allies, but towards the centipede instead. Just as the beast was calming down and could finally hear his approach, Red burst into as fast of a movement as he could muster in his state.


    The boy gripped the black-carapaced back of the monster wrapping his arms around it for support. Another deafening shriek echoed in the cave.

 Chapter 6 - Finishing Blow

    The centipede reacted as Red expected. Squirming around, the beast felt extremely angered by the being latched onto its back. Its mandibles clicked together as it tried to twist its upper body to reach the prey that was bothering it so.


    Unfortunately for it, this was something Red had accounted for, as he climbed further up the creature''s body and closer to its head, such that it wouldn''t be able to touch him with its deadly mandibles. Seeing that its plan did not work, the centipede went from a fit of anger to a berserk state. Lifting its upper body, the monster started shaking itself around in wide and fast movements.


    The boy had to reach around its underbelly and clasp his hands together so he wouldn''t be thrown off. His ribs still screamed in pain at him because of his effort, but Red was able to shrug it off with pure adrenaline coursing through his veins. He knew the discomfort he was feeling now was preferable to being killed by the monster once it managed to shake him off and get its jaws on him.


    The centipede''s panic only mounted as it felt the weight was still on its back. Suddenly with a lurch, it threw itself on the ground before it started rolling around in a frenzy. Red felt his vision blur and spin as the monster twisted itself against the rock floor for god knows how many times. His back scrapped and hit against the floor, adding more and more bruises to his already beaten-up body, and for a moment the boy felt his grip slip from the carapace.


    Still, not willing to let go, Red instead latched onto the monster''s insect legs for support, the rest of his body being shaken around like a ragdoll. Just as the boy was feeling his consciousness slip away, the centipede stopped its thrashing, clearly the effort also confusing its senses and taking a lot out of it. His vision slowly came back, and Red felt like vomiting out the contents of his almost empty stomach.


    "Between the eyes, right on top of its head!" A loud cry reached his ears. "STAB IT!"


    It took him a few seconds to recognize the owner of the voice. Viran. It took him another second to even register that the man was speaking to him. Almost out of instinct though, Red decided to follow his instructions. The centipede was still recovering from its panicked state, the knife lodged into its compound eyes also taking some of the spirit out of it.


    Taking this opportunity, Red reached up with his right hand, grasping the handle of the weapon before pulling. The knife was stuck tight though, and the centipede once more reared its upper body in pain with a loud hiss. The boy held on with his right hand, as the left one also shot up in a hurry to pull the knife out of its eyes. With some trouble, he managed to yank it free, as some greenish blood spurted out from the centipede''s eyes.


    It twisted around in the air and Red slid back from his pulling effort, his hands raised above his head from the momentum. His legs, though, wrapped around the monster''s body, allowing him to not be thrown off. Still, the beast was about to re enter its berserker state and Red doubted he would be able to hold on for another round of twists.


    Suddenly, his eyes focused on the spot Viran had told him about right on between the eyes of the centipede. At that moment, the boy had no time to consider whether his last-ditch effort would be successful in penetrating the thick carapace of the monster. Strength Red didn''t know he had welled up in his arms and with a downward motion, he stabbed the knife down in the spot he was aiming for.


    A spurt of green blood hit him in his face as the weapon lodged itself right to the hilt, the carapace cracking around the wound. The centipede, in another echoing hiss, threw its body back in a jerk and this time Red''s efforts weren''t enough to avoid letting his grip on the monster go and being thrown to the ground.


    Falling onto his back, he felt his wind being knocked out of him. All the wounds and exhaustion he had accrued over the past struggle seemed to finally catch up to him, and the boy felt like it was a monumental struggle to even sit upright. Looking to the side, Red was barely able to see the silhouette of the centipede frantically twisting and curling its body around the ground. Not even being stabbed right on its head was enough to kill the monster right away. Red, however, was absolutely tapped out at the moment.


    From behind him, he could see the figures of some slaves approaching the centipede. Viran was amongst them.


    "Throw the ropes around it and hold it down!" He barked orders to the people around him. Red thought he saw him look in his general direction. "And someone make sure the boy''s not dead!"


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    He didn''t know if it was the comfort of knowing the centipede was dealt with or the fact that it seemed like Viran wouldn''t leave him to die, but as soon as those words were spoken, all the strength left Red''s body and his vision went black.


    ...


    Pain. This was the first thing Red felt when he woke up. His entire body ached as it had never before. It reminded him of the first time he had practiced the training routine Viran had taught him. Except this time it seemed his situation was much worse. As he took a deep breath, a sharp pang of pain shot through his chest and the boy almost felt his consciousness slip once more. His hand couldn''t help but shoot up towards his ribs as an agonized groan escaped his mouth.


    "Hmm, alive and well then?" A voice came from his side, but Red did not register it. "Don''t worry, pain is good, means you can still feel."


    Ignoring the words, Red felt like he discovered more and more new sore and bruised spots as he squirmed around. Not making the same mistake of breathing too quickly again, the boy finally calmed down, taking short and slow breaths as his eyes adapted to the light and inspected the environment around him.


    A warm orange light illuminated his surroundings and it didn''t take long for him to recognize the leathery ceiling above him. He was in Viran''s tent. Twisting his head around, he saw the man sitting on his stone bench and munching on some kind of food with gusto. Right by his side, Red could also see his bed covered in black fur. Even now the man was too stingy to even let the wounded child rest in a comfortable bed.


    "Take your time getting up." Viran spoke in between bites, seemingly unconcerned. "A broken rib is no joke."


    It seemed like the assessment of his injuries was on point. Red noticed some bandages wrapped around his chest, a kind of luxury very few people down here could afford. He decided then to gather his strength to sit up. It took a very long and painful half-minute before he accomplished the task, dragging himself back to support his back against the tent wall.


    Staring up, he saw that Viran''s attention had turned back to the food on his stone bowl. Whatever he was eating had a very unappetizing brownish look and a rather unpleasant smell that spread through the tent. It didn''t take much for the boy to figure out this was the centipede they had fought earlier. After a long silence, Red finally spoke up.


    "What happened?" He didn''t remember much from his confrontation with the insect, everything blurring into his mind as adrenaline and instinct had taken control of him through that confrontation.


    "You killed it." Viran spoke, a smile forming over his face as he looked back at the boy. "Well, you didn''t really kill it, it would still have taken a long time for it to die even after having its brain stabbed, but you made it easier for us."


    "Did we get all of them?" Red didn''t feel any pride even with what he had accomplished. If Viran hadn''t been there to rescue him, he would have still died from his wounds all the same, so he felt it was still a loss on his end.


    "Three. The fourth one ran away." He paused, before throwing another piece of cooked centipede in his mouth and chewing it down. "Never seen that many together this near the surface. We only get one or two, and that''s after setting the bait to attract. Those were just waiting there." Viran''s face turned serious as he frowned. "It''s not a good sign, Red. Either they have been breeding way too much and don''t have enough space to share or a stronger monster has been pushing them out of their territory. It''s not a good sign for us up here..." He let his words trail off as he started eating his food again.


    That definitely wasn''t good. Red had seen his fair share of monsters that came wandering near the places where the slaves lived and a pile of corpses was always left behind in their foray. This had gotten better after Viran came around, but if even he was worried about these monsters, how could Red find any comfort in this new information.


    "How many people died?" He asked. Before he passed out he remembered there were at least two people that had fallen victim to the centipedes'' bites.


    "Seven. Five were killed on the spot, two others were bitten by the centipedes and we had no way to save them from their venom." Viran responded. He did not seem that bothered by their deaths, stating it similarly as before.


    Red was not even aware that these creatures could inject venom through their bite. Anyone who had been bitten by one of those generally didn''t survive the first attack, so they obviously had no way of knowing those things carried venom with them. The boy was thankful that he was careful enough not to get hit by those nasty mandibles.


    Red was ready to continue their conversation, but as he slowly got accustomed to the pain, the smell of cooked insect meat registered in his senses. Even as unpleasant as it smelled, it still brought attention to his now empty stomach. Red had neglected to ask how long he had been out, but after all the energy he spent it was no wonder he felt like he was starving. His attention settled onto the bowl of meat in the old soldier''s hand.


    "...I''m hungry." Red suddenly spoke up.


    "Hmm?" Viran stopped chewing and stared at Red with a confused expression.


    "...I helped you hunt and kill a centipede. I deserve my share of the meat too." He replied, his tone indifferent.


    A few seconds of complete silence went by before the man suddenly burst into laughter.


    "HAH! Of course, you need to eat something! I sometimes forget you''re still just a child, you know..." Reaching back, Viran grabbed another bowl, full of cooked centipede parts with questionable colors. Getting up, he approached the boy and crouched down to his level. "Here take it."


    Red was about to grab it before Viran suddenly pulled it out of his reach.


    "Ah, yes, I forgot. First I need you to answer me something..." His carefree expression suddenly twisted into one made of pure steel.


    The killing face.


    Red suddenly felt an immense sense of danger as a cold shiver ran down his spine.


    "How many acupoints have you opened?"

 Chapter 7 - The Truth

    A heavy silence settled into the air. Viran kept his eyes trained on Red, and the boy felt the pressure of the whole world fall onto his shoulders at that moment. It took a few seconds in what that felt like an eternity for him to gather his thoughts. The conclusion he made came by just as fast. His life was not in his own hands anymore. There was no wriggling himself out of this situation, so why the need to hesitate?


    On the surface, no sign of Red''s agitation could be seen. His mind finally settled down as the boy came to accept the position he had found himself in.


    "How did you know?" He asked, not breaking eye contact with the man.


    "It''s not easy." Viran, for his part, seemed more than willing to answer his question. "You already know that the more acupoints we open in each spirit vein the stronger our bodies get. Someone who has opened three or four spirit veins would be completely capable of taking on several normal people in a fight." His expression relaxed a bit as he talked, putting the food bowl back on his desk.


    He hadn''t had the chance to witness it before, but he was aware of how the process worked. There were 99 acupoints divided amongst all 12 spiritual veins in the human body and for someone to be fully capable of wielding spiritual energy they needed to open all of them. Viran had told him in the past that the more acupoints you opened the stronger you would become. This was not only in the physical aspect but both your senses and your mind would also improve substantially. Someone who had only opened one spiritual vein, for instance, would be hard-pressed to match someone who had opened four of them.


    "The difference between having or not having a few additional spiritual veins completely opened is quite clear," The man continued. "But it gets a bit harder to notice it when you get to the acupoints themselves. There probably won''t be much of a difference in strength between an adult who has opened two of his upper arms acupoints and another one who had opened four." A mocking smile formed on his face. "That''s probably what you were thinking when you decided to hide your progress from me, right? And well, you''re not entirely wrong. But unfortunately, you forgot that you are dealing with a genius here." He tapped the side of his head with his finger.


    At that point, Red had more or less of an idea about how he had found it out.


    "Was that why you invited me for the hunt?"


    "More or less, but things went far more smoothly than I thought." Viran replied. "It would be an assessment that would take weeks of observation normally, but thanks to those centipedes all your secrets were laid bare before me." He took out an iron knife from the side of his waist, the same one he had let Red borrow earlier. "I measured how deep you managed to stab the thing. Perhaps to your average person, this wouldn''t tell them much, not to mention as a kid your body is still in development, but I''ve done my research."


    He demonstrated his point by making a stabbing motion with the weapon.


    "Although I can''t be exactly sure of the specific number, the strength you had to have to get the knife that deep into the centipede''s head was quite a bit more than a kid who had just started opening his second spiritual vein could gather." Having said his part, the man laid back against the stone seat and continued to stare at Red.


    "...This seems unfair." It was all the boy could say at the moment. These were all things he obviously wasn''t privy to, and even if he knew about it while fighting the centipede, there was no way he would have been able to hold back when his life was on the line.


    "Of course it''s unfair!" Viran laughed. "Look, you''re smart, smarter than anyone your age should be, that much was clear from the beginning. But you were always outmatched against me, kid. I''m smarter, stronger, and have far more experience in life than you. You may meet some people during your journey who are just superior to you in every way, and at that point you can only blame your own luck." He flipped the knife in his hand before tossing it onto the desk behind him. "I''ve answered your question, now you have to answer mine. How many?"


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    "...Six." Red could only reply in resignation. The man already knew he was lying, so he saw no point in hiding the truth from him any longer.


    "Hmmm..." Viran scratched his chin as he pondered for a few seconds, staring at the tent wall. "That''s not a bad speed. Far faster than someone with your talents should have..."


    This was a terrible feeling, far worse than how he felt when he had almost been killed by the centipede. Back then, he could have died on his own terms, but right now Red had no agency over what would happen to him. Whether he lived or died it would all depend on what Viran wanted to do, such was the difference in strength between them. This feeling of hopelessness pervaded every aspect of his body and there was nothing he could do about it. Red felt like it was about to consume him if he let it, but even here he refused to lose himself to it, a natural pride ingrained in his being allowing him to maintain his composure.


    Renewed silence came over the room. Red knew what question would come next. He would be forced to reveal how he had managed to open so many acupoints so quickly, and who knew what Viran would do next. Still, the boy remained silent. Although he was more or less resigned to his fate, he wouldn''t spew everything he knew without prompting. Finally, Viran sighed loudly, before his attention returned to Red.


    "Do you know the history of these mines, kid?"


    "...No." Red felt surprised by the question. Even Viran''s tone seemed to change, becoming heavier and more tired. What he was expecting didn''t come. Even then, the boy still paid attention. Viran wasn''t the kind to speak without meaning.


    "To be truthful, neither do I exactly. It is the kind of legend that got spread throughout the ages and changed so much that no one really knows what the true origin of this place even is anymore." The old soldier reached back, grabbing a moonstone that was on his desk. "They always involve the moon, though... Have you ever seen it?"


    "No." Red spoke truthfully. He had heard it described before by other slaves, this celestial body that floated in the night sky, but the boy had a hard time visualizing it.


    "It''s a very beautiful thing, but also very terrifying if you look at it too much." Viran continued with a smile on his face. "They say these moonstones contain traces of its power, from a fragment that fell down on this world a long time ago. I never believed it, and when I was sent here and was able to see one of them up close I felt I only had my doubts reaffirmed. They only glowed with soft green light and contained a meager amount of spiritual power, completely useless, and yet these fools up top created a whole mining operation composed of slaves to gather them..." He shook his head, a small laugh escaping his mouth. "Turns out I was the fool all along..."


    Red felt lost. At this point, Viran seemed to be talking to himself more than he was to the boy. The image of a stalwart warrior diminished into one of a tired and bitter old man, spewing his grievances to the air.


    "You know, no one ever managed to escape these mines right?" Viran continued. "This was what I heard all the time while I was rotting away in prison and yet I was still confident. Perhaps they were right, but the only type of people they ever sent here was the lowest of the low, peasants and criminals they couldn''t even be bothered with killing themselves. Of course they wouldn''t be able to escape, but these caves were never put against someone like me..." He went silent before suddenly, loud laughter came out of his mouth. "What an idiot! All these stories about how arrogant heroes met their downfall I read when I was a kid, and yet look at me now, destined to rot in these caves."


    The boy couldn''t help but feel a sense of curiosity well up in his mind. Escape. This word that sounded so foreign before Viran taught him how to open his spiritual veins now instead seemed to be a possibility in his future. And yet, even the seasoned soldier in front of him who was far more powerful seemed to laugh at the idea.


    "Is it that hard to escape?" Red asked when the man stopped laughing to himself.


    "Hard? It is extremely hard, but not impossible. No, escaping is not the real problem, it''s what comes after you leave this place that is the issue..." Viran shook his head as his attention returned to the wounded boy in front of him. "You know, I asked one of the guards up top since when did they start putting kids in these caves. Do you know what he said?"


    Red didn''t know why, but he felt like this was not something he wanted to learn.


    "He said they never put in any kid in these mines, that even they were not cruel enough to let a child suffer such a fate..." The man studied Red''s expressions closely. "How did you end up here?"


    "...I don''t know." The boy had no need to lie because he truly didn''t. Ever since he became aware of himself, of his first memory, he found himself in these caves, and that was two years ago.


    "You truly don''t remember." Viran shook his head. "This place, the more I try to understand it the farther the answers seem to be from me... I will give you a piece of advice, kid, something I had to learn for myself when I took my first step into this unknown world." His expression became serious once again. "Some of the things you see in this place... It''s best to just pretend that they aren''t there. Do you understand?"


    At that point, Red''s mind couldn''t help but wander back to an image. A purple glow. After a few seconds of silence, he simply nodded.


    "Good." With a smile, Viran took the food bowl once again, before offering it to the boy. "Here, eat it, you''re gonna need it if you want to recover."


    "...That''s it?" He grabbed the bowl, still confused about the whole conversation.


    "For now, yes. What, you think I am gonna kill you just like that?" The man smiled, returning to his old self. "You are my investment, kid, I can''t just get rid of you like this." Saying so, the man patted his ragged trousers before getting up and walking towards the tent''s entrance. "Eat, rest, and get used to the pain. Tomorrow, I''m gonna start to teach you some things."


    With that, he lifted the flap and left the covering. Red stood silent in thought for a good minute before the hunger got the best of him and he started stuffing down the centipede meat.

 Chapter 8 - Training Begins

    Red didn''t sleep very well. In fact, he didn''t sleep at all. The stinging pain in his ribs and the strange environment of Viran''s tent didn''t let the boy rest during the next few hours. He didn''t know how long he was laid down for, staring at the ceiling and reflecting on his encounter with the man. Soon, even the faint light of the torches inside the tent burned out and Red was left in absolute darkness, except for a faint green glow coming from the desk nearby.


    It wasn''t until he heard approaching steps outside the tent, that he snapped out of his reverie. Looking over, rays of light flooded his view, and Red saw Viran standing by the entrance, looking down at him.


    "Did you get some rest?" The man asked. "Actually, don''t answer that. Get up, I''ll be waiting for you outside." He turned around, before suddenly stopping and looking at Red again. "Don''t forget to bring the knife."


    With that done, the boy saw the tent flap down again, as darkness was restored. In truth, he hadn''t tried to move much during the past few hours, so he wasn''t sure what sort of state the rest of his body found itself in. If he had to guess, it wasn''t any good, but laying down here certainly was not likely to help him much further.


    Taking deep and slow breaths, Red slowly gathered his strength as he sat himself up. Just as he had confirmed last night, his arms were in working condition, at least, supporting his upper body weight albeit with some difficulty. Next was his legs. Their recovery didn''t feel nearly as good as that of his other limbs, a dull pain spreading through them as Red extended and compressed them. They felt weak, moving them being an arduous and painful task, and he didn''t know how well they would be able to support his body.


    Red didn''t feel like waiting around to see them fully healed, though. Being on the ground, the kid looked for some support to pull himself up. Crawling over to Viran''s desk, he grabbed the edges of the improvised furniture and tried to pull himself up in one go. The simple task seemed to take a huge amount of his energy and his arms eventually failed him as he tumbled bottom first back to the ground.


    His situation was worse than he had thought. Truthfully, Red had been hurt before in these caves, but not anywhere near as bad as he was right now. The foreign feeling of weakness mixed with the pain that came at his every breath was a hard opponent to contend with, but he wouldn''t let himself be defeated by it.


    After regaining his composure, Red grabbed the desk once more, this time intent on working at the task in segments. First, a single pulling motion of his hands lifted him up enough for him to put his knees beneath himself. Another pause for breath. On the second pull, Red managed to get his feet beneath him, staying crouched even as his legs protested under the effort. Finally, the final pull.


    He almost fell down once again, but by throwing his body weight against the stone desk, Red managed to stay up. The muscles in limbs protested in pain, but now at least the boy was standing up on his own two feet. Looking around, his eyes found the shining reflection of the steel knife on the stone surface, proceeding to grab it and stow it away by the side of his waist.


    Then next came the hardest part. Walking. Gathering his breath once more, Red made a tentative step forward with his right foot, gradually letting the full weight of his body onto his legs. This was a mistake.


    His leg buckled from under him as his vision went dark for a second. Thankfully, Red managed to latch himself to the desk and avoided falling down. The sudden movement made him breathe deeply in surprise, at which point extreme pain shot through his chest, and his consciousness almost faded away again.


    It took one more minute for the pain to subside, and Red could have sworn that it felt as if he was at the task for the last hour. Viran seemed understanding enough to not press him though, as the boy didn''t hear from him during the whole thing.


    This time, instead of stepping forward, though, Red tried to flex his legs by bending them ever so slightly before extending them again, letting the feeling and strength over his muscles return to him. After repeating the movement a few times, he finally felt confident enough to take another try at walking.


    First, it was one step. A success. Then came the second one, as he let one of his hands go from his support. This one was a bit trickier, but Red managed to retain his balance, and he felt some semblance of confidence in his body return to him once more. Following a few more steps, he tried to let go of the support entirely and stand on his own.


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    Another sharp jolt of pain shot up his legs, but this time he didn''t fall. With slow and steady steps, the boy approached the tent''s entrance and lifted the flap before moving outside.


    A lot of slaves were sleeping around the clearing, some of them covered in injuries like him. Red recognized them as belonging to the hunting party from earlier. He had almost forgotten that he wasn''t the only one that had fought the centipede monsters. If it wasn''t for Viran, he truly didn''t know if any of them would have made it back alive.


    Much to his dismay, Gruff seemed to be amongst the survivors, soundly sleeping in his own bed with not one visible injury. Looking at the center of the camp, Red saw the smoldering remains of a bonfire, as well as the leftovers carapace pieces of the centipede, stacked to the side. Those would be used to craft simple tools later. Up ahead, he saw Viran leaning back against the cave''s entrance, holding a torch in his hand.


    As Red approached him, the old soldier''s brow furrowed.


    "Why did you take so long?" Viran seemed to be quite serious, but he didn''t let Red answer before continuing. "Make sure to pick up your pace and keep up with me." With that, he started walking off into the dark corridors beyond.


    Red didn''t even have time to take a breather. Although the man didn''t seem to rush his step, he still kept a steady pace for an adult, and the young boy obviously struggled to keep up in his condition. They passed through various clearings, packed full of slaves whose eyes squinted as the torch broke the darkness of their rest. Some of the braver ones even started to complain, before they noticed who was the one holding the light in the first place.


    He had never visited these parts of the caves too much before. Red mostly tried to keep away from crowds, and they tended to gather in larger groups towards the surface. This kept him isolated from certain parts of the mine, but the boy was able to get by exploring the darker regions for moonstones, where the monsters were more likely to wander by, and also where Viran and his goons hunted them.


    Soon enough, they entered into a tunnel Red was entirely unfamiliar with. It winded and stretched for a few minutes of their walk and just as he felt that he couldn''t keep up with Viran''s steps much longer, they found themselves faced with a dead end. Or at least so it would seem.


    "We''re here." The man shined the light in front of them, and Red was able to see that what blocked their way wasn''t a rock wall, but rather a very large stone the size of an adult that obstructed the passage. "Hold this for me, will you?" Viran held the torch in his direction and the boy grabbed it from him.


    Approaching the stone, the man crouched down before putting his two hands beneath it. With a grunt, Red saw him lift the rock up little by little into his grip. Eventually, the stone hit the ceiling, and Viran couldn''t raise it any longer. Still, he didn''t seem to be particularly pressed holding the weight even in his awkward half-crouched position and started to push forward into the previously blocked passage.


    Red saw a clearing open up before his eyes as he followed behind. Eventually, Viran set down the stone to the side with a heavy thud before patting himself down. It was then that the boy was able to see the area fully.


    The clearing was fairly large and had a smooth floor. A handful of large wooden boxes lined up the walls of this place and in it, Red saw all sorts of things. Insect parts, improvised weapons, torches, glass bottles full of water and food, papers with writings on them, and a lot of moonstones. A lot of them. In fact, it wasn''t just the box that held them, they were spread all over the floor. There was also an improvised stone desk and seat near the back wall. As the torch illuminated the environment even further, Red was able to see what was on the walls too.


    A huge picture of a rough human silhouette was drawn on the wall. In the empty shape of the figure, the boy saw interconnected lines that traveled all over its body, as well as dots interspersed through these lines. Red didn''t need to count all those points for him to notice that this was the depiction of the spiritual veins and their acupoints.


    Viran walked over to one of the boxes while the boy was occupied staring at the clearing in wonder. Fetching some torches and firesteel, the man started to light them up and hang them around the room, illuminating the entire environment very brightly. Seeing no need to carry the torch in his hand anymore, Red put it on the ground and walked over to the large drawing on the wall.


    "Is this where you keep your stash?" He asked, while closely examining the boxes. He had no doubt someone like Viran kept some supplies and other things he found in the cave to himself, at least more than what he had in his tent.


    "One of them." The man replied, before pointing to the huge rock that had been blocking the passage before. "It was a pain to find a safe hiding spot, not to mention it wouldn''t necessarily be able to fit all that I wanted, so rather than looking for one I just decided to block one of those clearings and make it my hideout."


    It was a smart plan and something that only someone with his strength could do. Red was sure that no slave would be able to push the rock out of the way, not even if they worked together.


    "What are we doing here?" Red finally asked, making use of this break to catch his breath once more.


    "Right. I think we need to make something clear, kid." Viran replied walking over to his desk. "You are an investment, Red. Something I decided to raise and use to escape this place. At first, I wasn''t too confident that it would pay off. Your talent is mediocre at best, and in this environment so lacking in spiritual energy your training speed was going to suffer no matter how hard you worked. Not to mention, the training method wasn''t guaranteed to work either..." He looked at the drawing on the wall before continuing. "Still, you managed to surprise me. Some way or the other, you managed to train far faster down here than you should have been able to, and your survival instincts have proven to be much stronger than they looked at first glance. You''ve shown to me that you are, after all, worth further investments..." He trailed off, picking off another knife from his desk.


    As the weapon was brought into view, Red was able to see the glinting of metal as it reflected the torchlight.


    "Now... I''m going to make sure you don''t die before you can pay me back for all my efforts."

 Chapter 9 - Acupoints

    "It''s not gonna be anything complicated at first." Viran moved towards the center of the room. "First thing you need to learn is footwork. Let me tell you, you''re not gonna want to clash against any monsters head-on even after you''ve opened a few spiritual veins, so the best way to avoid getting yourself killed is by dodging their attacks."


    "What about against another person?" Red asked.


    "In your case, it''s still best that you don''t get scraped by anything. You''re still just a kid, so don''t expect to be able to overpower a fully grown adult just yet." The man continued. "What I''m going to teach you are the basics of hand-to-hand combat that we get to learn at the army... Or, well, something like it anyway. Most of these teachings go out the window when you are fighting against giant monsters whose mandibles are bigger than your head, but the principle of the matter still stands."


    Viran entered into some kind of combat stance, with his left foot forward and his knees slightly bent, gripping the knife in his right hand.


    "Every move when you are fighting starts with your feet. Whether you''re about to attack and need to push off the ground for momentum or when you need to avoid getting yourself killed, it all starts from the base of your stance."


    Viran displayed as much with some demonstrations. With a slight impulse from his back foot, the man seemed to push himself farther than someone could normally jump, clearing almost the entire room in one go. Afterwards, he dived back, perfectly returning to his starting position.


    "Even if you have started to open your spiritual veins, the importance of footwork doesn''t diminish. Most of the basics are interchangeable between offense and defense, but for your own sake and so you don''t end up with any other broken ribs we''re going to focus on dodging right now." Viran relaxed his stance, turning back to stare at Red, as a slight smile came over his face. "Now, I''m not a good mentor by any means, kid. Never had to teach any 10-year old how to fight and I very much subscribe to the idea that experience is the best teacher... Do you understand what I''m getting at?"


    At that question, Viran ran his thumb slowly over the knife''s edge.


    The boy couldn''t help but feel that something bad was about to happen.


    ...


    A few minutes later, Red felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion before Viran finally told him their training session was done. His breathing was labored and painful from his injuries, and the boy had new bruises all over his body to add to his collection.


    Suffice it to say, but the training felt more like a one-sided beating. Red knew that even if he was in better condition he still wouldn''t have been able to last much longer against Viran''s unrelenting attacks. Every blow carried monstrous strength and perfect precision behind it, and Red felt like the man could see through his every move. Not to mention that he was clearly holding back, pulling his blows at the last second just enough so they wouldn''t crack any bones. They still hurt of course, but thankfully the man had never used the sharp side of the knife in his attacks either.


    The boy had to use every fiber of his being just to stay afloat in their sparring session, and after it was over he couldn''t really say whether he had learned anything. Sitting on the ground, all the adrenaline left his body, sweat covering his entire being, and the pain that he had been able to ignore returned. At that point, Red felt like he had just fought another centipede and couldn''t gather an ounce of strength in his body.


    "Here, catch." Viran called to him.


    He only saw a small circular object flying towards him. Red made no effort to catch it in mid-air, letting it clack against his chest. Grabbing it off the floor with his right hand, he brought it up to his eyes and saw it was some kind of wooden container with a top lid, which emitted a strange smell.


    "It''s paste." The man responded, noticing Red''s inquisitive gaze. "I managed to make it using some monster body parts after some experimentation. Apply it to your ribs every day and you should be good in a week."


    "Really?" He felt skeptical about it. Even small injuries took a very long time to heal down here and in some cases may even become infected and lead to death. Red felt like a paste that could make what would take a month to heal be done instead in one week was too good to be true.


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    "No need to doubt me, this is truly nothing compared to what I could cook up on the surface." The man seemed to be a bit offended. "If I had the materials and equipment to make proper spiritual medicine then your cracked ribs would heal in less than a day."


    Red didn''t push the matter, simply storing the small box in his pouch.


    "What now?" The boy asked. Although he felt spent already, the training session had barely been going on for 5 minutes.


    "Right, I suppose I need to clarify some things about spiritual veins." Viran walked over to the seat, plopping himself down as he stared at the picture on the wall. "I told you before that you needed to open 112 acupoints split between twelve veins to allow spiritual energy to flow freely through your body, but... That''s not entirely true."


    "What do you mean?" Red''s face remained emotionless but he felt alarmed inside. He didn''t know why Viran would need to lie about something like this.


    "Well, it''s hard to explain without first going into depth about this matter." The man pointed towards the drawing on the wall. "Do you see what it says?" He asked.


    "I can''t read."


    "...Right." He continued. "Basically the function of opening the spiritual veins is to allow the spiritual energy to flow freely through your body, as you might know, but only doing that doesn''t allow you to accomplish the most important thing. That is, you can''t manipulate spiritual energy with your veins alone..."


    Red had gathered as much from his practice. He could gather and stimulate the spiritual energy with his spiritual veins, forcing them into opening his acupoints, but he couldn''t exert any finer control over it. He had guessed that perhaps when all spiritual veins and acupoints were opened then one would be able to manipulate that energy, but it seems like this wasn''t the case.


    "Opening these acupoints is merely one of the first steps in controlling spiritual energy and not even the most important one. Even a peasant with no talent could open quite a few spiritual veins during their whole life if they got their hands on a method to do it, but that''s the easy part, the hard part..." He pointed towards the center of the big figure, where the huge circle was located. "Is opening that. The Spiritual Sea."


    Red tried to connect the name to the characters he saw written on the wall next to that circle. His eyes narrowed in doubt.


    "You mean to say that something that big is in our bodies?" The sphere seemed to occupy a large area in the center of the figure''s body, after all.


    "...No, it''s not that big, well at least not entirely." Viran seemed stumped in trying to explain the concept to Red. "The Spiritual Sea is an organ in the human body that every person has, but in normal situations, it is not fully formed, existing in a half-real half-illusory state. The specifics about what it is are not important. You should focus on what it does, which is enabling a person to manipulate and store spiritual energy in their bodies. Opening the Spiritual Sea is the hardest obstacle keeping millions of ordinary people from truly elevating themselves..." Viran''s eyes seemed to become unfocused for a second before he continued.


    "You see, spiritual energy is a wonderful thing. It both affects and is affected by its surroundings, taking shapes and doing things that are extraordinary in nature, but wielding it is not an easy task. From ancient times humans studied it and discovered the tools necessary within themselves to control that energy, which was the spiritual sea and the spiritual veins. But you see, they had the means but not the method. They could store that energy but how would they transform it and use it? It would simply remain static once you absorbed it into your spiritual sea, and expelling it out of your body wouldn''t necessarily result in anything magical..." Viran trailed off, looking at Red as if waiting for something.


    "...This is where the acupoints and spiritual veins come in?" He made an informed guess.


    "Exactly." The man smiled. "When they controlled that spiritual energy and cycled it through their spiritual veins and acupoints they noticed that it would change ever so slightly in properties. Running it through different patterns and paths would result in different kinds of transformations. It was this discovery that allowed the development of all Spiritual Arts in human history, powerful techniques that allowed normal people to truly rise beyond the ordinary, but that''s something you will only need to concern yourself with when and if you ever manage to open your Spiritual Sea.


    "The experts noticed by then that to wield the most simple of Spiritual Arts you need to have opened all twelve of your spiritual veins and the 99 basic acupoints contained in them..."


    "99?" Red asked, his brows furrowed.


    "Indeed, but that''s just the bare minimum. The human body itself is a magical wonder, kid, and even today no one dares claim to know all its secrets. Those same people noticed that there were other special acupoints hidden within the spiritual veins and opening them would allow for even more wondrous transformations and manipulations of spiritual energy. At that point, even stronger Spiritual Arts could be performed and one would be able to reach higher peaks of strength. Most of these special acupoints, however, required unique methods and resources to open, unlike the regular ones. In fact, some of these particular acupoints didn''t even exist in some people, and those that did carry them were sought after to be trained as great talents."


    "So, the method for opening the acupoints in my spiritual veins you taught me is a special one?" A normal person would be elated when considering that possibility, but Red was far from letting himself be happy. The man had told him again and again that his talent was mediocre, so how could opening these special acupoints be anything simple.


    "More or less, but you don''t need to do anything hard, merely practicing down here is enough to meet all the conditions for opening them." Viran got up and walked to the picture on the wall, pointing at 13 dots spread throughout the figure''s body. Adding that on top of the 99 standard ones, the result was 112 acupoints. "...Although I must tell you, this is merely something I''ve developed in the last few months after being thrown here, it''s entirely possible that further down the line, other acupoints may also need to be opened to form a perfect cycle. But with these." He grabbed one of the moonstones on the table, the soft green light reflecting against his face. "It shouldn''t be a problem."


    This was a lot of information for Red to digest. It obviously felt like more was left unsaid by the man, but at the very least it proved one thing to Red. By revealing this much, Viran was seeking some sort of honest collaboration.


    "And what kind of Spiritual Arts do these special acupoints allow me to practice?" Red asked the question that had been on his mind since he had heard about these special acupoints.


    "What kind? Ha! None that I know of, but it will allow you to do something much better." Viran smiled. "It will allow you to escape this place alive."

 Chapter 10 - Talent

    "How so?" Red¡¯s monotone voice almost seemed to fill with excitement for once.


    "I can''t tell you." Viran cut his line of questioning before it had even properly begun. "Trust me, it''s not that I don''t want to, but anything you learn about this could be detrimental to your current training. When you manage to finally leave this place, you''ll understand what I mean."


    The boy didn''t know why the man wanted to keep it a secret, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt. It didn''t matter either way, as long as he continued opening his spiritual veins then one day he would be strong enough to fight out of these tunnels by himself.


    "Do I need to open all those acupoints before leaving?" Red questioned.


    "No, if that was the case who knows how many years you would still be stuck down here. Three should be enough for what I have planned." The man shook his head. "Look, I don''t mean to dishearten you kid, but when I said your talent is just average, I really meant it. If you don''t get any external support, even on the surface it could take well into your twenties before you can open all your spiritual veins, not to mention down here where the spiritual energy is so sparse."


    It was the first time that Red had heard such a specific number from Viran''s mouth, and he truly was surprised. From when he had first learned about the spiritual veins and their acupoints, the boy knew the difficulty in opening them varied depending on the vein. Convention had it that one should start from the easiest veins to the hardest ones, and this was also what Red had been doing per Viran''s instructions. Counting for all acupoints, the order from easiest to hardest was such:


    Spinal Vein, with 12 acupoints normally, but with 13 under his specific technique. The boy had already completely opened this one.


    Upper Arm Vein, with 10 acupoints normally, but with 12 under his technique. Red had managed to open 6 of those already and was currently in the process of opening the rest.


    Upper Legs Vein, with 8 acupoints normally or 10 with his technique.


    Lower Arms Vein, with 14 standard acupoints.


    Lower Legs Vein, with 12 standard acupoints.


    Lungs Vein, with 10 standard acupoints or 11 with his technique.


    Stomach Vein, with 8 standard acupoints or 9 with his technique.


    Liver Vein, with 4 standard acupoints or 5 with his technique.


    Heart Vein, with 6 standard acupoints or 7 with his technique.


    Five Senses Vein, with 7 standard acupoints or 8 with his technique.


    Brain Vein, with 7 standard acupoints or 9 with his technique.


    And finally, the last and hardest vein to open, the Third Eye vein, which had a single acupoint normally but two of them with his technique.


    Those numbers added to 99 standard acupoints and 112 of them with Viran''s special method. Red might appear to have been making good progress with them, opening a total of 19 already in just a few months, but the truth was that the boy could clearly feel the difficulty increasing as he progressed. Back when he was focused on the spinal vein, he could open one acupoint in a single day if he was lucky, but now in the upper arm vein, a single acupoint would take an entire week to open if he didn''t have the help of his friendly blob. Red could only imagine the time necessary would increase exponentially the further he went along.


    "What makes someone more talented for manipulating spiritual energy?" He asked. Even if Red knew his talent was poor, he still liked to have a frame of reference so he could dedicate himself further.


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    "Simple, it''s their spiritual energy sensitivity. No one really knows why, but some people can feel that energy far more easily than others. They, in turn, have a far easier time opening their veins than someone like you."


    "And how long do they take?" Red followed up with another question.


    "It depends. Even someone with good talent would take a lot longer if they only started opening his veins after reaching adulthood. It''s why I chose you, being a kid and everything..." Viran bluntly exposed his reason for cooperation with no second thought. "However, if we''re talking about those talented children that get recruited by the big organizations up top, then they can do it in a few years if they start around your age, which is generally the optimal time for opening your veins. Of course, even then some truly rare talent can do it even faster.


    "For instance, some people are so sensitive and energy-compatible from birth, that their spiritual veins open up naturally as they grow up. If they put some real effort in opening them on top of that, then they could accomplish that task in a few weeks. Opening their veins would be as easy as tearing paper." To demonstrate his point, Viran picked up a piece of paper from his desk before ripping it in half.


    "Is there a way to increase your talent?" Not to be dissuaded, the boy kept at it with his questions.


    "What?! No!" He replied indignantly. "Why do you think it''s called talent? It''s something you are born with, not something you can change or acquire. Fables and legends on the surface would tell you about talentless peasants having some lucky encounter that transformed them into geniuses overnight, but those are all false and created to give people like you hope. Don''t let yourself be fooled by them." The old soldier had never been one to mince his words, and he didn''t hesitate to crush any such thoughts in Red''s mind. "You can increase your training speed with the help of external items such as special medicines and concoctions, but talent doesn''t only increase your development speed... Either way, you are getting too ahead of yourself, kid. Trust me I know how interesting it is to think about the future and the possibilities that await us, but for your own benefit, you should think about the now and not let yourself be swallowed up by your dreams."


    With that said, Viran got up and started messing around with his storage boxes, taking out all sorts of things from them and putting some back in.


    "If you''re quite done recovering, then you should leave and go get some sleep." He spoke, without even looking at Red. "These training sessions will be a daily thing, so come find me by the tent around this time after everyone else has fallen asleep."


    The boy had been so absorbed in their conversation that he forgot about the state of his own body. Moving around his limbs, Red could feel them protest in pain, but after a few seconds of catching his breath, he was able to get up.


    "Then I''ll be leaving." Red said, to which Viran responded with a grunt.


    Most of their interactions went in such a way. In fact, they had never spoken with each other as much as they did today, but as soon as they were finished with the topic at hand they unceremoniously stopped their conversation. In a certain way, it made Red feel relieved. It clearly indicated Viran''s interest in their partnership and made it seem unlikely that he had other intentions behind it. It wasn''t the normal kind of relationship between a student and his teacher, but the boy much preferred it this way.


    Grabbing a moonstone off the ground, Red slowly walked out of the chamber and into the tunnel beyond. His body croaked in pain, as the boy had to support himself against the wall as he went along. Suddenly, he paused. An uncomfortable realization dawned on him. He was in an unknown part of the mines, and to reach his usual hideout he would need to go through many other clearings where slaves slept, and he wouldn''t be able to do anything in his condition if they tried to attack him.


    Red considered returning to Viran''s hideout and asking to sleep there, but he thought better of it. Exploring the tunnel, it took the boy the better part of an hour before he found a good hide place lodged in-between the cave walls to sleep at. Looking around to make sure there were no monsters or other hostile creatures lurking in the small chamber, Red sat in his hiding spot before taking the medicinal paste Viran had given him out of his pocket.


    After taking off his bandages, Red smeared the brownish substance over his bruised ribs. A very uncomfortable stinging feeling spread through his chest but compared to what he had felt today it barely bothered him. Laying down on the hard rock floor, the boy scooted over to hide his body from view in a protruding rock wall. Many thoughts coursed through his mind about what he had learned today, but it didn''t take long for his body to give out and for sleep to overtake his consciousness.


    ...


    "Heed you most holy God-Emperor''s decree!"


    A booming voice woke Red up from his sleep. Looking around him, he found himself in a completely foreign environment, standing on top of a wall made out of the most pristine white bricks decorated with symbols and figures that the boy found incomprehensible. He was close to the edge of the rampart and from here he was able to see the ground below. Or so he thought.


    A wave of nausea came over him as Red noticed that the ground seemed to be impossibly far away from him. The wall ran so far down that it eventually receded into an inscrutable and blurry mess. Looking over to the side, he also noticed the noble structure extended far beyond his view in a straight line, seemingly cutting the whole world in half. The sky above flowed in golden light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The ground on the other side of the wall however was a desolate waste of pale sand as far as the eye could see. Red didn''t know why, but he felt the smell of death rising to reach him from kilometers deep into that soil.


    His mind couldn''t take it, and the boy felt as if he was about to collapse as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the same booming deafening voice echoed again, the sounds seemingly reaching deep into his consciousness.


    "The White Temple is commanded thus to surrender its False Idols to our God-Emperor. Your Holy Priest and his Ministers are commanded to surrender themselves to our God-Emperor and bear his judgment. The territories under your protection are also commanded to submit themselves to occupation by our God-Emperor¡¯s holy armies. Every cultivator inside your territory must..."


    The voice spoke in a foreign language, but Red seemed to comprehend it at first. However, his consciousness threatened to break apart and the words soon became incomprehensible. At long last, the boy dared to open his eyes once more and look towards the source of the voice.


    A light as blinding as the sun was all he could identify at first, bearing down on him with all its glory and holiness. His eyes slowly adapted themselves. In the middle of it, a shape started to appear. A disembodied eye. Then another. Then one more. Soon enough there were thousands of them that Red could see of varying sizes, and their numbers were only increasing.


    Suddenly, all of them turned to stare at him. He felt terror. And then he felt nothing.


    Only darkness.

 Chapter 178 - Tornado Land

    Red tried to get up. His muscles gave out beneath him, though, weakened to an extreme degree after the entire ordeal with the snake. He noticed his companions were running down the ramp towards him.


    Eiwin was the first to reach him. ¡°Red, are you alright?!¡±


    She crouched beside him and helped him sit up.


    Red nodded. ¡°I should be fine. I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    He guessed this was the result of being under so much pressure from the snake monster that he started to sweat blood, as well as the side-effects of the empowerment pill. The boy was completely exhausted.


    Narcha, who was following behind Eiwin, also let out a sigh of relief once she noticed he was still alive. Still, her expression changed into a fearful one as she stared at him.


    ¡°What happened, kid?¡± the woman asked.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I tried to use a trick to pass through. Things went out of control after that.¡±


    ¡°A trick?!¡± Narcha frowned in disbelief. ¡°What kind of trick can cause a monster like that to go into a rage?! Not only that, but how did you come alive out of it?!¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He was being sincere. The monster had avoided attacking him during its rage, but even then, just the after-effects of its hissing should have killed him on the spot. Yet Red came out of it unharmed. He assumed this might have been the work of the crimson aura, but he wasn¡¯t entirely certain about it. Not to mention, there were still the strange actions of the monster right before it left.


    There were too many odd matters with this situation, but Red looked at the bright side of things. He was expecting to die, and yet came out alive from the challenge.


    His response didn¡¯t seem to satisfy Narcha, her expression changing between suspicion and resignation as she shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s just get out of here before that thing returns.¡±


    ¡°Can you get up, Red?¡± Eiwin asked.


    The boy frowned. ¡°I might need help.¡±


    The younger woman didn¡¯t hesitate to provide him with assistance. She held Red up as they made their way back up the incline. In the meantime, he tried to get some semblance of strength back to his muscles, but he didn¡¯t recover nearly enough to stay on his feet by himself.


    When they arrived near the top of the ramp, Reinhart was waiting for them with his arms crossed.


    He stared at Red. ¡°You lived.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Red shrugged and didn¡¯t respond.


    Reinhart grunted. ¡°Can¡¯t you walk on your own?¡±


    ¡°I took the empowerment pill.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That explains it, I suppose.¡± the knight nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was meant to be consumed by kids, or anyone who has yet to open their twelve Spiritual Veins. Even I feel spent after using it.¡±


    Although he said that, there were no signs of any side-effects on the man¡¯s body.


    ¡°Either way, we can¡¯t take you with us like this.¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°No one asked for your opinion, you bastard!¡± Narcha glared at him.


    The knight shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just being realistic. The kid is very useful, so it pains me to leave him behind, but there¡¯s no way we can take dead weight with us. We would definitely die.¡±


    ¡°Then we wait for him to recover!¡±


    ¡°And how long would that take? Hours? Days? By then the trial will be over.¡±


    Red, who was hearing this conversation, couldn¡¯t help but frown at his words. He hadn¡¯t died in the snake¡¯s hand, yet now he was not much more useful than a corpse.


    Eiwin interjected. ¡°You need not worry about him, Mister Reinhart. We will take him with us whether or not he¡¯s wounded.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a stupid idea.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to, you can go on by yourself. No one is holding you here.¡±


    Reinhart sighed. ¡°Fine. Just remember that hunter is still waiting for you to save him out there.¡±


    These words didn¡¯t seem to faze Eiwin. ¡°I know.¡± she fetched something in her bag and handed it over to Red. ¡°Here, take this.¡±


    The boy examined the item. It was a vial containing a dark, viscous liquid. In fact, the boy recognized it. It was the same medicine Goulth had given him to heal his shoulder when he arrived at the sect.


    He looked back at Eiwin. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a waste?¡±


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    This medicine could heal serious injuries, such as his broken shoulder. Red thought it was a waste to use it to heal his injured muscles.


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°Not at all. We need your help if we plan on making it further in this trial. Isn¡¯t that right, Narcha?¡±


    Narcha looked at Eiwin with some hesitation, but it soon disappeared. She stared at Red and nodded with resolution. ¡°That power of yours is really useful. We might need it.¡±


    After his two companions expressed their approval, the boy didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. He uncorked the vial and downed its contents - the horrible taste and smell assaulting his senses.


    A few seconds later, an uncomfortable feeling spread from the pit of his stomach to the rest of his body, reaching every corner of his frame. The process didn¡¯t last for longer than fifteen seconds, though, and soon the sensation disappeared.


    Red felt the terrible ache disappear from his body and he was able to stand on his own two feet again.


    Reinhart, who was observing this from the side, seemed annoyed at the sight. ¡°If you planned on giving him the medicine, why bother threatening me?¡±


    Eiwin glared at the man. ¡°My words from earlier still stand, Mister Reinhart. If this were to happen again in the future, we won¡¯t leave any of our injured companions behind, no matter how much they may delay us. This includes you too, to some extent, since we are now cooperating. I hope you don¡¯t forget that moving forward.¡±


    The knight frowned, but didn¡¯t respond to her words. He looked back towards the ramp. ¡°Let¡¯s move. We don¡¯t have time to waste.¡±


    With those words, Reinhart started walking up.


    Narcha scoffed at him and looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Are we really supposed to save him?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°We agreed to be allies, didn¡¯t we? Allies look out for each other, so we need to protect him if it comes down to it.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Would he do the same for us, though?¡±


    The younger woman shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it doesn¡¯t matter, and you should know this better than anyone, Miss Valt. We don¡¯t weigh the value of our actions using others¡¯ standards.¡±


    Her words gave the warrior some pause. A few seconds later, Narcha sighed. ¡°Fine! But if he tries to backstab us, I hope you won¡¯t try to hold me back.¡±


    With that conversation settled, the three of them followed behind Reinhart up the ramp. They found the man waiting with his back to them at the top of it, seemingly focused on looking at something in the distance. He didn¡¯t even react to their approach.


    Narcha frowned at this. ¡°Hey! What are you looking at¡­¡±


    She trailed off as the group crested over the ramp. What they saw immediately put them in a quiet state of shock.


    What awaited them at the top of this ramp was an endless plain. The flatland stretched as far as the eye could see - nothing but desolate rocky ground in whatever direction they looked, illuminated by the constant lightning from above. And yet, this wasn¡¯t what captured their attention.


    In the distance, enormous dust tornadoes travelled through the plain, barely moving in their relative field of vision, but most certainly travelling at incredible speeds. Red counted at least a dozen of them, but every time he focused in a different direction in the distance, his eyes spotted even more of them, merging into the dark and stormy clouds up above.


    The sight of these gigantic monstrosities mesmerized the boy.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a tornado.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°It¡¯s a natural phenomenon that sometimes occurs when warm, humid air clashes with cold, dry air... It¡¯s very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°So, this is all natural?¡±


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe anything in this place is natural.¡±


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s something in the distance!¡± Narcha pointed out.


    All of them looked in that direction. Red saw it, a shadowy shape incredibly far away that even his dark vision had a hard time spotting, highlighted by the constant lightning strikes from up above.


    ¡°It looks like a mountain.¡± Reinhart said.


    Narcha grunted. ¡°That must be where we have to go, right?¡±


    The knight shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything else.¡±


    Unfortunately for them, it seemed that even after exiting the canyon they weren¡¯t provided with any additional sense of direction.


    Reinhart looked over at Red. ¡°Do you still see their tracks?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s all been blown away.¡±


    The winds here were too strong, so any signs of Rickard and the imperials¡¯ footsteps were wiped away.


    The knight sighed. ¡°Well, at least this time, our objective seems pretty straightforward. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem to navigate our way around these tornadoes.¡±


    Indeed, although there were a lot of these twisters, they were all relatively far apart. However, no one seemed convinced by the man¡¯s words.


    Red frowned. ¡°Do you really think it will be that easy?¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t hurt to hope, though, does it?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond, looking back behind the way they had come from. At this height, he could see the canyon stretching behind him, solid ground broken up by large trenches and fissures, as endless as the plains waiting for them ahead. Yet, something confused him.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been struck by lightning.¡± Red said.


    Narcha seemed confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at the same height as the canyon walls, but no lightning has struck us.¡±


    One of the reasons they hadn¡¯t climbed the canyon walls earlier was because they were afraid of being struck by lightning. This worry was also corroborated by the bandit from earlier. Yet now they were at the same height as the top of the canyon, and no lightning had struck them.


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°Is there even any point in trying to make sense of this place, kid? This isn¡¯t the real world, after all¡­ Unless you want to try to climb the canyon wall and see what happens.¡±


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Bah! Stop talking and start moving!¡±


    The knight didn¡¯t protest at her words, and they were soon travelling forward again. Curiously, it didn¡¯t take long for Red to notice some changes in the environment.


    The rocky ground here wasn¡¯t smooth. It was cracked, countless small fissures littering the plains they were walking through. Although, now Red felt it more apt to call it a desert.


    Five minutes passed during their walk. Even then, the figure of the distant mountain didn¡¯t seem to get any closer, something that pointed out how massive and distant the peak really was. Still, the group wasn¡¯t dissuaded, and they had yet to find any other clues, so they kept walking forward.


    That was when, suddenly, the ground beneath them started to rumble.


    "Is it that snake again?!¡± Narcha asked in alarm.


    Reinhart looked back in the direction they came from and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there!¡±


    Eiwin called out to them. ¡°Stay close to the ground, it¡¯s getting stronger!¡±


    Red did as the woman instructed. The earthquake continued to intensify until suddenly they heard the extremely loud sound of the ground breaking apart in the distance.


    A ground of dust and detritus spewed out from that direction, and the rest of the group had to cover their faces. When the dust had cleared up, they noticed the shape of something coming out from the ground.


    It was a colossal monster.


    ¡°Not again¡­¡± Narcha grumbled to herself.

 Chapter 179 - Vultures

    The creature was an insect. It only had half of its body out of the ground, but it already extended well over a hundred meters. The creature had a fusiform and plump yellowish body, which made Red think it might have been a beetle at first, but a few more seconds of observation proved him wrong.


    First of all, this monster seemed to have a neck. It extended from its thorax and held a flat head, which bore a gigantic pair of sickle-like mandibles serrated with sharp spikes. What the boy found curious, though, is that he didn¡¯t see any signs of eyes in the beast¡¯s head. Then there was also the fact the insect¡¯s body seemed to be covered in countless bristles, all of which were probably bigger than Red.


    While this creature wasn¡¯t as long as the snake, it was much wider, and it invoked the same feeling of pressure on them. The monster dragged the rest of its body out from the ground, revealing all its six colossal legs. The ground beneath the group shook at each one of its steps.


    Suddenly, the creature raised its head towards the sky. Red held his breath and blocked his ears, expecting a roar comparable to the snake from earlier. It didn¡¯t come, though.


    Instead, the creature opened its jaw. It stood in that position for over ten seconds, leaving Red and the others confused.


    However, they soon noticed something change around them.


    ¡°The wind is picking up.¡± Reinhart said.


    The boy felt it too. It was blowing against their back and towards the creature, dragging a large amount of dust with it. Red even felt the wind start to pull him with it. Thankfully, Narcha grabbed onto him before he even needed to worry about being blown away.


    The woman frowned as she stared at the monster. ¡°It¡¯s getting stronger!¡±


    The wind was blowing towards the insect from all directions. Most of this dust was being gathered around the beast¡¯s mandibles, spinning around them and forming a familiar shape.


    ¡®Is it making a tornado?¡¯


    Red¡¯s question was answered a few seconds later. The spinning dust tendril around its mandible extended towards the sky, and the clouds from above reached down to meet it. Then they connected, and the twister started to spin even faster.


    The colossal insect, which was at the center of this phenomenon, seemed unaffected by the extreme winds. Once the tornado was fully formed, it detached itself from the creature¡¯s mandibles and found purchase on the ground.


    Then, as if satisfied with a job well done, the insect simply turned around and returned to its hole. The ground rumbled with renewed intensity, making Red stumble on his feet. The quaking soon died down, though, as if to indicate the insect had finally left.


    The boy and his companions stared at the at the giant hole and the tornado the creature had left behind.


    Reinhart was the first to speak up. ¡°¡­ I guess we found out what was causing these tornadoes.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°What¡¯s even the point of doing that?¡±


    The knight shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just instinctual? Or maybe it was ordered by the spirit to do it?¡±


    ¡°Why would it do that?¡± Narcha seemed unconvinced. ¡°It¡¯s not like these tornadoes are a threat in this giant desert.¡±


    Indeed, even now, the tornado was moving away from them at a relatively slow speed. Although the surrounding winds had picked up in speed, it wasn¡¯t as strong as they were in the beginning, and it didn¡¯t seem like it would be much of an issue to avoid the tornado.


    If anything, the dust getting into their eyes seemed more of an obstacle.


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°We should not come to conclusions prematurely. The first few trials have already proven that-¡±


    Her words were interrupted by a distant hissing sound. Everyone froze before turning around to look at the source of the noise. They saw nothing at first, but the sounds continued to get closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s above!¡± Reinhart pointed out.


    Red looked up, and he saw it too.


    Countless shadows flying in the sky highlighted by the lightning filled sky against the dark clouds. The noises became clearer at that point and the boy noticed it wasn¡¯t just one creature making them. Rather, it was hundreds of them, all joined in a terrible chorus that echoed through the desert.


    And they were getting closer at every second.


    Narcha screamed. ¡°Run!¡±


    Everyone obliged. The group started to run away from the flying creatures, but it became clear soon enough that the monsters were moving much faster than them.


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    A few seconds later, Red was finally able to see their true appearance. These were large black vultures, roughly double the size of the boy himself, but with wingspans reaching over four meters. What seemed curious about these creatures was that while the rest of their body was covered in feathers, their underside was covered by reptilian like scales.


    The monsters themselves didn¡¯t seem too menacing - if it wasn¡¯t for the fact there were hundreds of them flying in a chaotic formation. To their surprise, however, the birds didn¡¯t seem to be aiming for them.


    Instead, they were all flying towards the tornado. Once the horde got close enough, they all dove inside the twister, disappearing inside the storm of dust and wind.


    After seeing this, the group naturally slowed down their run.


    Narcha frowned at the sight. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something happening!¡± Reinhart said.


    As soon as the man said that, the birds dove out of the tornado one by one. This time there were far fewer of them, but those that came out seemed to be covered in a strange cloud of dust that stuck to their body. Their cacophonous cries echoed through the desert, even louder than before, despite their lowered numbers as they circled around the hurricane, unaffected by the strong winds.


    Red watched this strange phenomenon with curiosity, when suddenly, one of the birds veered off, heading towards the group. A moment later, others joined it, until there were dozens of them all making a straight path towards the humans.


    Narcha exclaimed in anger. ¡°Fuck! Just run!¡±


    They broke out into a full sprint again. These dust-covered birds, however, seemed to be even faster than before, and soon enough, they were almost caught up with the group.


    ¡°We can¡¯t escape them!¡± Narcha grabbed onto her saber. ¡°Get ready to fight!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can fight all of them!¡± Reinhart shook his head. ¡°We need to find cover!¡±


    Although there weren¡¯t hundreds of birds anymore, they still numbered in the dozens, far beyond anything the group could fight against. Not to mention, these monsters seemed stronger now with their dust clouds covering their bodies.


    ¡°Cover?!¡± Narcha asked with an incredulous tone. ¡°Where are we going to find cover here?!¡±


    ¡°Agh, goddamnit!¡± Reinhart took out his sword in frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t stop running!¡±


    Red also took out his cleaver, while Eiwin stood by his side. Soon enough, the first vulture was diving at them.


    It was swiftly cut down by Narcha¡¯s saber, splattering on the ground, unmoving. Four more came in quick succession, though, and the woman didn¡¯t have the time to raise her weapon to strike them down. Their large talons aimed for the woman, trying to tear through her leather armor.


    Reinhart stepped forward and used his sword to bat one of them away. Red and Eiwin were also about to step up and help Narcha, but the vultures didn¡¯t remain still for long, instead flying up again and out of their reach.


    They hadn¡¯t been able to wound Narcha with their talons, but her armor already had signs of giving way. Still, they didn¡¯t have time to relax as even more birds swooped down - over ten of them this time around.


    Some of them even tried to reach for Red this time. Eiwin struck two of them away, but one bird managed to grab at the boy¡¯s arm. Thankfully, he was wearing his sect uniform, and although the blow tore the fabric away, it let the boy go by unscratched.


    Narcha and Reinhart, though, didn¡¯t have the same luck. Most of the monsters focused on them, and they even left a scratch on the woman¡¯s shoulder as her armor fell to pieces due to their claws. As for the knight, who didn¡¯t have an armor in the first place, he got away with even nastier cuts on his back.


    They managed to strike down five of the birds this time, but the rest flew away as another group swoop down to attack.


    Red was quick to notice the creature¡¯s strategy. ¡°They¡¯re trying to wear us down!¡±


    The birds could have all attacked at once, but they chose not to. Instead, groups of creatures were striking in volleys, while the others prepared to go next. Red knew bird monsters were strongest in their dives from the sky, as they gathered all their momentum from their flight to swipe down with their sharp talons and tear at their prey - and these creatures seemed to be aware of that. They didn¡¯t stay long within the group¡¯s reach and cycled between the attackers so they could gather momentum and strike again.


    This way they maximized their strength and avoided unnecessary casualties, all while wearing Red and the others down. It was a simple and effective strategy from a group of unintelligent creatures, and there was nothing they could do to counter it in their position.


    ¡°I have a plan!¡± Reinhart said. ¡°Get close and keep them off me!¡±


    Narcha stared at the man with some hesitation, but as soon as Eiwin and Red stepped forward to help him, she also joined them. The birds¡¯ next attack came, this time comprising a dozen creatures.


    Red and his companions did their best to fight them off, but this time, none of them came unscathed. Eiwin¡¯s uniform sleeved were ruined as blood poured down her arms, while Narcha seemed to get the worst of it, as one of the birds managed to swipe at her face, leaving a deep cut on her forehead. The boy was mostly unaffected, as his height meant few of the birds aimed for him as the group cluttered together.


    In the meantime, Reinhart had taken out a talisman from his pouch and was in the process of activating it. Right before the next attack came, the talisman glowed, and a round translucent barrier appeared around the group. The creatures weren¡¯t deterred by the appearance of this shield, though, and continued to dive to attack.


    To their surprise, they seemed to clash against an invisible barrier, their talons unable to pierce through. The monsters cried in anger and continued to swipe at the shield, to no avail. More birds from above joined in after seeing their brethren¡¯s frustration, and soon the group had been surrounded by birds all trying their best to pierce into this barrier.


    Reinhart looked at Red and the others. ¡°Remember - stay close to me and don¡¯t stop running! I don¡¯t know how long this barrier will last!¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth and nodded. She looked over at Red. ¡°Kid, do you have any plans?!¡±


    ¡®Why are you asking me?¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t imagine how they would be able to escape this situation. Perhaps they could stand and fight, and with all of their talismans'' and pills¡¯ help, they would be able to win, but even then, they would definitely come out with serious injuries from the battle. It wasn¡¯t an optimal solution, much more so considering they still had the rest of the trial to go through, but it was better than dying.


    Right as Red was about to make his opinion known, he felt something shaking in his pouch. The boy looked down in confusion before feeling for the item that was causing this. His hand grabbed around an object, dragging it out into view.


    It was the compass they had gotten from the imperials, and it was now glowing in a faint white light.

 Chapter 180 - Mausoleum

    Red flipped the lid of the compass open and now saw that it was pointing in another direction to their right.


    The boy warned his companions about the changes. ¡°The compass is doing something!¡±


    Narcha looked back at Red. ¡°What?! How?!"


    Red shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know! It started glowing, and now the arrow is pointed in another direction!¡±


    He had checked the compass in the canyon and memorized the direction it had been pointing back then in the exact case something like this happened. It would have helped them locate themselves in case they got lost in another illusion, but perhaps not surprisingly, the item they had gotten from the imperials seemed to have another use.


    ¡°Where is it pointing?!¡± Reinhart asked over the sound of birds scratching at the barrier.


    ¡°There!¡± Red pointed it out.


    It was to their relative southeast and away from the distant mountain they had been walking towards.


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in any direction, Miss Valt!¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s move, quickly!¡±


    No one in the group argued against it. Their running speed was diminished by the fact they needed to stay close together inside the transparent shield, but it was still preferable to being exposed to the birds¡¯ attacks. The beasts were relentless, though, and didn¡¯t stop attacking at any second.


    Soon enough, small cracks appeared on the barrier.


    Reinhart was alarmed at the sight. ¡°It¡¯s not going to last much longer!¡±


    The cracks seemed to motivate the vultures to double their efforts, and the minor fracture had spread into the entire shield half a minute later.


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°What about the compass, kid?! Anything?!¡±


    ¡°It stopped glowing!¡± the boy said.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Indeed, the compass has stopped emitting light, and now it was pointing in another random direction.


    ¡°What happened, kid?!¡± Narcha asked.


    Red frowned. ¡°How would I know?! It has given us a direction, so just follow it!¡±


    His reply didn¡¯t seem to satisfy the woman. ¡°Agh, damn it all!¡±


    After some hesitation, Narcha pulled out a talisman from her bag, holding it in her hand.


    ¡°Stay close to me!¡± she said.


    Everyone followed her instructions. Then, right as the barrier surrounding them seemed on the verge of collapse, she activated the talisman. A few seconds later, the first barrier completely broke, much to the joy of the dozens of vultures surrounding them.


    However, right as they were about to swoop down and tear their prey apart, another barrier emerged in the place of the first one, and their talons all clashed against it, being deflected.


    They cried out in anger.


    Narcha had used the barrier talisman they had acquired from the imperials, buying the group even more time.


    She looked over at the others. ¡°Let¡¯s be quicker! I don¡¯t have another talisman!¡±


    Despite her words, the group was already running as fast as they could in their awkward formation. At most, they could buy themselves a couple of minutes with this talisman.


    Right as the first few signs of cracks appeared in the barrier, Reinhart finally spotted something ahead. ¡°There¡¯s a building!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Narcha didn¡¯t believe him at first.


    However, as they got closer, everyone also spotted it. Something shimmered in the air, becoming more tangible the closer they got to it. When they got within a hundred meters of it, it became fully clear in their eyes.


    It was a very large temple, seemingly built of black stone bricks. From the side they were looking, there were no windows or openings that allowed them to see into the building, and the construction itself seemed to have no apparent symbols. All they count see was a wide stone gate with two circular rusted handles attached.


    Narcha didn¡¯t hesitate when she saw that. ¡°To the door!¡±


    Everyone followed behind her. To their surprise, though, the birds seemed to grow increasingly reluctant to attack them the closer they got to the temple. Once they had reached the doors, the monsters completely ceased their attacks, and instead began to circle the area while observing the group.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    This gave them some time to relax and collect themselves - and right as their second shield was getting close to breaking too.


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid of the temple.¡± Red said, watching the vultures overhead. ¡°Or of whatever is inside it.¡±


    It was a common sight for lesser monsters to avoid places where stronger beasts dwelled. It was instinctual behavior for monsters, and this was what the boy guessed was happening.


    ¡°Do you sense anything, kid?¡± Narcha asked.


    The boy shook his head. ¡°Not from this position.¡±


    The range of his detection was of roughly one hundred meters, and this temple was at least 200 hundred meters across from this side, and over 30 meters tall with its triangle-shaped roof. It was a massive construction, and even Red couldn¡¯t cover all of it with his crimson sense in one go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move around, then.¡± Reinhart said as he observed the monsters. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like the birds are eager to attack and I¡¯d rather not walk into another horde of beasts.¡±


    No one protested against his suggestion. They circled the building, finding similar stone gates on each side. By the time they returned to their original position, Red had yet to detect any fluctuations.


    ¡°Really?¡± Narcha seemed confused. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing inside?¡±


    Red shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t say with complete confidence. There are blind spots I might not have been able to detect, but it is unlikely.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are those birds so scared of it?¡±


    ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t the only thing creatures like this are afraid of.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°They may also avoid dangerous natural places, or perhaps there is a formation in place that may keep them away.¡±


    ¡°So, do you suppose this place is safe, then?¡±


    The younger woman shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. There might be other dangers here than monsters.¡±


    This seemed to make Narcha even more worried. ¡°What are we supposed to do in that case, then?¡±


    Eiwin gave her a helpless smile. ¡°Just continue being careful, I suppose.¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth and looked over at Reinhart. ¡°Are you going to open the door or do you want me to do it?¡±


    By this time, the shield they were using had worn off, and the group was back to taking a certain distance from Reinhart.


    The knight smiled. ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    The man walked over to the gate and pushed against it. To their surprise, the door barely moved.


    Reinhart turned around and looked at Narcha with a sly grin. ¡°I might need some help here.¡±


    Narcha glared at him. ¡°Just move aside!¡±


    The man did as she said and let the woman approach. She put both of her hands against the double door and started to push. It seemed to take a lot of effort on the woman¡¯s part, but she made quicker progress than Reinhart, and soon enough, the doors were open wide enough to let them through.


    Narcha stepped back and wiped the sweat off her forehead. ¡°Gods, why would they make a door so heavy?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was meant to keep people from going in.¡± Red said.


    The woman frowned. ¡°If they didn¡¯t want people going in, why make a door at all?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t have a response to that.


    Their attention turned back to the building as the group filed in. The place was in pure darkness, and while Reinhart and Red could see, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Narcha and Eiwin. As such, Narcha lit up a torch after confirming with Red again that there was no monster waiting for them in ambush.


    They walked inside into a large stone corridor. As soon as the boy looked around, though, he immediately noticed something strange about the place.


    ¡°This is not right.¡± he pointed up. ¡°The ceiling is way higher than it should be.¡±


    The building from the outside looked around 30 meters, and yet here Red felt like the distance to the ceiling was well beyond that. This alarmed the entire group.


    ¡°Were we teleported somewhere else? Narcha asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The outside world is still there.¡±


    Indeed, the door behind them remained open, and the desert and its tornadoes still waited beyond it.


    ¡°Another illusion then?¡± Reinhart suggested.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°Some extremely powerful cultivators can manipulate space to some degree. Making a space bigger on the inside than it seems from the outside is not entirely unheard of in the world.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°You talk about it as if it¡¯s common! I¡¯ve only heard of a few places like that before, and they¡¯re all in the holy lands of the Sects!¡±


    The younger woman sighed. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t know for sure. Whether it¡¯s an illusion or some other thing, it doesn¡¯t matter to us, does it?¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°I suppose not¡­¡±


    The group kept examining their surroundings as they walked forward. The inside was still as devoid of symbols or decorations as the outside, and they weren¡¯t able to derive any clues from the corridor they were walking on. Red also saw no signs of footprints, which came as a relief to his companions.


    As they got deeper into the temple, the smell of stale air became even more pronounced.


    Narcha rubbed her nose in discomfort. ¡°How long has it been since this place has been opened? No wonder there¡¯s nothing alive in here!¡±


    The corridor continued to lead them well past one hundred meters, over half the length of the temple from the outside, until the group finally arrived in a large circular room. To call it a room, though, would be doing it injustice.


    The place resembled an indoor amphitheatre, around a hundred meters in diameter and with steps leading down towards the central platform. The chamber also seemed to be incredibly tall, going well beyond what Red¡¯s eyes could see with his dark vision. But that wasn¡¯t all.


    Hundreds of segmented squares made up the walls of this place, all with name-plates on them that the boy had a hard time seeing from the distance. In fact, the more Red looked at it, the more they seemed to resemble drawers.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a temple¡­¡± Eiwin said with a shaken voice. ¡°This is a crypt.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°What is a crypt?¡±


    She looked at him with a troubled expression. ¡°It¡¯s where people¡¯s remains are buried.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Red nodded in realization. However, as he stared around, the weight of her words seemed to hit him. ¡°Wait, are those¡­¡±


    ¡°Graves.¡± Reinhart was the one to respond. ¡°Every one of these drawers probably has someone''s bones inside of it.¡±


    The revelation shook the boy. There were hundreds of such drawers in the room, perhaps even thousands. And from what Red could see, there was something written in all of them. He couldn¡¯t imagine why something like this would be inside a trial.


    ¡°Fellow cultivators¡­ Please, help me,¡± a voice sounded from the center of the chamber.


    Everyone¡¯s hands immediately went to their weapons.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Narcha asked with an alarmed tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, fellow cultivators,¡± the voice responded. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed.¡±


    Something shimmered in the center of the chamber, and a translucent figure appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°A g-ghost?!¡± Narcha trembled.

 Chapter 181 - Disembodied Soul

    Everyone else in the group also seemed surprised, although none of their responses seemed to be as exaggerated as Narcha¡¯s. The figure finished taking shape, revealing itself to be an old man, sporting a short beard and long white hair reaching to his knees. He was wearing a black robe that covered the entirety of his body, and was actually floating a few meters up in the air.


    The old man smiled at them. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call myself a ghost, fellow cultivator. I am simply a soul that hasn¡¯t been allowed to move on to the afterlife.¡±


    The elder¡¯s voice seemed almost magical, and he spoke with such serenity that the group felt more at ease in mere moments. However, it wasn¡¯t enough for them to drop their guards.


    ¡®I can¡¯t feel his fluctuation.¡¯


    Red took note of that fact, although he wasn¡¯t too sure what it implied yet.


    Eiwin was the first one to regain her composure. ¡°Might I ask what this esteemed elder is doing in this place?¡±


    The old man shook his head with a sad smile. ¡°Must you ask questions that you already know the answer to? I have been imprisoned in this place by the creator of this mausoleum.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him, Eiwin!¡± Narcha put her hand on her companion¡¯s shoulder, as if regaining her courage. ¡°He¡¯s a ghost! He¡¯ll try to trick you with his words!¡±


    ¡°I understand why you would think so, but I can guarantee you I am not a ghost.¡± the elder said. ¡°Ghosts are creatures corrupted by undead forces and they have both their appearance and personality distorted during their transformation.¡±


    The woman gritted her teeth. ¡°Bullshit! Even if that¡¯s the case, there are plenty of intelligent ghosts that can change their appearance!¡±


    The old man continued to smile. ¡°You¡¯re from the barbarian tribes, aren¡¯t you? They have always been superstitious when it came to matters of the soul.¡±


    His words seemed to upset Narcha even more. ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple difference. Once a cultivator reaches a certain level, their soul can remain in the mortal world for long periods of time without a body, unlike a mortal whose soul dissipates mere moments after their death. Of course, a disembodied soul can do little without a body, and it will eventually also dissipate and enter the Netherworld, but it may still be kept alive by some special means...¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°And you¡¯re saying this is what has kept you alive here?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m imprisoned in a formation that was especially designed to keep my soul from dissipating and to torture me. It¡¯s the only reason why I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re being tortured.¡± Reinhart said with a skeptical tone.


    The old man smiled. ¡°I¡¯m only putting on a brave face in front of my juniors. In truth, every moment spent inside this prison is a living hell¡­¡±


    Although the elder said that, it was still hard to associate his grim words with his calm and composed appearance.


    ¡°Why are you imprisoned here?¡± Red asked, examining the rest of the chamber.


    The smile disappeared from the old man¡¯s face as he looked at his surroundings with a sad expression. ¡°I was killed by the man who built this place. He was a demonic cultivator who killed my countrymen and sect members and imprisoned me in the middle of their graves as a punishment for my failure¡­¡± He trailed off, looking over at seemingly each and every grave. ¡°¡­ Every single moment I¡¯m inside this formation, my soul is tortured by invisible flames of this formation and by the monument of my defeat in the form of their graves.¡±


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°Weren¡¯t you smiling a minute ago? Doesn¡¯t seem like someone who is saddened by the death of all their friends.¡±


    The old man looked over at him and smiled again. ¡°I had a long time to mourn them. I am saddened by their deaths, but I know they died fighting for everything they believed in. In the end, we all knew this was the most likely outcome when we decided to fight against that fiend.¡±


    While the old man was occupied talking, Red moved up to some of the nameplates so he could read them.


    ¡®Ealdwulf Thane - 45 - a husband, a father, and a son. Died by being burned alive.¡¯


    ¡®Annel Evet - 37 - a wife, a mother, and a daughter. Died by being burned alive.¡¯


    ¡®Gylew Alard - 7 - a son. Died by being burned alive.¡¯


    The boy soon noticed a common theme between all these nameplates, and it didn¡¯t seem to change even after he read it by the dozens.


    ¡°Might I ask what sect you are from, elder?¡± Eiwin asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the Hidden Flame Sect.¡± the old man said. ¡°My name is Loran, but they called me Purifying Flame.¡±


    These words piqued Red¡¯s attention as he continued to read the nameplates.


    The woman frowned. ¡°I have never heard of these names.¡±


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    The elder shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me. I¡¯m certain that fiend destroyed any traces of me or our sect after my death.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this fiend you are talking about?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°They called him the Dread Viper. He was a demonic cultivator that shook the world and made every sect cower in fear.¡±


    ¡°Dread Viper?¡± Narcha scoffed, still untrusting of his words. ¡°If this guy was such a big deal, why have we never heard about him?¡±


    It was the old man¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of the name?¡±


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°Neither your sect nor this so-called Dread Viper seems to ever come up in any history books I¡¯ve read.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°This can only mean the other sects must have directly interfered to wipe any mention of this fiend from history.¡±


    The younger woman frowned. ¡°When exactly did this happen?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you.¡± the old man shook his head. ¡°I have lost any notion of time since I¡¯ve been imprisoned here. It might have been hundreds of years ago, or maybe even a thousand. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    He seemed to speak such outrageous numbers with a very nonchalant attitude. For Red and the others, though, they could barely wrap their heads around such long lengths of time.


    Reinhart coughed to get the other¡¯s attention. ¡°This is all very interesting, but you still have not told us what you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re even listening to him still!¡± Narcha said. ¡°Ghost or not, it¡¯s still too dangerous to even interact with him!¡±


    The elder laughed. ¡°I assume we are in a trial for an inheritance ground, correct?¡±


    No one responded, but their silence must have been enough confirmation for the man.


    ¡°Demonic cultivators have always had a habit of putting these types of challenges for their inheritances.¡± the old man sighed. ¡°Since that is the case, I¡¯ll go straight to the point - I want your help in freeing my soul from this formation.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Narcha shot him down.


    ¡°Please, listen to my offer before-¡±


    ¡°I said no!¡± the woman interjected again. ¡°This is what ghosts do! They lie and trick you!¡±


    ¡°Please, Miss Valt.¡± it was Eiwin¡¯s turn to hold her back. ¡°Let¡¯s hear him.¡±


    Narcha¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Are you insane, Eiwin?!¡±


    ¡°Miss Valt.¡± Eiwin held her gaze. ¡°Please, trust me.¡±


    Something in the younger woman¡¯s eyes seemed to inspire a change of attitude in Narcha. She gritted her teeth in anger., but still fell silent.


    After getting her companion¡¯s approval, Eiwin looked back at the old man. ¡°I happen to also know one way for a disembodied soul to come back to life is to possess another body, isn¡¯t that right, elder?


    The old man smiled at her. ¡°You are very smart. That is indeed the case, but it¡¯s hardly a solution. One¡¯s soul is made for one¡¯s body, and the chance to find another body compatible with it is very low. Even if a lost soul can possess anyone, there would be a myriad of problems to deal with that would eventually lead to their death in the future.¡±


    ¡°But it would still be better than the situation you find yourself in, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You¡¯re correct. However, my soul has long since passed its time. As long as the formation is destroyed, the forces keeping me together will cease to be and I will be allowed to pass on to the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°And what do we gain from that?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°I could inform you of the location of my sect¡¯s hidden treasury.¡± the old man said.


    ¡°Hidden treasury?¡± the knight frowned. ¡°Who knows how long it has been since your sect was destroyed? What makes you think it¡¯s still there?¡±


    ¡°The location of our hidden treasury was only ever known to two people - our Sect Master and the Grand Elder. Both of which happened to be killed at once by that fiend, and one of which is right in front of you.¡± the elder said. ¡°It was kept in a pocket dimension that only we knew how to access, so even if anyone else was aware of its existence, they simply wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it. The treasury contains the most valuable items our sect accumulated over hundreds of years, and they are worth more than any inheritance this fiend could ever offer you.¡±


    ¡°Those sure are some fancy words.¡± Reinhart didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Still, you¡¯re just giving us an empty promise. Seems hardly worth much for your soul¡¯s salvation.¡±


    The old man smiled. ¡°I also have my knowledge to offer. I was the Grand Elder of our sect, and one of its most powerful members. The techniques and secrets I know are invaluable to cultivators like you. Even if they are not of any use to you right now, merely selling some of this knowledge could provide you with enough riches to propel your cultivation forward for decades to come. Breaking into the Spirit Core Realm would be just a matter of time, and even the Spiritual Awakening Realm wouldn¡¯t be too far off.¡±


    Red had never heard the second term before, but he assumed this must have been the fourth realm of cultivation. Judging by his companion¡¯s expressions, they also seemed to be hearing it for the first time.


    Those words finally seemed to catch Reinhart¡¯s attention. ¡°Go ahead then, tell us some of that knowledge.¡±


    The elder laughed. ¡°Do you think me stupid, child? First, you need to agree to help me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± the knight nodded. ¡°Whatever you say - we¡¯ll help you!¡±


    Narcha seemed to be about to protest, but Eiwin held her back again.


    The old man shook his head. ¡°Only your word won¡¯t do.¡±


    Reinhart frowned. ¡°What else do you want then?¡±


    ¡°I need you to sign a contract.¡±


    At those words, hesitation showed in the knight¡¯s expression. ¡°What kind of contract?¡±


    ¡°A blood contract.¡± the old man said. ¡°It¡¯s a type of technique cultivators use to make sure there is no treachery of any sort in their business dealings.¡±


    Reinhart didn¡¯t respond, falling into silence with a thoughtful expression.


    The elder continued to smile. ¡°You need not worry about any treachery on my part. I¡¯ll make sure the terms are clear enough so as to leave no room for doubt. I trust that won¡¯t be of any issue to you, right?¡±


    The knight still didn¡¯t respond.


    The old man frowned at his silence and looked over at the others. ¡°I understand your distrust, but I can assure you that I-¡±


    ¡°Why do all the nameplates of these graves say they died by being burned alive?¡± Red interjected.


    Narcha and Eiwin, who hadn¡¯t been able to read the nameplates due to the darkness, looked at the boy in surprise. They had obviously suspected the old man already, but this new information seemed to imply at something else.


    Reinhart, though, just smiled in response, all pretenses of an internal struggle disappearing from his expression.


    The elder looked over at Red with a sad smile. ¡°This is the way that fiend found to taunt me even after death - by burning all of our sect members to death.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°This seems strange, though. I thought cultivators at your level lived up to hundreds of years, but none of the ages in these nameplates seem to be older than a hundred years.¡±


    The smile on the old man¡¯s face started to disappear. ¡°There are hundreds of my compatriots buried here. Few of them would be over that age, of course.¡±


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°So I suppose if we search long enough, we will eventually find some of those dinosaurs¡¯ graves, will we?¡±


    The elder frowned, falling into silence. The air surrounding him changed, and a few seconds later Red and the others felt like they were staring at an entirely different person. He emanated a dangerous pressure that pushed against them, rivaling that of the colossal serpent from earlier.


    ¡°You insects should consider your next few words very carefully.¡± the old man said. ¡°Just because I¡¯m in this formation doesn¡¯t mean you are safe from me.¡±

 Chapter 182 - A Troubling Revelation

    Although the pressure the old man emitted was very strong, Red didn¡¯t feel the same sense of danger when he looked at the elder compared to the snake from earlier. He stared at his companions. They were likewise shifting in their feet because of the pressure, but mostly unbothered by the soul¡¯s threatening display.


    Eiwin looked at him and nodded, as if to reassure the boy. She then glared at the old man. ¡°If you can hurt us, why bother asking for our help?¡±


    The elder smile, this time with a more deranged expression. ¡°If I kill you, who is going to free me? Of course, if I know you are going to leave without helping me, then I won¡¯t hesitate to attack.¡±


    ¡°What about these people?¡± she pointed at the surrounding crypts. ¡°Did you kill them?¡±


    The old man scoffed in disdain. ¡°How would I know? I never bothered to commit to memory the name of every cultivator I killed, much less the mortals.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel any remorse for it?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Remorse? Why would I? The path of a cultivator is carved over a mountain of corpses - if I had stopped to cry over them or regret my actions, I would never have reached the level I did.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps - but you wouldn¡¯t have ended here either, would you?¡±


    Her words made the old man silent.


    ¡°Is anything you told us true?¡± Red asked. ¡°Are you really a member of a sect?¡±


    The old man frowned. ¡°I would never lie about that, brat. My sect was one of the most powerful ones in my era, and I was the one leading it towards greatness.¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°If you were so powerful, how did you end up being destroyed?¡±


    The elder¡¯s expression twisted in anger. ¡°I had enough of your questions! Either you help me out of this place or your lives will be forfeit!¡±


    His voice boomed over the crypt, echoing around its walls.


    Eiwin seemed unshaken by it, though. ¡°You cannot harm us, lost soul. You put on a confident front, but your actions speak louder than your words. You are desperate. You are not in control, and you will remain here to pay for the sins you¡¯ve committed.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who I am, you insignificant insect?!¡± the old man got even louder. ¡°My name inspired fear and respect in the hearts of mortals like you! People lined up at my gate to pay their respects! I ruled this world!¡±


    The younger woman didn¡¯t respond to him, turning around to look at her companions. ¡°We should move.¡±


    Narcha, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for a good few minutes, nodded in response. Even Reinhart sighed and seemed to offer his silent agreement. Red, in the meantime, was still looking at the raging man, noticing the fact he never stepped past the central circle of the room.


    The elder stared at the group with increasing madness in his eyes. ¡°Where are you going?! Do you hear me?! If you turn your backs to me, all of you will pay!¡±


    Eiwin ignored him, and immediately turned around to move towards another corridor. The others followed behind her.


    The old man continued to throw insults at them. ¡°You bastards! Idiots! If I ever get out of here, all of you are going to pay!¡±


    No one responded.


    The elder¡¯s anger seemed to be quickly replaced by desperation. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying about my treasury, you know?! If you let me out, I can take you there!¡±


    Still no response.


    ¡°What I can offer you is more valuable than anything that fiend could possibly give you! I can take you on as my disciples! We can restore my sect together!¡±


    The group finally reached the other side of the chamber, about to enter the connecting corridor.


    Once the old man saw his pleas fall into deaf ears, he seemed to give up on convincing them. ¡°You do not know what you are doing¡­ I admit I was never a good person, but the master of this place was much, much worse.¡±


    His words finally seemed to give the group some pause. Narcha, in particular, stopped walking and turned around to stare at the old man with a frown.


    The elder smiled once he saw he had caught their attention again. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying about his name earlier, either. The Dread Viper. He was a devilish cultivator, and not only that, but he was the most hated man in the world.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°You expect us to take your word on other people¡¯s morals?¡±


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    ¡°Miss Valt¡­¡± Eiwin frowned once she saw her companion interacting with the old man again.


    The elder laughed. ¡°You may think what you want from my words. The Dread Viper made an enemy of the entire cultivation world - so much so that according to you they wiped any mention of him from history. Yet, do you think that he has been forgotten? The damage he caused, the people he killed - I wasn¡¯t there to see the end of it all, but I can assure you that is something the sects will never forget¡­ Tell me, is the Crystal Sky Sect still alive?¡±


    Narcha¡¯s expression changed.


    This seemed to be all the confirmation the old man needed. ¡°Haha, of course they are! That sect survived all the biggest hurdles humanity has ever faced. From the Beast Wars, to the demon invasions, and to the very Queen of the Dead herself! Yet, do you know at whose hands they suffered their biggest loss?¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t just Narcha¡¯s expression that worsened.


    The old man laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right! It was to this damned fiend! Tell me, what do you think will happen to you if they ever learn that you came into contact with his inheritance?! You are doomed! All of you are doomed!¡±


    Narcha seemed to be about to speak back to the elder before Eiwin put a hand on her shoulder.


    The younger woman shook her head. ¡°Miss Valt, let¡¯s leave.¡±


    The warrior gritted her teeth and nodded.


    Soon the group was walking out of the chamber, while the old man¡¯s maddened laughter got fainter.


    ¡­


    Only once they couldn¡¯t hear the old man anymore, did the whole weight of the interaction dawn on the rest of them.


    Reinhart sighed. ¡°Fuck, what an experience! That old man must have been someone really strong in the past to be imprisoned here!¡±


    No one responded to him, contemplating in silence.


    The knight seemed oblivious to that, though. He looked over at Red. ¡°So, do you think he was telling the truth?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This whole forgotten history seems too convenient of an excuse, since there is no way to verify his words for certain.¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°And yet, if he is telling the truth, looking into it might get us killed.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I suppose he wanted us to suffer with the uncertainty since he couldn¡¯t harm us physically.¡±


    The knight shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not too worried myself. As long as no one goes snooping around, no one¡¯s at risk, are they?¡±


    The boy supposed he was right.


    ¡°His words were troubling, but there is something else that is bothering me.¡± Eiwin said.


    Red stared at her. ¡°Are you wondering why the owner of this trial put something like this here?¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°Exactly. If this man is at all who he claims to be, then running the risk of letting him free seems absurd.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°Was there even a way to set him free? I examined the whole room there, and I saw no signs of a formation. Unless it was hidden in the dark or something, I don¡¯t know how we would have done it.¡± she looked over at Red and Reinhart.


    Both of them shook their heads, showing they hadn¡¯t seen any such thing with their dark vision.


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t explain what he was doing here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a trial, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reinhart asked. ¡°Maybe they were just testing us to see if we were going to release this evil spirit or not.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°You¡¯d have to be stupid to take his words at face value! No one with a brain would ever release that man!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°So maybe it wasn¡¯t about whether or not we would release him, but more about judging our interaction with him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good and all, but if this really was a test, shouldn¡¯t we have a reward for passing it?¡± the knight asked.


    The younger woman shook her head. ¡°I think we should be thankful we escaped with our lives from those birds for now.¡±


    The man grumbled to himself.


    ¡­


    The group continued to walk along this corridor for a fair distance, still baffled by the strange spatial properties of this mausoleum. At some point, they expected to arrive at the other exit of the building, but instead they came across a small room.


    Reinhart¡¯s eyes widened once he saw what was waiting ahead for them. ¡°Spirit Stones!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Narcha, who couldn¡¯t see in the darkness by far, was surprised by his words. ¡°Don¡¯t think of rushing ahead, you bastard!¡±


    After some arguing, the group eventually reached the room. It was a small square chamber, no bigger than five meters across. On the back wall stood a stone desk decorated with unlit candles and all sorts of jewelry, urns, and gold coins. What took their attention, though, were the copious amounts of spirit stones gathered on top of some silver plates on the table.


    There were about thirty of them.


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°Haha, we¡¯re rich!¡±


    Narcha also couldn¡¯t hide her good spirits. ¡°We have enough stones to exchange for Rog¡¯s pill with this!¡±


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°Indeed. But be careful, we don¡¯t know if there are any traps in this place.¡±


    ¡°Right, right!¡± Narcha nodded. She looked at Red. ¡°Do you sense anything, kid?¡±


    Red shook his head.


    The warrior smiled. ¡°There, we¡¯re safe!¡±


    Both she and Reinhart then went about uncovering the desk and gathering its valuables. It took them no more than two minutes to set everything apart. What they had gotten was 33 spirit stones, three strange purple arrows, and a large amount of jewelry which, while still valuable, paled compared to the spirit stones.


    ¡°Look, we got some special arrows for you, kid!¡± Reinhart said.


    Red frowned. ¡°How do you know they are special?¡±


    The knight smiled. ¡°I mean, look at them! They¡¯re purple! They have to be special, right?¡±


    The boy supposed he had a point. He grabbed the arrow and tested their sharpness. They seemed to be made of a slightly coarse metal, and Red couldn¡¯t really feel any Spiritual Energy flowing through it. In fact, the arrows didn¡¯t seem any sharper than common ones, but the boy still decided to keep them in hand. He knew some magical items had more to them than met the eye, so Red could use these in a pinch and hope for some explosion or something of the sort.


    Other than that, the group divided the Spirit Stones four-way, this time with Reinhart taking 9 of them instead of eight. When all was said and done, Red¡¯s group had 36 spirit stones total, 16 more than they needed to exchange for Rog¡¯s pill.


    It immediately put Narcha and Eiwin in a good mood.


    Now that they were done looting the place, though, the group found themselves at a dead-end, as there were no other passages in the room other than the one they came from.


    Narcha looked around. ¡°So, what do we do now? Do we just go ba¡­¡±


    She trailed off. Red noticed the strangeness of her behavior and looked over to see what had caught her attention.


    The corridor they had just come from had disappeared, and in front of them now stood a door, similar to the ones they had used to come in. The surrounding space had shifted and transformed, with none of them even noticing as it happened.


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s our cue to leave, right?¡±

 Chapter 183 - Desert Enigma

    Reinhart stepped ahead and pushed against the double door. Just like before, though, the gate seemed too heavy for one person alone to open, so Narcha helped him. When the slightest crack was open, the familiar flashes of light started to hit their eyes. Once the gate was fully open, they saw it.


    They were back outside.


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Well, ain¡¯t that a surprise?¡±


    The group filed out of the room, examining their surroundings. The grounds were still cracked, and there were dozens of tornadoes travelling in the distance, which meant they were still in the same region. When they looked back at the room they had just exited from, though, they noticed that the temple had disappeared, and instead a small squared shape building was in its place. They had left through an entirely different building than the one they had entered.


    Narcha frowned. ¡°So we got teleported?¡±


    ¡°Makes no difference. We¡¯re still in the middle of an endless desert.¡± Reinhart looked up. ¡°At least those birds aren¡¯t around anymore.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t seem too happy about it, though. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re being led around rather than exploring on our own.¡±


    The knight shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter too me as long as we¡¯re getting rewards¡­ Wait, that¡¯s right!¡± his expression changed.


    ¡°What is it?!¡± Narcha looked at the man in alarm.


    ¡°We forgot to check the crypt drawers! What if there was something valuable in them?!¡±


    The woman glared at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what happened to that ghost?! If we went grave robbing and disturbed their corpses, I bet we would have ended up like him!¡±


    Reinhart sighed. ¡°Who knows? If that guy is really a demonic cultivator, maybe he would have respected us even more if we did it.¡±


    Narcha ignored the man and turned to look at the horizon.


    ¡°There, that mountain is still there!¡± she pointed at it.


    Red squinted his eyes. ¡°It seems a bit closer.¡±


    Indeed, they had travelled for quite a bit back then and had yet to make any noticeable progress towards the peak in the distance. Yet now, after being teleported, they seemed closer than before.


    ¡°Did we get teleported closer because we passed that test?¡± Narcha asked.


    ¡°This trial may be similar to the labyrinth one.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°We may only be capable of making progress by passing through the challenges the trials throw at us.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°But isn¡¯t that ridiculous? If we didn¡¯t have that compass, we would never have found that temple. It¡¯s not fair!¡±


    The younger woman seemed to be in thought. ¡°It seems strange, yes. Stumbling upon these invisible buildings in this enormous desert would be a matter of pure luck. However, when you think about it, that compass is not an item the trial gave us, but something we found on those imperials.¡±


    ¡°The imperials seem to know what these trials were going to be about and came prepared.¡± Red said. ¡°Anything else would be too much of a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°And how would they know that?¡± Narcha seemed skeptical. ¡°This is a cultivator¡¯s inheritance ground! If people know the challenges before passing through them, there¡¯s no point in making a trial at all!¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond. He recalled what a bandit from earlier told him, about how the imperials claimed this was a tomb of one of their ancestors. Reinhart had dismissed it earlier as nothing more than an absurd idea, yet it didn¡¯t seem as far-fetched considering what was happening.


    Red looked over at the knight. Reinhart, however, just smiled back at him.


    ¡°Is the compass working again?¡± the man asked. ¡°If it¡¯s really this important, we will need it.¡±


    The boy shook his head.


    Reinhart sighed. ¡°I guess we have no choice but to keep walking, then. Watch out for the birds and giant insects burrowing underground this time around!¡±


    No one had any other suggestions, and the group started to walk towards the mountain on the horizon again.


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    ¡­


    ¡°Why is this place so fucking empty?!¡±


    Narcha¡¯s angered words echoed through the desert.


    They had been walking for almost an hour already, and they had yet to find anything notable. Not to mention, the mountain didn¡¯t seem any closer, either. By now, they were certain that they were under some kind of illusion or spatial distortion. Either that, or the mountain was so large and so distant that it would take them an unimaginable amount of time to reach it.


    In either case, now they had definite proof that just walking towards it wouldn¡¯t get them anywhere, at least not any time soon. Unfortunately for them, Red¡¯s compass had yet to show any changes, so they didn¡¯t have any other leads.


    ¡°We are missing something.¡± Reinhart said with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°You think?!¡± Narcha glared at him.


    The knight threw his hands up. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just trying to start a discussion, okay?! If we know we are missing something, let¡¯s think about it¡­ What exactly are we missing?¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Maybe we should stop heading towards the mountain and walk in other directions. Perhaps that is exactly what this trial wants of us, and the only way to proceed.¡±


    Reinhart seemed skeptical. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right. What¡¯s the lesson in that? To stop heading towards the one obvious goal and look for invisible things in random directions?¡±


    ¡°Who says there needs to be a lesson in this?! Not everything is about some obscure reason!¡±


    ¡°Please, Miss Valt.¡± Eiwin tried to calm her companion down. ¡°Mister Reinhart has a point. I doubt the solution to this is that easy.¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°What else are we supposed to do, though?! We know walking towards it doesn¡¯t work, so the only other option is to walk away from it!¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°You have a point. But first¡­¡± he looked over at Red. ¡°Have you managed to make it work?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± the boy shook his head.


    Red hadn¡¯t been idling around during this last hour. He had been examining the compass, hoping to find some hidden mechanism, to no avail. The boy assumed that this item might need spirit stones to work, and this might have been one of the reasons why the imperials had almost no spirit stones - they had been using them to power the compass.


    However, upon touching the item with a spirit stone, no sudden reaction happened. Red tried it many ways, but no matter what part of the compass he touched, nothing seemed to happen. If the item could absorb the Spiritual Energy from the stones, it wasn¡¯t just by touching it.


    When he thought about it further, it made sense that this method wouldn¡¯t work. After all, wouldn¡¯t it be very inconvenient if your magical item just so happened to absorb the Spiritual Energy of anything it came in contact with? What if it made all your other magical belongings useless in the process? It would be a terrible flaw in design.


    Unfortunately for Red, though, this meant he wasn¡¯t able to get the compass working.


    The news didn¡¯t seem to surprise Reinhart, but he still seemed disappointed. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d be able to work a miracle, kid.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I know nothing about magical items.¡±


    The knight nodded. ¡°Maybe you should learn about it when you return - could be useful. In the meantime, do you have any other brilliant ideas about how we should proceed?¡±


    ¡°If what Eiwin said earlier is true, and we need to find these invisible buildings to proceed, then there must be a way to find them other than just hoping to stumble on one. I doubt the creator of this place would design it in such a way that you would need to rely on an external item to succeed.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest, kid?¡± Narcha asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing around us! Nothing but dust and those damn tornadoes!¡±


    She waved her hand around her to punctuate her words.


    Her complaint, however, gave Red some pause. Suddenly, an idea came to him.


    ¡°The tornadoes.¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re the answer.¡±


    Narcha seemed confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing we haven¡¯t explored.¡± Red said. ¡°If we want to proceed, we must face them head-on.¡±


    Eiwin and Reinhart¡¯s expression changed in realization after hearing his words.


    Narcha, however, looked at the boy as if he was insane. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Those things will rip us apart! We¡¯ll die!¡±


    ¡°¡­ When you entered this place, did you see a sentence written on a wall?¡± Red responded with a question of his own.


    She nodded. ¡°... There was something like that.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what it said?¡±


    ¡°If I remember it?¡± Narcha fell silent in deep thought. A few seconds later, though, her expression also changed in realization. ¡°You mean?!¡­¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Only he who knows death as a friend may go further.¡±


    The woman seemed hesitant. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much, though? I mean, how do we know this is what he meant by that sentence?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll never know for sure, but if you consider the labyrinth trial, it makes sense.¡± the boy said. ¡°Me and the others tried to avoid the rooms with the monsters back then and focus on finding our way out. However, we ended up getting lost, and only after we decided to fight against the monsters did the true path reveal itself. Then, there¡¯s also the giant snake, which we had to pass through without faltering.¡±


    These words seemed to further convince Narcha.


    Still, the woman looked troubled. ¡°¡­ This is too dangerous.¡±


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°You just sneaked past that giant snake! What could be more dangerous than that?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because back then we knew that was what we needed to do!¡± Narcha glared at him. ¡°Right now we are taking a shot in the dark! If we are wrong about this, we¡¯ll definitely die!¡±


    ¡°How about this, then?¡± the knight pointed at himself. ¡°I¡¯ll go first since you¡¯re too scared.¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m scared, you bastard!¡± she gritted her teeth.


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, do you want to go first?¡±


    Narcha seemed to be seriously considering the suggestion.


    However, Red interjected. ¡°You should go first, Reinhart. Since you still have your defensive talismans, you can survive the tornado if something goes wrong.¡±


    Narcha glared at the man in surprise. ¡°You still have more defensive talismans?!¡±


    Reinhart didn¡¯t respond to her, instead looking at Red, his smile twitching. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right, kid. I should go first, just in case.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Since we have that settled, we should get going.¡±


    Red looked around them, spotting the closest tornado, well over a kilometer away. The spinning funnel of dust and wind extended high above, merging into the clouds.


    A monument to the destructive power of nature.


    They were about to head right towards it.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to that one.¡± Red said.

 Chapter 184 - Storm Chasers

    It took them no more than a few minutes to get close to the twister. They still had a considerable distance to reach it, but the winds had already picked up and they could feel grains of dust peppering their skin.


    Reinhart stared at the tornado with a troubled expression. ¡°Suddenly, I don¡¯t feel too confident about that idea.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s the issue? Didn¡¯t you sneak by that snake already? What¡¯s there to fear about a little tornado?¡±


    The knight smiled. He looked over at Red. ¡°How exactly are you going to be able to tell whether this plan succeeds? I mean, if I get sucked into that thing, will you even be able to see what happens to me?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I do not know for certain. If I¡¯m correct, then once we are close enough to the tornado, it will draw us in and we will be teleported, so it would be best to see how close we can get to it before the winds get too strong.¡±


    The tornadoes themselves weren¡¯t that wide, so Red hoped he could get close enough to still detect Reinhart within his crimson sense. He wouldn¡¯t know that for sure until they tried it, though.


    Reinhart nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s not delay it any longer.¡±


    The man led the charge, holding onto a talisman in his hand. Red guessed this must have been one of the remaining talismans the man had exchanged with the spirit back then.


    Soon, the group was close enough to the tornado that the winds started affecting them. Red felt resistance as he tried to walk forward, as the gales blew against him from the side, making it hard for him to breathe normally. Not to mention, the dust also impeded their view. The others weren¡¯t as affected by the strong winds as the boy, but it was clear that it had started to wear on them too, much more so as they got close to the spinning monstrosity.


    Narcha looked at Red, shielding her eyes. ¡°Is this close enough?!¡±


    The woman had to scream to be heard over the shrill sounds of the wind.


    Red frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go closer!¡±


    It was hard to accurately tell how distant they were from the tornado proper, much more so as the twister started to blend with its surroundings in his vision. Not to mention, the tornado wasn¡¯t remaining still either, and they had to keep up with it.


    The rest of the group agreed, and they continued to push forward. Soon enough, even Narcha and the others felt the pressure of the wind, and Eiwin had to hold on to Red so he wouldn¡¯t be blown away.


    ¡°This¡­ do!¡± Reinhart said.


    The boy couldn¡¯t hear the man¡¯s voice anymore over the winds, even as he tried to scream. He could gather what the knight said, though.


    Red looked over at him and nodded.


    Reinhart looked ahead and gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­ fucking¡­ insane!¡±


    The last traces of hesitation disappeared from the man¡¯s face. The talisman in his hand started to glow, and he stepped forward.


    Red saw the barrier forming around the knight¡¯s body as the man struggled to maintain his balance against the strong winds. Soon enough, Reinhart¡¯s figure was swallowed by the dust at the tornado¡¯s base and disappeared from view.


    The boy then focused on the man¡¯s fluctuation with his crimson sense. He was trying to feel the distance the knight had travelled judging by the strength and direction of his fluctuation. To his surprise, or perhaps not surprisingly at all, Red sensed Reinhart¡¯s presence distancing itself, lifting itself from the ground and away from him.


    Then, a few seconds later, the fluctuation completely disappeared.


    ¡®That fast?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure whether the man¡¯s fluctuation had simply gotten out of his detection range or if Reinhart had been teleported somewhere like he had guessed it would happen. To be safe, the boy decided to remain close to the tornado, as he expected that if the man was floating around the twister, he would eventually make another pass above his head and be detected by his crimson sense.


    That didn¡¯t happen, though, even after almost a minute had passed. The boy was now uncertain, but he decided it best to retreat for now.


    He pulled at Eiwin¡¯s sleeve, making a motion with his head. The woman seemed to understand his silent intentions, and likewise informed Narcha about it with a nudge of her feet.


    Soon enough, the group had distanced itself from the tornado until they were a couple hundred meters away.


    Narcha frowned as she looked at the column of spinning dust. ¡°Do you guys see anything?¡±


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no sign of him.¡±


    Indeed, not even Red with his dark vision could spot Reinhart¡¯s figure. Either he was concealed by the tornado¡¯s dust, or he had been blown very far away. The latter scenario didn¡¯t seem likely, though, as there was only flatland surrounding them and they would have been able to spot the knight¡¯s figures from miles away.


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    Narcha looked over at Red. ¡°Do you think he was teleported?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I think so. Still, I¡¯d rather wait and see if anything else happens.¡±


    And so they waited. After five minutes passed with nothing happening, though, they were certain that Reinhart wasn¡¯t coming out of that tornado.


    ¡°We should go.¡± Red said.


    Narcha nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Eiwin held her back. ¡°We need to do something first.¡±


    She took out a length of rope from her bag before throwing it towards Red and Narcha.


    Red frowned. ¡°You want to tie us together?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s for the best. That way, if anything goes wrong, we¡¯ll still be together.¡±


    If anything went wrong, the boy wasn¡¯t certain they would survive. Still, he wouldn¡¯t complain, considering he was the one most likely to be affected by the strong winds considering his weight.


    Narcha also had no complaints, and soon the group was all tied up together around their waists, with Red being the middle link.


    ¡°Try to cover yourselves.¡± Narcha said. ¡°There might be a lot of detritus closer to the tornado.¡±


    Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have a defensive talisman like Reinhart, so they could only rely on their armor to protect them.


    Narcha led the way as she suggested, and soon the group had caught up to the tornado again. The winds started to pick up around them, blowing against the boy and threatening to take him off his feet. Eiwin held him once more, though, and soon they had reached the same distance they had been at before.


    This time they didn¡¯t stop, though. Narcha forged ahead, one step at a time, fighting against the tormentous winds to keep her balance. Red had no such luck, though, and he felt himself being lifted up, only the rope and Eiwin¡¯s grip allowing him to not be taken away.


    A few steps further, and they reached the base of the tornado. The dust covered their vision, and Red was not able to see anything else. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted further up into the air, as Eiwin also lost her fight against the winds.


    The rope tying them to Narcha was pulled taut, the only thing keeping them from flying off. Although Red couldn¡¯t see her, he knew she was doing her best to keep her balance, but against the might of the tornado, there was nothing a simple cultivator could do.


    The boy felt himself being pulled up into the air, a signal that Narcha had lost her balance, too. Immediately the boy felt himself being sent adrift along the strong winds, a force he could do nothing to resist against. A terrible feeling of helplessness attacked him.


    He had no sense of direction, and all of his senses felt completely overwhelmed. Still, Red focused on keeping his breathing steady.


    Every breath that he drew in felt like a struggle, but this wasn¡¯t the worst of it. The boy felt his body being peppered by countless dust debris that, at these speeds and in these densities, felt like being pummelled by small pebbles. It wasn¡¯t unbearable, and his uniform protected most of the impact, but the force continued to increase at every second.


    Red didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but suddenly the wind pressure around him diminished. Before the boy could even process what was happening, he felt himself hit the ground with a thud.


    The shrill sound of the tornado disappeared, along with the dust covering his view and peppering his body. As Red collected himself, he heard the groans of his companions by his side.


    A familiar voice greeted them. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! I really thought you had decided to abandon me back there.¡±


    The boy looked up and saw Reinhart sitting against a wall, staring at him with a smile.


    ¡®Wait, a wall?¡¯


    Red examined his surroundings and noticed they were now inside a building.


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°You were right, kid! The tornado was the answer, after all!¡±


    Narcha got up while holding onto her head with a painful expression. There was a hint of blood pouring down her temple. ¡°Yeah, good job, kid¡­ Just hope we don¡¯t have to do that again.¡±


    Eiwin got up with a worried expression. ¡°Miss Valt! Are you alright?!¡±


    The warrior shrugged. ¡°This is nothing. I think a big rock hit me inside that tornado¡­ Else, we could have made it even further in.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that would have helped.¡±


    Narcha ignored him and looked around. ¡°So this is another one of those invisible buildings?¡±


    Reinhart nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t explored too far, but this one seems a bit different.¡±


    Red was immediately able to notice what he meant. This place seemed to be in ruins. Cracked walls, fallen debris, dust everywhere. They could even see hints of the eternal storm outside through the cracked ceiling.


    The room they were in seemed to be made of a similar rock material to the mausoleum they had visited before, and just like that place, it also lacked any kind of decoration or noticeable details. The only path available to them was a long, narrow corridor on the other side of the room.


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Great. More corridors¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d wager it¡¯s better than being lost out there.¡± Reinhart got up, patting the dust off his clothes. ¡°So, should we get going?¡±


    The warrior nodded. ¡°Sure. No point in waiting around.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Eiwin held her back. ¡°Are you sure, Miss Valt? I know you might not think the injury is anything serious, but blows to the head can¡¯t be overlooked, even in cultivators.¡±


    Red could understand her worry. A hit to the head from tornado propelled rock would have probably killed any normal person, and he doubted even someone like Narcha could ignore it.


    Narcha shook her head in annoyance. ¡°I already told you I¡¯m fine. Besides, we don¡¯t have time to wait, do we? We have to catch up with those bastards!¡±


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t push yourself if you feel anything is wrong.¡±


    Soon, the group was walking through the dark corridor, with Reinhart leading the way. They had decided not to use torches or other light sources here due to the fact the lightning from outside pouring through the crack in the building provided some illumination, and also out of an abundance of caution.


    Red half expected them to be walking through this corridor for a long while, considering the way the creator of this place seemed to enjoy designing his challenges. To his surprise, though, that didn¡¯t happen.


    Instead, they came upon another room in less than a minute. This chamber was extremely long, almost like a corridor of its own. It was around 30 meters wide, and hundreds of meters long, possibly even longer than that, as Red couldn¡¯t see the other end of the wall due to the large amount of rocks in his way.


    Pillars lined up the side of the room, which had also fallen in a state of ruin, much like the rest of the building. What caught the group¡¯s attention, though, was something else.


    There was a monster in their way. A giant lizard resting by one of the pillars.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not just one.¡¯


    There were many of them, spread throughout the long room. In fact, the more Red looked around, the more monsters he spotted, hidden in crevices and behind cover.


    Ten seconds later, and the boy had spotted dozens of them.


    And all of them, without exception, were staying eerily still.

 Chapter 185 - Reptile Minefield

    Red thought at first that these creatures were all dead, as they didn¡¯t even blink. Upon closer observation, however, he could see their midsections rising and falling as the lizards breathed. They were anything but dead.


    These lizards seemed even larger than the ones Red met earlier. They were well over 5 meters long from head to tail, covered in grey scales, with a crest running down their backs. Unlike their siblings, though, these lizards seemed to be bulkier and had a large midsection that exuded brute strength the likes of which the boy had seen in very few monsters. Their claws, close to short swords in size, also looked extremely sharp, and multiple scratch marks could be found around the room as a testament to that.


    What caught his attention, though, was their white, pupilless eyes. He guessed this pointed to some kind of blindness, but he wasn¡¯t keen on making a premature judgement.


    Red and his companions all stood still as they observed the creatures.


    ¡°How many do you two see?¡± Narcha asked Red and Reinhart in a low voice.


    Reinhart shook his head. ¡°Too many to fight.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond, instead taking a few more careful steps forward so he could enter his crimson sense detection range. It didn¡¯t take long before he felt a fluctuation from one of the lizards.


    Red frowned at what he felt, though. ¡°There¡¯s something weird about them.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain. They don¡¯t feel like normal monsters, though.¡±


    Red had arrived at this conclusion after examining the fluctuation of one of the lizards. Just like humans, monsters had rather vibrant fluctuations in his crimson sense, and each different individual person and creature had their own peculiarities that the boy could detect with enough observation. Things like undead, on the other hand, invoked a strange feeling of stillness in his crimson sense.


    These lizards¡¯ fluctuations were very similar to an undead¡¯s, but they didn¡¯t seem like zombies judging by the fact they weren¡¯t decomposing and could still breathe. This revelation left Red at a loss, though.


    ¡°Is this something to be worried about?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Red shook his head.


    His reply didn¡¯t seem to satisfy the man. He looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Any idea about these monsters?¡±


    Eiwin gave him a helpless smile. ¡°Please, don¡¯t take me for a monster expert. All I can tell you is that they are probably from the Great Serpent Canyon.¡±


    Reinhart grunted in disappointment. ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    Narcha glared at him. ¡°We should be asking you. You¡¯re the one who can see in the dark. What does the rest of the room look like?¡±


    The knight turned over to examine the place. ¡°It seems very long for a room. Probably hundreds of meters long. I can¡¯t see the end of it. There are also no other exits from what I can see.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to sneak through without a fight?¡±


    ¡°Without them noticing? Seems almost impossible. They¡¯re everywhere.¡±


    ¡°They seem to be blind, though.¡± Red said.


    The man shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we can sneak by them. Blind animals tend to develop their other senses even more. They might spot us just by smell or sound.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is there is no way through without a fight?¡±


    Reinhart nodded. ¡°Seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°But you just said there are too many to fight.¡±


    The knight shrugged, making Narcha even angrier.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to jump to conclusions yet.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Every trial we¡¯ve gone through thus far has always had a solution, so why would this one be any different?¡±


    ¡°We could test their senses.¡± Red said. ¡°They might not necessarily be as developed as we think.¡±


    The younger woman nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    She picked a small rock off the ground, looking over at her companions.


    ¡°Be ready if anything happens.¡± Eiwin said.


    Everyone nodded. Then, she leaned back and threw the stone towards the lizards.


    The pebble flew through the air like a bolt, shattering against a pillar. Almost immediately, the lizards moved. At first, it was just the creatures close to the stone that sprung into action, blindly charging towards the place where they heard the noise. However, just like a ripple travelling through a pond, this agitation spread to the surrounding creatures, and soon enough, the entire room was shifting around in agitation.


    The creatures moved extremely quickly on their four legs for beasts of their size. To make matters even weirder, none of them made a single call, and all Red could hear was the sound of their claws scratching against the stone floor. The creatures all bumped into each other, even climbing over one another¡¯s body in alarm. This agitation didn¡¯t last for more than ten seconds, though, as one by one the creatures seemed to calm down upon realizing there were no intruders and they once more fell still.


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    The way they all moved in almost complete silence, their sudden burst of speed, and how quickly they fell still again - this scene was extremely eerie for Red. These creatures didn¡¯t seem to behave like any monsters he ever saw before, and his companions shared his distress.


    ¡°I guess you were right.¡± Reinhart said. ¡°There is something weird about them.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I think we can also confirm they are blind.¡±


    The chaos that ensued once they started to move was more than enough evidence of it.


    ¡°They do seem to be sensitive to noise, but it doesn¡¯t seem to approach the level of super hearing.¡° Eiwin said. ¡°That rock sound should have reached pretty far, but only the lizards near it reacted.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re blind and their hearing is not even that good either?¡± Narcha frowned in suspicion. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem right. What about their sense of smell?¡±


    ¡°We can test that too now.¡±


    Eiwin took out a piece of dry meat. The smell of the food wasn¡¯t too strong, but it was very distinct and could be felt from quite a few meters away by a normal human, not to mention monsters which usually had a superior sense of smell.


    The woman leaned back and threw a sizable piece of meat towards one of the lizards. She wasn¡¯t aiming to make noise with it this time around, so she didn¡¯t put as much force into her throw, but Eiwin was more than strong and precise enough to reach her target.


    The piece of dried meat slid across the ground, landing not too far from one of the closest lizards to the group. Then, they waited for a reaction.


    However, even after a minute had passed, the lizard showed no sign as to whether it had smelled the meat. This left the group very confused.


    Reinhart frowned. ¡°So, they can¡¯t smell very well either?¡±


    ¡°Either that, or they have no interest in the meat.¡± Red said.


    The knight grunted. ¡°That seems strange for a monster.¡±


    ¡°We know by now this is not a normal monster.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°It might have been specially prepared for this trial. In any case, this is favourable towards us.¡±


    Reinhart looked at her. ¡°So you want to sneak through?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± she nodded. ¡°If combat is not an option, this seems to be the only way to pass through the chamber.¡±


    Narcha, however, seemed hesitant at her suggestion. ¡°Are you sure about this? If we get caught up in the middle of those monsters, we¡¯ll have nowhere to retreat.¡±


    Eiwin gave her a comforting smile. ¡°We already have nowhere to retreat, Miss Valt.¡±


    The warrior frowned, looking around. ¡°We could try breaking the walls. This place doesn¡¯t look that sturdy.¡±


    ¡°First thing I tried when I came here.¡± Reinhart said. ¡°Made some scratches on the stones, but it would probably take a long while to get one of these walls down, even with your strength.¡±


    Narcha sighed in defeat. ¡°I guess sneaking through it is, then.¡±


    ¡°There is still a problem, though.¡± Reinhart interjected. ¡°Even if these creatures don¡¯t have good hearing, we¡¯ll still be moving right by them. There is a lot of dust and pebbles in the ground, so it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll be able to hear our steps.¡±


    ¡°We can use the thunder as cover.¡± Red said. ¡°As long as it¡¯s loud enough, it should mask the sound of our steps.¡±


    ¡°And if we have no thunder? Are we just supposed to wait in the middle of those lizards without moving a muscle?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t panic, it should be fine.¡±


    The knight smiled. ¡°You really are insane.¡±


    With their plan settled, the group started to make preparations. It was decided that Red would lead the party, with Reinhart and the rest right behind him. The boy¡¯s detection abilities would be of extreme importance in this place, since they would need to determine their route in advance and they couldn¡¯t really tell whether some creatures would be hiding behind some giant rock or pillar, and they wouldn¡¯t really be able to communicate during it.


    Narcha had some reservations in Red giving his back to Reinhart, but there was nothing they could do in this situation. Not to mention, if the man tried something, he would probably die with them.


    Red took the first few steps towards the monsters, already having a mental image of his route in mind. Thankfully, the lizards all remained still, so he wouldn¡¯t need to improvise on the fly.


    He approached the monster minefield with silent and measured steps, prepared for a scenario where all their testing was for naught and for the beast to react as soon as they came close. It didn¡¯t happen, though, and the lizards seemed oblivious to their presence.


    Once he was within twenty meters of the creatures, he stopped in his tracks and looked back at his companions. He pointed up, as to show he was going to wait for the thunder.


    The others nodded at him, and they waited in absolute silence. It took fifteen seconds before a loud enough thunder rolled in, and Red took a few quick steps towards the lizards, getting right up to them before coming to a stop.


    His companions followed his steps perfectly, advancing and stopping with him. Not that Red expected anything less from three seasoned cultivators.


    The next thunder came faster this time around, and the boy pushed forward, now completely within the lizards¡¯ midst. In fact, one of the creatures was no farther than three meters from him, and the boy was afraid of even breathing too loudly in case it would disturb it. No such thing came to pass, and soon enough the next thunder came, allowing the group to proceed.


    The entire process went smoothly over the course of the next ten minutes. On some occasions, Red had to stop and turn around as they came upon a dead end or if too many monsters blocked their path forward, but this was as close as to a nuisance as they came across. Even when they had to step over the lizards¡¯ long tails, the creatures showed no reaction.


    It was slow going, but it was safe and steady. Soon enough, they had made significant progress.


    At this point, Red could even see the other end of the long room that seemed to lead into another corridor. He got ready for the next thunder, and once the rumbling sound came in, he advanced. However, he had taken only a few steps forward when he felt something with his crimson sense.


    The boy froze, raising his hand up to stop his companions. They were able to come to a quick stop, staring at Red in confusion.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ Narcha mouthed the words to the boy.


    Red had a frown on his face, though, as he focused on the new fluctuation he felt. It stood out amidst the sea of strange lizard fluctuations, as it seemed to belong to an ordinary monster. It wasn¡¯t at the Lesser Ring Realm from what the boy could tell, but its presence here gave him a bad feeling.


    What was it doing amid these strange creatures? Could it see them?


    However, when the boy looked around, all he saw were the grey giant lizards and ruined stones, and no sign of anything out of the ordinary. If there was another creature here, it was hidden.


    Red tried to focus on the direction he sensed the fluctuation coming from, hoping to spot the possible hiding place of this creature before it spotted him. There was a lizard there, right by the side of a pillar - a blind spot for the group where another monster might be hidden.


    Right as Red was considering how to tell his companions about this, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes. The boy squinted, focusing back at that spot with the lizard. He saw nothing out of the ordinary at that moment, but he maintained his gaze steady, hoping to catch what had made that movement.


    Then it happened again, and this time Red was able to spot it.


    The lizard had blinked.


    Something like this wasn¡¯t cause for alarm in any normal animal. Yet, amidst the sea of dozens of similar lizards, this was the only one Red had seen blink.


    At that moment, the boy felt the monster¡¯s pupilless eyes were staring right at him.


    His blood ran cold.

 Chapter 186 - Disguised

    Red shook off his surprise, looking away from the monster.


    ¡®Did it notice me?¡¯


    The boy wasn¡¯t sure. This lizard seemed blind, like all of its brethren, but the feeling of being observed that Red felt didn¡¯t disappear, and he knew his crimson sense wouldn¡¯t lie to him. There was something off about this creature.


    His companions weren¡¯t saying anything, but the boy could feel their questioning gazes on the back of his head. He turned around to look at them, struggling with how he was supposed to explain what he had detected without speaking.


    Thankfully, they could detect something wasn¡¯t right by his posture.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ Narcha mouthed the words.


    Red pointed toward the strange lizard. His companions made to look at it, but the boy held his hand up to stop them.


    They all looked back at him, even more confused than before.


    Red pointed at the lizard again, then at his eyes and then to himself, in this exact order. He repeated the same motions a few times until he saw understanding dawn on his companions¡¯ expressions. The boy was trying to say that the lizard could see them, and it seemed they had gotten the message.


    Narcha frowned and mouthed the words. ¡®Are you sure?¡¯


    Red hesitated. Still, he nodded and mouthed the words. ¡®Almost certain.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t completely sure by any means, but it was better to be safe in this situation. There was no way to explain to them what exactly he had seen.


    It seemed his warning had worked, though, as his companions all looked at each other with worried expressions. Reinhart, in particular, pointed at the way they had just come from with a questioning gaze. He was asking whether they should go back.


    Neither Narcha, nor Eiwin, responded. Instead, they looked over at Red.


    The boy was also considering his next steps. However, he shook his head. There was no point in retreating, since this was the only way forward. They had to go through the lizards, and they had gone too far to turn around right now.


    Red made a circling motion with his hand, to show his intention to avoid the area with this strange lizard. The others nodded to show their understanding, and they got ready to move on.


    The boy had already mapped an alternative route through the ruined room and frozen monsters, and he did not look at the lizard again, afraid the creature might detect his gaze. Thunder came rolling in again, and the group moved.


    Red tried to stay as far away from the lizard as possible, but the room was still only 30 meters wide. He would need to go relatively close to the monster to pass it by, but he planned to use the ruined pillars as cover, something this place didn¡¯t lack.


    Soon enough, the boy was about to pass by the lizard. Red monitored the fluctuation with his crimson sense and watched for any movements out of the corner of his eye. To his surprise, no such thing happened, and as the next thunder rumbled from above, the group was able to pass by the lizard¡¯s vicinity with no accidents.


    ¡®Was I mistaken?¡¯


    Perhaps there was indeed something special about that lizard, but it might not involve having any better senses than its brethren. Still, Red maintained his vigilance as they got ever so close to the other end of the room.


    The boy waited for the next thunder to come. A few seconds later, the rumbling arrived, and Red moved, stepping around a few lizards. Suddenly, though, he felt the strange fluctuation move almost in sync with his steps.


    He froze. His companions were also able to stop in time and avoid bumping into each other. Before they could make him any silent questions, though, Red held his hand up and motioned them to remain still.


    The boy focused on the fluctuation. It had stopped moving as soon as the group froze in their steps. If Red hadn¡¯t been paying attention, he might have almost missed it amidst the dozens of fluctuations around him, but he had been waiting for something like this to happen.


    He turned around, giving a quick glance behind him. He wasn¡¯t able to spot the lizard amidst the covers blocking his way and all its identical brethren, though.


    His crimson sense was a powerful ability, yet it also had its limitations. When there were too many fluctuations all around him, they blended together in his consciousness, and the boy wasn¡¯t able to parse which fluctuation belonged to who with his vision. This was exacerbated by the fact all these monsters looked the same too. Still, he took a mental note of the position of all the lizards surrounding them.


    Red turned around to look at his companions. He made a wide motion with his hand of grabbing his weapon.


    ¡®Be ready.¡¯ he mouthed the words.


    Narcha¡¯s expression worsened, but she knew this wasn¡¯t the time to make questions.


    Half a minute later, the next thunder came, and Red moved. Almost immediately he felt the fluctuation moving along with him, quickly closing the distance between them. He froze on his steps, this time giving ample warning with a hand movement to his companions.


    ¡®I can¡¯t hear its steps.¡¯


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    This wasn¡¯t surprising, considering the thunder muffled their hearing as much as it did to the surrounding lizards.


    The fluctuation also stopped moving, but the boy could sense it was no more than fifteen meters behind them. He turned around, observing the surrounding creatures. Then, he compared this image with the positions he had previously memorized in his head.


    Red was quickly able to spot a creature that shouldn¡¯t have been there. It was partially hidden behind the body of another lizard, and the boy would have missed it if he hadn¡¯t been paying attention. However, he had memorized their positions before, and the strange fluctuation was coming from that exact direction, so he was certain he had his culprit.


    ¡®It¡¯s not even looking at us.¡¯


    It was as if the creature was doing its best not to get spotted. This wasn¡¯t the type of intelligence Red was used to seeing in monsters, and it made him even more wary. He shifted his gaze away.


    ¡®What now?¡¯


    He hesitated. The lizard was stalking them, possibly waiting for the right moment to strike. Yet, considering how fast it had moved, Red knew they couldn¡¯t outrun it while sneaking either, and if they ignored it, it might just take one of them down.


    His struggle was obvious to his companions.


    Narcha, however, seemed to be able to understand his concern. She pointed at herself and at the ground. ¡®I¡¯ll watch our back.¡¯


    Eiwin frowned with worry, but Narcha¡¯s expression made it clear she wasn¡¯t putting this argument up for discussion. The younger woman nodded.


    Reinhart also had no reason to protest against the idea, seeing as it didn¡¯t involve putting himself in the way of danger.


    With a quick plan settled, Red pointed the general direction of the lizard to Narcha. The warrior nodded in understanding, her hand hovering over her saber¡¯s hilt in preparation.


    As the group got ready to move, however, something happened.


    A low groaning sound started to rise in the room. It was easy to miss, and yet it stood out like a sore thumb in the silent chamber between the rumbling of thunder.


    Red had a bad premonition.


    He looked over at the strange lizard. The creature had raised its head ever so slightly, and the flaps under its neck were growing bigger as it released the strange sound out of its mouth.


    Red felt the air around the chamber change as all the lizards shifted. Then, all at once, they turned their heads to stare directly at the group with their milky white eyes.


    Reinhart gritted his teeth. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Without the need for anyone¡¯s prompting, they all turned around and ran. The lizards all spurred into action at once, charging straight at the group.


    The first lizard was very close to them, and it was already swinging its claws at the Narcha, who was guarding the rear. She barely had time to pull out her saber to block the blow, as sparks flew out of her weapon upon impact.


    The woman got ready to counter-attack, but no sooner had the first lizard attack that another one stepped over it and clawed at her. Narcha was forced to keep her weapon up to parry yet another blow as they ran.


    ¡°I thought they couldn¡¯t see!¡± she screamed.


    No one had the time to respond to her.


    ¡°Red, step back!¡± Eiwin ran ahead of the boy.


    Red didn¡¯t complain, letting her take the lead. A lizard was quick to step up to her, using its tail like an enormous whip to strike at the woman. Eiwin was quick to jump out of the way, and Reinhart used his sword to cut the monster¡¯s tail as it swept by.


    The creature didn¡¯t even seem to notice its appendage being cut off, and curiously enough, no blood spilled out of its wound, and the monsters looked unabated by the injury. The group didn¡¯t have the time to examine it, though, as they focused on running away.


    ¡°Weave through the pillars!¡± Red said.


    The creatures were closing in by the second, and if they stayed in the open, they would definitely be overwhelmed. Eiwin, who was leading the way, did as the boy suggested.


    She dashed behind a pillar, impeding a few of the creatures that tried to surround them. It was but a drop in the bucket, though, and a few moments later more of them had run around the obstacle and were attacking the group.


    Eiwin and Reinhart did their best to clear their way forward, but these creatures were not normal monsters. No wounds or lost limbs seemed to dissuade them from attacking their targets, whom they seemed capable of sensing to a very precise degree, considering their lack of vision.


    Their progress completely stopped as the group put themselves in between a few ruined pillars and focused on keeping the monsters at bay. It became clear, though, that this position was untenable.


    ¡°Shit!¡± a curse came from Narcha.


    Red turned around and saw a large stain of blood flowing down the woman¡¯s shoulder. She was keeping the most monsters off of them, but eventually one of them managed to use one of its large claws to scratch her shoulder.


    Narcha hissed in pain, but didn¡¯t falter, using her sword to beat them back. More continued to move forward, though, replacing its incapacitated brethren as they climbed over their bodies. The only thing that seemed to keep the group from being completely overwhelmed was the fact the room wasn¡¯t wide enough for so many enormous monsters to move at once.


    Red frowned. He was doing his best to shoot at the lizards, but his arrows didn¡¯t seem to affect the creatures.


    ¡°Use the talisman!¡± Reinhart screamed at Red. ¡°In the pouch on my waist!¡±


    Red rushed at him without hesitation. The man had abandoned all semblance of skill and was swinging his sword wildly, battering away any lizards that reached for them. The boy pulled out the knight¡¯s pouch from his waist without hesitation, spewing its items in the ground.


    He was quick to spot the talisman he was looking for in the midst of the unidentified ones.


    ¡®He has another shield talisman?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t have time to confront the man about it, though. He reached for the talisman and hurried to activate it.


    He shouted at his companions. ¡°Close to me!¡±


    They all followed his words. Then, a few seconds later, a translucent shield formed around the group. The lizards didn¡¯t stop their attack, though, but their claws continued to scratch at the barrier without causing much damage.


    Red knew from experience, though, that it was a matter of time before the shield was destroyed with so many monsters attacking it. He looked over at his companions, noticing that even Eiwin had been wounded in the conflict. A large bleeding scratch was running down her arm, though she seemed to suffer her pain in silence.


    Just as they were considering their next steps, though, the lizards suddenly froze and stopped attacking. Then, all at once, the creatures started to step back, moving away from the group and their shield before stopping once more and staring at them with their blind eyes.


    ¡°What¡­ What are they doing?¡± Narcha asked in between her heavy breaths.


    The answer was soon made clear, though. A lizard stepped forward from its brethren, and Red was quick to recognize its fluctuation. It was the monster that had spotted them.


    The creature walked right up to their shield, and it seemed to be examining the humans hiding behind it.


    ¡°What is it¡­¡± Narcha trailed off as something started to happen to the monster.


    Its milky white eyes bulged out of its head, more than doubling in size. Veins popped out of the orbs as it continued to grow before, a few seconds later, they exploded in a shower of blood. Then, beneath the gore of its now empty eye sockets, something stirred.


    Small red tentacles started to emerge from where its eyes once had been, dripping blood and pieces of flesh along their length. Each of the dozens of tentacles seemed to move individually, but they all reached for the invisible barrier protecting the group.


    They slithered around, smearing it with blood, as if searching for an opening to no success. Then the group heard the same low droning sound that had alerted the lizards to their presence, but this time they noticed it wasn¡¯t coming from the creature¡¯s mouth.


    Rather, it was coming from inside its head.

 Chapter 187 - Parasite

    As the droning sound went on, the lizards around the room started to move. They charged at the shield, while the monster with tentacles coming out of its eyes retreated, disappearing in their midst. The barrage of attacks against the shield resumed.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Narcha asked in disbelief.


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°It must be a parasite monster! It should be the one controlling these monsters!¡±


    Reinhart looked at her with an expectant expression. ¡°So if we kill it, will they stop attacking us?¡±


    The young woman hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s worth a try!¡±


    ¡°But how do we reach it?¡± Narcha asked, looking around at the monsters. ¡°How do we even spot it?! They all look the same!¡±


    At this point, the group had been completely surrounded. Giant lizards were crawling even above them as their large claws scratched at the invisible barrier. There were already signs of the shield cracking in a few spots.


    ¡°I can single it out!¡± Red said.


    ¡°You can?!¡± Narcha looked at him in surprise.


    The boy nodded. ¡°I can lead you to it, but it¡¯s behind a lot of the other lizards! You¡¯ll need to clear a path to it!¡±


    The woman gritted her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can do that in our state!¡±


    ¡°We can use the pills.¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°That still won¡¯t be enough.¡± Narcha shook her head.


    While they were speaking, more cracks appeared in the barrier.


    Eiwin looked at her companions. ¡°We¡¯ll just focus on opening the way! Red, you strike the monster once you spot it. Here,¡± she tossed the boy something out of her pocket. ¡°Use this.¡±


    Red grabbed the item and examined it. It was the fireball talisman.


    He stared at Eiwin with some hesitation. ¡°The whole place might collapse if we use this.¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the strongest attack we have in our arsenal. If we don¡¯t kill this thing in one blow, it might escape. Besides, we don¡¯t know if the lizards will stop attacking us once this parasite dies, so this fireball might afford us the chance to escape.¡±


    Red nodded, convinced by the woman¡¯s words. Right at that moment, large cracks started to appear in the shield, and they knew this was the telltale sign of its imminent collapse.


    Reinhart urged them on. ¡°Eat the pills, quick!¡±


    The knight did as much himself, while Narcha and Eiwin weren¡¯t too far behind him in consuming their own pills. While the effects were in process of making its way through their bodies, Red held onto his talisman and pinpointed the lizard-parasite¡¯s location with his crimson sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there!¡± Red pointed in a certain direction from inside the barrier.


    The lizard didn¡¯t seem to have moved much since it retreated, and the boy wasn¡¯t sure if this was because of its absolute confidence in its strength or for some other reason. Either way, the monster couldn¡¯t have known about the group¡¯s abilities, and this worked to their benefit at the moment.


    Narcha looked at Reinhart and Eiwin. ¡°You two, take my flanks!¡±


    They nodded back.


    The woman then stared at Red. ¡°You stay close to my back!¡±


    Red also nodded in understanding.


    Narcha then glared at the lizards on the other side of the barrier. ¡°I¡¯m not waiting until this collapses! We¡¯re breaking through right now!¡±


    The others didn¡¯t have the time to protest against her decision before the warrior swung her saber against the barrier from the inside. The strength of her blow was enough to push the shield over the edge, and it shattered from the point of impact of her weapon.


    Her blow also carrier through the fractured barrier, carrying even more brute strength now after the woman had consumed the Empowerment Pill. Two lizards that were trying to break through the shield were cut in half by her saber, while a few others nearby were knocked back as the weapon seemed to pass more for a club than a blade.


    ¡°Now!¡± Narcha roared.


    The group dashed forward as Narcha led the way. Other lizards poured in from the sides, but Eiwin and Reinhart kept them at bay with extremely quick and precise attacks. If the empowerment in Narcha was reflected in her brute strength, then in Eiwin and Reinhart, it shined through in the form of overwhelming speed.


    Monster limbs were flying everywhere, but the monsters continued to scramble over the body of their incapacitated comrades to strike at the humans. Their path would not be impeded, though, and the group made quick progress in a short period of time mowing down any creatures in their way.


    Red, in the meantime, was focusing on the lizard-parasite¡¯s fluctuation. It was only 20 meters away from them, but at that moment the boy noticed it had started to retreat again.


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    ¡°It¡¯s running away!¡± Red warned his companions.


    ¡°Then kill it quickly!¡± Narcha shot back.


    The boy thought to ask her how he was supposed to do that, but there was no time to argue. He still couldn¡¯t spot the lizard amidst the dozens of other creatures in the long room, but that was simply because there were simply too many things blocking his vision, and Red was just a kid after all.


    He had an idea, though.


    ¡°Stay still!¡± he said to Narcha. ¡°I¡¯ll jump on your shoulders!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to what?!¡± the woman asked in disbelief as she struck the lizards away.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, though. He put a hand on the woman¡¯s shoulder and used it as leverage to jump up in a single fluid motion. Then, with his feet settled on Narcha¡¯s shoulder and with his one free hand grabbing onto her hair for balance, he looked around for the lizard.


    Red heard some cursing from beneath, but he didn¡¯t have the time to respond to it. He looked in the fluctuation''s direction, hoping to spot the retreating beast. On any other occasion, the boy would have had a hard time discerning the lizard-parasite amidst the sea of similar monsters.


    Yet, the creature was the only one running away from the group while all the others monsters were charging at them, so Red was able to spot it. He activated his talisman without hesitation.


    ¡°Stay still!¡± he warned Narcha again.


    Another wave of curses came at him, but the boy ignored it. A few seconds later, the talisman was on the verge of activating, glowing in a bright orange light. The lizard-parasite looked back at Red, as if sensing the sudden disturbance of Spiritual Energy.


    Unfortunately for it, it was too late.


    Red waved the talisman in its direction, and a scorching ball of flame materialized out of thin air, hurling toward the monster with great speed. The flaming sphere was about the size of an adult¡¯s fist, and yet the power packed within it wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.


    It clashed into the general vicinity of the monster, and a shockwave rang through the room. Red felt himself losing balance from Narcha¡¯s shoulders, falling back down onto the ground. A cloud of dust spread through the room as hot air blasted against his face, and the boy wasn¡¯t able to see what was happening around him.


    The sound of collapsing stones was clear to him, though, as he could feel the surrounding ground rumble as the fragile building collapsed on itself. Before Red could get up to go find cover, a hand grabbed onto him, lifting him off the ground.


    The boy couldn¡¯t tell who it was, but he let himself be dragged like a sack of potatoes as this person ran. The building continued to collapse around him, but by this point they seemed to have found some cover, as they stopped running.


    Only now, after some of the dust subsided, did Red see that the person who had dragged him over was Reinhart. He didn¡¯t see any signs of Narcha or Eiwin, though, and he searched for them with his crimson sense. They were within twenty meters of him, though in what condition the boy couldn¡¯t tell.


    The collapse of the building stopped a few seconds later, and their vision cleared even further. Much to Red¡¯s delight, the lizards all had collapsed on the ground, unmoving. They weren¡¯t even breathing this time around.


    ¡°Seems your friend was right, kid.¡± Reinhart said.


    The boy nodded, but he didn¡¯t let down his guard. For some reason, he could still feel the lizard¡¯s strange fluctuations, which shouldn¡¯t be happening if the creatures were truly dead. To his surprise, he could also feel the supposed parasite¡¯s fluctuation, although severely weakened now.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not dead.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Reinhart looked at him in surprise.


    The boy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s wounded, but still alive.¡±


    "Then let¡¯s hurry and kill it!¡± the knight ran off in a hurry.


    Red followed behind him. Not too far away, the figure of Narcha and Eiwin revealed themselves from behind a partially collapsed pillar.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Narcha asked the two of them in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s still alive!¡± Red said.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± the woman cursed.


    Narcha and Eiwin ran behind them without hesitation.


    As they approached the center of the explosion, their path became blocked by the ruins of the building and the dozens of lizard corpses buried beneath them. Most of this section of the room had collapsed, now completely revealing the desert and stormy sky of the outside world.


    Suddenly, the fluctuation stirred.


    ¡°It¡¯s moving!¡± Red said.


    The group tried to hurry, jumping and climbing over the obstacles. Soon enough, they saw the scorch marks of the explosion, as well as the charred remains of those lizards unfortunate enough to be caught in its radius.


    ¡°There!¡± Reinhart pointed out.


    Something moved from the midst of the ruins. A red, small, amorphous blob of tentacles.


    ¡°Come here, you little shit!¡± Narcha charged at it.


    Almost as if hearing her words, the blob¡¯s speed increased, disappearing within the ruins of the room.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Narcha looked at where it had escaped. ¡°Red, where did it go?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s running that way!¡± Red pointed to the other side of the room.


    They all continued to give chase, before the boy felt the creature¡¯s fluctuation stop moving.


    ¡°It stopped moving!¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s hiding over¡­¡±


    Red trailed off, as he felt something weird with his crimson sense.


    ¡°Over where, Red?!¡± Narcha urged him on.


    The boy didn¡¯t respond to her, instead looking around. He felt the fluctuations of the supposedly dead lizards stir.


    ¡°Something¡¯s happening to the lizards!¡± he warned his group.


    There was no need for his warning, though, as it soon became clear to the naked eye what was happening. The eyes of the dead lizards all began to burst, one by one, and from their now empty eye sockets, crawled out more red tentacles. There were roughly ten to fifteen tentacles for every lizard, far fewer than the original host, but numbering in the hundreds once you accounted for every monster in the room.


    Then they climbed out of their monsters¡¯ eyes, and one by one slithered away like worms. They were all moving in a single direction - the one of the blob they had just been chasing.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to merge!¡± Red said.


    The shock of the situation wore off on the group, and they all moved to stop these disembodied tentacles. They stomped, slashed, and tried everything to kill them. For the most part, it worked, as the tentacles spewed out a strange bright red blood and stopped moving.


    However, there were too many of them, and they all moved between the cracks in the ruins and stones to avoid the group¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to work!¡± Eiwin shouted. ¡°Focus on the main body!¡±


    Yet, the creature was hidden beneath tons of rubble of the ruined room, and not even Narcha could clear those in a short period of time. They still tried their best, killing small tentacles along the way before they could join the main body.


    It was to no avail, though.


    More tentacles slipped by them, and Red soon felt something change in the parasite¡¯s fluctuations. It was getting stronger.


    ¡°Move away!¡± Red warned his companions.


    The group had learned to trust his words, and they all moved back without hesitation. A few seconds later, the rubble they had been digging at rumbled before exploding in a shower of dust and pebbles.


    Then something climbed out.


    It was the blob of tentacles, but this time it was much bigger than before, roughly the size of a human adult, as more and more tentacles joined its mass. Red felt like it had already reached the power of a Lesser Ring Realm creature, and judging by the expression of his companions, they also felt the pressure emitted by it.


    The creature remained still, using its tentacles to grab onto the rock surfaces around it to hoist itself up. Then, from beneath the ball of slithering appendages, something appeared.


    A single, dark human eye, roiling around before settling in place.


    It was staring directly at Red.

 Chapter 188 - Pest Control

    For a brief moment, everyone in the group seemed to be mesmerized by that eye. Then a voice broke them out of it.


    ¡°Shoot it!¡± Narcha screamed at Red.


    The boy took the bow out of his back, aiming an arrow at the creature. The eye retracted into the parasite¡¯s body before he could shoot, though.


    Red still let loose, but the arrow seemed to be swallowed by the mass of tentacles, causing no apparent damage. The creature seemed to be aware it was under attack as it moved away from the humans.


    ¡°It¡¯s running!¡± Narcha warned the group and chased after it.


    ¡°Wait-¡± Red, who could feel the monster¡¯s fluctuation, tried to stop his companion.


    Narcha, however, was already in the process of swinging her saber against the monster¡¯s ¡®back¡¯ before the boy could finish speaking. Suddenly, the creature changed directions and its body writhed and parted, avoiding her blade by changing its own form. Then, several tentacles shot out of its mass at Narcha, like arrows released from a bow at point-blank range.


    The woman was taken by surprise. She could only turn her own blade to protect her midsection from the appendages. The tentacles clashed against her saber with incredible force, pushing her back. The woman wasn¡¯t able to block all of them, though.


    Three spouts of blood shot out of her body as the tentacles pierced into her shoulder, arm, and leg. The ones that missed also wrapped around her weapon, trying to take it from her grip.


    Even injured, Narcha didn¡¯t hesitate to react. She tried to pull herself away, but the appendages seemed to hook into her flesh and stretched along with her. At the same time, the creature also tried to drag the warrior towards it, and the two of them seemed to fall into a tug-of-war.


    ¡°Miss Valt!


    Eiwin screamed as she noticed Narcha was injured. She rushed ahead to help her, but more tentacles shot out from the creature in her direction, forcing the woman back lest she end up in the same situation as her companion.


    ¡°Red, Reinhart, help her!¡± Eiwin looked at the rest of the group.


    Red dropped his bow and took out his cleaver, rushing towards Narcha. Reinhart seemed to hesitate a bit, but he also rushed ahead with his sword.


    The parasite noticed their advance, though, and it sent even more tentacles to block their way. Red cut at them with his weapon, but the appendages were incredibly slippery, and for every single one the boy cut, two more shot out to keep him at bay. Reinhart didn¡¯t seem to do any better, as the monster used even more tentacles to keep the man away.


    In the meantime, Narcha was doing her best to resist the monster¡¯s pull. The two of them seemed to be in a deadlock, as none of them gained ground on the other. Still, by Narcha¡¯s expression, it was clear the injuries were taking its toll on her body.


    She gritted her teeth, fighting through the pain of the tentacles hooked into her flesh. ¡°You fucking bastard¡­ Let go!¡±


    The monster did not do that. In fact, even more tentacles shot out, wrapping around her saber and increasing the force at which they pulled at the woman. Slowly, Narcha was dragged towards it. She refused to let go of her weapon, though, as it was the only thing keeping the appendages from piercing into her organs.


    Eiwin looked at the situation with increased panic. ¡°Narcha!¡±


    ¡°Lady, listen to me!¡± Reinhart called out to her. ¡°We need to-¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Eiwin charged ahead. Even more tentacles shot at her, but instead of dodging, she spun around and let the tentacles hit against her body. The appendages tore at her sect uniform, drawing cuts and some blood from her body, but failed to pierce into her flesh.


    Eiwin used the opportunity afforded to her by this small sacrifice to approach Narcha with a jump. She used her hands like chopping knives and struck at the tentacles binding her companion¡¯s weapon, breaking them apart in a single blow.


    Narcha noticed her actions and also used this opportunity to cut the appendages hooked into her flesh with her now freed saber. The creature, however, didn¡¯t remain still either, and it sent a barrage of tentacles to pierce into the women.


    They were ready for the attack this time around, though. Narcha stepped forward, drawing a wide arc with her blade to swipe the attacks off, while Eiwin stood by her side and grabbed and snapped any tentacles that got through her. Then, they started to retreat.


    Still, the creature¡¯s entire attention was on the two of them, and an endless tide of tentacles pierced towards them in quick succession, leaving the women no choice but to focus on defense.


    Reinhart cursed to himself once he saw this. ¡°Fucking idiots!¡± he looked over at Red. ¡°Come on! We need to help them!¡±


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    The boy was surprised by the fact the man of all people was the one to urge him on. He simply nodded, though. ¡°Let¡¯s flank it!¡±


    ¡°Does this thing even have a flank?!¡± the knight gritted his teeth.


    Reinhart didn¡¯t linger on the details, though, and circled around the creature. Red followed behind him, cleaver in hand.


    Unfortunately for them, it seemed the knight was right. The monster was able to sense their approach, and dozens of tentacles flew at them to stop their approach.


    Red and Reinhart stepped back, dodging its attacks. However, the creature didn¡¯t seem too interested in pursuing them, simply keeping its tentacles hovering in the air to keep the two of them away.


    ¡®Why is it not attacking?¡¯


    Red was confused by this. He and Reinhart kept trying to push forward, cutting the tentacles that got too close to them, but the creature seemed to have an endless supply of appendages to throw at them. It still refused to push its attack, though.


    Suddenly, Red had an idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something!¡± he said to Reinhart. ¡°Cover me!¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?!¡± the knight asked.


    The boy, however, had already moved away. He stepped back a good distance away and pulled out another talisman from his pouch - his last one.


    The reaction from the creature was almost immediate. It stopped attacking Narcha and Eiwin and charged at Red with pure madness - or at least that¡¯s what the boy felt from the bumbling mass of tentacles.


    ¡®Like I thought!¡¯


    Red guessed the creature was guarded against him because of his talisman from earlier. When it saw the human pull out another slip of paper, it immediately attacked him out of desperation. He didn¡¯t intend to use this talisman yet, and this was an attempt to leave some breathing room for his comrades.


    Reinhart tried to put himself in between the monster and Red, but its tentacles seemed to twist together, creating a club that threw the man aside like a rag-doll. The boy saw this and turned around to retreat. It seemed he had underestimated the creature, though.


    Its speed increased out of nowhere, and dozens of tentacles shot at the boy. Red tried to jump away, but one of them wrapped itself around his leg, making him tumble to the ground before lifting him upside down in the air. More tendrils swept forward, and the boy tried to put his cleaver up to block.


    The weapon shattered like glass, and he felt one of the tentacles pierce into his abdomen. Blood started pouring down his chest onto his face, but Red saw even more tendrils just about to pierce him.


    A sword seemed to fly out of nowhere, though, and cut apart the tentacles holding onto him. The boy dropped onto the ground and the other tendrils missed him by a small margin.


    ¡°Red!¡±


    Someone screamed, but Red had a hard time recognizing the voice. He tried getting up, but his strength failed him and he slipped back down to the floor. His hand reached down, feeling warm blood pouring out of the hole in his stomach. The remaining piece of the tentacle was still inside it.


    The sounds of battle intensified around the room. Red looked up, his head dizzy from the effort. He was surprised to see Reinhart standing not too far away from him, fighting off the tentacles that reached for them with his sword. The man had just been swiped by a force equivalent to a battering ram, yet now he was standing again and fighting.


    ¡®When did he¡­¡¯


    The question died in Red¡¯s mind as he heard a guttural roar on the other side of the room.


    An intense silver light came from behind the creature. The monster seized its attacks on Reinhart, as if feeling a sudden sense of danger. Red also sensed a change within his crimson sense. He looked past the tentacle mass and saw that both the roar and the light seemed to have originated from the same person.


    Eiwin.


    Her skin seemed to be glowing with a silver light, and Red felt as if her fluctuation was intensifying in power. It was as if she was growing in power by the second. The boy even felt she was breaking through to the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not right. It¡¯s something else.¡¯


    The glow subsided a few seconds later, and yet Eiwin¡¯s fluctuation remained the same. Narcha, who was standing by her side, was staring at the woman with worry. She didn¡¯t seem surprised by the sudden transformation.


    Eiwin was only staring at the parasite with eyes full of anger. Suddenly, her body tensed as if in preparation. The creature seemed to notice what was happening, and dozens of tentacles flew towards the woman in an attempt to stop her.


    Eiwin, however, didn¡¯t move, letting the tentacles strike at her body. Even Narcha, who was by her side, didn¡¯t attempt to help her companion. Red was baffled by this and braced himself for the worst.


    Yet, as soon as the tendrils came into contact with her body, they all seemed to bounce off her skin with loud thudding sounds. It was as if they had struck metal. Eiwin didn¡¯t even falter at that, and finally moved.


    She grabbed the tentacles that tried to attack her, ripping them apart in a single fluid motion. Then, she charged forward, closing the distance towards the monster in a split moment.


    The creature seemed to panic, and dozens of its tentacles shot forward to block her path. However, Eiwin was unstoppable. Her hands resembled blades as she swiped at the tendrils, cutting them off with ease and ripping apart those that tried to wrap around her. There was no dodging involved, and the woman approached the creature step by step.


    The parasite seemed to notice that there was no stopping Eiwin, so it ceased its attacks and tried running away. As soon as the pressure was off of her, though, she jumped forward, reaching the running creature with a single step.


    Her fist struck against the ball of tentacles, and an explosion of tendrils ensued. The monster was sent flying, splattering into the wall, but it was not dead. It staggered up, trying to run away.


    However, Eiwin was soon upon it again. She jumped on top of the writhing mass, punching into it again. Another explosion of tendrils happened, and this time the monster crashed down onto the floor. Eiwin followed up with another punch, and at that point, the creature seemed to have lost more than half its mass.


    Its struggles had weakened at that point. Still, Eiwin didn¡¯t relent. She punched it a few more times, each one emitting a thud stronger than the thunders from outside, until there were almost no tendrils remaining in its body. Then, once there was nothing left in her way, she reached down into the writhing mass of tentacles, pulling something out.


    It was a strange, worm-like being with a single human eye on one of its ends, no bigger than a human forearm. It struggled under Eiwin¡¯s grip before the woman squeezed down. The creature exploded, and unlike its disembodied tentacles, a lot of blood flew out of its remains, splattering her face and clothes with the crimson fluid.


    All the remaining tentacles stopped moving, and Red felt their fluctuation slowly disappear. He wasn¡¯t focused on that, though.


    He was staring at Eiwin.


    The woman seemed to notice his gaze and smiled at him with her face still smeared with blood. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

 Chapter 189 - Battered

    Before Red could reply, he felt her fluctuation diminish just as quickly as it had increased. A few moments later, it was even weaker than it had been originally. This also reflected on Eiwin.


    The woman lost her balance, falling down to one knee with a grunt.


    ¡°Eiwin!¡± Narcha ran towards her in worry.


    Red also tried getting up, but he felt a pain spreading around his midsection.


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ I was stabbed.¡¯


    The boy had almost forgotten this after witnessing Eiwin¡¯s transformation. He reached down, feeling around the wound. Blood was still pouring out, and Red considered himself lucky that the tendril hadn¡¯t pierced higher into his body, around his chest cavity. Nonetheless, this was still a serious injury.


    He didn¡¯t pull the tentacled embedded into his wound, though, as it would only let the flow of blood run free. He was wondering how he was supposed to fix this, though.


    While the boy was focused on his own wounds, he heard the women¡¯s conversation on the other side of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll survive!¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Go help him!¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Narcha sounded nervous


    A few seconds later, Red heard approaching footsteps. He looked up, noticing Narcha crouching down by his side.


    ¡°Still conscious? Great!¡± the woman seemed relieved. ¡°How¡¯s the wound?¡±


    Red grunted in pain as he shifted around. ¡°It¡­ It didn¡¯t pierce through. It¡¯s still bad.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Let me see.¡±


    Red did as he was told, shifting his hand away from the wound.


    The warrior¡¯s expression worsened once she saw it. ¡°You¡¯re leaking blood!¡±


    Narcha immediately moved her hand over the wound, applying pressure around the area to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck!¡± she cursed to herself as she examined the puncture. ¡°It might have pierced an organ! We need to put pressure!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can do that myself.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t! You just got stabbed in the stomach! You¡¯re going to bleed out if we don¡¯t treat you quickly!¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, Red noticed he had bled a substantial amount of blood. More than a normal person should be able to afford to lose, much less a child. Yet, while the boy felt weak, it didn¡¯t feel nearly as bad as it should be.


    ¡°Agh, I need to find something to staunch this¡­¡± Narcha looked over her shoulder at her bag, hoping to reach for an item, but still hesitant to let go of the pressure on the boy¡¯s wound.


    Then she spotted Reinhart. The man was standing on the side, observing the situation with a curious expression on his face.


    ¡°You!¡± Narcha howled at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Reinhart looked at her with a surprised expression. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask!¡±


    ¡°You fucking bastard! Just get me a cloth or a gauze to apply pressure here!¡±


    The knight nodded. ¡°Right away.¡±


    Reinhart pulled some white cloth out of his own bag and approached Narcha.


    The woman extended one of her hands. ¡°Give it here!¡±


    The knight handed it over with no protest. Narcha put the cloth over the wound as it quickly became drenched in the crimson fluid.


    ¡°We need to keep pressure on this for a while until the bleeding stops.¡± she said to Red. ¡°After that we can clean up and dress the-¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Reinhart interjected, calling her attention.


    ¡°What is it?!¡± Narcha glared at the man with hateful eyes.


    ¡°Your other friend doesn¡¯t seem to be doing too well.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Narcha looked over in Eiwin¡¯s direction, noticing the woman had collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Gods fucking damn it!¡± she gritted her teeth. ¡°Eiwin, are you awake?!¡±


    No response. Narcha seemed to hesitate.


    Red, however, held on to the cloth over her hands. He nodded at the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll live. Go tend to her.¡±


    All hesitation disappeared from her expression once the boy said that. She got up and looked towards Reinhart. ¡°Look after him!¡±


    The knight nodded, and Narcha was off to tend to Eiwin.


    Red, in the meantime, did as he was told and applied pressure to his bleeding. Still, he already had other ideas.


    ¡°Help me up.¡± he said to Reinhart.


    The man frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I need to do something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die. Bring me to where they are.¡±


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    The knight sighed. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Reinhart walked over to him and held onto his shoulders before helping him up. Red felt unsteady on his feet, but the man helped him keep his balance.


    They walked over to where Narcha was looking after Eiwin. The warrior had an expression of worry on her face as she examined her companion¡¯s body. There were no signs of serious injuries on Eiwin, and although she seemed unconscious, she was still breathing.


    Still, Narcha¡¯s expression was enough for Red to guess things were not as simple as they seemed.


    ¡°What is going on with her?¡± the boy asked.


    Narcha looked over at him in surprise. ¡°What are you doing here, you moron?!¡± she glared at Reinhart. ¡°Why are you holding him up?!¡±


    ¡°He asked.¡± the man shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Red tried to assuage her worries. ¡°Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Trust you?!¡± she glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding to death!¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m still standing.¡± the boy said between heavy breaths.


    ¡°Ugh, fine! If you want to kill yourself, at least don¡¯t bother me!¡± Narcha turned back to her unconscious companion.


    Red pulled himself out of Reinhart¡¯s support and sat on the ground with some difficulty, still holding onto his wound.


    ¡°What is going on with her?¡± he repeated his question.


    Despite her words, the woman still responded to him. ¡°It¡¯s a side-effect of what she did.¡±


    The boy could tell she was being deliberately vague, so he didn¡¯t push the matter. ¡°Is she going to live?¡±


    ¡°She will, but¡­¡± Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°It will take a bit for her to recover.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any more of that medicine?¡± Reinhart asked.


    The warrior glared at him. ¡°If we had any, do you think I would be waiting around?!¡±


    The man shrugged. He looked at Eiwin. ¡°How long until she¡¯s conscious again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Hopefully soon.¡±


    The room fell silent as Narcha continued to monitor Eiwin¡¯s situation.


    ¡­


    Red, in the meantime, was looking for something in his surroundings.


    He was indeed worried about Eiwin¡¯s state, but this wasn¡¯t the reason he had asked to come over to them. A few seconds later, he was able to spot small streaks of blood not over three meters away from him.


    It was that parasite¡¯s blood. Red intended to use it to heal himself.


    He was aware his injury wasn¡¯t life threatening with proper treatment, but it would most certainly be debilitating for a long time. The boy couldn¡¯t afford to be this weak at this juncture of the trial, so he decided to use his recently discovered power to heal himself.


    This decision wasn¡¯t made on a whim. In truth, Red would rather not use the power at all before he understood it, but he simply did not have any choice as they had no more healing medicines with them.


    Red took advantage of a moment when Narcha and Reinhart were looking away, and slid himself over to the pool of blood. Then he reached into it with one of his hands.


    The reaction was immediate. The boy felt a burning sensation spread over his hands, towards his arm and the rest of his body. Unimaginable pain assaulted his senses, reaching into the very core of his being and into parts of his frame Red had never sensed before.


    The boy couldn¡¯t hold back. He let out a scream of agony.


    Narcha and Reinhart looked over at him in shock.


    ¡°Kid, what is going on?!¡± the woman rushed over towards him.


    Red didn¡¯t respond. In fact, he couldn¡¯t respond. He curled up on the ground in torment, feeling the horrible sensation spreading towards all parts of his body, before focusing on the area around his abdomen, where the boy felt his flesh shift and mend itself.


    The reaction eventually subsided after ten seconds, but Red felt as if an eternity had gone by. When his senses recovered, he felt Narcha shaking his shoulders and glaring at him.


    ¡°You little shit, tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± she said, looking down. ¡°You need to keep the pressure in your wound, or it¡¯s going to¡­ It¡¯s going to¡­¡±


    She trailed off. Red looked down, knowing what had caught her attention.


    Beneath his blood smeared abdomen, the puncture wound had disappeared. The tentacle that had been stuck in his injury had fallen off, bringing bits of flesh and blood with it. His wound had completely healed.


    Narcha seemed shaken up by the sight. ¡°H-How?¡±


    ¡°R-Red, are you okay?¡±


    Before the boy could reply, another voice interjected. They looked over, noticing Eiwin had recovered consciousness and was sitting up.


    ¡°Eiwin!¡± Narcha let Red go and rushed over towards her companion.


    ¡°W-What about, Red? Is he okay?¡± Eiwin asked in a weak voice.


    Narcha nodded. ¡°He¡¯s fine! But what about you?! You shouldn¡¯t have done that!¡±


    The younger woman shook her head with a smile. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t done that, we might have died.¡±


    ¡°You still look like you can die!¡± Narcha glared at her.


    Indeed, Eiwin¡¯s countenance looked extremely pale. Red could also feel her fluctuation looked very weak, no stronger than a normal individual¡¯s. Whatever price Eiwin had paid, it was reflected within his crimson sense.


    This was an important clue to Red, but it was not something he was interested in looking into right now. He walked over to the woman.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Eiwin nodded with a weak smile. ¡°W-What about your wound??¡± she had noticed his puncture wound had disappeared.


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll explain it later.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± the woman¡¯s attention shifted, looking over at Reinhart, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. ¡°What about you, Mister Reinhart?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the man looked surprised at the question. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just wondering¡­¡±


    The knight trailed off.


    Eiwin shook her head and sighed. ¡°If there¡¯s something you wish to ask, go ahead, Mister Reinhart.¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to pry into your secrets. I was just wondering, shouldn¡¯t this parasite have a monster core? It seemed to be in the Lesser Ring Realm, but I found nothing of the sort.¡±


    The younger woman frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not too certain myself. I know little about parasite monsters, but they should still have a monster core.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, the two of you!¡± Narcha interjected. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even be talking in your condition, Eiwin!¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯ll be fine, Miss Valt.¡± Eiwin said, taking a deep breath. ¡°¡­ I might not be of much help moving forward, but I¡¯ll live. We still have to find your pill, don¡¯t we?¡±


    These words seemed to sting at Narcha, who gritted her teeth in anger and shame.


    Eiwin, however, didn¡¯t pay attention to her companion¡¯s reaction. As the seconds passed, she seemed to recover her composure and strength bit by bit, but Red could tell from her fluctuation she was far from being healed.


    Still, the woman tried to get up. Narcha seemed like she wanted to protest it, but one serene look from Eiwin was enough to make her swallow her words. The warrior just helped her companion to her feet.


    Once Eiwin was up, she looked over at Reinhart, who still had a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°So, have you decided to abandon us?¡± she asked.


    The knight smiled, but didn¡¯t deny her accusation. ¡°You¡¯re wounded.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Eiwin nodded.


    ¡°You will hold us back.¡±


    ¡°I probably will.¡±


    Reinhart shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten too far to be held back at this juncture.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°I knew this would happen. This is who this man is, Eiwin! We should be thankful he didn¡¯t stab us in the back before leaving!¡±


    The knight laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything yet. I would like to continue working with you lot, but we can¡¯t do it with an injured person holding us back.¡±


    The warrior frowned. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Leave her here, where we know she will be safe and let the rest of us continue on her stead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not happening.¡± Narcha didn¡¯t even deign to consider his suggestion. ¡°She¡¯s coming with us.¡±


    Reinhart sighed, as if expecting this reply. He looked over at Red. ¡°What about you, kid? You should be more reasonable than these two, right?¡±


    Red also shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t leave them.¡±


    They had done too much for the boy. Although he knew Reinhart was being logical, Red was no ingrate, and he would never turn his back on people that had helped him in the past again and again. It just wasn¡¯t the type of person he was.


    Reinhart sighed again, this time somewhat disappointed. ¡°I expected more from you, kid.¡±


    ¡°You have your answer.¡± Narcha interrupted him. ¡°Now, are you leaving or not?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll stay with you until we leave the building. After all, we aren¡¯t done exploring this place, right? Who knows if there are still any dangers around?¡±


    The warrior glared at him. ¡°We don¡¯t need your-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be thankful for your help, Mister Reinhart.¡± Eiwin interjected.


    Narcha stared at her, but fell silent under her companion¡¯s gaze once again.


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Great. So, should we see what¡¯s beyond that corridor, then?¡±

 Chapter 190 - Parting Sea Pill

    Red hesitated, looking over at his now ruined weapon.


    Eiwin tried to comfort him. ¡°We¡¯ll get Goulth to craft you a new one once we are out.¡±


    The boy nodded at her. The cleaver had been with him since he had escaped from the underground, and although the boy wasn¡¯t necessarily attached to the weapon, he still lamented the loss of a good tool.


    There was no point in dwelling on it, though.


    The group moved down the room, with Reinhart leading the way. Narcha helped Eiwin walk along, while Red focused on his crimson sense and kept a close watch on their surroundings.


    On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed. The boy could feel the air surrounding the group had changed as the seeds of resentment were planted. This mostly came from Narcha, who was glaring at Reinhart the entire time, as if expecting the man to turn around and attack them at any moment.


    Red didn¡¯t blame her for the cautiousness either. Now that the battle had ended, the boy had time to contemplate on what had happened.


    ¡®He had another shield talisman.¡¯


    This, by itself, wasn¡¯t surprising. If it was Red in his place, he would also keep things hidden in case his ¡°comrades¡± tried to attack him. What made the boy suspicious was what had happened during the fight.


    He saw Reinhart get battered by the monster - a clubbing attack that would have shattered Red¡¯s bones had he been in his place. However, the man didn¡¯t seem to be injured, and a few seconds later, he was already back on his feet and helping the boy against the parasite. Was the blow not as strong as the boy thought, or did Reinhart have something to protect or heal himself?


    Red wasn¡¯t sure. He had been too busy fighting for his life to observe what the knight was doing. This was a reminder, though, that Reinhart wasn¡¯t one of their sect members and he had no reason to be honest or trust them. No matter how much he had helped the group, the boy doubted Reinhart would ever put himself in a hopeless situation for them, which meant the man still was confident about saving his own life throughout this fight.


    He was almost certainly hiding something.


    Red asked himself whether he was being too suspicious of the knight. After all, the man did save his life, didn¡¯t he? However, the boy trusted no one at face value. Reinhart, in particular, had given him plenty of reason for suspicion in the past, and their alliance was nothing more than a matter of convenience, so Red doubted the man had saved them from the goodness of his heart.


    Did this mean Reinhart would betray them? Not necessarily, but it didn¡¯t inspire confidence in the boy.


    ¡®At the very least, he seems intent on parting ways after this.¡¯


    It would be for the best, since Red wouldn¡¯t need to monitor everything the knight did moving forward.


    The group walked in silence through the empty ruins. They entered the corridor connecting the destroyed chamber, stepping over the corpses of the lizards.


    The rest of the building was identical to where they had been earlier - cracked and ruined rock surfaces without so much as a hint of decor or symbols. Something seemed to change ahead of them, though.


    ¡°There¡¯s a light ahead.¡± Reinhart said.


    Narcha grunted in acknowledgement but didn¡¯t respond.


    The knight looked back at Red. ¡°Tell me if you sense anything, will ya?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    They continued to walk further ahead until the source of the light became clear.


    Lamps emitting white light were lining up the side of the hall, leading up further ahead to another room. Curiously enough, this section of the building didn¡¯t seem damaged or worn down. It was almost as if they had crossed a line where the place had become protected against the elements and hadn¡¯t fallen into a state of disrepair.


    None of this surprised Red anymore, who was already numb to the strangenesses of this trial. The corridor continued for a few dozen meters more until they arrived at a large, open room. This chamber was just as well-lit as the corridor, with lanterns hanging off of pillars that lined up the sides of the spacious room.


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    In the center of the chamber, there was a raised altar, and on the center of this altar stood a large charred cauldron. The object by itself stood out in the seemingly pristine chamber, but what caught their attention was the round object above the cauldron.


    It was a blue pill. It was floating in the air by itself and was emitting a soft blue light. The pill didn¡¯t look remarkable in any way, shape or form, but the more Red looked at it, the more he felt something stir within his body. Then, a few moments later, he started to sense things.


    First, it was the sounds. Waves crashing against the coast - a sea disturbed in the middle of a storm. Then came the visions. He saw the faint image of water streams floating around the pill in the air and yet never touching it. A tingling sensation hit his skin - the sign of a high condensation of Spiritual Energy in the air, all coming from the pill. A sense of craving came from within his body from a place Red had never felt before, begging him to consume the pill.


    For some reason, the boy didn¡¯t need any explanation to understand what this item was or what it did, and, from the looks of it, neither did his companions.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± Narcha stumbled over her own words as she stared at the pill.


    ¡°A Parting Sea Pill.¡± Reinhart said.


    This was the dream item of most cultivators. A pill that could open a person¡¯s Spiritual Sea, no matter how poor their talent might be, and allow them to breakthrough into the Lesser Ring Realm. It was such a rare and precious item that not even cultivators already in the Lesser Ring Realm could afford it, and only the strongest organizations in the world had the method and means to produce it.


    And yet, here it was. A genuine Parting Sea Pill, right in front of them.


    It all felt like a dream. At least, until they heard the sound of hurried footsteps.


    Reinhart was dashing straight at the pill.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Narcha panicked and chased after him, dropping Eiwin on the floor.


    The woman was too late, though.


    Reinhart jumped over the cauldron and grabbed the pill. Immediately, all the otherworldly phenomena disappeared. Rage seemed to build up inside of Narcha, though, as she unsheathed her saber without hesitation and got ready to attack the man.


    Red noticed that Reinhart was fishing something out of his pocket as he retreated. The boy had an awful premonition.


    ¡°Narcha, be careful!¡± he tried to warn the woman.


    Narcha hesitated upon hearing the boy¡¯s words, noticing Reinhart¡¯s movements.


    The man pointed the talisman at her. ¡°Not one step further!¡± the item was already glowing in an orange light as the knight¡¯s fingers hovered over one of its lines.


    The woman froze in her tracks, glaring at the man. Both she and Red recognized the talisman the man was holding. It was another fireball talisman, similar to the one he had used in the forest against the demon and to the one Red had just used against the parasite.


    Reinhart looked over at Red. ¡°Don¡¯t reach for that bow, kid. You know better than me what will happen if I activate this talisman.¡±


    The boy frowned, but stopped moving.


    Narcha raised her saber towards the man. The woman was trembling with anger. ¡°If you activate that talisman in here, you won¡¯t escape unscathed.¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Maybe, but what about your companions? Do you think Eiwin could survive the flames in her state?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Narcha gritted her teeth.


    The knight laughed, waving the talisman at her face. ¡°Will you really?¡±


    The warrior seemed on the verge of losing her mind, and her trembling intensified.


    ¡°Miss Valt!¡± Eiwin interjected.


    Her companion¡¯s words, which always seemed to have a calming effect on Narcha, seemed to fall on deaf ears at that moment. The woman seemed on the verge of attacking Reinhart, regardless of the talisman the man was holding.


    The knight, however, continued to smile. ¡°Come on, Narcha. There is no need to be this angry. I don¡¯t want to fight, I just want to negotiate.¡±


    His words gave Narcha some pause. She glared at the man with a hateful gaze. ¡°Give me the pill.¡±


    Reinhart frowned. ¡°Is that what you call a negotiation?¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth, but Eiwin chose that moment to interject again.


    ¡°What do you want from us, Mister Reinhart?¡± the younger woman asked.


    Reinhart smiled at her. ¡°See? It¡¯s always easier to speak with reasonable people.¡±


    Eiwin frowned and repeated the question. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The knight shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s simple, really. I¡¯m willing to give this pill to you for a certain price.¡±


    Narcha¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Still, that did nothing to assuage her anger. ¡°You expect us to believe that after you tried to get one over us, you bastard?!¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t say that.¡± Reinhart shook his head. ¡°I just had to take the initiative. After all, if you had gotten your hands on this pill first, would you have been willing to listen to me?¡±


    ¡°So what?!¡± Narcha still seemed skeptical. ¡°You¡¯re just willing to hand over a priceless pill like that and not use it for yourself?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was just handing it over. Of course, I would love to keep this pill for myself, but¡­ Let¡¯s just say there are things I care about more than cultivation.¡±


    Red felt at that moment that Reinhart almost had a sad expression as he said that. Still, it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s within our Sect¡¯s capabilities, we can repay you in any way you want, Master Reinhart.¡± Eiwin said.


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°Now, don¡¯t be ridiculous. We both know that your entire Sect¡¯s treasury wouldn¡¯t be enough to exchange for a pill like this.¡± he looked at Narcha. ¡°And to someone like you, this pill is more precious than any kind of valuable, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Narcha¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Just tell us what you want, you fucking bastard!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯m not willing to do an exchange with your sect, but I am willing to do an exchange with the three of you¡­ I need you to do something for me, though.¡±


    The knight¡¯s smile disappeared as he took on a serious expression.


    ¡°Help me kill Hector, and I will give this pill to you.¡±

 Chapter 191 - Betrayal

    The words didn¡¯t seem to register with Red and the others at first. Even Narcha, fueled by her hatred, was taken aback.


    ¡°Is this a joke?¡± she asked.


    Red was half-expecting Reinhart¡¯s serious demeanor to drop and for the man to laugh again, talking about how that was all an elaborate joke. It didn¡¯t happen, though.


    ¡°No.¡± Reinhart shook his head. ¡°Not this time. My offer is genuine.¡±


    Narcha glared at the man, still not convinced. ¡°Then let me rephrase. Are you insane?¡±


    The knight smiled. ¡°Me, insane? I actually think this is a very good plan. Hector is very strong, so you can¡¯t really expect to overpower and kill him. You need to use subterfuge and strike him from where he least expects it... And who else is more suited for that than three of his own sect members?¡±


    Another extended silence settled in the room.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re actually being serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Narcha stared at the knight as if he had gone insane.


    Reinhart nodded. ¡°Of course I¡¯m being serious. Do you think I would just steal this pill and threaten you as a joke? That¡¯s too risky even for me.¡±


    ¡°So this was your brilliant plan? To take the pill you knew I was looking for and to compel us to betray our sect in exchange for it?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. But trust me, I would never try something like this if there was no chance to succeed.¡±


    Narcha shook her head in disgust. ¡°There is no chance. The answer is no.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like speaking to headstrong people.¡± he turned around to look at Red and Narcha. ¡°The two of you are much more reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Our answer is the same, Mister Reinhart.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°We would never entertain the thought of betrayal against our own, no matter how valuable of an item you have to offer us.¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°Of course I know that. But what if I gave you some good reason to betray that old man?¡±


    The young woman frowned. Red could see she was clearly debating with herself whether they should waste time and engage Reinhart in conversation.


    Red spoke up on her behalf. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°For Gustav, of course.¡± Reinhart said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he would be very thankful to be rid of Hector.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t believe the man for one second, but he knew better than to try to pull a straight answer out of him.


    He moved on to the matter at hand. ¡°What reason could you possibly give us to betray Hector?¡±


    Eiwin¡¯s hesitant gaze lingered on Red for a moment, but she didn¡¯t speak up.


    Reinhart seemed delighted at the boy¡¯s question, and his attention focused back on him. ¡°Because he¡¯s a horrible person, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°What has he done?¡±


    ¡°He was part of the Ocean Bearers Sect, kid. Has anyone in your guild ever told you what that sect has done in the past?¡±


    Red frowned. He looked over at Eiwin, noticing that she seemed troubled. Neither she nor Narcha were surprised, though.


    Reinhart laughed. ¡°Of course they wouldn¡¯t tell you! Those people drowned entire countries in the past during their wars! They were absolutely ruthless!¡±


    ¡°Master Hector had left the Sect long before it was destroyed.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°He was never involved in the atrocities they committed.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡± the knight shook his head. ¡°Hector might not have been involved in what happened back then, but he still did plenty of horrible things on his own. I mean, he still keeps contact with the survivors of his sect, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t deny his words, and neither did she seem surprised. To Red, though, this came as a completely new revelation.


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    ¡°Have you ever heard of a technique called Sea Extraction, kid?¡± Reinhart asked Red.


    The boy shook his head.


    ¡°This was something Hector and his sect members invented.¡± the knight pointed at his chest. ¡°It consists of extracting an individual¡¯s Spiritual Sea to be used as an ingredient for Spiritual Forging. They say the more talented that person is, the more useful their Spiritual Sea becomes once it¡¯s taken out of their body.¡±


    Red understood where this was going. ¡°Is this what happened to you? Did Hector extract your Spiritual Sea and now you want revenge?¡±


    Reinhart smiled and shook his head. ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t Hector who did it.¡±


    ¡°So why do you want to kill him?¡±


    ¡°Because the people who did this to me are already dead and Hector was the closest person to them I could find.¡±


    ¡°You are out of your fucking mind!¡± Narcha interjected. ¡°You don¡¯t even know if Hector did all those things you are talking about and you still want to kill just because he was related to those people?¡±


    Reinhart smirked at Narcha. ¡°Not just related. He was their master.¡±


    These words seemed to leave the woman speechless.


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t really know if they learned that technique from him.¡± the man shrugged. ¡°Still, he¡¯s the closest person I got to them, so he will have to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to go against him just for that?¡± Red asked.


    He had a hard time reconciling these words with what he knew about Reinhart. For a man as logical as him to go to such lengths just for revenge against someone tangentially related to those who wronged him in the past - it made little sense for the boy.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, kid.¡± Reinhart shook his head. ¡°I had to live with this burning desire to get back at those people for decades. I will take what little relief I can.¡±


    Red examined the man¡¯s face. Although he spoke such passionate words, his expression didn¡¯t match the weight of his words. The boy just wasn¡¯t sure whether he was lying, but Eiwin and Narcha¡¯s silence seemed to point that there was an inkling of truth to what he had been saying.


    ¡°Of course, kid, don¡¯t think you are safe.¡± the man put on a pitiful expression. ¡°If Hector really does know the Sea Extraction Technique, then he may use it on any of you one of these days. Who knows, maybe he¡¯s rearing that Allen kid for that reason.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Narcha roared at the man in anger.


    Reinhart, however, just smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re almost twenty-six, aren¡¯t you? Even if you breakthrough in the future, you¡¯ll never amount to anything as a cultivator.¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth, her saber-hand trembling with anger.


    Reinhart continued with his taunting, waving the blue pill in her face. ¡°This pill can be useful to you, but why were you even forced to go to such lengths in the first place? Hector still has contact with some of his surviving sect members, so why was he unable to secure a pill for you? I mean, sure, they might be nowhere near as strong as they were in the past, but one Parting Sea Pill should have been no problem for them.¡± he shrugged. ¡°Much more if someone like Hector asked for it¡­ Oh wait!¡±


    The man put on an expression of feigned realization.


    ¡°It must be because your talent is terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reinhart said. ¡°Why would he waste favors on someone like you? On the other hand, I¡¯m sure he has one of these pills lined up for Eiwin. I mean, after seeing what she did against that parasite, I can tell you she definitely doesn¡¯t have a simple background! That¡¯s someone worth nurturing!¡±


    Narcha looked down, her trembling of rage spreading to her whole body.


    Eiwin noticed this and looked over at Reinhart in anger, even with her pale expression. ¡°We know what you¡¯re doing. Those lies would never-¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Narcha¡¯s booming voice interrupted the young woman.


    Eiwin looked at her companion¡¯s back in disbelief. ¡°N-Narcha, you¡­¡±


    Narcha interrupted her again. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to speak for me!¡±


    Eiwin fell silent with a shaken expression.


    Reinhart, on the other hand, seemed delighted at the situation. ¡°Now, isn¡¯t that unfair, Narcha Valt? How many years of your life have you spent serving this little sect of yours? And yet, when you need it the most, Hector refuses to offer his assistance¡­ Doesn¡¯t that make you angry?¡±


    Narcha raised her head, looking at the man. ¡°¡­ Are you done?¡±


    ¡°That depends¡­ Are you willing to help me?¡±


    The warrior let out a small laugh. ¡°¡­ What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± Reinhart shook his head in disappointment. He looked over at Red. ¡°What about you, kid? Are you also going to stand by them? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Hector will use you in the future just like he did to this poor woman?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re part of my sect.¡± Red made his stance clear.


    Although what Reinhart revealed did alarm him, the boy had never once entertained the thought of betrayal. Whatever actions he took in the future after what he had learned, it wouldn¡¯t start with backstabbing those that helped him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± the man sighed. ¡°So it seems we¡¯ve arrived at an impasse, haven¡¯t we?¡± Reinhart looked at the pill and the glowing talisman in his hand. ¡°Now, what should I do about this pill? I can¡¯t use it, but I might be able to sell it. Should I take this back to Gustav or try to sell it myself?¡±


    ¡°Are you still in the mood to joke around, you bastard?!¡± Narcha glared at him.


    Reinhart, however, ignored her. He shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t bring this outside. If word got out about it, I can¡¯t imagine how many people would try to kill me for it.¡±


    Red and the others stared at this ridiculous display in silence. The knight continued to argue with himself out loud until he seemed to finally arrive at a conclusion.


    Reinhart sighed. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no other way, then.¡± the man raised the hand holding the pill towards Narcha. ¡°Here, you can have it.¡±


    The woman seemed shocked. ¡°W-What are you-¡±


    She didn¡¯t get to complete her sentence.


    Reinhart squeezed the pill with all his strength. A cracking noise came from within his closed fist, and a soft blue light slipped from between his fingers. Then, the man opened his hand and let the ruined remains of the pill fall onto the ground.


    He smiled at Narcha. ¡°Here, I said you can have it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡±


    Narcha charged at the man.

 Chapter 192 - Guilt

    Neither Red nor Eiwin had time to react as Narcha charged forward. Fueled by her own anger, the woman sought to close the distance between her and Reinhart in an explosive sprint, but the man had been waiting just for that.


    The glow of the talisman in his hand intensified as Reinhart¡¯s finger crossed over the last line. Rather than throwing the talisman at the woman, though, he waved it up towards the ceiling.


    The fireball formed just as Narcha was swinging at him. It clashed against the ceiling, and an explosion of flames and debris shook the room. The impact reached Red and the force of the blow threw him backwards with incredible force against the walls.


    He felt the wave of heat singe his legs, but it didn¡¯t seem like the flames had reached him. His ears rang with the noise of the explosion and he couldn¡¯t see anything because of the smoke and dust blocking his vision.


    He tried to focus on his crimson sense.


    ¡®They¡¯re moving.¡¯


    Red felt Narcha¡¯s and Reinhart¡¯s fluctuations. The man was moving away from him, while Narcha seemed to be blindly moving around, as if searching for him. Her movements were slow, though.


    ''She'' s wounded.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t surprising, considering she had been close to the explosion. Reinhart, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem affected by it, and soon enough his fluctuation moved out of his range of detection.


    There was the third fluctuation, however, which didn¡¯t seem to be moving at all.


    ¡®Eiwin!¡¯


    Red moved towards her with some difficulty. As the dust settled down, he could spot Eiwin on the ground, unconscious. Although she was still breathing, Red could feel her fluctuation was even weaker than before. When he looked her over, though, he couldn''t find any injuries or wounds in her body.


    He called out to Narcha. ¡°I need help here!¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t seem to hear him, though, and continued to rage. ¡°WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD!?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Eiwin is dying!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯LL- What?¡± Narcha looked over at the boy.


    She spotted Eiwin¡¯s unconscious body and her expression changed.


    ¡°Eiwin!¡± she dropped her saber and ran towards them.


    Once she got close enough, Red could see the state of her body. There were burn marks running down her left arm and on the side of her head, where most of her hair had been burned off. Her situation didn¡¯t seem as bad as Rog¡¯s, but even then, this was beyond what a normal person could survive against, and the fact she was still standing was a testament to her strength.


    Narcha crouched by Eiwin¡¯s side, examining her condition. There were no obvious wounds in her companion¡¯s body, but it was clear her condition was not good. ¡°What is going on, kid?!¡±


    ¡°Her fluctuation is getting weaker.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Fluctuation?!¡± the woman seemed confused. ¡°What does that mean?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s how I can detect people.¡± the boy tried to be as concise as possible. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it detects, but once someone dies, their fluctuation disappears from my senses.¡±


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Narcha was panicking. ¡°Do you have any pills to heal her?!¡±


    Red shook his head.


    The woman gritted her teeth. ¡°What about pills with Spiritual Energy?! Do you have any?!¡±


    This time, the boy nodded. He took out his box with the Burning Vein Pills. ¡°There are special vein opening pills I got earlier. How is that supposed to help, though?¡±


    ¡°Just give it here!¡±


    Red passed over one of the pills to Narcha. She then forced the pill down Eiwin¡¯s throat and made sure she swallowed it.


    The younger woman immediately started to sweat, what Red assumed was a side-effect of the fire-attribute Spiritual Energy contained in the pill. To his surprise, though, he could feel Eiwin¡¯s fluctuation stabilize somewhat, which was reflected in her countenance.


    Narcha gave out a sigh of relief once she noticed that.


    Red stared at her in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The ability she used is a Body Refinement Technique that is meant to be powered by Spiritual Energy.¡± Narcha said. ¡°There are other ways that it can be powered if someone hasn¡¯t opened their Spiritual Sea yet.¡±


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    Red was starting to get the gist of it.


    The woman continued. ¡°The technique she uses keeps draining her vitality even after it wears off, though. We can fight it off by using healing medicine that Goulth made for us, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But she used the last bottle on me, didn¡¯t she?¡± Red completed her sentence.


    Narcha nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault¡­ I thought we had enough time to leave this place and get her some treatment, but I didn¡¯t consider the fact this was the second time she was using that ability today. Even if it didn¡¯t look like it, it must have taken a toll on her body.¡±


    The woman looked crestfallen as she spoke.


    ¡°But why did the Vein Opening Pill help?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°The technique she used is based on opening special acupoints. By injecting her body with Spiritual Energy, these acupoints will start absorbing this energy instead of her vitality¡­ But it¡¯s not a solution.¡± Narcha shook her head. ¡°We still need to get her healing medicine or she won¡¯t get better.¡±


    This sounded awfully familiar to Red¡¯s situation with his own special acupoints.


    The boy frowned. ¡°How long does she have?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know.¡± Narcha shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in this situation. Eiwin only explained to me what I had to do if something like that happened.¡±


    ¡°I have two more of those pills.¡± Red handed the box over to Narcha without hesitation. ¡°You can give it to her if she gets worse.¡±


    The woman accepted the box and nodded. ¡°I will¡­¡±


    A heavy silence fell over the room as Narcha looked over Eiwin¡¯s unconscious body with a look of defeat. Red had never seen her in such a state before.


    The woman smiled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m really pathetic, am I not? I was meant to come here to save Rog and get my pill, but look at what happened¡­ Now we have another companion at risk of losing their life.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who took on that responsibility. It¡¯s not all your fault.¡±


    Narcha laughed. ¡°Not all my fault? If I didn¡¯t rush Reinhart back, then¡­ If I wasn¡¯t lost in rage, none of this would have happened. The truth is that I didn¡¯t consider the consequences before acting, and now Eiwin is paying for it.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°The thought of risking it all crossed my mind even while we were talking.¡± the woman said. ¡°I thought that maybe whatever risk you and Eiwin would be at from that talisman would be worth it for the pill, even if I could die too¡­ But I suppressed it. I said to myself there were more important things at play here, that nothing was worth sacrificing your comrades over. And yet, when he crushed that pill¡­ I was too weak. I gave in to my anger, and Eiwin got hurt because of it.¡± she shook her head in disappointment.


    ¡°... Can¡¯t we still use the pill, though?¡± Red asked. ¡°Even some of its remnants?


    Narcha laughed. ¡°It¡¯s now how it works, kid. Even if you got every little piece, it would have lost its essence¡­ Besides, can you find any of it?¡±


    The boy looked around. After the explosion and all the stone detritus and dust, he saw no signs of the pill anywhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as well that I never got that damn pill. I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± Narcha said.


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t.¡± Red nodded.


    Narcha looked at him with a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the part where you¡¯re supposed to comfort me?¡±


    The boy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that. I can only say that from my brief experience, nothing in this cultivation world is about deserving.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not a very pleasant way to look at things.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Red nodded. ¡°¡­ You made a mistake, but there¡¯s no point in letting yourself be dragged down by it if you want to be a cultivator. I can only say that Eiwin also told me how much that pill meant to you, and that she was willing to risk herself by your side to help you acquire it. She knew the dangers of this place, and she still went ahead with it. I don¡¯t think she would blame you for what happened.¡±


    Narcha nodded. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Eiwin is a very understanding and kind person, but¡­ That only makes things worse.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Red asked.


    She sighed. ¡°You really don¡¯t know how people work, do you, kid?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then there¡¯s no point in explaining it to you.¡±


    Narcha went quiet again, looking back at Eiwin.


    ¡°Will you stay here?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Someone needs to look after her¡­ And I¡¯m too wounded.¡± Narcha looked at him. ¡°Why do you ask? Do you still want to continue?¡±


    ¡°I do. The earlier this trial ends, the earlier you can bring Eiwin back to the Sect.¡±


    Narcha scoffed at him. ¡°And so what? Do you intend on winning it against Rickard and those imperials?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded. ¡°That way we can save Eiwin and I can also continue my path as a cultivator.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not even trying to deny that you¡¯re also doing this for your own benefit?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Why would I? Eiwin helped me  in the past, so I will help her when she needs it. But I want to be a cultivator, so my focus will always be on that.¡±


    Narcha smiled. ¡°I guess we know which of us is better suited as a cultivator, then, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, so instead, he took out a few items from his bag.


    ¡°Here.¡± he handed his Spirit Stones to Narcha. ¡±Keep this, in case I die on the way.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Narcha asked. ¡°If the trial ends and you¡¯re still alive, you can use these to exchange for some treasures from that bird.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. These stones might help me, but they won¡¯t change my fate in the long run.¡± Red said. ¡°I have to always aim for the highest prize if I want to continue on this path. Besides, you might need them to exchange for medicine for Eiwin and Rog, and you can still use what¡¯s left to get something for me.¡±


    Narcha gave him a weird expression, but still nodded. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± she stored the stones in her bag. ¡°You need to be careful of Reinhart, Rickard, and those imperials. They¡¯re still out there.¡±


    ¡°Reinhart knows my powers, so I doubt he will risk attacking me. As for Rickard and the imperials¡­ I guess I¡¯ll need to improvise.¡±


    Red still had the Wind Bestowment talisman in his possession, but he doubted it would be enough to defeat Rickard and the imperial agents, considering they were probably armed with even better equipment.


    ¡°Just be careful, kid.¡± Narcha said. ¡°You¡¯re smart, but there are some opponents where no amount of planning will help you win.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    He recalled the spiders in the underground and the insectoid he and Viran had fought. No plans or clever ideas could help you against overwhelming strength. Thankfully, though, Red had some powers of his own to rely on.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± the boy said.


    ¡°You do that.¡± Narcha nodded.


    Red collected his things and turned around to walk towards the other exit of the room, which he assumed Reinhart had escaped to.


    ¡°Oh, and kid¡­¡± Narcha called out to him before he could leave.


    Red turned around and looked at her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Make sure you kill Reinhart if you see him.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll probably just avoid him.¡±


    ¡°Agh, you little shit!¡± Narcha glared at him. ¡°Just get the fuck out of here!¡±


    Red obliged her and left without turning back.

 Chapter 193 - Sandstorm

    Although Red said he had no intentions of fighting Reinhart, he was still on the lookout for the man. He focused on his crimson sense and examined the tracks the man had left behind.


    Thankfully for Red, Reinhart wasn¡¯t waiting in ambush for him. He reached the end of the corridor without accidents and found an open door leading back into the desert.


    With one last careful search, he stepped outside.


    Nothing seemed different about the desolate land. Except, when the boy looked around, he saw the mountain was much closer than before. It looked no farther than a few kilometers from him, but Red wouldn¡¯t let himself be deceived by his eyes in this place again.


    Except, upon closer examination, he noticed the lack of something in his surroundings.


    ¡®The tornadoes disappeared.¡¯


    Although the storm still raged above, there were no signs of the twisters in his vicinity. Red felt lost for a second.


    His gaze wandered back to the mountain, though.


    ¡®Does that mean I can walk towards it now?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure. However, now it seemed this was truly the only option left to him.


    He took one last look at the building behind him before setting forward.


    ¡­


    Red tried to search for signs of Reinhart, but even though the tornadoes were gone, the winds in the plain were still strong, and they wiped any signs of the man. What confused the boy, though, was that even though Reinhart had quite a few minutes of advantage over him, it should still have been possible to spot his figure from afar in the desert''s terrain. No such thing happened, though.


    It was as if the man had disappeared.


    Yet, to Red¡¯s surprise, he was able to make progress to reach the mountain over the next ten minutes. It was nowhere near as fast as it should have been, considering how much time had passed and his perceived distance to the peak, and yet the mountain got closer to him ever so slightly.


    At this distance, Red could notice some of its details. The mountain was composed of a dark, rocky surface, and its triangular shape seemed perfectly symmetrical, reaching into the sky. The boy had seen no mountains before, but even he could tell that the peak didn¡¯t look natural. What interested him, though, was how the storm behaved around the mountain.


    A perfect circle of clear sky formed around the apex of the mountain, and the tumultuous clouds and lightning never trespassed this invisible line, even as they roiled around the rest of the desert. Of course, although Red said he saw clear sky, what he saw was a simple absence of the storm.


    There was no sun, blue sky, or stars beyond the clouds, only pitch black darkness that not even his improved vision was able to pierce through. It was nothingness. Red felt as if he was staring into the abyss - what lay beyond the edge of this strange world he had been teleported to - and it filled him with a sense of unexplainable dread.


    He averted his gaze. The boy decided it was best to focus on the path ahead.


    And it was good that he did.


    Something seemed to be moving at the feet of the mountain. Red squinted, trying to discern what he was seeing. It was an indescribable mass, too small for the boy to make out from this far. It made him hesitate, though, and Red stopped walked, contemplating what it was he had seen.


    However, whatever it was soon made itself evident on its own.


    The stirring mass grew in his vision little by little until it seemed to occupy the very horizon ahead of him. It was then that Red recognized it.


    It was a dust storm. And it was heading right for him.


    The boy frowned, wondering what he was supposed to do. It didn¡¯t take him long to admit defeat, though.


    ¡®What a joke¡­ There¡¯s nothing you can do against something that big.¡¯


    Red could only hope the sandstorm didn¡¯t kill him on impact. He still did his preparations, though.


    He covered his face with some of his spare clothes, covering all his orifices and keeping only a slit open for his eyes - as good as they would do him in there. The boy also made sure all his equipment was tied to his body and that none of it would fly off when the strong wind struck.


    Then there was nothing left but to brace himself.


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    The dust storm continued to grow in his vision, seemingly conjuring more dust out of nowhere to increase in size. Soon enough, it was reaching the stormy sky above. It became a monster of untold proportions, swallowing everything on its path and reaching beyond where Red¡¯s eyes could see.


    Out of all natural disasters Red had seen today, this certainly took first place when it came to sheer size - and yet, here he was, walking right towards it and possibly towards his own death. At this point, though, he felt somewhat numb.


    When someone risked their life so often in such a short period of time, the fear was bound to lose its effects on them.


    ¡®Maybe that was the point all along¡­¡¯


    The dust-storm continued to grow until it swallowed the boy.


    ¡­


    The first thing Red felt were the strong winds hitting against him. Every step forward felt two times as hard as normal, and with his diminutive size as a kid, the gale¡¯s effects were even worse.


    Then there was the worst part - the dust. Red felt countless particles pepper his body constantly and with no respite. His uniform, although somewhat ruined, still absorbed most of the impact, but the sand still hurt him to some degree, much more as it seemed to slip past the cloth he wrapped around his head and irritate his sensory organs.


    Red couldn¡¯t rely on any of his senses in this situation. He couldn¡¯t see anything, hear anything, or smell anything. His crimson sense was also useless to navigate with no life forms around him, so all the boy had to rely was on his body and trained sense of direction as he kept heading forward under the unceasing barrage of the storm.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the difficulty of the situation to start wearing on him.


    His steps were slow. His breathing was labored. His body was aching.


    Red didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, nor how much progress he had made. All he could see around him was dust, and even his hands seemed to blur out in the storm. Still, the boy weathered through it, remaining steadfast even as his body started to give out under the strain.


    This wasn¡¯t even among the hardest things he had to go through today. There was no way he would allow himself to falter here.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the storm started to abate. The winds slowed down, and the dust stopped peppering his body.


    ¡®Am I through?¡¯


    Only now did Red deign to fully open his eyes. To his surprise, though, his vision was still blocked. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t due to the dust storm, but because of a thick grey mist that surrounded him.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Red waved his hand through the fog. It parted with his movement, but soon more mist slipped in to occupy the empty space. The boy frowned, feeling the damp air around him.


    ¡®It¡¯s just water.¡¯


    Red had learned to expect the worst in this place, but it didn¡¯t seem like there were any tricks in this fog this time around. Still, although he wasn¡¯t in danger of suffocating, he couldn¡¯t see more than five meters around him.


    The boy frowned, observing the ground under his feet. It was still the cracked desert floor, so he was still exposed to the elements. What was curious to him, however, was the fact he couldn¡¯t hear the thunder from the storm any longer.


    Red pushed these doubts to the back of his head and focused on the task at hand.


    ¡®Am I still in the right direction?¡¯


    He had tried to keep his path steady in the storm, but there was no way he could guarantee he hadn¡¯t deviated. Red tried to use the compass to check, hoping its normal functions could still help him locate himself.


    However, the arrow was spinning around every which direction, never staying in one position for more than a moment. Red frowned.


    ¡®Useless thing.¡¯


    He pocketed the compass and looked around. Since there was nothing he could use to navigate, he decided to just trust his instincts and keep heading in what he thought was the direction of the mountain.


    Yet, Red soon found out this place was just as desolate and endless as the rest of the desert. Even after half an hour passed, the boy had yet to see any changes in his environment.


    Then, there was also the silence.


    There was no ambient noise of wind and thunder in this place, and an eerie silence settled around Red. He could only hear the sound of his own footsteps.


    This directionless search lasted for almost an entire hour, before the boy felt something.


    ¡®A fluctuation!¡¯


    His joy at finally having found something soon died out, though. It was a monster¡¯s fluctuation, and it wasn¡¯t a weak one either. It was stronger than the fluctuation of any Lesser Ring Realm beast Red had ever seen, but still much weaker than the lightning serpent.


    ¡®Is this a monster in the Greater Ring Realm?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know for sure, but what he knew was that there was no chance he would survive an encounter with it. He still held some slight hope against a Lesser Ring Realm Monster with his remaining talisman, but against something even stronger than that? There was no chance.


    The boy only hoped this wasn¡¯t another one of the trial¡¯s tricks where he needed to head towards the monster that would probably kill him to advance. This was something he would find out in time, though.


    Red circled around the creature, avoiding it entirely. Thankfully for him, the monster wasn¡¯t moving according to its fluctuation, and neither did it seem to notice him within one hundred meters. Even as he was passing by, the boy didn¡¯t hear or see anything to indicate the presence of the creature.


    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for my crimson sense, I might have walked straight into it.¡¯


    Soon enough, Red had walked away from the creature. Whatever had been waiting for him, the boy wasn¡¯t too keen on finding out.


    To his dismay, though, only five minutes later, he sensed another fluctuation entering his detection range. It was just as strong as the first one, but this one seemed to be moving rather fast. Red heard nothing, but he could feel the ground tremble under his foot even from a hundred meters away.


    Without hesitation, the boy turned around and ran in the opposite direction. It was then, however, that he felt another fluctuation appear out of nowhere. This one was heading straight at him with incredible speed.


    Red panicked and dove to the side.


    A moment later, he saw a gigantic hoof step where he had just been at. The boy looked up, spotting the shadowy figure of a four-legged monster.


    The creature, however, ran past him without even noticing his presence, or making much noise for a beast of that size, for that matter.


    Red sighed in relief once he felt the monster¡¯s fluctuation disappear. A few seconds later, however, he felt even more fluctuations enter within his crimson sense detection range.


    There were ten of them, all on the Lesser Ring Realm, running from the direction that other monster had appeared from.


    Red heard a low roar accompany their arrival.


    Without hesitation, the boy turned around and fled.

 Chapter 194 - Monstrous Fog

    As soon as Red retreated, though, he detected even more fluctuations. Whatever creatures these were, they were just as strong as the ones the boy had just felt, and they were also moving just as frantically.


    Red froze in his steps.


    The monster passed by without noticing his presence. The boy couldn¡¯t even see their shapes, and other than his crimson sense, the only thing that seemed to indicate the presence of these beasts was the rumbling on the ground as they passed by.


    ¡®Noise doesn¡¯t spread in this fog.¡¯


    This brought the boy to the conclusion there was no relying on his five senses to detect these beasts while navigating in this place. Although, this went both ways by the looks of it. The monster didn¡¯t react to his presence, even while walking by his side. It was no wonder, though, since it seemed like they were constantly running for their lives from each other.


    This was a death field for any cultivator, where bumping into any of these beasts would mean your death. Red, however, had something he could rely on that no normal person had - his crimson sense.


    He waited in place until the surrounding creatures left, opting not to hurry and possibly bump into one of those monsters. His patience paid off.


    Soon, the monsters dispersed. Red waited a bit more, but no other fluctuations entered his detection range.


    ¡®They¡¯re gone.¡¯


    Red then decided to move.


    This time around, though, the boy braced himself against any sudden stampedes happening around him, ready to move out of the way in a heartbeat. Although he could still detect the monsters with his crimson sense, these were beings much more powerful than him. They could cross one-hundred meters in a matter of seconds, and if one of them just so happened to heading in his direction, he could end up being run over if he wasn¡¯t fast enough to react.


    No such situation came to pass over the next length of his journey, though.


    Red still detected even more fluctuations - each stronger than the last - but most of them were either laying still or moving at a leisurely pace. Sometimes, though, these fluctuations bumped into each other, and it seemed to give rise to a chain reaction to the surrounding monsters - which started panicking and running around.


    In these situations, the boy had to react quickly. With his crimson sense, though, he was more than capable of moving out of the way in time. His journey thus continued without accidents, even as he passed by these powerful monsters.


    After Red felt like another hour had passed, though, he began to worry.


    ¡®How do I get out of this place?¡¯


    Everything looked the same here. Fog surrounded him in every direction, and Red couldn¡¯t notice anything that stood out in the environment. He had been trying to head in the same direction he came in from, but at this point, it had been so long with no changes that the boy was starting to lose confidence in his plan.


    So he decided to take a risk.


    Red counted how many monsters he had come across - about 100 of them. Of those, 13 seemed to be in the Greater Ring Realm, while the rest was all in the Lesser Ring Realm. This was a collection of extremely powerful beings all gathered in one place. If they were released to the town of Bestrem, they could definitely raze everything to the ground.


    However, now that Red paid attention, they didn¡¯t seem to fight each other. He found no signs of blood or fighting in general around the area where these fluctuations met, which left the boy curious.


    ¡®If they¡¯re not fighting, why are they so panicked?¡¯


    Were they afraid of something? It would fit their behavior. However, to be so scared that just bumping on another monster was enough to make them run away? That didn¡¯t make sense to Red. It wasn¡¯t how monster behaved - seeing as they were very territorial.


    ¡®Maybe they¡¯re afraid of something else.¡¯


    This didn¡¯t help Red out of his situation.


    So he decided to take an ever bigger risk.


    Red searched for the weakest fluctuation he could find. It belonged to a Lesser Ring Realm monster, a beast that could still kill the boy in a single strike, but was the weaker of the creatures he could find in this place.


    Red approached the monster with some reservations.


    The creature wasn¡¯t moving, which allowed the boy to get closer. Once he was within 30 meters of the beast, Red took out his bow and arrow and aimed at the monster, or at least where he thought the monster would be, according to his crimson sense.


    Then he let loose.


    Red couldn¡¯t see if his arrow hit. Still, a moment later, the monster¡¯s fluctuation stirred, and an angry feline roar echoed through the mists. Much to the boy¡¯s surprise, he could hear that noise quite clearly.


    Then the fluctuation began moving.


    ¡®It¡¯s coming right at me!¡¯


    Red turned around and ran. Unlike what the boy was used to coming across, this creature didn¡¯t seem to be in panic. Instead, it continued to roar and move around the area where the human had just been at.


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    Red had already gotten out of the way, though, and ¡®observed¡¯ this scene from a safe distance. Although the monster was aware it had been attacked, the fog still inhibited its senses and it couldn¡¯t spot the boy who was relatively close to it.


    Red wasn¡¯t willing to risk it, though, and ran as far as he could from the monster.


    ¡®So they still react when attacked.¡¯


    This was a valuable discovery, but it didn¡¯t answer his original question. Why were the monsters so panicked when they ran into each other but still willing to retaliate against an attack from the boy? Was this just how they were taught to behave?


    It made little sense. However, Red knew no answer was forthcoming in his situation. All he could do was to continue forging ahead.


    ¡­


    Unfortunately for him, his situation soon worsened.


    More and more fluctuations started to appear in his crimson sense. It got to a point where Red couldn¡¯t walk without being surrounded by dozens of extremely strong monsters, and his crimson sense was somewhat overwhelmed by it.


    It had gotten to the point where the boy had counted half a thousand of such creatures, and the number was only getting higher. It was then that he saw the true danger of his situation.


    If any of these monsters bumped into each other and started to panic, Red would be caught in the middle of a stampede. By then, even with his crimson sense, he wasn¡¯t too confident in his chances of surviving.


    To his luck, however, the monsters were staying still, or at the very least, moving slowly. This way, Red could weave around them with his crimson sense, or at least predict when two fluctuations were about to collide and flee from their general direction.


    With this enormous advantage, he was able to make his way through the monster-infested fog with no accidents. The fact that the challenge was getting harder only made the boy more confident in his progress.


    It was then that Red felt a familiar fluctuation enter his crimson sense.


    The boy froze in his tracks.


    ¡®Why is it here?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate. He turned around and tried to distance itself from this being. However, at almost the same time he had detected it, the creature also seemed to have felt his presence. It moved in his direction.


    The boy broke out in a full sprint.


    His pursuer, however, wasn¡¯t to be outmatched. It increased its speed and immediately bumped into several other fluctuations. These monsters then entered into a state of panic and dashed around, bumping into even more beasts.


    Soon, a chain reaction broke out around Red, and the whole world seemed to come alive with the roars of monsters. The boy felt his blood run cold, and without hesitation, he took out his last talisman from his pouch - the Wind Bestowment Talisman..


    ¡®I hope this works.¡¯


    Red activated the talisman according to the spirit¡¯s instructions. Once it glowed, he plastered it into his own chest. A surge of energy surrounded his body, and the boy felt as if he was as light as a feather.


    Then, without hesitation, he started to run.


    Red felt as if his speed had increased several times, and each step seemed to carry him even further. The stampede had already spread ahead of him, though, so the boy still had to worry about not being trampled.


    A giant round foot, almost two-meters wide, suddenly appeared above his head, threatening to stomp him down. Red tried to dive out of the way, and to his surprise, the energy surrounding him responded to his intent.


    The wind lifted his body, and as the boy tilted to the side, they carried him with it, avoiding the monster¡¯s foot. It stomped down a moment later, making the ground around Red rumble as if in an earthquake, as what seemed to be an elephant beast ran forward in a panic.


    He didn¡¯t have time to marvel at the abilities he had been granted with, though. More monsters started to appear in his way, and to make matters worse, Red could still feel his pursuer was still hot on his trail.


    Even with his impressive boost in speed, the monster could still keep up with him. In fact, it was gaining ground on him. This was a grim reminder that these talismans didn¡¯t give him an advantage, they merely evened the field.


    ¡®How can it detect me?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure. Unlike with his insectoid core, the boy didn¡¯t think his crimson mist emitted any apparent energy signals. Clearly, he had been quite wrong.


    The distance between the boy and his pursuer decreased by the second. Red tried to weave around monsters and hoping they would prove a distraction for the creature.


    Nothing seemed to work, though, as the being¡¯s speed didn¡¯t seem to be significantly deterred in his crimson sense. This pursuit continued for a bit longer until Red felt the density of rampaging monsters around him diminish.


    He wasn¡¯t happy about it, though.


    His talisman wouldn¡¯t last much longer, and that creature was still hot on his trail. If he was left in the open against it, what would he do?


    Red decided to take yet another risk.


    He chose a fluctuation he felt charging towards him, another Lesser Ring Realm monster, and dashed towards it. Then, he slowed down, allowing his pursuer to catch up to him.


    Now sandwiched between two murderous beasts, the boy took a deep breath and braced himself. It took only a split second for both monsters to close in, and that was when Red picked up speed again.


    The winds carried him forward, and he saw the silhouette of another deer monster appear in front of him. The boy didn¡¯t have time to examine it, though, and dove in between its legs.


    The beat¡¯s hooves almost smashed Red, but with the help of the wind energy surrounding his body, he was able to spin out of the way and past the monster. Then he heard a roar from behind, and like two speeding carts, the beats clashed into each other.


    Red turned around just in time to see a blur of crimson scales tear at the deer¡¯s throat with its knife-like claws. The monster didn¡¯t even have the time to scream before the attacker had almost ripped through its neck. The deer fell to the side without even being able to bellow in pain, as its life slipped away from its body.


    The other creature, however, didn¡¯t seem to be interested in finishing it off, though. It turned around to look at Red, revealing its row of sharp teeth as it stared at the boy menacingly.


    The boy could finally lay eyes on his pursuer. It was the lizard demon, grown even further than when he saw him earlier. It was now almost four meters tall, and Red felt as if it was on the verge of undergoing a transformation from its fluctuation.


    ¡®Is it about to break into the Greater Ring Realm?¡¯


    This seemed inconceivable. It had been barely a day, and the monster had already advanced that much? Was this the power of a demon?


    Red didn¡¯t know, and he didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He nocked one of his purple arrows into his bow and aimed it at the demon.


    The creature didn¡¯t even bother moving out of the way as it slowly made its way towards Red. Perhaps it had thought the boy had given up? Or maybe it thought the seemingly common arrows weren¡¯t of any danger to it?


    ''It may be right about that.''


    In any case, at least Red had a clear target.


    He let loose, and the arrow made impact against the demon¡¯s chest.


    A purple light exploded from it, consuming everything in his vision.

 Chapter 195 - Blood Ritual

    The purple light pierced even the fog surrounding Red, and for a second it was all he could see. He closed his eyes to avoid being blinded.


    The boy half-expected the creature to be roaring in pain, or to charge at him through the light. Nothing of the sort happened, though, and instead there was complete and eerie silence. When Red felt like he could open his eyes again, the scene ahead of him left him shocked.


    The fog had retreated under the purple light, leaving behind a pocket of clear air in a ten-meter radius around the boy. The demon was standing frozen in place, and its body seemed to be undergoing a transformation.


    A festering purple substance was spreading around its body. Scales and flesh rotted wherever this effect passed through, and soon enough, most of the demon¡¯s chest surface had festered away into a putrid pile of dark fluid.


    The creature stumbled. It let out a low roar of pain.


    ¡®It¡¯s poison?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure. He noticed, however, that despite the demon¡¯s wounded state, it didn¡¯t seem as if it was about to die as it remained standing, its hateful, rage-filled gaze turning back to the boy.


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate. He nocked another purple arrow into his bow and pulled back, his movements aided by the wind energy surrounding his body. The demon had wisened up to the danger of his arrows, though, and it dashed ahead at the boy before he could shoot.


    The distance of ten meters was covered in the blink of an eye. Even with the help of his talisman, Red didn¡¯t have time to move out of the way.


    The demon¡¯s claw slashed through his bow and arrow, cutting them in half. Red tried to pull his bow-holding hand out of the way, to no avail. The creature sliced his left hand in half, taking three of his fingers clean off with it.


    Red didn¡¯t even register the pain. He pulled back, trying to distance himself from the monster, but he was too close. The demon stabbed him on the side with his other claw, grabbing onto the boy¡¯s flesh and bones to hold him still.


    Red tried to pull back, but it was no contest. His opponent was far too strong for him, and the boy¡¯s strength was quickly leaving his body as he felt the beat¡¯s claws dig into his insides.


    He wasn¡¯t resigned to his fate, though. As the demon lifted its free claw to finish him off, Red¡¯s right hand grabbed onto the remaining purple arrow on his quiver.


    Just as the demon slashed down, the boy stabbed at its neck with the arrow. Another blinding flash of purple light blasted forth as the head of the arrow exploded against the beast¡¯s body.


    Then everything went dark.


    ¡­


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Red suddenly opened his eyes again. The pain in his body had disappeared, and the boy could feel his own left hand again. He examined his limb, noticing that all his fingers were back in place.


    ¡®I survived.¡¯


    The boy felt dizzy and confused. He couldn¡¯t remember what had happened moments ago. He just recalled fighting against that lizard demon and being on the verge of death.


    As his senses recovered, Red felt he was lying on his back on the ground, staring at the sky above. However, he quickly noticed something was wrong.


    There were no stormy clouds and lightning in the sky anymore. There was only the crimson-colored firmament and a dark star that seemed to bear down upon the boy¡¯s very psyche, threatening to devour him if he stared at it for too long.


    Recognition crossed his mind. He was back in the world of the crimson mist - the first time in a long time.


    ¡®Did I die? Or am I just dreaming again?¡¯


    Just as Red was contemplating what was happening, he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. He sat up and his head swiveled around, looking for the source of the sound. Then his eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°W-Where am I?¡±


    There was a person standing right there.


    It was a frail man. He was almost skeletal in appearance, his skin pulled taut against his bones as whatever patches of white hair remained on his head seemed on the verge of falling out with a slight pull. What surprised the boy, though, was the fact the man was sporting a heavy plate armor, with symbols and decoration that Red didn¡¯t recognize, and yet that seemed to belong to someone of very high standing.


    At the same time that Red spotted this man, the man also seemed to notice him.


    ¡°Y-You!¡± the knight pointed at him with a trembling finger. ¡°Tell me! Where are we?! Where did you bring me?!¡±


    The man spoke with a commanding voice, and yet Red could see it was all a facade. His eyes betrayed the pure terror he felt.


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    The boy felt at a loss for words.


    ¡°You, I told you to¡­¡± the man trailed off, his gaze wandering to the sky above.


    As he spotted the crimson sky and dark sun up above, the knight froze. His pupils dilated, and the fear he had been trying to hold back seemed to pour forth all at once.


    The man fell to his knees, his gaze locked onto the firmament.


    ¡°N-No, no¡­ This can¡¯t be.¡±


    He grabbed onto his head in despair as terror seemed to consume his being.


    ¡°T-This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen!¡± the man shook his head in denial. ¡°Y-You promised me! I-I¡­ Oh gods, my Mikaila!¡±


    Tears streamed down his face as the knight seemed to remember something.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to! Please, please, forgive me¡­¡± the man wept, slamming his fist onto the ground. ¡°I must¡­ I have to¡­¡±


    His gaze wandered back to Red, and a glimmer of hope seemed to return to his face.


    The deranged man smiled at the boy. ¡°You! You have to help me!¡±


    The knight crawled up to the boy and held onto his hand while on his knees. Red was too taken aback to even react in this situation.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°You have to help me!¡± the knight didn¡¯t seem to hear his words. ¡°I saw you! It was just a glimpse, but I saw you!¡±


    ¡°What do you-¡±


    The man continued to beg. ¡°You need to take me back! I have to warn my lord! I can¡¯t let them¡­¡±


    Before the knight could finish speaking, his tongue fell out of his mouth. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice this, though, as he kept babbling incoherently and looking at Red with pleading eyes.


    The boy, however, could only stare in horror as even more of the man¡¯s already decrepit flesh started to fall out of his body. His skin melted against his bones and evaporated into nothingness, while the knight seemed completely oblivious to what was happening, and tried to communicate with Red.


    Eventually, however, he slowed down as his body melted even the muscles that supported his movements. A few seconds later, there was nothing left of the knight but his skeleton and his shining armor.


    Red looked down, noticing the man¡¯s now skeletal hand was still grabbing onto him.


    The boy didn¡¯t even have time to process what had just happened before a wave of pain started to spread through his body. Red fell to the ground as his skin began to burn.


    Then everything went dark again.


    ¡­


    This time, Red¡¯s senses didn¡¯t take long to return to him, and the first thing he felt was pain.


    Unbearable pain.


    The boy felt as if he was being boiled alive. Every centimeter of his body, every pore in his skin, was screaming in pain. And Red felt everything with an acute awareness he had had never thought possible before.


    A croak of agony came from his mouth as the boy contorted his whole body. He tried to escape from this torture. Yet, there was no escape.


    It enveloped his being, leaving nothing untouched. There was only pain and agony, and Red¡¯s expanded awareness to experience it all with excruciating detail.


    After he recognized there was no stopping this sensation, the boy tried to use what little he could of his working mind to identify what was happening to him.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    All Red could recognize was that there was something making its way inside of his body, and even that took what felt like an eternity to discern. The pain wasn¡¯t getting any better, either. In fact, every second it felt like the agony was getting worse.


    Red knew he had to do something, but his mind seemed incapable of acting or thinking of anything under the torture. He kept doing his utmost, though, and almost subconsciously, he found something to grasp on to.


    ¡®Radiant Current.¡¯


    The meditation technique.


    His mind repeated the words he had been taught not too long ago. He tried to speak them out loud, but only an incomprehensible croak came out of his mouth.


    He continued to force what little control he kept over his body to repeat the movements Eiwin had taught him. It was a task in futility, as the boy couldn¡¯t form words, much less repeat the mudras of the technique.


    Still, his mind was set on the task at hand, and Red didn¡¯t give up.


    He focused his entire being on the mudras and mantras, ordering his body to repeat them even if all that came out was a scream of pain or a twitch of his fingers. His single-minded devotion to the task eventually paid off, as Red felt himself being able to concentrate and focus his mind.


    His awareness expanded to the edges of his body, still experiencing the excruciating pain, but this time being able to bear it and act despite that. What he felt inside his body, though, left him scared.


    Red felt the crimson tendrils had expanded, reaching into nearly every corner of his frame. They seemed to be siphoning something into the boy¡¯s veins from all directions, pumping into the rest of his body and growing in size all the while.


    The boy immediately recognized this as the source of his torture.


    His expanded awareness reached for the crimson mist as he had done before, trying to make it stop. The entity didn¡¯t seem to listen to Red, though, as it continued to absorb more of this energy and spread it into his body.


    The boy felt an inexplicable anger rise from within him, and he once more reached for the mist, commanding it to stop. This time, the entity reacted. However, instead of obeying him, it seemed to protest, continuing to absorb the energy.


    Red was on the verge of losing his mind. The rage continued to rise inside of him, as the boy felt indignation at being challenged by this being that invaded his body and did with it as he pleased.


    Almost out of instinct, Red tried something. Instead of commanding the mist with his expanded awareness, he tried to attack it.


    The crimson tendrils recoiled, wounded by the boy¡¯s blow.


    Red didn¡¯t know how, but whatever he had done was working. It was almost as if his expanded awareness of the meditation technique had taken physical form and lashed out at the entity. The boy wasn¡¯t sure how he was doing this, but it seemed to come naturally to him, as if this was something he had known how to do his entire life.


    The siphoning stopped momentarily, but the mist didn¡¯t retreat. It tried to reach out again, hoping to absorb more of the energy.


    Red, however, now armed by this new weapon, struck out again. The mist tried to fight back, but against the boy¡¯s blows, it could only fall back.


    Eventually, the mist gave up and retracted to its original state inside of his body.


    Red felt some semblance of control return to him as the pain faded away. However, the consequences of what had happened still lingered in his body.


    The boy could still feel this strange energy travelling through his blood vessels, and it was as if his body was on the verge of exploding from the saturation of energy. Red had to get this out of him somehow.


    He tried to move, but something was lying on top of him, weighing him down and blocking his vision. The boy pushed against it, but it was too heavy to move.


    Red then tried to slip away, and after some effort, he got his upper body free.


    Finally able to look around, the boy found himself back in the trial, with fog surrounding him. When he looked down at what was lying on top of him, though, he froze.


    It was the corpse of the lizard demon, and Red was resting right on top of a large pool of its blood.

 Chapter 196 - Bloated

    Before Red could process what had happened, another pang of pain came from his body. He gritted his teeth and looked down at his arms.


    The first thing he noticed was that his missing fingers had regenerated. He had no time to be happy about it, though. His veins were bulging as whatever energy he had absorbed into his body while he was unconscious started to look for some outlet. It wasn¡¯t just his arms, either. The boy felt the energy travel all over his body, pumped by his heart that seemed on the verge of collapsing under this effort.


    ¡®From one hell to another.¡¯


    Red gritted his teeth. Before he could do anything, he had to move this giant corpse laying on top of him.


    Eventually, he managed to do just that, but his situation continued to worsen. The sensation of bloating became almost unbearable, and Red couldn¡¯t even see properly as blood blocked his vision.


    The boy knew what he had to do. He had to get this energy out of him, and for that, he needed to provide an outlet.


    His hand reached for the knife in his waist. Red blindly grabbed for it, before feeling the cold handle of the blade. Then, without hesitation, he slashed at his wrists with the knife.


    As soon as the cut was made, Red felt a jet of blood leave his body, accompanied by a sizzling noise as the crimson fluid evaporated, but a moment later. The boy felt some relief, but the wound he had created closed in the blink of an eye, and pressure resumed to build inside of his body.


    Red frowned. He had never expected his own regeneration to work against him at such a vital moment.


    He made another cut, but it closed in an instant again as another jet of blood spewed out, transforming into a mist midair before dissipating into the fog. This time, the boy didn¡¯t relent, though, and continued to cut at it.


    Any attempts at keeping the wound open didn¡¯t seem to work, as if his body did its utmost to maintain him healed even from the inside, and Red could only repeat the same slashing movement over and over to accomplish something.


    The boy didn¡¯t even register the pain any longer, and after doing it dozens of times over the course of a few minutes, he felt some of the pressure inside his body diminish. Yet, it was so small that it made no significant difference.


    The method worked, but it didn¡¯t make Red happy.


    ¡®This will take too long.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t forgotten where he was. This was monster territory, and above that, the boy was still racing against time to complete this trial before Rickard and the imperials. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste time.


    Red got up and collected his things - including the remaining half-broken purple arrow - and looked around. He couldn¡¯t hear nor see any monsters, and his crimson sense wasn¡¯t detecting any fluctuations either.


    After falling unconscious, Red had completely lost any sense of direction - for all the good it did him in this fog, anyway. He picked a direction - the one he assumed he had been heading towards earlier - and began running forward in a hurry.


    The overflowing energy in his body was overbearing, almost debilitating, but as soon as Red moved, he felt an explosive energy course through his muscle. The wind talisman had long since ran out, but the boy was running as fast as he did before with its help.


    He didn¡¯t stop trying to siphon the energy out of his body, though. Red tried different methods along the way, such as trying to open veins in other areas of his body, but they all seemed to heal just as quickly as his wrist. Still, it was having its positive effects, as the pressure in his body diminished ever so slightly.


    However, Red had barely run for a few minutes when he felt more monster fluctuations enter his crimson sense. The boy froze in surprise.


    The range of his crimson sense seemed to have increased. He wasn¡¯t sure by how much, but he was certain that this ability had improved. The fluctuations of the monsters also felt clearer in his mind somehow, but Red couldn¡¯t pinpoint what that meant, and neither did he have the time to experiment with it right now.


    The creatures weren¡¯t moving, but they were still blocking his path like before.


    ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    Red thought that to try to sneak past these monsters while spewing blood mist out of his body wasn¡¯t a good idea, but what choice did he have? Wait until this passes? That wasn¡¯t an option.


    He gritted his teeth and made a decision.


    ¡®I have to risk it.¡¯


    He crouched and approached the monsters through the heavy fog. As soon as he got within 30 meters of the beasts, though, their fluctuations stirred.


    Red froze again, staring forward in disbelief. The monsters closest to him immediately moved, and soon enough, another stampede with dozens of monsters in the Lesser Ring Realm was happening around the boy.


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    ¡®Did they smell my blood?¡¯


    The boy didn¡¯t have the time to wonder about that, though. He braced himself, getting ready to dodge past stampeding monsters. He felt a few of their fluctuations charge in his direction, the rumbling ground signaling their approach.


    Red prepared to move out of the way, but to his surprise, the monsters suddenly changed directions as soon as they got close to him, stumbling over themselves to avoid his path. The boy immediately felt something was wrong.


    A possibility came to his mind.


    ¡®¡­ Could it be?


    Red continued to run forward, prepared to dodge the monsters. There was no need, though, as they all continued to avoid him as soon as they got close to the boy, with no need to even lay eyes on the human.


    He was able to confirm it. This was the work of the crimson aura.


    It had happened with the snake too once enough blood had poured out of his body, so Red imagined the same thing was happening here as he tried to bleed out all the extra energy out of his veins. Except, this time he wasn¡¯t able to see any signs of the crimson aura surrounding him.


    ¡®Can this be something else?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure, but it didn¡¯t matter. The effects were still very real.


    The boy abandoned all guises of sneaking and started to run right into the middle of the rampaging monsters. Each of them could kill him with a simple swipe of their paw, but as soon as Red got close to them, the creatures avoided him in terror, as if a primal fear awakened within them.


    He felt more and more fluctuations enter his crimson sense, and without exception, they all avoided him. Soon enough, Red felt as if he had stirred the entire world of the fog into chaos, as all the creatures desperately ran around to evade his presence.


    The boy didn¡¯t forget the danger he was still in, though. He cut himself using his knife, as more and more bloody mist spewed out of his body into his surroundings.


    ¡­


    He didn¡¯t know how long had passed in this state. An hour? Two hours?


    The only thing Red focused on was running and easing the pressure inside his body. He felt inexhaustible under this state, and even moving at max speed for hours on end didn¡¯t seem to drain on his stamina.


    And yet, the fog seemed endless. Monster continued to pour out and run from him, and Red was quite certain the number of Lesser Ring Realm creatures he came across was in the thousands already.


    The pressure at this point had diminished by more than half under Red¡¯s ¡®siphoning¡¯ efforts and constant running. He actually became afraid of what would happen if he ran out of the energy, but thankfully something finally seemed to change in his surroundings.


    The fog thinned, and Red could now see his surroundings more clearly. The images of giant monsters all running from him became clear, including creatures he had never seen before in his life.


    At the same time, he could see them, the beasts could also see him. Their terror was intensified, as they now had a target to steer clear of. The monsters avoided him even before getting within 30 meters of the boy, and a few minutes later Red couldn¡¯t feel even a single soul within crimson sense.


    He didn¡¯t slow down, though.


    As the fog continued to dissipate, a gigantic shadow appeared before his eyes.


    ¡®The mountain!¡¯


    It was there, a few kilometers away from him. When Red laid his eyes on it, he immediately felt something was different about the peak. He felt its weight bearing down on him with an unyielding pressure, threatening to crush down all that approached it.


    He became certain that it wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    His objective was now within reach.


    Red¡¯s eyes wandered down to the foot of the mountain. There, he saw a large stone gate, over thirty meters high, that seemed to be embedded into the very walls of the peak.


    What caught his attention, though, was the being that stood in front of it.


    It seemed to be a giant lion, a creature Red had only read about in books, sporting a mane and almost as tall as the gate itself in its sitting position. Yet, as the boy got closer, he noticed something off about the creature.


    Its skin seemed to be made of stone, and it was seemingly unmoving as it stood there. Red almost thought it was a statue, but he could swear the creature was staring right at him as the boy approached.


    Once Red got within a couple hundred meters of the monster, he slowed down. By now, the pressure had diminished enough for the boy to not feel at risk of his body exploding, so he kept whatever energy remained inside of him to power himself up.


    He examined the creature, unsure of what to do. Not even being this close to the stone lion made it clearer to the boy whether or not it was alive.


    That was until its mouth moved.


    ¡°You made quite a mess of this place, didn¡¯t you?¡± a deep voice resounded from within the creature, reaching Red¡¯s ears with a resounding echo.


    The boy frowned. ¡°You can talk?¡±


    The lion scoffed, displaying a human-like expression and disposition. ¡°Of course I can. I¡¯m a construct, not a monster.¡±


    Red had never heard the term before, but he felt somewhat relieved that he wasn¡¯t facing another monster. The fact a statue was speaking to him didn¡¯t faze him either, as this wasn¡¯t amongst the weirdest things that had happened to him recently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change subjects.¡± the lion glared at the boy. ¡°You caused so much chaos in the fog that I had to interfere to keep things under control.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± Red said. He was being sincere.


    ¡°And?¡± the lion frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to apologize?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°I did what I had to do.¡±


    The lion fell silent, its eyes still examining Red with what he assumed was an unfriendly expression.


    ¡°Do I need to defeat you to continue?¡± the boy asked.


    The lion scoffed. ¡°Defeat me? You think you¡¯d be able to do that?¡±


    Red considered his question. ¡°¡­ Probably not.¡±


    This was a 30 meter tall monster made of stone. The boy couldn¡¯t imagine himself being able to kill it.


    ¡°To proceed you must pass the test.¡± the lion said.


    ¡°What test?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ You don¡¯t need to undergo the test. You pass.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I pass?¡±


    ¡°I have been observing you, and I judge you worthy to continue.¡± the lion said. ¡°Of course, under other circumstances, I would have been more strict but¡­ It has come to our attention during these trials that some competitors have been given an unfair advantage over others. As such, the playing field must be leveled to a certain extent.¡±


    Red came to a realization. ¡°The imperials?¡±


    The creature shook its head. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you. You should just be happy that you¡¯ll be able to advance to the last part of this trial.¡±


    Although the boy was still curious, he didn¡¯t press the matter.


    The lion stood up, the ground rumbling beneath its feet. It moved out of the way of the stone gate before sitting down again.


    Then, the gate began to open on its own, before a small slit formed that would allow Red to pass through.


    The lion looked back at Red. ¡°Go ahead, cultivator¡­ In the end, the ultimate rules of this trial can¡¯t be changed. You must rely on yourself if you want to win our master¡¯s inheritance.¡±


    Red contemplated the golem¡¯s words before nodding.


    Then, with a mind fully focused and prepared for the task ahead, he stepped forward.


    Towards whatever awaited for him at the heart of the mountain.

 Chapter 197 - Meeting the Leader

    Beyond the gate, there was a large stone corridor. It was lit up by the bright lamps Red had gotten used to seeing in the trial, and it seemed to lead deep into the mountain. He found no decorations along its walls other than the simple markings of the stone bricks.


    The boy tried to see what awaited him at the end of this corridor, but the passage stretched beyond what his vision could see.


    Red frowned.


    ¡®This again?¡¯


    His curiosity over these endless corridors had long since faded away. Now he began to wonder why the creator of this place needed to make everything so long. There was no point in complaining, though.


    Red took a deep breath and walked down the corridor.


    The boy focused on his surroundings, expecting the next trial to have begun without his knowledge. Nothing of the sort happened, and to his surprise, the long corridor did eventually have an end.


    Red arrived in a large circular room. There was nothing of note in the place, other than a large spiral stone staircase carved along the walls of the room. The steps looked quite crude, and there were no railings along its length. He had a hard time coming to terms with the fact a cultivator had built this. Still, that was the only type of person who could carve out a mountain, though.


    The boy looked up, hoping to spot where the stairs led, but all he saw above him was an endless spiral of steps that extended as far as he could see. Whatever the next trial entailed, it seemed as if it would lead him straight to the apex of the mountain. Before climbing the stairs, though, Red looked around, hoping to spot any tracks or signs that someone else came through this place.


    There was nothing, though. He sighed and started running up the stairs.


    ¡­


    Even with his improved speed, it didn¡¯t feel like he was making any progress.


    After ten minutes passed with Red running without pause, the ground below had become nothing more than a tiny speck in his eyes. Yet, when he looked above, the boy could still see no end to the stairs.


    Red was forced to slow down as he sensed the extra energy in his body run thin. Eventually, though, he spotted some kind of ceiling above him, as well as an opening that the stairs led to.


    The boy pushed himself over this last leg of his journey, afraid that he was too far behind. As he got close to the end, though, Red started to hear something.


    ¡®Someone¡¯s fighting.¡¯


    Who was it? Rickard? The imperials? Reinhart?


    The boy couldn¡¯t tell, but he slowed down as he got closer to the end of the stairs.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    Only now did Red realize how ill-equipped he was for a figh. He had lost his cleaver and his bow, had used up all his talismans, and had no weapons left other than a knife, the purple arrow-head, and a few empowerment pills. Granted, even with all those items, the boy would still be hard pressed to win against any of those people in a fight. Without them, though, he simply had no hope.


    ¡®I need to wait for my chance.¡¯


    The boy continued to ascend as the noises of battle got closer. It sounded like metal clashing against metal, which made the boy question whether they were fighting amidst themselves.


    Once he got higher up the stairs, though, his crimson sense detected a handful of fast moving fluctuations. There were three of them - one of which seemed to be in the Lesser Ring Realm - and all of which belonged to humans.


    A couple of names flashed across Red¡¯s mind.


    Rickard and the imperials.


    Other than those fluctuations, though, the boy felt nothing more. This left him confused.


    ¡®Are they fighting with each other?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know for sure, so he continued to approach. Finally, he reached the last section of stairs leading up to an opening in the ceiling. The boy could see the dark abyssal sky overhead that laid atop of the mountain, which told him that this opening led to the outside world.


    Red carefully approached the opening before trying to see what was going on outside.


    These stairs seemed to lead up to an open-air platform, surrounded by tall and sharp stone walls on all sides. The boy couldn¡¯t see much around him, though, as a lot of large rocks spread around the platform were blocking his vision.


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    ¡®No, that¡¯s not right.¡¯


    Red examined said ¡®rocks¡¯ closer. He noticed they resembled broken statues of monsters, similar to the lion he had seen at the foot of the mountain. These statues were shattered in countless parts, though, with marks of charring and weapons, and there were more of them than he could count.


    The boy quickly connected the pieces as to what had been happening above his head.


    Red walked even further out of the opening, hiding behind one of these large rocks as he examined his surroundings. On the other side of this platform, he saw the three individuals whose fluctuations he had detected.


    Two of them were sporting armor similar to the imperials he saw earlier, as they wielded a longsword each, which were glowing with a golden light. It was a man and a woman, both of whom had blonde hair and were far taller than the local folk of Bestrem. They each carried themselves like soldiers, and their general build left no doubt as to their identity.


    In fact, Red could even recognize one of them. It was the man he and Allen had stalked and stolen from in town.


    The remaining one, whom the boy assumed was Rickard, was wearing simpler leather armor, and was wielding a spear. He also wore a dark hood and mask around his head, which didn¡¯t allow Red to discern much of his appearance. Yet, from what the boy could see, he looked much younger than what he had been expecting.


    Their opponent was a large creature made of stone. It stood on two legs, looking quite humanoid in appearance. However, that was as far as similarities went. It had a large and distorted body, with a large belly and muscular arms and legs, that ended in large claws. It also had a monstrous head and horns, looking similar to the crimson demon Red had fought earlier.


    Yet, despite its movements and expression, it was not a living creature, but rather a construct, as Red learned. It was why he couldn¡¯t detect its fluctuation as he approached.


    The demon construct also seemed on the verge of collapsing.


    Rickard circled around the creature, moving faster than any cultivator Red had seen before. The construct tried to strike at him, but the man had no issues dodging its attacks. He dove back as the stone beast tried to claw him down, and in the same movement, stabbed forward with his spear.


    A pale green energy gathered at the tip of his spear as he attacked. Then, once the weapon clashed against the construct¡¯s side, an explosion of wind blades happened. Countless shards of stone shattered off the being¡¯s body as a huge chunk of its frame disappeared.


    ¡®Spiritual Arts.¡¯


    This was the first time Red had ever seen one in person, and he couldn¡¯t help but stare at it in awe. The creature didn¡¯t seem to feel pain, though, as it continued to attack Rickard. The bandit leader, however, had already retreated with surprising swiftness before the construct could even spot him.


    ¡°Do it now!¡± Rickard shouted in an authoritative and hoarse voice.


    The surrounding imperials moved.


    The female imperial took out a talisman before shouting a few words out, before her companion dashed forward with his glowing sword. The man¡¯s weapon struck against the construct¡¯s leg as another explosion of golden light and stone flew off.


    At the same time, the woman waved her talisman in the monster¡¯s direction. A wind blade formed in front of her before shooting towards the construct.


    It clashed directly against its chest, as an even bigger explosion of detritus occurred. A cloud of dust formed around the battlefield, and a few seconds later, a thud echoed through the platform.


    When the dust cleared, Red saw it. The last construct had collapsed, unmoving, with the upper half of its body completely missing.


    The boy didn¡¯t even have time to consider interfering in the fight before it was over.


    The imperials gave out a sigh of relief while Rickard examined his surroundings.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± the bandit leader asked.


    ¡°It should be.¡± the male imperial nodded. ¡°From here on out, you shouldn¡¯t find any more resistance until the end of the trial.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Rickard said, stowing away his spear on his back. ¡°Then you should wait here while I finish this.¡±


    The female imperial frowned. ¡°Wait here? This wasn¡¯t the deal you made with our captain.¡±


    ¡°Your captain isn¡¯t here.¡± Rickard glared at them with emotionless eyes. ¡°Besides, there are still some insects you need to take care of.¡±


    As the man said that, he looked over at the exact spot Red was hiding at.


    The boy felt a shiver run down his spine. He tried to hide behind the rocks, but he knew it was too late.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± the boy heard the female imperial ask.


    ¡°You heard what I said.¡± Rickard said in a derisive tone. ¡°I thought no one else would be able to make it this far.¡±


    "There¡¯s no way anyone else could have survive-¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Rickard cut the woman off. ¡°Just come out, I¡¯ve already seen you.¡±


    Red knew the man was talking to him, but he didn¡¯t move out of his hiding spot.


    ¡°Would you prefer I drag you out myself?¡± the bandit leader said, this time with a more impatient tone.


    The boy sighed. He knew he had no choice.


    He stood up and walked out from behind his cover.


    The imperials¡¯ expressions twisted in shock as they saw Red.


    ¡°This¡­ This isn¡¯t possible.¡± the female imperial was staring at the boy as if she had seen a ghost.


    ¡°I know you.¡± Rickard said as he gazed at Red. ¡°You¡¯re part of that Water Dragon sect in town, aren¡¯t you? You and your friends have been killing quite a few of my men over the last few months.¡±


    ¡°How did you spot me?¡± the boy asked.


    The bandit pointed at his eyes. ¡°I have a special technique I learned in my army days. It was taught to Lesser Ring Realm cultivators exactly so we could spot hiding cockroaches like you.¡± he lowered his hand. ¡°What about the rest of my men? Have any of them lived?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Maybe a few are hiding around the trial, but most of them died.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    Although Rickard said that, his tone of voice didn¡¯t show any kind of sadness or turmoil at learning this piece of news.


    The bandit leader looked over at the imperials. ¡°So? Didn¡¯t you say no one else was ever going to be able to pass those trials?¡±


    The male imperial frowned. ¡°No one should have. Without proper preparation, it should have been nearly impossible to make it to the mountain.¡±


    ¡°And yet, here he is.¡± Rickard looked over at Red. ¡°A kid, no less. What do you suppose happened?¡±


    The imperial¡¯s expression became even uglier. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well, make sure you find out.¡± Rickard patted the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ll be finishing up this trial.¡±


    He turned around and walked away without sparing another glance at the imperials or Red. The boy couldn¡¯t see much from his position, but behind all the detritus of the constructs, he saw another set of spiral stairs that seemed to lead up towards the very peak of the mountain.


    Before long, Rickard had disappeared from view as he ascended the staircase.


    Red was now left alone, facing two imperials who were staring at him with murderous eyes.

 Chapter 198 - Face to Face

    ¡°Are you the brat who stole from me?¡± the male imperial asked in a threatening tone.


    The question did not surprise Red, considering Reinhart had already revealed to him he was also aware of the fact the boy was responsible for that theft.


    Red nodded. ¡°It was me.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°And did you make good use of those talismans?¡±


    The boy nodded again. ¡°We used some of them to kill your other companions.¡±


    ¡°You what?!¡± the female imperial stared at him in anger.


    It looked like she was about to charge at the boy, but her companion held her back.


    The imperial measured him with a skeptical gaze. ¡°There¡¯s no way they would lose to someone as weak as you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I had help, though¡­ Here I can show you proof.¡±


    He took out a compass from his pouch, showing it to the imperials.


    ¡°This is what you were using to navigate in the trial, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Red asked.


    The woman¡¯s face twisted in anger once she saw the item. ¡°You cultivator scum, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± her companion once more held her back. He was also staring at Red with hostility, but unlike the woman, it didn¡¯t seem like the man was about to lose his cool.


    ¡°What do you expect to do by telling us this?¡± the imperial asked. ¡°Do you just intend on angering us and making the few remaining minutes of your life that much more painful?¡±


    ¡°I was just hoping to learn why you were here.¡± the boy said.


    Red was actually just trying to buy time as he came up with a plan, but he wasn¡¯t about to let the imperials know that.


    ¡°You are not the one asking questions here.¡± the man shot him down. ¡°Tell us how you got this far and we¡¯ll make your death as painless as possible.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Sure, what do you want to know?¡±


    He put on a cooperative guise, but the boy¡¯s mind was trying to come up with countless plans on how to get out of this situation alive. Unfortunately for him, the two imperials were watching him like hawks, and Red felt that the slightest movement of his part might end up with him dead.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    ¡°How did you get past the snake?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°One of the bandits told us how to do it.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Useless scum.¡± the man frowned. ¡°And how exactly did you manage to get to the mountain this quickly?"


    ¡°I used the compass.¡± the boy said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± the imperial pointed his glowing sword at the boy. ¡°You have no idea how to make it work, and the others would never tell you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong about that. Red thought about lying further, but he didn¡¯t want to enrage the man any more.


    ¡°I used the tornadoes.¡± Red said. ¡°They were the solution to finding those invisible buildings.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± the man nodded with a satisfied expression. ¡°And the fog? How did you pass it?¡±


    ¡°I sneaked through.¡±


    The man frowned again. ¡°If necessary, we can wring the information out of you by force.¡±


    This time, Red hesitated. That was, however, when he felt a familiar fluctuation enter his crimson sense. He felt compelled to look over in the direction it came from, but the boy didn¡¯t want to give it away to his opponents.


    ¡°We¡¯re wasting our time.¡± the female imperial said. ¡°We should just torture him until he speaks.¡±


    Her companion seemed to be considering the idea, but he seemed hesitant. Red guessed this was because he was afraid the boy might be hiding something, or that someone else might be around to support him. This was a reasonable concern. After all, someone who had made it this far in the trial would have their own powers to rely on.


    Red decided to play on those fears.


    ¡°The spirit let me through.¡± he said.


    ¡°The spirit?¡± the man looked surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It said you had an unfair advantage over the other competitors, so it let me through the last few trials.¡±


    The imperial was skeptical. ¡°The spirit would never do that!¡±


    ¡°I thought so too. But it was apparently angry at how you were using those compasses and how you knew all the trials challenges before coming in.¡±


    What Red said was half-true. The lion at the gate said something to that effect to him. The boy just decided to embellish it a bit.


    It apparently had an effect on the imperials as expressions of doubt came to them. In the meantime, Red felt the fluctuation getting closer to them. The boy didn¡¯t know if the appearance of this individual on the scene would benefit him or not, but it was his only hope of getting out of this.


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    ¡°How do we know you¡¯re speaking the truth?¡± the male imperial asked with a grave tone.


    ¡°I would have never made it this far without their help.¡± Red said. He had actually passed through the fog on his own, but he wasn¡¯t certain he would have made it inside the mountain if that stone lion didn¡¯t let him through.


    This seemed to be enough to convince the man, as his expression became overwritten with concern.


    ¡°This is not right, Dumas!¡± the woman looked at her companion with a distressed expression. ¡°The ancestor would never do this to us! He sent us his visions!¡±


    The man¡¯s frown deepened. However, a resolute expression came to him a few moments later. ¡°There is no room for doubt, Vega. We don¡¯t know if this child is telling the truth, and even if he is, there must be a reason for the ancestor¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± the woman nodded with a flustered look. ¡°I will not doubt the ancestor¡¯s will again!¡±


    Red observed the whole interaction with slight curiosity. Still, his primary concern was still on how to get out of this place alive. He sensed the fluctuation had stopped moving and was within fifty meters of them, seemingly unnoticed by the imperials.


    Red didn¡¯t know what they were waiting for, but he knew he had to buy more time.


    ¡°You said you are from the Water Dragon Sect, correct?¡± the imperial asked him again.


    Red nodded.


    The man frowned. ¡°Red hair, no older than 10¡­ You are the kid that arrived in town a few months ago, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t like where this conversation seemed to be headed.


    The woman looked at her companion with surprise. ¡°Dumas, are you suggesting¡­?¡±


    The man raised his hand to interrupt her. He examined Red with a steely gaze. ¡°Are you the slave we have been looking for?¡±


    Red felt his stomach sink. He refused to respond, but that seemed to be enough confirmation for the imperial.


    ¡°In retrospect, we should have looked further into you.¡± the man said. ¡°We were quick to dismiss you as the slave since the information we were given mentioned that they were a powerful and dangerous individual¡­ We thought a child like you didn¡¯t fit such a description, and yet, here you are - one of the only survivors of this trial.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What do you want from me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°We have been ordered to capture and bring you back to our superiors. In case that wasn¡¯t possible, then we should exterminate you through any possible means...¡± the man¡¯s grip around his sword tightened. ¡°It just so happens there¡¯s no real way to imprison anyone inside this trial, is there?¡±


    The boy knew what he meant. The hawk had said once the trial was done, it would teleport everyone out of it back to the general region where they entered. This meant you couldn¡¯t really force anyone to remain your prisoner once this trial was done, and this in turn only meant one thing for Red.


    He tensed, his hand hovering over the purple arrow-head.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t fight back.¡± the man shook his head. ¡°Since you cooperated, I promise to make the last moments of your life as painless as possible.¡±


    The imperial started to walk forward, while his companion took out a talisman and stared at Red. She was waiting for any sudden movements.


    The boy braced himself and prepared to put up a last struggle against the imperials, when he felt the recently arrived fluctuation move. This was immediately accompanied by shrill laughter.


    ¡°Ack! Look what we have! Foolish imperials! All lost, far from home!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± the man swiveled around in search of the source of the voice.


    A small monkey hopped out from behind a pile of rocks. What stood out in the creature, though, was the fact its body seemed to be rotting and yet it could still move and talk.


    ¡°Undead!¡± the female imperial exclaimed, throwing her talisman at the monkey.


    Another blade of wind formed out of thin air and shot towards the small animal. The monkey didn¡¯t even have time to move before its body disintegrated under the wind energy in a shower of gore.


    Red¡¯s eyes twitched. Was his supposed savior dead just like that?


    A few moments later, though, he sensed another fluctuation enter his crimson sense.


    A vulture similar to the ones they had fought in the desert landed on one of the rocks up above, screeching in anger. This beast, too, seemed to be partially rotted.


    ¡°Rude, rude!¡± the undead vulture screamed at the imperials. ¡°Idiot! Savage! Don¡¯t interrupt when I speak!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ How¡­¡± the woman stared at the creature in disbelief.


    ¡°It¡¯s a necromancer.¡± her companion said with a serious expression.


    The woman¡¯s face fell, staring at the creature with caution and fear.


    The vulture laughed. ¡°That¡¯s it! Fear me, flee from me! Ants should know superiors!¡±


    ¡°Undead scum!¡± the female imperial glared at the undead. ¡°Creatures like you are a violation to life itself! You shouldn¡¯t be permitted to live!¡±


    The bird continued to laugh. ¡°Then kill me! Kill me! Waste another talisman! How many you have?!¡±


    The woman seemed on the verge of doing just that, but her companion held her back.


    ¡°We need to run.¡± he said.


    The female hesitated, but ended up nodding.


    They turned around and started to run towards the stairs Rickard had just ascended.


    ¡°NO! NO!¡± the bird screeched at them. ¡°Was not done talking!¡±


    Red felt even more fluctuations enter his detection range. Suddenly, from behind the stone walls surrounding the platform, dozens of undead vultures appeared out of nowhere, charging at the imperials.


    ¡°The other way!¡± the man said to his companion, as they both turned around and headed towards the other set of stairs leading to the foot of the mountain.


    At the same time, the female imperial activated another talisman, and an omnidirectional barrier appeared around them. The undead vultures all clashed against the shield, scratching at it with their talons in an almost berserk state.


    The shield stood for the moment, though, and the imperials made progress towards the stairs. They had even ignored Red on the way, who stood to the side watching the unfolding events.


    The vulture perched on top of the rock screeched as it saw the imperials on the verge of escaping. ¡°Said I was not done talking!¡±


    Suddenly, Red felt even more fluctuations appear around him as additional undead vultures joined the fight. Within the flock, the boy felt some of these creatures were stronger than the others. When they appeared before his eyes, Red was able to confirm it by their enormous sizes compared to their brethren.


    These were vulture zombies in the Lesser Ring Realm. There were almost a dozen of them, too.


    These birds came crashing down onto the shield. Soon enough, Red couldn¡¯t even see the imperials under the countless birds that surrounded them, pecking and clawing at their protection. The imperials didn¡¯t seem to be advancing any longer under this overwhelming siege.


    The sounds of screeching from the undead vultures were almost deafening, and the boy had to cover his ears. He couldn¡¯t see what was happening to the imperials, but soon enough he started to hear sounds of struggle and the light of talisman from beneath the bird pile.


    It was to no avail, though. As some of the monsters fell, Red saw more of them fly from beyond the stone wall to reinforce their companions. It was a ruthless strategy of throwing bodies at your opponents, and there was nothing the imperials could do to fight back no matter how many talismans they had.


    Almost a minute later, the sounds of struggle stopped. The zombie birds flew back, landing around the platform and away from the center of the struggle.


    Red could finally see what had become of the imperials. There were only unrecognizable bits and pieces of gore strewn around the ground, and even their plate armor and equipment had been torn and destroyed to an unrecognizable state. The undead army had left nothing behind.


    The vulture perched atop the stone wall laughed. ¡°It¡¯s what you get! Be more respectful next life!¡±


    Red looked over at the creature. At this point, he didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of apprehension or fear from being surrounded by these zombie vultures. After all, what could he do against this kind of opponent?


    ¡°Long time no see, kid!¡± the vulture looked at him. ¡°Knew you¡¯d come! Now¡­ Let¡¯s talk!¡±

 Chapter 199 - To the Last

    Red stared at the undead vulture with caution. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What I want?¡± the creature flapped its wings in indignation. ¡°You came here to negotiate, right?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I had no intention of meeting you when I stumbled on this place.¡±


    The vulture squawked at him. ¡°It matters not! Matter not! Now that you here, we can make deal, correct?¡±


    Red hesitated. He didn¡¯t feel like making a deal at all with this necromancer, but right now, he didn¡¯t feel like he was in a position to deny them.


    ¡°Is this about the entrance to the underground?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± the vulture flapped its wings with glee. ¡°You saw it too, right? Big scorpions with green eyes!¡±


    The boy nodded. He saw the creature back at the canyon, but he didn¡¯t have time to examine it, and he couldn¡¯t be completely confident that it was a monster from the Moonstone Mines. Right now, though, the necromancer seemed to be giving confirmation to him.


    ¡°This place, this man¡­ He knows! He knows way in!¡± the vulture said. ¡°It¡¯s how he brought that thing! Yes, yes!¡±


    Red frowned. This revelation came as a surprise to him, but there was something else confusing the boy.


    ¡°Earlier you said you wanted me to take you to the entrance of the underground I exited from.¡± Red said. ¡°When did your intentions change?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t change!¡± the vulture squawked in anger. ¡°I searched entire forest already! Found way you came from! Imperials got to it first! Blocked it, closed it! Bastards! Unforgivable!¡±


    ¡°So what you said earlier was a lie?¡±


    ¡°Not all!¡± the bird shook its head. ¡°Still need your help! Need you to win trial, get information, then lead me to entrance! In exchange, I help you with curse!¡±


    Red was skeptical. ¡°Why me then? If you don¡¯t need my information or my crystal, couldn¡¯t you have made this deal with anyone else? Or better yet, can¡¯t you just win the trial yourself?¡±


    The vulture got angry at these words. ¡°Not allowed! Stupid bird won¡¯t let me! Besides¡­ There¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°This is quite enough.¡± A voice echoed through the platform out of nowhere. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to interfere with this trial any longer, necromancer.¡±


    Red looked towards the source of the voice. There, out of thin air, a figure seemed to emerge. Its body was translucent, and yet the outlines of the being¡¯s shape formed a familiar image to Red.


    It was the hawk spirit, floating in the air.


    ¡°You!¡± the vulture pointed at the hawk with one of its decrepit wings. ¡°What now?! Come to spoil plans again?!¡±


    ¡°We had a deal, necromancer.¡± the hawk said in its impassive tone. ¡°I would allow your minion to roam free on these grounds as long as you didn¡¯t interfere with the trials. Yet, not only have you killed two competitors, but you wish to influence another one.¡±


    ¡°Hypocrite!¡± the vulture threw insults at the spirit. ¡°Could have stopped me any time, but didn¡¯t! Gave silent approval! Now try to blame me?! Bastard! Liar!¡±


    ¡°As you said, I gave you my approval to kill these individuals, but that is as far as your interference goes.¡± the hawk pointed one of its wings at Red. ¡°If this child wishes to beat this trial, then he must do it on his own. Likewise, I won¡¯t allow you to reveal sensitive information or influence his decisions in case he was to win.¡±


    The vulture continued to insult the spirit. ¡°Bastard! You used me! Couldn¡¯t kill them yourself, so let me do it! Let me finish job at least! Still one cheater left!¡±


    ¡°I will not.¡± the small hawk shook its bird head. ¡°Although that person cheated, he is still worthy of winning this trial, unlike the others.¡±


    Red, who was watching this interaction from the side, could only assume they were talking about Rickard.


    ¡°You insane! Stupid!¡± the vulture flapped its wings in anger. ¡°He still working with imperials! What difference it makes?!¡±


    ¡°I am under no obligation to explain my decisions to you, necromancer.¡± the hawk said. ¡°The mere fact I am wasting time explaining this much to you is due to the help you provided. Must I remind you of the situation you find yourself in?¡±


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    The vulture fell silent, but even with its animal and half-rotten features, Red could tell that it was quite angry.


    It stared at the hawk. ¡°What about after? Can I speak with child?¡±


    ¡°Whatever he does after the trial is none of my concern.¡± the hawk said.


    The vulture seemed happy to hear this. It looked over at Red. ¡°Quick! Go! Run! Don¡¯t let cheater win before you!¡±


    The zombie army of vultures surrounding the boy all stepped back, opening up a straight path towards the stairs Rickard had ascended to.


    Red, however, hesitated. He looked over at the hawk, who seemed to have shown itself to be more than an impartial judge. This entire situation and conversation was too much for the boy to process in such a short amount of time, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel as if he was being used as a pawn in a game on which stakes he didn¡¯t even know about.


    It made him suspicious.


    The hawk seemed to notice his hesitation. ¡°If you have made it to this place, through whatever adversity, you may see yourself as judged and found worthy of winning this trial. You must only walk the last step before your competitor¡­ And I can promise you that whatever awaits the victor ahead will only benefit them.¡±


    Red nodded. He was already on a path with no return - what was one more step into the abyss?


    The vulture continued to urge him on. ¡°Go, go! You already behind!¡±


    The boy obliged the necromancer. He ran towards the steps, hoping to catch up to Rickard before it was over.


    Red could feel the gazes of two strange and incredibly powerful beings boring into his back, each one carrying their own expectation in what they hoped the boy could accomplish.


    ¡­


    Red walked up the steps of the spiral staircase. These stairs were carved alongside the peak of the mountain, leading up to hundreds of meters above. The steps were very narrow too, and there was no rail to speak of, meaning that if the boy slipped he would fall kilometers below to his own death.


    Yet, when Red looked down, he didn¡¯t see the ground of the desert. Instead, he only saw endless fog in whatever direction he looked at through which the upper half of the mountain rose through. It blocked his view of the ground below.


    Above him, the sight wasn¡¯t any more comforting. There was only endless darkness, no signs of stars or Moon, and the boy felt even more afraid of looking up than he was of looking down.


    Once more, Red¡¯s spatial sense was distorted as he ascended the stairs for far too long while the peak of the mountain still was ever so distant from him. He saw no signs of Rickard, either.


    Thankfully, however, the steps eventually seemed to have an end as the boy saw the top of the mountain approaching. With a few more rounds up the spire, Red finally crested over the peak.


    The top of the mountain was surprisingly even, which allowed the boy to walk on without having to worry about stumbling and falling down. The entire area was only a few dozen meters of rather narrow rocky terrain, and Red still saw no signs of Rickard.


    The only thing the boy saw at the peak was a stone archway standing right at the edge of the peak. He approached it and examined the gateway.


    It had no markings, and it seemed on the verge of falling apart. Red looked through it, but there was only the endless fog and the inevitable fall to those that tried to step through the archway.


    However, how could the prospect of death scare Red at this point? Since this was the only thing at the top of the mountain, it was the only thing the boy could interact with.


    Red took a deep breath and stepped through the stone archway, with his eyes wide open the entire time. He felt his feet stepping on nothing but air, and for a split moment, the boy was worried he was truly going to fall to his death. He didn¡¯t hesitate, though, and followed through with his stride, crossing through the archway in one go.


    Then, he blinked his eyes, and at the next moment, everything around him had changed. The first thing Red felt, though, was dozens of water droplets striking against his skin.


    Then, in the next moment, a deluge of rain and strong wind fell onto the boy. He heard the thunder rumbling from above as he protected his face against the sudden assault of his senses, and his body seemed on the verge of being taken away by the winds if he so much as stumbled.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    Red collected himself and tried to observe his surroundings. He saw nothing but dark grey fog and the endless flashes of thunder from above. His eyes shifted to the ground, where he found he couldn¡¯t even see his own feet. Even his hands were only visible if the boy put them right up to his eyes.


    With the storm bearing down on him and his senses completely useless, Red decided to take a step ahead. He almost stumbled as his feet came down onto a raised platform.


    ¡®A step?¡¯


    Red tried to confirm this by feeling with his feet forward. Another hard surface blocked his way. The boy then tried to take a few steps forward, and sure enough, he started to ascend yet another set of stairs.


    This time, however, Red couldn¡¯t see anything in his way, so he took a more cautious and slow approach. He ascended a dozen steps in this manner until he felt the sounds of the storm become more muffled and distant.


    ¡®Is it subsiding?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know, but he still felt the winds and heavy rain peppering his body. Eventually, once he had gotten up another few steps, the noise of the storm continued to become lower and more distant. It was at that point that Red felt something was wrong.


    He brought his right hand to his ear, snapping his fingers to create some noise. He barely heard anything, and the noise that came through felt as if it had been made from underwater. The boy felt his heart sink.


    ¡®I¡¯m going deaf.¡¯


    Red composed himself after the shocking realization. He assumed this was part of the trial, so he didn¡¯t panic. Even if he was deaf, there was nothing to fear. All he needed to do was to keep walking, right?


    Unfortunately for Red, he soon noticed things weren¡¯t as simple as he thought.


    Another handful of steps up, and the boy felt his entire world become silent. The worst was yet to come, though, as Red noticed another anomaly.


    After he took a few more steps up, his field of vision narrowed, and even though the boy saw nothing but fog in his surroundings, he was quick to notice the abnormality. He was also losing his vision.


    Red frowned. He tried to confirm his suspicions and found even more strange things happening. The smell of rain seemed to have faded. He couldn¡¯t feel the cold wind and rain against his skin. The pain and strain of his body started to fade away.


    It was then that the boy knew.


    With every step he took, he was losing more and more of his senses.

 Chapter 200 - Void

    It was a strange sensation. Red didn¡¯t feel pain or any type of danger, and yet with every step he took, it was as if he was wading through a quagmire. His steps weakened, his vision faded, and everything else seemed more distant.


    The boy felt a sense of dread creep in. He wasn¡¯t fighting a monster, or anything he could see or touch. Instead, Red was combating this unknown force which took away his sense of awareness little by little - and he didn¡¯t know what to do about it.


    He was losing control of his own body.


    Instinctively, he slowed down. Red hoped to find a way to stop this phenomenon from happening, yet not even ceasing movement afforded him the time to think. His senses continued to deteriorate, and the increasing sensation of doom settled in.


    ¡®I can¡¯t stop moving!¡¯


    Since meditating on the problem would not work, Red decided to hurry through this storm. He hoped there was an end to this fog, and once he left its premises, his senses returned to normal.


    Yet, even if his aim was well founded, it seemed he was lacking in time.


    Red felt the pressure in each of his steps weaken as the feeling in his skin disappeared. The boy ordered his body to move, but he could not tell whether he was making any progress or simply lying still on the ground. His hearing had disappeared. His sight narrowed even further as blindness crept in, and what replaced his clear vision wasn''t darkness as the boy had expected. Instead, it was nothing - a complete lack of existence or substance.


    An unknowing void.


    Red felt as if he had conquered his fear of death. He would still hesitate against overwhelming danger, but he could act in spite of that, no matter how risky or certain death may seem. In a way, the boy thought he had won against fear itself.


    After all, with death defeated, what else was there to be afraid of?


    He had never been so wrong before.


    This loss of control over his own body - this silent descent into an abyss of nothingness while still being in complete awareness of his own thoughts - it made him feel horrified.


    To die, to feel pain, to be hurt both physically and mentally - this was something that Red understood very well. It was something he had experienced and learned to resist. Yet to be stripped of all your agency, watching helplessly as control over your own being ceased to be without even being able to offer any resistance, it was the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced.


    However, no amount of struggle helped.


    ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ I need to do something!¡¯


    Red had forgotten about the trial at this point. He focused on trying to regain control of his dwindling senses. The first thing he tried was the Radiant Current technique. It had worked back then when he couldn¡¯t move, so Red thought he could rely on it in this situation.


    The boy repeated the mantras in his mind, commanding his hands to repeat the mudras even if he couldn¡¯t tell whether his body was executing the movements. To his surprise, Red felt his mind settled into that familiar expanded awareness that helped him in the past.


    When the boy tried to use this awareness to inspect his body, though, he was dismayed. There was nothing but void.


    Red tried again, hoping to reach something with his mind he could grasp onto.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    It was as if his entire body had disappeared, and not even his own mind or this magical technique could detect even the slightest sign of his physical form. Red didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    At this point, the boy didn¡¯t have the slightest sensation or feeling over his body, so he couldn¡¯t tell what was happening. Was his body truly gone? Why could he still think and sense his own consciousness, then?


    Despite being incapable of feeling his physical functions, Red still felt panic at his situation. His emotions were still there, all the terror and anxiety the boy had been left with. In fact, he could feel them even more clearly now.


    His consciousness stewed in the nothingness of the void, with no way to resist, no way to escape.


    There was no pain in here. No suffering, no struggle.


    There was nothing in here.


    Only silence.


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    ¡­


    Red didn¡¯t know how much time passed. Perhaps a few seconds? Or maybe a year?


    Time had no meaning when one wasn¡¯t capable of sensing its passing. To Red, it both felt like an instant and an eternity had passed at the same time.


    He still felt as terrified as when this first happened, and yet he had tried everything to escape from it with no success.


    The boy tried to communicate with the crimson mist. He tried to use his crimson sense. He tried to expand his awareness with the meditation technique multiple times, just like he had done earlier.


    Nothing worked.


    Red had nothing to grasp onto. Nothing to help him out of this situation other than his own thoughts.


    And so he thought.


    The boy tried to figure out what had happened to him. Was his consciousness separated from his body? Were his bodily functions blocked by some kind of special technique?


    ¡®There¡¯s no point in this.¡¯


    In either of these scenarios, what could he do to reverse the situation? Consciousness, Spiritual Arts - they were beyond his purview and understanding.


    The boy was not qualified to speak about those matters.


    Yet, wasn¡¯t this a trial? If there was an issue in front of him, there was always a solution.


    This was what Red had learned in this inheritance ground, so why would this be any different? There had to be a way out - he just had to find it.


    Red reigned in his increasing panic and focused on his thoughts.


    He had to expand his search.


    He reached into the depths of his memories. He considered the strangest possibilities, the most outlandish ideas. He tried to invoke the strangest beings and sights he had ever seen before, hoping any of them could bring him out of this situation.


    Nothing worked.


    ¡®It¡¯s useless¡­¡¯


    Was he hoping for a miracle? For another otherworldly being or ability to appear out of nowhere and save his life?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    Maybe there was no way out. Maybe this trial had been a sham to give cultivators like him hope and then take it away from them at the very last step. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for a cultivator to do that.


    ¡®Or maybe I¡¯m just not good enough to beat this trial.¡¯


    Red felt his efforts slip bit by bit. His thoughts slowed down, and the silence of the void seemed to grow inside his own mind.


    The boy felt as if he was becoming part of the nothing. Maybe this was what awaited those who failed.


    ¡°Hm?! Turns out it¡¯s you that was reaching out!¡±


    A familiar childish voice invaded his mind.


    Red felt shocked. He tried to open his eyes and look in the direction of the voice, before remembering he couldn¡¯t see anymore.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in looking for me. There¡¯s nothing to see or feel in this place.¡±


    The boy tried to speak back, before also remembering he had no voice.


    The being, however, seemed to be able to discern what he was thinking about.


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± it asked in a mocking tone. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. I told you our fates were tied back then!¡±


    Red¡¯s mind trembled.


    ¡°Now look at what you¡¯ve done to your body! As if that curse wasn¡¯t enough, now you also have demonic energy running inside your veins¡­ My, my, it¡¯s like only one impeding doom wasn¡¯t enough for you!¡±


    The boy felt the being probing his mind, and he could do nothing to resist it.


    ¡°Ah, no wonder I felt you reach out to me! Turns out you¡¯re right on top of a gate to the void¡­¡± the being continued to look into his mind. ¡°This place looks interesting! Maybe I should pay it a visit once I get out.¡±


    Red struggled, trying to expel this force from his consciousness. It didn¡¯t work, however.


    ¡°Now, why are you being so uncooperative?¡± the voice asked in an angry tone. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that reached out for help in the first place?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t deny its claims. However, he had been desperate, and didn¡¯t really think that summoning that image to his head would actually have any effect.


    ¡°So, have you thought about it?¡± the voice asked. ¡°I can help you if you accept that deal.¡±


    Red''s struggles intensified. He hadn¡¯t changed his mind. In fact, after feeling the sheer terror of losing control over one¡¯s body, the boy was even more against that idea than before.


    He would rather just fade away right now than go through that experience again.


    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s a shame!¡± the voice said in a disappointed tone. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to change your mind so soon anyway, so I guess I can¡¯t be that sad. Either way, good luck with this trial! I¡¯m sure we will meet again in the future!¡±


    Red felt the probing force in his mind disappear as the voice faded away.


    He was once more alone in this place, but after the encounter with that dark being, his resolve had instead been reinforced.


    ¡®I can¡¯t give up right now¡­ I won¡¯t let it win.¡¯


    Red focused on his thoughts again, searching for a way out. His mind went back to the words the voice had spoken earlier. It had spoken about his body and how demonic energy was running inside his veins.


    ¡®It could feel my body.¡¯


    This brought Red to one possibility. Maybe his mind and consciousness weren¡¯t split after all.


    ¡®Even so, what can I do with that information?¡¯


    Perhaps his body was still all there, but did that make any difference? He still couldn¡¯t move it.


    ¡®¡­ No, that¡¯s not right.¡¯


    Red had assumed he couldn¡¯t move his body at all because of a complete lack of feeling. Yet, there was nothing that indicated that for sure, as losing feeling over touch didn¡¯t mean you were incapable of moving.


    Or at least that¡¯s what the boy would like to think. Without being able to feel pressure or anything against your skin, Red couldn¡¯t imagine someone would be able to walk or move around properly.


    Yet, what did it matter?


    As long as Red could move, he could still make progress. Even if it was by crawling, by spasming, by rolling his body, or by any set of random movements that could bring him forward even by one centimeter. Even if it took an eternity to reach his aim.


    ¡®Even if I¡¯m wrong and I can¡¯t move at all¡­ I can¡¯t give up.¡¯


    As long as his mind was still there, Red would never give up.


    The boy tried to make his body move - his mind sending the orders as if he could still sense his physical form there. There was no feedback or sensation he could feel that told him whether he was successful in that task, but it didn¡¯t matter to him. He tried to push his feet, one after the other, as if he was walking.


    He also used his hands to crawl forward in case he was on the ground. Then, to be sure, he moved the rest of his body, trying to make any movement or commotion he could to awaken himself out of this nightmare.


    Red didn¡¯t know much time had passed like this. He began to lose some faith in his plan, but there was nothing else he could do in this situation, so he kept sending orders to a body that he didn¡¯t even know was there.


    Then, all of a sudden, Red felt it.


    A fluctuation entered his crimson sense. Rickard¡¯s fluctuation.


    It seemed like there was one thing in his body that this place couldn¡¯t affect.

 Chapter 201 - The Last Obstacle

    ¡®I need to reach him.¡¯


    Red had no plan, and neither did he know what would happen if he reached Rickard. However, his fluctuation was the only beacon of light in this darkness of the void, so the boy had to grasp onto it with all his strength.


    Red continued to command his body to move.


    To his surprise, the bandit leader¡¯s fluctuation got ever so close to him.


    ¡®I was right.¡¯


    With his crimson sense, Red regained some sense of space. His body was still there and responding to his will. The only caveat was that the boy couldn¡¯t feel anything through his senses, so he wasn¡¯t able to tell whether he was moving or not.


    With the fluctuation as reference, though, Red felt like he could still make progress.


    In this manner, he continued to approach the fluctuation. The progress was slow - so slow that Red felt as if he had only covered a few meters even after concentrating on the task for over ten minutes.


    He couldn¡¯t tell whether this was because Rickard was also moving away from him, or because of his lack of feeling. The boy was unable to measure his movements, and he couldn¡¯t even feel the kind of position his body was in, so even if he could still move, it was evidently slow.


    Still, he made progress. After what felt like hours had passed, Red sensed the distance between him and Rickard had lessened to within one hundred meters. It was then that he felt something.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    That¡¯s right. He felt something.


    A pressure against his skin. It was so slight and small that Red could have missed it, but in the endless nothing, he could feel it as clearly as day. The feeling didn¡¯t stop there either.


    This same pressure continued to splatter and retract against multiple points in his body. Red had a hard time telling what he was feeling and where he was feeling it. However, just this amount of progress was more than enough to increase his hope.


    As he moved forward, this sensation intensified. Coldness, pressure, and even the slightest bit of pain returned to him, and Red welcomed them all with open arms.


    Finally, he regained some awareness of his body. What the boy felt, though, left him baffled.


    ¡®I¡¯m still standing?¡¯


    Red expected to be on the ground, crawling around as he tried to take a step forward. To his surprise, though, he was still steady on his own two feet.


    He felt that something wasn¡¯t right, but just as he was contemplating on it, Rickard¡¯s fluctuation began to distance itself. The bandit leader was indeed moving just like him.


    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯


    Now that he recovered some feeling over his body, Red increased his pace. The distance between both of them decreased, but the boy had a hard time speeding up further. His body was still unstable, and the relentless storm was still striking at him.


    Thankfully for the boy, it didn¡¯t seem as if Rickard was moving any faster.


    This chase continued for another hundred meters until Red felt even more of his senses return. The noise of the water droplets striking against his body, the smell of the rain, the foggy vision. They weren¡¯t fully functioning yet, but feeling control return over his own body gave Red a sense of confidence and relief he had never felt before.


    As his vision returned to him, he saw something through the fog - a bright blue light that seemed to pierce even through the rain and mist. Without his knowledge, Red had been heading in that direction the entire time as he pursued Rickard.


    ¡®How did he know that was there?¡¯


    Was he not affected by the loss of his senses? Had the imperials given him another item to help him through this last trial? Only that made sense.


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    Red felt a sense of unfairness over the situation.


    Still, to his surprise, he felt the distance between them lessen even more as his senses recovered. This wasn¡¯t because Red was moving fast, but rather because Rickard was being too slow.


    In any normal situation, a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator could outpace the boy with no issues. Yet, right now, Red was catching up to Rickard very quickly. Something was off about this situation.


    As Red¡¯s sense recovered, he discovered why. A strong metallic smell rose to his nose even through the rain, and the boy immediately knew what it was.


    Blood.


    Rickard was bleeding. He was bleeding a lot too, judging by the smell.


    What could have caused the man to suffer such an injury? Did he fight someone inside this storm? Red didn¡¯t know, but he wasn¡¯t about to let this opportunity go.


    The light they were walking towards got even stronger, and Red felt the storm and fog abate as he approached it. Through the fading mist, the boy saw the shadow of Rickard, less than 50 meters away.


    The storm continued to dissipate as Red felt the pressure over his body diminish. His vision cleared up as the boy identified the source of the blue light.


    It was a large floating orb of water. It wasn¡¯t just any water, though. Inside this translucent sphere, Red saw sparkling blue dots that the light was emanating from. The boy thought these were glowing gems at first, but the more he stared at the orb, the more perplexed he became.


    These dots dissipated as the currents inside this orb of water floated by them, only to reform into small crystals moments later in a different section of the sphere. It was a mesmerizing sight, and Red felt his skin tingle from the Spiritual Energy even over a hundred meters away from the orb.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one staring at it, though. Ahead of him, Rickard had stopped moving too, and similarly mesmerized with the sphere.


    Red examined his figure for a moment. Blood was still dripping down the man¡¯s armor, creating a large trail on the stone ground.


    Rickard didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him.


    Red took a deep but silent breath.


    ¡®This is it, then.¡¯


    His hand went to his pouch as he took out the empowerment pill bottles and the only handful of weapons that remained in his possession.


    ¡°You made it here?¡± Rickard asked without turning to look at the boy.


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised the man could see him, considering what had happened earlier. He ignored his question and swallowed all the remaining empowerment pills in his possession - three of them in total.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± the bandit asked again. ¡°I had to use the method those imperials gave me, but what did you have to fight through that? If I hadn¡¯t known what this trial was going to be about, I would have lost to despair.¡±


    Red ignored the man, feeling the power of the pills coursing through his veins. How could he answer that question? He still wasn¡¯t too sure what this trial had been about. All he did was to experiment with everything that he could, and it eventually paid out for him.


    Rickard turned around to look at the boy. ¡°Unfortunately, you made a mistake in challenging me. Even in my state, you don¡¯t really stand a chance.¡±


    The man¡¯s mask had fallen down, and Red could see a seasoned and scarred face beneath his hood. The boy didn¡¯t spend much time looking at it, though.


    He crouched down, as if preparing to sprint forward.


    Rickard observed this with interest. He took out his spear, preparing for the boy¡¯s charge.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t take the initiative.¡¯


    This already told a lot to Red. His wounds were definitely even more serious than they looked at first glance. Perhaps that was how he had escaped that void in the first place. Still, it didn¡¯t mean Rickard was wrong about the boy¡¯s chances of winning.


    Which was why Red smeared his hand on the man¡¯s trail of blood as he crouched down. The burning hit him, not as strong as the boy had expected, but still filling his body with energy in a matter of moments.


    This blood energy, coupled with the effects of the empowerment pill, made Red feel as if he was about to explode from so much power circulating through his veins. He didn¡¯t flinch, though, as his hands wandered to his pouch and grabbed onto his two remaining weapons.


    In the next second, Red charged forward.


    First, he threw his knife at the man, trying to imitate Rimold¡¯s movements. The blade flew straight at Rickard, but he parried it with his spear with a short and fluid motion, snapping the knife in half in the process.


    Then, following the first projectile, Red threw out his next weapon. A dark purple arrow-head flew at Rickard, who didn¡¯t hesitate to swat it away as he had done to the knife. When his spear hit the purple projectile, though, it exploded in a blinding purple light.


    The man covered his eyes and jumped back, just in time to avoid a mist of poison from eating away at his body. His weapon wasn¡¯t so lucky, though, as the corrosion ate away at it and expanded throughout the spear.


    Rickard didn¡¯t hesitate to throw the spear away as he prepared for Red¡¯s next attack. While the bandit was distracted by the purple light, though, the boy had changed directions and circled around him.


    Red was heading straight at the orb of crystalline water.


    The boy heard a curse from behind him, but he didn¡¯t stop to look back. He expected the man to chase behind him, yet that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, at the next moment, there was a shrill sound, and Red felt something pierce into his back and straight through the other side.


    His blood energy sought to close the wound as the boy continued running ahead, trying to ignore the pain. Yet, a moment later, even more of these piercing shots drilled into his back, puncturing straight through his organs in quick succession, and destroying his body from the inside.


    Red felt his strength quickly leaving him, despite all the pills and the blood he had consumed. However, by this point, he was already within ten meters of the orb of water.


    ¡®I won.¡¯


    These were the last words Red thought about as he dove towards the sphere. As soon as the boy touched the water, everything went dark.

 Chapter 202 - The Truth of the Trial

    When Red came to, he found himself lying on a cold hard surface. His hands instinctively reached for his midsection, feeling around for the puncture wounds he suffered before touching the orb. They weren¡¯t there.


    ¡®Did my power heal me?¡¯


    Red doubted it. He did not absorb that much blood, and even then he had never suffered a wound that grievous. He took a risk against Rickard by giving the man his back, and even if he succeeded, Red didn¡¯t know if he would survive. The boy didn¡¯t even know if he would win by touching the orb.


    However, he still gambled on it. Red couldn¡¯t hesitate against someone like Rickard, and he hoped that when he won the trial, the hawk spirit wouldn¡¯t let him die to his wounds.


    His bet paid off.


    ¡°Clever.¡± a voice called out to him. ¡°¡­ It was a risky plan brought about by your own weakness, but it befits a true cultivator. The costs for your healing will still be detracted from your final reward, however.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Red said, sitting up. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    He looked over at the source of the voice. The hawk spirit was floating in the air, staring down at him.


    The boy examined his surroundings. He noticed he was also standing on air, and around him there were countless currents of water releasing blue light as they travelled, forming a sphere around him and the hawk.


    He felt as if he was inside a dream. He extended his hand to touch one of those water currents, but they simply passed through his palm without making any contact, as if the boy wasn¡¯t even there.


    ¡°Are we inside that water orb?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°We are.¡± the hawk nodded.


    ¡°What kind of water is this?¡±


    ¡°Water refined by Primordial Ocean Crystals.¡± the spirit said. ¡°It¡¯s one of the most valuable belongings of my master. It can be used to cultivate the purest Water Spiritual Energy in the world.¡±


    ¡°And you just placed it here? For anyone to touch?¡±


    The hawk shook its head. ¡°Even if someone managed to get their hands on it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to store it without the proper equipment. This water can pass through almost every kind of physical matter.¡±


    ¡°Is it mine now?¡± Red asked with curiosity.


    ¡°Sure. As long as you are able to keep it all inside your body, you can take it.¡±


    The boy frowned. He obviously had no idea how to do that.


    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Red asked the same question he did before.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t help you.¡± the hawk denied. ¡°All I did was to make sure that this trial was fair to all competitors. Besides, you still had to prove yourself to reach this far.¡±


    The boy still wasn¡¯t convinced with the hawk¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°Were you the one who placed that demon in the fog?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± the spirit nodded. ¡°That was a mistake on my part. I was aware of the demonic energy you carry inside your body, but that was something that the restrictions inside the fog should have suppressed. I am still uncertain how the demon was able to detect you and could not interfere to help you due to the nature of my existence. Yet, you came out alive in the end and that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°What if I didn¡¯t?¡± Red frowned. ¡°Were you going to let the others win?¡±


    The hawk went silent for a moment. ¡°¡­ I would have been forced to, despite my unwillingness.¡±


    ¡°Why were you unwilling? Because they cheated?¡± the boy asked what had been in his mind the entire time.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°They knew about certain aspects of this trial, something that shouldn¡¯t have been possible, and even then I could do nothing but watch as they used their knowledge to traverse the obstacles that my master placed. It is an absolute disgrace to his name, and it¡¯s not something that I would ever allow were I able to do something.¡±


    Red followed his logic. ¡°That¡¯s why you used that necromancer.¡±


    The hawk sighed in a human-like manner. ¡°I was forced to, much to my reluctance. They were not restricted by the same laws that bind me. I was split between my duty of finding a deserving disciple as quickly as possible and my urge to punish those who would sully my master¡¯s name¡­ It was not a simple decision to make.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why did you need to find a disciple as quickly as possible?¡±


    Since the hawk was willing to tell him about these matters, the boy continued to throw questions at it.


    ¡°The ones who invaded this trial were mere proxies of an outsider¡¯s will.¡± the spirit said. ¡°Behind them there are strong cultivators specialized in divination who have been trying to locate this inheritance ground for decades already.¡±


    ¡°Divination?¡± Red was unfamiliar with the term.


    ¡°It¡¯s the ability to gain insight into matters by reading the threads of fate. The specifics do not matter, but all you need to understand is that these cultivators figured out about the existence of this inheritance ground, as well as some of the trials prepared for it¡­ Which was why I had to hurry to find a worthy disciple.¡±


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    ¡°So you chose to open up the trial.¡± Red completed his sentence.


    Things started to connect in his mind. The sudden disappearance of the monsters, the hidden tunnels located throughout all the forest - they were all caused by this spirit. However, there were still some matters that didn¡¯t make sense to him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t opening up the trial even more dangerous if they¡¯re looking for it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°The opening you went through is merely a portal to the inheritance ground. If a cultivator stronger than what my master allowed tried to enter through it, one thought on my part would be enough to sever the connection from the inheritance ground to that entrance.¡± the hawk said. ¡°It is not a fool-proof method, however, and I still took on a risk by revealing the entrance to the trial. It was still necessary if I wanted to find a true inheritor for my master, however.¡±


    ¡°So you ended up attracting some of their forces to the location, then.¡± the boy said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°I was fully prepared to sever the connection to that entrance, but thankfully, they didn¡¯t seem intent on invading the place and perhaps thought they could acquire the inheritance through normal methods.¡±


    What the hawk said made sense, but Red was more privy to the situation outside, it seemed. If it was the Empire that was looking into the location of this trial, then it would make sense they wouldn¡¯t send strong forces to the entrance, considering it was in the middle of enemy territory. A more subterfuge operation was suited for that if they didn¡¯t want to bring attention to this matter considering the Sects were monitoring their movements.


    ¡°What about the necromancer?¡± Red asked. ¡°Why did you let them enter the trial?¡±


    ¡°I did not let them enter the trial.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°They were already inside it.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I said the method for stopping cultivators¡¯ invasions wasn¡¯t fool-proof. Long ago, that necromancer also tried to invade this inheritance ground through one of its entrances.¡±


    Red¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    The hawk continued. ¡±Luckily, my master had prepared some defenses in this place in case that happened, so in the end I was able to imprison them inside a formation. Unfortunately, I had to spend a lot of resources to accomplish that, and I sincerely doubt this world could sustain other attacks of such a level.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how can they still control their undead from the outside world?¡± the boy asked in confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I allowed them to do it.¡± the spirit said. ¡°Although I had opened the entrance to this trial, that did not mean proper candidates would reach it in time before those crooks. So I made a deal with the necromancer - they would help me scout the outside world for proper candidates and in exchange perhaps he wouldn¡¯t end up under the control of another powerful cultivator from the outside world once they conquered the inheritance ground.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They agreed to that? Didn¡¯t they try to negotiate for their release?¡±


    ¡°They did, but I would never accept such terms.¡± the hawk said. ¡°I would rather raze this whole place myself than risk releasing someone like them with knowledge of these grounds into the outside world. In the end, they accepted the deal. In their mind, they must have thought it would be easier to convince a weak and na?ve cultivator to free them than someone who was as strong as them.¡±


    Dots connected like lightning inside Red¡¯s mind.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why they helped me.¡± the boy said. ¡°They wanted me to free them.¡±


    The hawk nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ They offered me a deal. A beneficial deal.¡±


    ¡°They did.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll agree to it?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°You would need to be a fool to think that freeing someone countless times stronger than you and expecting them to hold up their end of the deal would end up well. Since you won this trial, I know you are not a fool.¡±


    The spirit wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Besides, these are problems you must deal with by yourself in the future.¡± the spirit said. ¡°That formation won¡¯t keep them imprisoned there forever, and you¡¯ll eventually have to decide what to do. Perhaps making a deal with them once you¡¯re stronger would be in your best interests.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t really imagine how he would deal with such a problem in the future. However, there was still an even more pressing matter he needed to handle.


    ¡°The necromancer said the master of this place knows about the Moonstone mines.¡± the boy looked at the hawk with a meaningful gaze.


    ¡°They do.¡± the spirit nodded. ¡°However, he hasn¡¯t found a way to deal with the curse, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You know about the curse?¡±


    ¡°I do. My master managed to lure a handful of creatures from one of the entrances of the Moonstone caves. They were all very weak, and mostly unremarkable, but the Spiritual Energy they kept inside their bodies was unlike anything my master had ever seen before. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to study it as on the night of a New Moon they all perished without exception.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Red was baffled. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how was that scorpion moving around?¡±


    The hawk answered his question with a question of its own. ¡°You come from that place too, right?¡±


    The boy hesitated. Still, he nodded.


    ¡°My master experimented countless times on those creatures trying to find ways to stop this curse from taking effect.¡± the hawk said. ¡°He studied the Moon, the energy, the pieces of moonstone these monsters brought with them to the outside¡­ All except entering the caves itself. He eventually came up two partial solutions.¡±


    The bird waved its wing, and a translucent image of a scorpion formed in front of it.


    It continued. ¡°If those creatures were kept in a deep hibernation, then the curse wouldn¡¯t take effect.¡±


    Red immediately eliminated that option. What difference there was for the boy between being dead and being kept in a coma to stay alive?


    ¡°The second solution was a formation he developed.¡± the hawk waved its wings again, and a complex pattern of symbols appeared above the image of the scorpion. ¡°He tried to imitate the terrain of the underground that these monsters lived under simply by using samples of soil and moonstones. He achieved some success on it and was able to create a formation that could block out the absorption force of the Moon from reaching these creatures for at least a few years.¡±


    A few years wasn¡¯t a permanent solution, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡°Can I use this formation?¡± Red asked with eagerness.


    ¡°If you remained in this place for long, sure.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°As for creating this formation in the outside world? Maybe only when you reach the fourth realm.¡±


    The boy immediately felt disappointed.


    ¡°I can teach you a simplified formation you may be able to use once you reach the Lesser Ring Realm, though.¡± the spirit said.


    Red looked at the hawk with eagerness.


    ¡°First, however, I must ask you¡­¡± the hawk stared at the boy with sharp eyes. ¡°Do you even know what this curse consists of?¡±


    Red hesitated. It had completely slipped his mind in his eagerness to find a solution that he didn¡¯t even truly understand this curse in the first place.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°The Moon, or whatever being is in the Moon, absorbs the energy of creatures that came into contact with the Moonstone caves.¡± the hawk explained. ¡°Death comes from when said creature can¡¯t provide enough energy to this being, and it starts absorbing the creature¡¯s vital energy instead.¡±


    Red felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He recalled the very first time he had suffered under the absorption of the New Moon. The creature had taken all the Moonstone Energy from his acupoints, and when that had run out, it had also started taking something else from the boy¡¯s body.


    Red never knew what had been taken from him, but hearing the hawk¡¯s words immediately left him with a horrible premonition.


    The hawk sighed. ¡°It happened to you too, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Red nodded. He stared at the spirit with a frown. ¡°¡­ How bad is it?¡±


    The hawk hesitated.


    Under the boy¡¯s unyielding gaze, however, it relented. ¡°In your condition, you won¡¯t live beyond thirty years of age.¡±

 Chapter 203 - Enemy of the World

    Those words were a blow to Red¡¯s confidence.


    ¡°That is not all either.¡± the hawk said. ¡°My master found out that the absorption grows stronger over multiple cycles of the Moon¡¯s phases, which is why even if the monster in the Lesser Ring Realm could recover their Moonstone energy in the Full Moon, they would still die all the same in a matter of a few cycles.¡±


    This didn¡¯t surprise the boy. He doubted the curse would be so simple, or else he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about opening any more of the special acupoints with the technique Viran had taught to him.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve come up with a clever method to store Moonstone energy in your body despite not having opened your Spiritual Sea.¡± the spirit said. ¡°Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t solve the root of the problem, and you¡¯re still at risk of having more of your life essence absorbed.¡±


    Red looked at the hawk. ¡°Is there really nothing I can do about what I have already lost?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to despair yet.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Although your life essence has been drained, as long as you break through into higher realms, you will live for much longer.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Maybe, but life essence is an important factor in a cultivator¡¯s breakthrough. How hard will it be for me to open my Spiritual Sea?¡±


    ¡°For a normal cultivator? It would be nearly impossible. But you are now my master¡¯s disciple and nothing is out of his reach.¡± the hawk said.


    ¡°Will you be giving me a Parting Sea Pill?¡± Red asked.


    That would certainly solve the problem of opening his Spiritual Sea.


    ¡°No.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°I will give you something better.¡±


    Red stared at the bird in suspicion. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I will explain it later.¡± the hawk waved its wings, dispersing the image of the scorpion and the formation. ¡°First, we need to talk about some conditions before you receive your rewards.¡±


    The boy¡¯s suspicion was raised even further. ¡°You never said anything about any conditions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because that is the concern of the winner of this trial alone.¡± the spirit said. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree with these conditions, you will still receive rewards, but you will not be acknowledged as my master¡¯s disciple.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is there a difference?¡±


    The hawk nodded. ¡°There is. My master prepared different rewards for the individual who accepted to become his disciple, since this would incur greater risks to this person.¡±


    Red sighed. He could already imagine where this was going. ¡°Does this have to do with what that ghost told us?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I will now list the conditions my master put forward if one would like to be his disciple.¡±


    ¡®I hope there are no more impossible promises involved.¡¯


    The boy braced himself.


    ¡°First of all, by winning this trial, you only receive part of the rewards my master has prepared for you.¡± the hawk said. ¡°The entirety of the knowledge and treasures my master left behind for his disciple will only be available to you once you reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°The fourth realm? Isn¡¯t that too far?¡±


    ¡°It is very far.¡± the spirit nodded. ¡°However, this is the condition my master put forward. He wanted his disciple to reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm without relying on the riches he left behind. It was how he reached that realm too - by relying on himself and the opportunities he carved out through his suffering and hard work. He was a rogue cultivator and had no backing from large factions or stronger cultivators. It is only natural that his disciple should be able to do the same.¡±


    ¡®With my talent, I don¡¯t think I need to worry about any large factions backing me.¡¯


    Red had little understanding of how hard it was to reach the fourth realm, so he couldn¡¯t judge his ¡°master¡¯s¡± decision. He could also understand the man¡¯s perspective - a master would always want their disciple to at least measure up to what they themselves had accomplished. If Red couldn¡¯t do even that, how could he be deserving?


    ¡°Finally, to the first condition.¡± the hawk looked at Red with a piercing gaze. ¡°By accepting your master, you inherit both his riches and his enemies in the outside world.¡±


    ¡®Here it comes.¡¯


    ¡°So that ghost wasn¡¯t lying?¡± Red asked.


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    ¡°That man told a lot of lies to you, but on that topic he was being honest.¡± the hawk said. ¡°My master was at war with almost every sect in the world by the time he set up this inheritance ground. Of course, he still had allies, but his enemies heavily outnumbered his supporters.¡±


    The boy started to feel the weight of the situation. ¡°¡­ What did he do to warrant that?¡±


    ¡°He did nothing.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°He was merely repaying the wrongs committed against him. They slaughtered his people by the hundreds of thousands when he was young as a result of their wars.¡±


    ¡°So he attacked them for revenge?¡±


    It was a simple motive, as far as Red was concerned, but an understandable one.


    ¡°You could say that.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°However, my master¡¯s heart was always set in pursuing his path as a cultivator first. He only sought to punish those involved with killing his family and people, and wasn¡¯t seeking to declare war against the rest of the sects. Yet, things developed outside of his control, and soon enough he found himself at war with almost the entire cultivation world in his quest for revenge.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t imagine what could have happened for a simple quest for revenge to develop into a world war against one man. He was even more impressed that this one man stood alone against the forces of the sects.


    ¡°Many of the sects tried to paint my master in a poor light, even branding him as a demonic cultivator despite the fact he practiced orthodox arts.¡± the hawk said. ¡°This was how that foolish alias of Dread Viper came to be.¡±


    ¡°Did he win that war?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Of course he did.¡± the spirit nodded. ¡°It was close, but my master still won in the end. If he hadn¡¯t won, then you would probably have read the story about how the sects all banded together to kill this terrible demonic cultivator by the name of Dread Viper.¡±


    That seemed almost inconceivable to Red. A cultivator alone winning against the absolute behemoths that sects were supposed to be? On top of that, this same cultivator was now supposed to be his master. The boy found this almost too good to be true.


    ¡°Of course. Suffice it to say that my master chose to spare some of the sects he was at war with.¡± the hawk said. ¡°He was afraid that their fall would be too heavy of a blow to humanity and would give the opportunity for demonic cultivators and other evil forces to rise in their place.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of power one needed to have considerations about the fate of humanity as a whole, but it wasn¡¯t his concern right now.


    ¡°I sincerely doubt that any of those sects were grateful for his mercy, though.¡± the spirit said. ¡°Most of them most likely still hold grudges, which is why if you accept to be his disciple, you should be careful about letting this kind of information slip out, or else you¡¯ll be hunted down and killed.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What about the others in the trial? Couldn¡¯t they leak this information?¡±


    ¡°They could, which is why I will wipe most of their memories about this place.¡± the hawk said. ¡°It¡¯s not a fool-proof method, however, and if any strong cultivators get curious, they could probably notice traces of my technique. It is of little importance, however, considering there are others out there that know about these grounds already, but it should protect your identity for the time being.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Are those all the conditions?¡±


    Although the boy was intimidated by the prospect of being an enemy of the sects, how could he pass up such an opportunity to change his fate? He hadn¡¯t even considered denying it yet.


    ¡°There is another condition.¡± the hawk said. ¡°As long as you accept him as your master, you are not allowed to join any sects. Should you do so, you¡¯ll renege your claim to his inheritance even if you reach the fourth realm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m already part of a sect.¡±


    He thought it was better to come clean with such matters.


    ¡°Are you?¡± the hawk seemed surprised. ¡°What sect took someone like you with such poor talent?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it can be considered a sect proper.¡± the boy said. ¡°The Sect Master is an eleven-year-old kid and the Grand Elder is in the Lesser Ring Realm. However, they have connections with a destroyed sect.¡±


    The spirit seemed to consider his words in silence. ¡°What is the name of this sect they have connections with?¡±


    Red recalled the name Reinhart mentioned to him. ¡°The Ocean Bearers Sect.¡±


    The hawk sighed. ¡°That was one of the sects my master was at war with. It is surprising that they have been destroyed even after my master spared them.¡±


    ¡°Will that be a problem?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°As long as you limit your relationships with them, it shouldn¡¯t be.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°My master doesn¡¯t seek to limit who you interact with, even if they happen to be sects. You may even work together with them in the future, should you so wish. The only thing you won¡¯t be allowed to do as his disciple is take their oath and become one of their members.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    With his talent, what sect would have an interest in recruiting him? There was another thing that was bothering Red, however.


    ¡°Those people that came in with the compasses¡­¡± the boy thought about how to approach the subject. ¡°They said they were descendents of the creator of this place. Was your master a member of the Empire?¡±


    The hawk shook his head. ¡°There were a handful of empires in my master¡¯s time, but he was most definitely not a part of any of them. My master didn¡¯t leave behind any descendants either, and most of his fellow countrymen died during the sect wars. It could be that some of them have lived to this day, but my master never left a faction behind or any inheritance other than this one. None of them have any more of a legitimate claim to his legacy, even if that was the case, though.¡±


    ¡°Your master¡­ What happened to him?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± the hawk said after some hesitation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± the boy was confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t he dead?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± the spirit shook its head. ¡°One of the last things my master did in this world was create his inheritance. After that, he left to attempt his trial for ascension. Whether or not he succeeded, I do not know, but what I can tell you for sure is that he is no longer in this world.¡±


    ¡°Ascension?¡± Red frowned. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This is not something you should concern yourself with right now.¡± the hawk said. ¡°If you¡¯re truly worthy of being my master¡¯s disciple, one day you¡¯ll learn more about it on your own.¡±


    Although Red was disappointed, he didn¡¯t push the subject. ¡°Are those the only conditions?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡± the spirit nodded. ¡°Do you accept them?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded back.


    ¡°Then from this day forward you can call yourself a disciple of Silas and will bear everything that title carries.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Now, I will distribute your rewards.¡±


    The spirit waved its wings, and several shining lights appeared in front of Red.

 Chapter 204 - Winners Prize

    ¡°First, you will receive this.¡± the hawk waved its wings again, and one of the shining lights flew towards Red.


    The boy touched the glowing orb. The light disappeared and a leather-bound book appeared in Red¡¯s hands. He read the title.


    ¡®A Primer on Arcane Scripture.¡¯


    ¡°Is this a manual?¡± Red asked with interest.


    ¡°It is.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°It should teach you what you need to know about arcane scriptures and its applications up to the Spirit Core Realm. My master was an expert on formations, however, so the manual has a larger focus on that practice.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I thought one needed to be at least in the Lesser Ring Realm before learning about Arcane Scripture.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. The truth of the matter is that many advanced manipulation techniques in Spiritual Crafting require one to be able to use Spiritual Energy, and crafting certain items without them is nearly impossible. However, that is for advanced recipes. On the lower end, one may still be able to craft basic Spiritual Items with enough practice and the right resources. It is hard, but not impossible.¡±


    Red nodded in understanding. He recalled how his Master Goulth could make powerful medicines even without having opened his Spiritual Sea. However, the man also said that Arcane Scripture was much harder to learn than Alchemy at that level.


    ¡°Is the formation against the curse in this manual, too?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It is, but that will be harder for you to build before you¡¯re in the Lesser Ring Realm.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Right now, you should focus on learning the basics of Arcane Scripture. Once you¡¯re done with that, you will need to familiarize yourself with formation building. When you are finally confident in your own abilities, there is a formation in particular you should focus on learning.¡±


    The hawk waved its wings, and the book in Red¡¯s hand floated in the air. It swung open, flipping to a specific page before falling back into the boy¡¯s hands again. On the open page, there was the depiction of a magical circle with so many fine details that Red felt himself getting a headache from simply looking at it.


    On the top of this drawing, there was a title.


    ¡°Parting Storm formation¡­¡± he read those words out loud.


    ¡°This is a formation my master came up with.¡± the hawk said. ¡°As long as you can build it and have enough spirit stones to fuel it, you may use this formation to open your Spiritual Sea.¡±


    Red was baffled. ¡°¡­ Can you use it multiple times?¡±


    The hawk nodded. ¡°You can.¡±


    The boy was even more shocked. Wasn¡¯t this basically a reusable Parting Sea Pill?


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be too happy about it, though.¡± the spirit said. ¡°Not only are the materials for building and powering this formation expensive, its effects differ from a normal Parting Sea Pill.¡±


    Red reined his excitement in, paying attention to the hawk¡¯s words.


    The bird continued. ¡°The Parting Sea Pill is so valuable because it does two things. It provides a large amount of harmonious Spiritual Energy for one¡¯s body and it also helps a cultivator to open their Spiritual Sea with almost no effort on the individual¡¯s part. It is a foolproof method, and the rate of success is nearly one hundred percent. The Parting Storm formation only does the first thing - it provides you with even larger amounts of harmonious Spiritual Energy to open your Spiritual Sea, but it doesn¡¯t help you control it.¡±


    Red frowned, his initial excitement deflating. ¡°Isn¡¯t that worse than the pill, then?¡±


    If the boy still had to do the hardest part, which was controlling the Spiritual Energy, what was the point of the formation.


    ¡°Depends on how you look at it.¡± the hawk said. ¡°If you¡¯re only interested in opening your Spiritual Sea, then the pill is better. However, there is more to opening the Spiritual Sea than you think. Cultivators who managed to open their Spiritual Sea by themselves claim to have felt a moment of enlightenment once they succeeded. The vast majority of this time, this doesn¡¯t result in anything special, and the feeling of enlightenment slips away in a split second. However, some cultivators deepened their understanding over certain aspects of Spiritual Energy after accomplishing that feat¡­ You could say they improved their own talent in a way.¡±


    Red¡¯s eyes widened, but he didn¡¯t let himself be taken away by his excitement again. ¡°How likely is that to happen?¡±


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    ¡°Very unlikely.¡± the hawk said. ¡°But my master learned that chances may differ from individual to individual, and it mostly has to do with their previous experiences and understanding of the world before opening their Spiritual Sea. Of course, that was mostly conjecture on my master¡¯s part, and there was no way for him to truly ever confirm it. However, this might prove to be an invaluable chance for you with your low talent, which is why you should strive to open your Spiritual Sea without the help of a pill.¡±


    The boy hesitated. In the end, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    He was being sincere. He couldn¡¯t pass on such a good opportunity, no matter how difficult it may prove to be. After all, Red¡¯s ambitions didn¡¯t stop at just the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡°Good.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°The materials required for the formation are relatively rare for a cultivator at your level, but they were still obtainable while my master was still alive. The hardest part will be in setting up the formation, but I trust in your skills to accomplish that.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know why the hawk trusted in his skills, considering he had yet to even learn the slightest thing about Arcane Scripture, but he didn¡¯t question it.


    ¡°Suffice it to say, although this formation may still be inferior to a Parting Sea Pill in many ways, it would still cause quite a commotion if it were to be revealed to the outside world.¡± the spirit said. ¡°You should be careful about how you handle it.¡±


    That went without saying. Yet Red felt like everything he was coming into contact with in this place was a bomb waiting to explode if they were revealed to the outside world.


    ¡°Then, your next reward.¡± the hawk waved its wings.


    Another of the lights floating in front of the spirit shot towards Red. The boy extended his hand, hoping to catch it, but instead the light shot into his chest, disappearing without a trace.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t panic.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked with a calm tone.


    ¡°An anti-divination technique.¡± the hawk said. ¡°The people who have been prying into this inheritance ground might find out about you in their divinations, so it¡¯s necessary to protect you in some ways.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They can find out about me?¡±


    The hawk nodded. ¡°Now that you have come into contact with this place, your fate is connected to it. Inevitably, you will appear in their divinations too.¡±


    ¡®Another bomb waiting to explode, then.¡¯


    Red had so many knives hidden in the dark waiting to stab him that he was numb to the addition of one more. However, this still didn¡¯t make him happy.


    The hawk seemed to notice this. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, they probably already knew about you from the Moonstone caves through divination. It was very likely they would have found you eventually, even if you didn¡¯t come into contact with this trial. With this anti-divination technique, you get protected from their divinations on two fronts.¡±


    Red nodded. He supposed that was a fair point.


    ¡°How long does it last?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°It depends.¡± the spirit said. ¡°It might last you hundreds of years if no one tries to probe into your identity. However, if these oracles continue their investigation of this place with the same intensity as before, then your protection will last at most 20 years.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is that enough to reach the fourth realm?¡±


    ¡°It is a very quick pace¡­ My master reached that realm when he was 29, though.¡±


    ¡®So I have to at least be as fast as he was if I wish to not have my identity revealed.¡¯


    Another urgent goal Red had to accomplish.


    ¡°This anti-divination technique doesn¡¯t feel like much of a reward.¡± the boy said.


    Indeed, it was more like it was an absolute necessity if the spirit didn¡¯t intend to lose its inheritor as soon as they stepped out of this trial.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it isn¡¯t.¡± the hawk didn¡¯t try to deny. ¡°So let¡¯s move on.¡±


    It waved its wings again, and another more of light flew towards Red. It hovered above his hands, and the boy reached out for it. A small glass bottle fell into his hands.


    Red looked at its contents, noticing hundreds of tiny pellets inside the bottle.


    ¡°These are Vein Opening pills.¡± the hawk said. ¡°More than enough to open all twelve of your veins.¡±


    ¡°These are pills?¡± the boy frowned in skepticism.


    They were too small compared to all the pills the boy was used to seeing.


    ¡°They are.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°Cultivators care little about practicality on this level, but my master was an exception. If he could make medicines as small as possible so they may all be stored inside one vial, then he would do it.¡±


    Red examined the pills. ¡°¡­ I suppose that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°You should already know this, but these pills are meant to be a complement to your normal cultivation.¡± the spirit said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t consume too many of them at once, or the toxins will accumulate in your body and will affect your future cultivation.¡±


    The boy nodded.


    ¡°Then the next reward.¡± the bird waved its wings again.


    Red touched the next mote of light, and when the glow disappeared, he noticed he was grabbing onto a bracelet.


    ¡°A magical treasure?¡± the boy asked with interest.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a low level treasure, though.¡±


    ¡°What does it do?¡±


    ¡°It masks your appearance.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why do I need to mask my appearance?¡±


    The hawk didn¡¯t respond immediately, staring at the boy with its piercing gaze. A few moments later, though, the bird sighed.


    ¡°Have you looked at your own reflection since you entered the trial?¡± it asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    He was too focused on other matters to take note of his own appearance.


    ¡°Then take a gander.¡± the hawk waved its wings.


    A stream of water appeared out of nowhere in front of Red, circling around before forming into a round, flat surface. When the boy looked at it, he noticed it seemed to have formed into a mirror. However, he didn¡¯t have time to examine this strange technique.


    What he saw in the reflection left him shocked.


    Red¡¯s general features looked the same as ever - his sharp features, crimson hair, and emotionless eyes and expression. However, when he examined his left eye, he noticed something had changed.


    His iris had changed colors - becoming a deep dark crimson. His pupil seemed to have become more elongated too, resembling that of a lizard, and that wasn¡¯t all. A few crimson scales seemed to be growing on the left side of his face.


    Red traced his fingers over them, feeling the coarse and hardy surface of this new skin.


    ¡°Demonification.¡± the hawk said.


    This one word made Red¡¯s blood run cold.

 Chapter 205 - A True Cultivator

    The hawk didn¡¯t wait for Red¡¯s response and continued to explain. ¡°This is a side-effect of your blood absorption powers. It is a clear sign of demonification. Once you put on that bracelet, your appearance should return to normal - but be aware that is only an illusion. The scales and red eyes will still be there.¡±


    The boy was still examining his face with shock. ¡°¡­ When did it become like this?¡±


    ¡°When you killed that lizard demon.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Your body underwent significant changes at that point and I was afraid you would have died if you did not wake up in time.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°The imperials and the necromancer¡­ They didn¡¯t mention anything about this.¡±


    These changes in his features were quite obvious. He couldn¡¯t imagine such powerful individuals would fail to comment on it.


    The hawk sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because I hid it. If the necromancer noticed how their supposed savior was under demonic influence, then they might have reconsidered their plans.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is there a way to reverse it?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°There is, but¡­¡± the hawk hesitated. ¡°The process of demonification you¡¯re going through is something I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    Red¡¯s situation kept getting worse, it seemed. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Bodily changes like this only happen during the second phase of demonification.¡± the spirit said. ¡°First, an individual will go through severe personality changes, which you seem to have entirely skipped¡­ That is, unless you are adept at hiding your state of mind and tricked me.¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different.¡±


    ¡°Then it is as I thought.¡± the hawk said with a severe tone. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you exactly what is happening, but a force beyond my understanding must be controlling your process of demonification.¡±


    Red¡¯s mind shifted to the crimson mist inside his body.


    He decided to tell the truth to the hawk. ¡°I have something inside of me. It¡¯s a sentient mist that I took with me to the outside world when I left the underground¡­ My power of absorbing blood comes from it.¡±


    The hawk fell silent in contemplation. Red could feel the gaze he was giving him become troubled.


    ¡°You said you took it from the underground?¡± the spirit asked.


    The boy nodded. ¡°It was in another monster¡¯s core¡­ I feel like it didn¡¯t really belong in that place.¡±


    ¡°You would be correct.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°My master¡¯s research into those caves was limited since he never dared to explore them himself. However, he never came across any type of demonic influence from that place¡­ Did anything else happen since you came into contact with this mist.¡±


    ¡°I also started to have strange dreams about a different world.¡± Red said.


    He described the endless plains of black sand, the bone bounds, the crimson sky, the dark sun, and the behemoth creature he saw in those dreams.


    ¡°I have no knowledge of such a place.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°If I had to guess, however, it seems you have been dreaming about the Infernal Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. He knew little about this Infernal Realm, but it was common knowledge amongst the people of the outside world that this was the home of demons. A place of despair and evil.


    The boy obviously had such guesses before, but hearing it from the hawk made it much worse. ¡°What do you think those dreams mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°I cannot interpret your dreams, but I can tell you with confidence that you should be careful on how you act inside that place. Although you may think of these forays as mere dreams, nothing is ever as simple in the world of cultivation. The Infernal Realm is a place of horrors and nightmares, and they may reach you even through your dreams.¡±


    ¡®Another danger to worry about.¡¯


    ¡°What about the mist?¡± Red asked. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    He had decided to confide in the hawk. It was his best opportunity to learn about these otherworldly matters, and the spirit seemed to be willing to teach him about it.


    ¡°The best course of action would be to remove it entirely from your body, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that simple.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Unlike your Moon curse, I know nothing about this force living inside your body. Demons from the Infernal Realm that can reach through dimensions and exert their influence in our world are rare, but they are all extremely powerful. I¡¯m afraid that if I try to remove it from your body, I might kill you in the process and attract the attention of a being beyond what I or these grounds can possibly contend with.¡±


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    Red frowned. ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Refrain from using those blood absorption powers.¡± the spirit said. ¡°They seem to be the catalyst for your demonification, so you should never use them unless absolutely necessary. You may also take solace in the fact this demonic influence inside of you seems to have no interest in taking your body over at the moment, judging by the fact it has most likely kept your mind in a sane state. However, it is still a demon, so never be fully trusting of it. As for the future¡­¡± the hawk paused, considering his words. ¡°The most important part is that you need to take control of your own fate.¡±


    The boy was bewildered. He had been trying to do that the entire time, which was why he risked so much to win this trial. Yet, this mountain he sought to climb seemed to get taller and taller with every meter he ascended. How was he supposed to reach it like this?


    ¡°I am limited in the ways I can help you. However, I have judged you worthy of being my master¡¯s disciple, so that alone makes you qualified to take on anything this world can throw at you.¡± the hawk said. ¡°A true cultivator creates opportunity out of adversity and you must tackle all obstacles with such a mentality in mind. The forces you are matched against might seem beyond what you can deal with, but there is no such thing as impossible for a cultivator. Seek every opportunity to climb even one step further in this ladder to the top, and you will notice your horizons will grow. The world will be revealed before you, and more opportunities to climb even further will appear.¡±


    Red felt something resonate within himself as he listened to the spirit¡¯s words.


    The hawk continued. ¡°Analyze your problems with an open and rational mind. Be aware that even the hardest puzzles have a solution, and that there is nothing in this world that cannot be solved by an ambitious individual. This demon, this curse¡­ Seek to understand them. If you cannot be rid of them, then seek to use them to your advantage. If that isn¡¯t possible, then seek to suppress them until there comes a day where you can either use them or finally be rid of them. Gods, demons, sects, empires, cults - nothing is ever beyond you. Understand that this is the spirit of a true cultivator, and it¡¯s more important to grasp this with all your heart than to have the best talent in the world¡­¡±


    The spirit fell silent, and Red contemplated its words.


    Finally, the hawk spoke up again, this time with a sadder tone. ¡°These aren¡¯t my words. It¡¯s what my master said to me before he departed. He told me that this was the most important lesson to his future disciple, more valuable than any treasure he could possibly give you¡­ I never agreed with him. I thought if one was allowed to live a peaceful and happy life, why seek more? Who cares about the world? About power? Ambition is the downfall of great men, and yet they all throw themselves into this abyss without a second thought.¡± the spirit stared at Red. ¡°But you aren¡¯t any different from them, are you?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°Which is why you won this trial, after all.¡±


    The spirit waved its wings, and the last mote of light flew towards Red. He touched it, and another manual fell into his hands. He read its title.


    ¡®Storm¡¯s Blessing.¡¯


    ¡°This is a cultivation manual that my master created for his disciple.¡± the hawk said. ¡°It consists of a set of circulation techniques from the Lesser Ring Realm up to the Spirit Core Realm. It also has multiple Spiritual Arts and a Vein Opening technique that you must use if you seek to practice them in the future. You can take this as a comprehensive inheritance for cultivation up to the Spirit Core Realm, and you will not lack for techniques or knowledge as you progress towards the fourth realm.¡±


    Red examined the manual like it was the most valuable treasure in the world. He didn¡¯t know exactly how much something like this was worth in the outside world, but it was still priceless to him.


    ¡°The Storm¡¯s Blessing, as my master named it, consists mostly of water, wind, and lightning techniques.¡± the spirit said. ¡°You may practice any of these elements and their techniques individually, but their true strength only manifests when all three of them are combined.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t have talent with one of those elements?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°There is also knowledge in the book about how to increase your elemental affinity. These methods are extremely rare, but I know you can accomplish them.¡±


    The boy nodded. This was still something he would only need to worry about in the future.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°For rewards? Yes.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°Why? Were you expecting more?¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± Red didn¡¯t deny it.


    Although all of these treasures were extremely valuable, he was definitely expecting something that would promptly increase his individual power. All the manuals and pills were very useful for the future, but they wouldn¡¯t do much for Red at this instant.


    ¡°My master was clear on his instructions.¡± the hawk said. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to give his disciple anything too valuable that would make their journey too easy. He said that the knowledge and manuals he has imparted unto you will be the tools which you will use to obtain those things yourself. The hard part will still be up to you.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Must everything be so difficult?¡±


    He didn¡¯t disagree with this rationale, but the boy thought he had proved himself plenty already.


    ¡°It must.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°My master said hardship builds character¡­ I don¡¯t agree with him, but I am not the one who made this place.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t push the subject. ¡°So what now?¡±


    ¡°Well, that depends.¡± the hawk said. ¡°Do you have any more otherworldly secrets you wish to tell me?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°I have a few but-¡±


    The spirit cut him off. ¡°Do they concern your immediate safety?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t bother.¡± the hawk shook its head. ¡°Sometimes knowing too much about something can be very harmful - in literal ways, too. Certain beings in the world can feel when someone talks about them, and getting their attention is the last thing I want to do right now. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact your life was on the line, I wouldn¡¯t have even mentioned anything about that demon.¡±


    That was understandable. Still, the boy would need to keep information about the blob to himself.


    ¡°How do I find this place again?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Once you reach the Spiritual Awakening realm, a mark will activate in your body.¡± the hawk said. ¡°By that point, you will know how to enter these grounds again.¡±


    ¡°What about the bracelet?¡±


    ¡°Wear it around your wrist and it will do its job without any need of controlling.¡± the spirit said.


    ¡°¡­ Then I guess this is it.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± the hawk nodded. ¡°I will be sending you out with your companions.¡±


    ¡°Are they still alive?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°They are. In fact, since you won this trial, not even a second has passed.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°How is that possib-¡±


    The hawk waved its wings, and suddenly everything went dark.

 Chapter 206 - Outside Again

    The first thing Red heard when he came to was the sound of birds. The sunlight shone from above, making him squint from the sudden influx of brightness.


    ¡®So it¡¯s already been a day?¡¯


    The boy wasn¡¯t surprised. He lost track of time inside the hidden realm, but he was certain at least a day passed. He collected himself, examining his surroundings.


    Red was in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees. This alone told him nothing about his location, though, and he couldn¡¯t see any signs of the hole he used to enter the underground.


    The hawk said it would teleport them back to a safe spot away from prowling bandits, yet it never said where this was going to be. Red could only hope that Narcha and Eiwin were close by.


    Before anything, though, the boy put on his magic bracelet. He didn¡¯t feel anything happen to his body, and when he ran his hand over the side of his face he could still feel the scales. However, using the reflection of the shiny silver bracelet itself, Red saw his appearance had seemingly returned to normal. Satisfied, he hid the bracelet beneath his uniform¡¯s sleeves and moved forward.


    The boy walked in a random direction, using his crimson sense to scout the way. His detection range had increased to just over 200 meters since he entered the trials, and he felt himself capable of pinpointing even more fluctuations, as well as telling them apart.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to notice a handful of human fluctuations. It wasn¡¯t whom he was expecting, though.


    ¡®What are they doing here?¡¯


    Red was puzzled. He approached their location, and the sound of frantic conversation reached his ears.


    ¡°Quick, young master! We need to bring him back to the sect!¡± a man¡¯s voice said with urgency.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m trying my best.¡± a child¡¯s voice said back.


    Red continued to approach them, and he finally spotted the figures. Rimold was carrying Rog¡¯s unconscious body on his back, while Allen struggled to keep up with his rhythm.


    They all froze as they came face to face with Red.


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Rimold looked as if he had just seen a ghost. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°Red!¡± Allen exclaimed in joy. This joy was soon replaced by dismay. ¡°Wait, Red?! H-How can you be here?! You said you were going to help Rog and the others!¡±


    Red frowned in confusion. ¡°What do you mean? The trial has already ended.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, you bastard?!¡± Rimold glared at him. ¡°We have just left that place! How could it have ended?!¡±


    The boy¡¯s frown deepened. He understood something strange was at play here. How could Rimold and Allen still be in the forest after so many hours had gone by since they left the trial? He recalled the hawk¡¯s words.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± he said. ¡°The trial has already ended. I was inside there for more than half a day since you left.¡±


    The rogue¡¯s expression faltered as the boy said this. ¡°B-But how is that even possible?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but you saw it yourself.¡± Red said. ¡°I told the spirit I was going to continue the trial, so why would I leave immediately after?¡±


    ¡°I-It must be temporal magic!¡± Allen interjected with an eager expression. ¡°I heard about it before!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, listen, none of this matters right now! I believe in him!¡± Rimold shook his head in frustration. He looked at Red with anticipation. ¡°Did you get the medicine?¡±


    The young master also seemed to remember something as he stared at Red with worry. ¡°What about Narcha and Eiwin? Did you find them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the pill.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I gave all the spirit stones I collected to Narcha and Eiwin, though.¡±


    ¡°And where are they?¡± the rogue asked in confusion. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they have left with you?¡±


    ¡°We got split up. It¡¯s hard to explain right now, but¡­ They should have the pill. As long as we can find them, then we should be able to feed it to Rog.¡±


    Allen showed genuine joy at these words. ¡°That¡¯s great! We should hurry to find them!¡±


    Rimold sighed in relief. ¡°Let¡¯s do that. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can heal Rog and leave this cursed place behind.¡± he looked over at Red. ¡°You seem to be in a very good condition, so why don¡¯t you lead the way?¡±


    Red examined his companions¡¯ state. They didn¡¯t have time to heal any of their wounds from the battle with the flaming stag. In contrast, the boy didn¡¯t seem to have suffered the slightest injury, despite his torn uniform.


    He nodded. ¡°Then follow me. I think they should be nearby.¡±


    Red moved ahead, while his companions followed behind him in a hurry.


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    Allen, however, was far too curious to remain silent. ¡°What happened in there, Red? Did you fight any more monsters? Did you win the trial?¡±


    ¡°I fought plenty of monsters. No, I did not win the trial.¡± Red didn¡¯t hesitate to lie. It would be far too troublesome for him to reveal this information to his sect members at the moment, much more so after what he had learned about Hector.


    ¡°What kind of monsters did you fight? Were they as strong as that stag? Did you go through any more labyrinths?¡± the young master barraged him with questions. ¡°Wait! What about Reinhart? Do you know what happened to him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to speak about this right now.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°We can talk about it once we return to the sect.¡±


    Allen seemed to be disappointed by this, but he kept silent. As for Rimold, he gave the boy a meaningful gaze, but Red ignored it. There were still certain things he would like to confirm before speaking about anything that happened in the trial.


    The group continued to walk through the forest while Rimold carried the unconscious Rog on his back. It didn¡¯t take long, however, for Red to detect the fluctuation of the rest of his companions.


    ¡°They¡¯re close.¡± the boy said.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry!¡± Allen said, urging them on, even in his limping state.


    Red thought about warning the young master about what state he might find Narcha and Eiwin in, but he thought better about it. They moved forward and soon found the women sitting against a tree side by side, tending to their wounds.


    Much to Red¡¯s surprise, it seemed like Eiwin was conscious.


    Allen¡¯s face lit up upon spotting them. ¡°Eiwin, Narcha!¡±


    He ran towards them.


    ¡°Wha- You brat!¡± Narcha glared at the boy as he threw himself to hug them. ¡°We¡¯re injured! Be careful, you-¡±


    ¡°I-I was so worried¡­¡± Allen¡¯s figure trembled, as he seemed on the verge of tears.


    The warrior grunted, some of her anger subsiding. ¡°Worried for what?¡±


    ¡°I-I thought I was going to die. B-But then when I heard you two were still there¡­ I wanted to keep going, but¡­ I was too weak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, young master.¡± Eiwin patted the boy¡¯s back. ¡°You did your part, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Allen nodded and stepped back, holding back his tears. He tried to put on a brave expression. ¡°N-Next time I won¡¯t run away¡­ I learnt a lot from Red. I-I will be prepared.¡±


    Rimold cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is all very emotional, but must I remind you lot about the unconscious hunter I¡¯m carrying on my back?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s you.¡± Narcha frowned, staring at the man in disgust.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you mean to say ¡®thank you for saving the two kids, Mister Rimold¡¯?¡± the rogue spat back.


    ¡°If anything, I bet it was the kids that saved you.¡±


    ¡°Please, Miss Valt, Mister Rimold.¡± Eiwin interjected. ¡°Let us tend to our wounded companion before devolving into another spat, shall we?¡±


    None of them complained about it. Rimold stepped forward, laying the unconscious Rog on the forest ground.


    Eiwin stood up and approached the hunter, examining his wounds. She had a sad expression. ¡°Thankfully, you managed to save him. We should have stayed behind with him instead of rushing into that cavern.¡±


    Behind her, Narcha¡¯s expression worsened, but she remained silent.


    Eiwin took something out of her pouch. It was a bright red pill. She fed it to the unconscious Rog and made sure he swallowed it. Once she was done, she stepped back and examined the man.


    Complete silence settled around them as everyone waited with bated breath for something to happen. Still, even after a minute had passed, Rog showed no signs of waking up again.


    Rimold frowned at this sight. ¡°Is that it? Wasn¡¯t something else supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°Stop yapping.¡± Narcha glared at the man. ¡°Not every medicine has a showy effect.¡±


    The rogue gritted his teeth, but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°This pill is meant to expel the hostile energy lingering inside his body and repair his crippled veins.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°The spirit didn¡¯t specify a time frame for this recovery, though, and there are a lot of pills with slow acting effec-¡±


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    A scream of pain interrupted the woman. Rog lurched up from the ground, eyes wide open as he grabbed onto his chest in pain. The man took a few deep breaths before devolving into a fit of coughing.


    Everyone watched the hunter in shock, afraid of even breathing too loudly. Finally, though, Rog seemed to calm down as his coughs ceased. He looked around himself, surprised at having so many people staring at him.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± the hunter asked.


    ¡°In the forest.¡± Red was the one to recover from his shock first. ¡°You were wounded in that fight against the deer. We had to carry you out and get some special pill to heal you.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Rog went to scratch his beard, only to notice an absence of hair on his chin. ¡°¡­ Where did my hair go?¡±


    ¡°It got burned off.¡± the boy said. ¡°Most of your body was burned, actually.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± the hunter nodded with a sad expression. ¡°Thanks for saving me, I guess.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would be dead.¡±


    ¡°Hey! This brat wasn¡¯t the only one that helped!¡± Rimold interjected. ¡°We all did our part! Narcha and Eiwin even had to exchange twenty spirit stones for a pill to save you!¡±


    Rog frowned. ¡°Spirit Stones? Exchange? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°What matters is how you feel right now. Can you walk?


    The hunter nodded. ¡°Should be able to. I feel weak, but it¡¯s not immobilizing.¡±


    ¡°Good. We can explain everything once we get back to our sect.¡± she looked over at Red. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    The boy shook his head. This was to indicate he hadn¡¯t won - an absolute lie, but Red wouldn¡¯t entertain telling them the truth until he had weighed all the risks involved in the process.


    The others observed this interaction with interest, all but Narcha, who still seemed to be sulking by the side with her own thoughts. Most of the warriors¡¯ wounds had healed, which Red assumed was due to some pill she had exchanged with the spirit, but he wasn¡¯t going to ask about it at this moment.


    ¡°Then let us be on our way.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Even with the trial done, there are too many dangers still remaining in this forest.¡±


    The others were quick to agree. They didn¡¯t know if there were any more bandits around, or any more imperials, for that matter. Not to mention, Red also knew Rickard hadn¡¯t died at that last part of the trial, and although the man was grievously injured, the boy would rather not cross paths with them.


    They were about to continue walking, when Red felt several fluctuations enter his detection range.


    He warned his companions. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡±


    They all immediately went for their weapons, but before they could even draw them, the new arrivals had already reached them.


    ¡°Worry not friends.¡± a man¡¯s voice called out. ¡°We are not here to fight. We merely wish to ask you some questions.¡±


    A man completely covered in dark plate armor from head to toe stepped out from behind a few trees. There was a strange symbol of a golden sun in his breastplate, and the man had a large hammer strapped to his back. Behind him, four other individuals dressed in similar equipment stepped out to his sides too.


    They didn¡¯t surround the group, but their simple presence there was more than enough to intimidate Red and the others. The boy examined their fluctuations. Each of them, without exception, was in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡°Cursebreakers.¡± Rimold said in a fearful tone.


    Red recognized the name. They were the undead hunters.

 Chapter 207 - Cursebreakers

    ¡°Ha! Does our name invoke such reactions these days?¡± the knight in front said with a laugh.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Rimold hurried to correct himself in a panic. ¡°I mean, we are all very grateful for your presence in our province!¡±


    This reaction only made the man laugh even louder. One of his subordinates, however, didn¡¯t seem to be as happy with the situation as their leader.


    A woman¡¯s muffled voice spoke from beneath that suit of armor with disdain. ¡°Hmph, how soon do mortals forget. When undead were rampant on the continent, they sang us praises and cooperated with us at every opportunity. Now that they think the threat is gone, they dread our very presence.¡±


    ¡°This is not what I meant! Not what I meant at all!¡± Rimold said in a fearful tone. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just that your presence here took us by surprise¡­ Right, guys?¡±


    He looked back at his companions. Narcha seemed to be readying herself for a fight, while the others all had worried expressions. Only Rog seemed to be focused on something else as he continued to scratch at his naked chin.


    ¡°There is no need for such theatrics.¡± the leading knight shook his head. ¡°We know our reputation in the mortal world. Still, we must do our job.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°And what is your job? Are you intent on razing our town to the ground too?¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, mortal!¡± the female knight stepped forward, one of her hands grabbing onto the hammer on her back.


    Immediately, Red and the others felt a force pressuring against them. A feeling of danger radiated from the woman¡¯s figure, and none of her companions seemed intent on stopping her.


    ¡°Enough.¡± the leader pulled her back. ¡°We don¡¯t want to make them scared, do we?¡±


    Red could imagine the man¡¯s smiling expression, even though he couldn¡¯t see his face. Eventually, Eiwin stepped forward to speak for the group.


    ¡°We understand your duty, fellow cultivators.¡± she said. ¡°We are not seeking any conflict. We were merely surprised to meet you in the middle of the forest after everything we have gone through.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± the man nodded. ¡°And might I ask what you were doing in the middle of the forest? You seem to have gone through some fighting yourself.¡±


    Eiwin hesitated. ¡°¡­ We were pulled into a hidden realm as we were investigating the bandits.¡±


    Red frowned as he heard this. Some of his companions also stared at her with dubious expressions, but none of them interrupted the woman.


    ¡°A hidden realm in this place?¡± the man seemed surprised. ¡°Was it an inheritance ground?¡±


    ¡°It was indeed an inheritance ground.¡± Eiwin nodded with no apprehension.


    ¡°That is surprising¡­¡± the man contemplated about it. ¡°Do you know which cultivator it belonged to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± she trailed off as her expression changed into one of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡­ I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± the knight was taken aback by her words. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    Red could feel an air of suspicion rise amidst the knights, as Eiwin said that.


    ¡°I¡¯m being truthful.¡± she shook her head. ¡°Now that I think about it, there is very little I can remember about that place¡­ It¡¯s like there¡¯s a fog covering the appearance and trials I went through in there.¡±


    As the woman said this, a yelp came from behind her.


    Allen slapped the top of his head. ¡°I-I can¡¯t remember it either! There was that stag but¡­ I can¡¯t remember what it looked like!¡±


    The same realization came to the others. Narcha and Rimold had ugly expressions as they noticed they had missing memories, too. Rog continued to show no reaction.


    ¡®So the hawk really did wipe their memories¡­¡¯


    Red was not sure how the process worked. It seemed that his companions were aware of the fact that they had been in a trial, but seemed fuzzy on details. In fact, they didn¡¯t even notice there was anything amiss in their memories until Eiwin tried to think back on the details and brought it to attention.


    The boy would need to pay attention to their companions so he could act convincingly.


    ¡°None of you remember it?¡± the leading knight asked with some suspicion.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Eiwin nodded with an expression of resignation.


    The man went silent. He looked over at one of his companions on his immediate left.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They seem to be telling the truth.¡± another grave man¡¯s voice responded. ¡°These types of techniques are not uncommon either. The owner of the trial might have been trying to hide their identity.¡±


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    The leader grunted. ¡°Hm, that¡¯s unfortunate. You think it could be connected to the necromancer?¡±


    His subordinate shook his head. ¡°Unlikely, or else I doubt they would be alive.¡±


    The man sighed from beneath his armor. ¡°What a mess¡­ Still, it is none of our concern.¡±


    He looked back at Red¡¯s group.


    ¡°The tall woman and the child with the red hair.¡± he pointed at Red and Narcha. ¡°Tell me about your encounter with that zombie.¡±


    Red shivered, and Narcha¡¯s expression became ugly.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Some bandits survived the encounter in the dead section of the forest.¡± the knight said. ¡°It was a simple matter getting this information from them, considering how much your appearances stand out. Of course, I never really expected to run into the two of you in this forest, but our investigations led us to this place, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Answer the question.¡± the female knight interjected, showering the group with another powerful wave of pressure.


    Narcha gritted her teeth, staring at the knights in anger.


    Red spoke up before anything else could happen. ¡°We saw some of the bodies that zombie had killed and followed its traces to the dead forest. We saw it fighting against a few bandits there and noticed it wasn¡¯t moving like a normal undead. It noticed us from miles away and we were forced to flee. It eventually caught up to us, so we fought it a bit before running away.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± the leader looked at the boy from beneath his visor. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it. We later assumed it was a necromancer, but we weren¡¯t willing to investigate it further.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± the man seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°How old are you, child?¡±


    ¡°Ten¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very well spoken for such a young child.¡± the knight said. ¡°Did the zombie say anything to you? Did it do anything strange? We would appreciate anything you can deliver us.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It didn¡¯t say anything of importance.¡±


    The leader looked back at the subordinate on his left. The man nodded.


    Red noticed this odd interaction.


    ¡®Why is he looking at that man for confirmation?¡¯


    A grim possibility crossed the boy¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t tell whether any of his companions had noticed this too, since they were all very tense at the situation. Only Rog continued to be absent-minded.


    Red¡¯s attention was placed on Allen and Rimold, however.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let them speak. I need to take the initiative.¡¯


    These two were present for the boy¡¯s interaction with the necromancer, so they could implicate Red and perhaps the entire group in the process. He couldn¡¯t allow that to happen.


    ¡°We found a bunch of undead animal corpses around the forest.¡± the knight said, looking back at the group. ¡°Do any of you know about it?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Me and Allen ran into some of them while making our way through the forest. We were saved by someone else, though.¡±


    Eiwin and Narcha seemed surprised at these words, but they didn¡¯t interrupt the boy. It seemed he had been afforded this kind of trust by his companions.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Allen?¡± the knight asked.


    ¡°M-Me¡­¡± the young master raised his trembling hand.


    ¡°I see.¡± the man nodded. He looked back at Red. ¡°Did you have any more encounters with the necromancer or his undead while you were inside this forest?¡±


    Red replied without hesitation. ¡°No.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look at Rimold and Allen, as curious as he was to observe their reactions.


    The leader looked at the subordinate on his left. The knight didn¡¯t give an immediate response. A few seconds later, though, he nodded.


    Red felt relief at this response, but he didn¡¯t let it show in his expression.


    Before the leader could turn back, though, the subordinate spoke up. ¡°This boy has a strong will.¡±


    Red was confused at these words, but he had an awful premonition.


    The leader hummed to himself. ¡°It certainly seems to be the case. Thankfully, he¡¯s not the only one in this group.¡±


    The man shifted his focus to Allen, and the young master immediately trembled in apprehension. Red felt alarmed at these developments, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do anything about it, or else it would raise even more suspicion on his part.


    ¡°What about you, Allen?¡± the knight asked. ¡°Did you encounter any more of those nasty zombies while wandering around this forest?¡±


    Allen shivered. ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    Red braced himself, prepared for the worst.


    Someone interrupted the boy, though. ¡°I saw them.¡±


    The leader looked over at Rog in surprise. ¡°You did?¡±


    The hunter nodded. ¡°I did. They were walking inside that hole in the ground for the bandits - a whole army of them. I think they were inside the trial too, but I didn¡¯t meet them there.¡±


    The knight went silent for a moment. ¡°¡­ They were inside the trial?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± Rog shrugged. ¡°Never saw them there, though. Got hit by some flames and was unconscious.¡±


    The air around the group of knights seemed to change. They looked at each other, and Red saw an entire silent conversation happen between them.


    A few seconds later, the leader looked back at the group. ¡°We¡¯ll need you to take us to this hole.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°And afterwards? Will you let us go?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± the man nodded. ¡°As soon as we¡¯ve properly interrogated you about what happened inside the trial, that is.¡±


    Narcha glared at the knight. ¡°You¡¯re going to do what?! Do you think we are lying about our memories being wiped?!¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± the knight shook his head. ¡°I believe you. However, there are ways to recover memories from individuals. Some of the higher-ups in our organization are specialized in said interrogation techniques, so if we judge the danger of this necromancer to be high enough, we could enlist their help.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± the warrior gritted her teeth. ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡±


    The man laughed. ¡°Of course we can. If it¡¯s necessary to expunge this world of the undead, we can do much worse. You need not be afraid, though. This technique is quite safe, and as long as we can confirm nothing is wrong with your memories, you will all be allowed to go free.¡±


    Red, who was watching this whole interaction, knew he had to do something to stop this. If they interrogated the boy and looked into his memories, they would find all his numerous interactions with the necromancer. By then, it wouldn¡¯t be just him that would be doomed, but it¡¯s likely the entirety of his group would be implicated too.


    Just as Red was thinking about what to do, Eiwin looked back at them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid.¡± she said. ¡°I already warned him when we got out of the trial. He should be on his way.¡±


    Although she seemed to be saying that to everyone, Red felt her eyes focus on him.


    ¡°Hm?¡± the leading knight looked at the woman once she heard this. ¡°Are you talking about that old man? He is in the Lesser Ring Realm, but you mustn¡¯t get delusional. Against the Cursebreakers, there is nothing that he can-¡±


    Before the man could finish speaking, a shrill sound echoed through the forest. The man looked up, his hand going to his hammer.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    He and his subordinates jumped back from the area. A spear of ice crashed into where they were just standing before shattering into countless pieces. The shards peppered their armor with incredible force and threw them back even further. Somehow, none of the ice shards came in the direction of Red and his group.


    ¡°What gall!¡± an old man¡¯s voice full of rage came from behind the group. ¡°You think I¡¯m afraid of some declining organization?!¡±


    Red and the others looked back, and they saw the source of the voice.


    ¡°Hector!¡± Allen yelled in joy.

 Chapter 208 - Back in Town

    The knights stared Hector down from beneath their visors.


    The female knight was the first to react as she took her hammer out of her back. ¡°You dare to attack-¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, another ice spear formed on the tip of Hector¡¯s fingertips and shot at her. The woman struck at it with her weapon, shattering the projectile, but the impact was enough to send her flying against a tree.


    Hector yelled at Red and the others. ¡°Out of the way!¡±


    They obliged him.


    The knight had all recovered from the elder¡¯s initial surprise attack and had all taken out their mauls from their backs. Runic symbols glowed on the head of the hammers, and Red could see a purple aura emanating from their weapons.


    None of them stepped forward to attack Hector, though. The old man likewise stopped walking once he got within ten meters of them. A tense stare down followed.


    ¡°I would advise this senior to not interfere in our organization¡¯s matters.¡± the leading knight said in a respectful tone. ¡°We do not intend to do any harm to those people, and merely wish to get to the bottom of the necromancer¡¯s presence in this forest.¡±


    Hector scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you intend to do. You tried to cross me and abduct my sect members. That is enough to warrant your deaths.¡±


    The leader stirred, the grip around his weapon tightening. ¡°Would this senior really wish to feud against our organization? Our superiors would not stand to have others meddle in our affairs.¡±


    The elder laughed in derision. ¡°What is this? Trying to hide behind the name of your organization? Are you so certain that you will lose to me in combat that now you¡¯re trying to intimidate me?¡±


    The air around the group of knights changed. None of them spoke up, though, not even the female knight who seemed to be having trouble breathing as she collected herself after being struck by the ice spear.


    ¡°What?!¡± Hector asked with a roar. ¡°Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?! If you don¡¯t want to fight, then don¡¯t waste my time and scram! Your superiors know where to find me if they want to repay their subordinate¡¯s grievances.¡±


    Some of the knights trembled as they seemed on the verge of attacking the old man. Red could tell that after what had happened to their companion, there was a reservation in their actions - an uncertainty that came with facing someone stronger than you. Hector¡¯s display of power had done its job.


    ¡°We won¡¯t fight.¡± the leading knight lowered his weapon. ¡°I only hope this senior is ready for the consequences of your actions.¡±


    Hector spat on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t need a coward to tell me about the consequences of my own actions.¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°Let us retreat. We are returning to our base.¡±


    One by one, the other knights all lowered their weapons. Then, in a hurry, they all left the scene with incredible quickness, eager to distance themselves from Hector as quickly as possible.


    Red was both awed and confused by these events. Hector seemed to be able to cast an ice spear similar to the talisman Allen had used before, but even stronger than that, and with a much shorter activation time. In fact, the elder formed these spears in an almost an instant. It couldn¡¯t be compared.


    Yet, the boy did not understand why the knights retreated so promptly. They were all in the Lesser Ring Realm, and he could feel from their fluctuations that they were close in strength to Hector himself. So why were they afraid? There was something Red couldn¡¯t see from their brief clash.


    ¡°Hmph, cowards, the lot of them.¡± Hector said. ¡°No wonder their organization has fallen so far.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate your timely arrival, Master Hector.¡± Eiwin said with a grateful expression. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that, I¡¯m afraid we would have all been captured.¡±


    ¡°Do not be too happy, girl.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°I was already in the forest searching for a certain runaway when you used the talisman to call me. If it wasn¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t have arrived in time.¡±


    Allen shivered once he heard that, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I see we also have a new arrival.¡± Hector looked over at Rimold.


    ¡°Master Hector.¡± the rogue bowed towards the elder, showing respect Red had never seen from the crass man before. ¡°I happened upon them in the middle of the forest... I had to give up my identity amidst the bandits to help the children.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°There is no need for concern.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°After today, Rickard and his band are not long for this world. The Baron and Gustav have both agreed to move against him. Even if we do nothing, that man is doomed.¡±


    ¡°We might not even need to worry about that.¡± Narcha said with a smile.


    The elder frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It is not convenient to explain these matters right now, Master Hector.¡± Eiwin interjected. ¡°It¡¯s best we return to the sect before we explain everything.¡±


    Hector hesitated. He looked over the group carefully, noticing all the wounds they had accumulated in their bodies. His gaze lingered on Rog in particular.


    ¡°What happened to your hair?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°Got burned.¡± Rog said with a sad expression.


    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°Let us return to the sect. I need to have a discussion about your actions too¡­ Or do you think I¡¯ve forgotten you went against my explicit orders?¡±


    The air around the old man changed as he stared down each and every one of the sect members. They all shifted in their feet uncomfortably, even Rimold, who had done nothing to deserve it.


    The group had almost forgotten about what had taken them to this place was an act of defiance against the elder¡¯s will. They couldn¡¯t be blamed, either. After what happened in the trial, it felt as if such considerations and conversations were had a lifetime ago.


    ¡°No matter.¡± Hector waved his hands. ¡°We can settle this once we are back.¡±


    The man led the way through the trees, while the rest of the sect members followed behind. Every one of them had expressions of varying degrees of concern. Amidst them, Allen seemed to be the most troubled one.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to see if you learned anything, Allen.¡¯


    Red sighed and followed behind his companions.


    ¡­


    The trip back took them almost six hours, and night soon arrived. Red felt the gaze of the Moon settle upon him again, but this time the boy didn¡¯t feel nearly as pressed about its intensity. Whatever had happened inside the trial had reinforced him mentally and made him more resilient against the gaze, but he found no comfort in that. He knew such respite was momentary, and that in the future, the curse would only grow stronger.


    Through his conversation with Hector, Red also learned that this was still the same day as when he and Allen left the sect. The events that happened inside the trial happened over the course of days for the boy, and yet barely a few hours passed on the outside world.


    As they approached the town, they started to come across many soldier patrols. These men were moving deeper into the forest, and they all greeted Hector with reverence and fear as they came across him. The elder just gave them a nod of his head and continued on his way.


    Soon enough, they could see the town on the horizon, lit up by countless white lanterns. They were walking on the main road at this point, and even more soldiers appeared on their way. Red counted these men to be in the hundreds, some of them even mounted on horses.


    All of these soldiers, without exception, gave way to Hector and his group once they came across him. Such reactions were only exacerbated once they got within the town proper.


    Although it was already night, the town was still very active as people moved around the streets. Once they spotted Hector, though, a hubbub spread through the crowds as they all parted in fear and awe of the man.


    Red and his companions were suddenly put under the scrutiny of hundreds of gazes, and the sounds of conversation reached his ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hector¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think he was doing out here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his entire guild!"


    ¡°Did he kill someone else this time around?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! He¡¯s a cultivator! He can hear you!¡±


    The boy frowned. He was uncomfortable, but he did his best to ignore these people. Whatever happened next, Red supposed it was impossible for him to maintain a certain level of anonymity in this town moving forward. Now his identity was tied with the Water Dragon Sect for good.


    As they were moving up the hill towards their sect, Red saw Allen approach him from the side.


    The young master got close to his ear and whispered. ¡°R-Red¡­ W-What do I do?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I-I mean Hector¡­¡± Allen trembled. ¡°H-He¡¯s going to punish me, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Red nodded.


    The young master paled. ¡°A-And what do you think I should do? I don¡¯t want to be punished.¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°You made your choice once you decided to flee. What else is there to do but own up to the consequences of your actions?¡±


    Allen looked defeated at these words. ¡°I¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure not to back down this time.¡± Red said. ¡°Hector will try to intimidate and break your will, but you made your choice as a cultivator. Whatever comes after it, take on the repercussions of your actions with the same courage you had when you decided on a course of action in the first place.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Allen seemed to have regained his spirits. ¡°I won¡¯t cry this time!¡±


    This sentence earned the young master a few quizzical gazes from the rest of the group, and Hector¡¯s steps faltered for a moment. They all ignored it, though, and continued on their way towards the sect.


    ¡­


    Once they got to the street of their sect, the hubbub of the crowds became more distant. No one ever dared to wander around these parts as they considered this to be Hector¡¯s territory, and no one dared to trespass on his turf.


    The group arrived at the sect¡¯s building. The elder waved his hand and a gale of wind forced the gate open.


    ¡°To the hall!¡± Hector ordered. ¡°Now!¡±


    The old man seemed to have a change in attitude as soon as he arrived in the sect. Gone was the image of a hero who appeared just in time to save them, and returned was the bearing and airs of a relentless tyrant.


    Red saw Allen have second thoughts upon hearing this. However, none of them had any choice.


    One by one, they filed into the hall. Not even Rog tried to slip away this time. Red, who had already sensed two familiar fluctuations inside the building, was not surprised to see his master Goulth and Domeron already sitting at the table.


    Neither of them said anything once they saw the group enter. Goulth, however, was glaring at Red, while Domeron had a serene expression, which certainly didn¡¯t seem to belong to someone who had betrayed Hector¡¯s trust and sent Allen out to a suicide mission earlier in the day.


    Hector sat at the head of the table and waved his hand. ¡°Sit!¡±


    They all followed his orders. Red sat by Eiwin and Allen¡¯s side, and he braced himself for whatever came next.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Hector crossed his arms and stared down his sect members. ¡°Are you ready to talk about your crimes against the sect?¡±

 Chapter 209 - Disciplinary Action

    There was a silence in the hall as the elder said those words. No one spoke up. To the old man¡¯s surprise, amidst those that had gone against his orders, none seemed to show any remorse or backed down against his gaze.


    Narcha stared at Hector with defiance.


    Rog looked as if he was thinking about something else.


    Eiwin carried a serene expression.


    Domeron, who put this all into motion in the first place, kept his eyes closed and a smirk formed in the corner of his lips.


    Allen was shivering, but seeing his companion¡¯s reactions, he kept his calm.


    Only Rimold shifted in his chair uncomfortably at those words.


    ¡°Might I speak, Elder?¡± the rogue asked.


    Hector frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I was really not involved in any of this.¡± Rimold looked around at his companions. ¡°This punishment does not involve me too, does it?¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t respond and just squinted at the rogue. Rimold gulped and fell silent again.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Hector looked at the rest of the sect members again. ¡°Is no one going to speak?¡±


    ¡°Might I ask what crimes we have committed against the sect, Master Hector?¡± Eiwin asked.


    ¡°You went against explicit orders from your Grand Elder to not investigate the Imperials.¡± the elder spat back. ¡°Is that enough of a crime?¡±


    ¡°That might be the case.¡± the woman nodded. ¡°But according to unspoken cultivation tradition, if the majority of the sect members disagree with their superiors¡¯ decision, they may reserve the right to act in spite of their commands if a dire situation was to arise. It has happened multiple times in the Crystal Sky sect, and the sect only survived to this day because of the judgment and decisiveness of those people.¡±


    Hector scoffed. ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t presume to speak of cultivation tradition to me, girl. This was a custom made in times of war and calamity. After these times of crisis were over, it was used as a pretense to overthrow their superiors and cause civil wars inside their own sects. It has long since been outlawed on sects.¡±


    ¡°Yet, is Master Hector truly worried that we were planning rebellion?¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°You know us better than anyone, and you are aware of our loyalty. We were worried the imperials were planning something that would be detrimental to our sect. We went against your orders for the sake of investigating and stopping it if necessary.¡±


    Narcha laughed. ¡°And turns out we were right all along.¡±


    Hector seemed on the verge of lashing out against them, but he went silent at Narcha¡¯s words.


    He looked at the warrior. ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    ¡°The imperials found out about an inheritance ground with the bandits¡¯ help.¡± Narcha said. ¡°We followed them into it.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°An inheritance ground? In this place?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°I was skeptical at first, but we later confirmed it. The creator of that hidden realm was very adept in spatial manipulation, so it¡¯s likely that we were teleported into another place altogether for the trials.¡±


    A flash of excitement crossed Hector¡¯s face. ¡°Spatial manipulation?! Then that must have been the realm of a very strong cultivator! The fact all of you came out alive is a wonder too!¡±


    ¡°It was more or less a miracle.¡± the woman shook her head.


    ¡°And?! What did you come across inside that realm?! What rewards did you a acquire?!¡± the elder seemed unable to contain his joy at the news.


    Domeron laughed. ¡°What is this now, old man? Weren¡¯t you about to punish them?¡±


    Hector waved at the man dismissively. ¡°That can be left for later! We need to address more important matters now!¡±


    The elder wasn¡¯t even trying to put a front as an authoritative figure. His interest was clearly gripped by the news of the trial.


    ¡°We came across some rewards, but¡­¡± Eiwin trailed off.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hector¡¯s face fell. ¡°Did you lose them?¡±


    ¡°No, old man.¡± Narcha glared at the elder. ¡°We almost died trying to acquire them, but that¡¯s not the problem. The problem is that we have forgotten almost everything about the trial.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the old man frowned.


    ¡°It is as she says.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°Someone or something seems to have wiped our memories of certain details of the trial. No matter how much we try to recall it, specific details about the environment and monsters we have faced in the trial are simply out of our reach.¡±


    Hector looked to be in thought. ¡°Explain what you remember. From the beginning.¡±


    And so they did. From their entrance into the underground, the labyrinth, the canyon, the desert, and all their fights and experiences in there. Of course, although they recounted these events, they were lacking in many details.


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    As Eiwin had mentioned, they couldn¡¯t recall much about the appearance of the area they had traveled in, and only their feelings and experiences in these places served as their description. The labyrinth, for instance, invoked the feeling of being lost and confined. They also remembered they fought a few monsters and gained a few rewards in there, but couldn¡¯t remember their opponents.


    This absence of detail extended to the canyon and beyond, too. Only certain keywords and images came to their mind - like lightning and tornadoes, having to sneak past a being of pure lightning, having to walk for hours on end. It was a brief and lackluster recounting, and yet every single one of them could remember the feeling of danger and dread they felt through it.


    There were no mentions of the hawk spirit or of their conversation with the ghost inside the mausoleum.


    There were some things they could still remember, though. Their interactions with each other, or any other human for that matter, were still fresh in their mind. They told Hector about their cooperation with Reinhart and about their fight with the bandits and the imperials. Once the conversation headed towards what had happened at the end of the trial though, Narcha and Eiwin were both hesitant to continue.


    They threw reluctant gazes towards Hector, and in a rare display of tact, the elder didn¡¯t push them on the matter. Their reluctance wasn¡¯t unnoticed by the rest of the sect members, though, and they showed concerned expressions. Perhaps they thought that Reinhart had betrayed them, and while they were not wrong, this wasn¡¯t why Narcha and Eiwin were hesitant.


    Red, for his part, didn¡¯t take too much of an active part in this discussion. He could still remember every detail of the trial, and he was afraid that he would slip up and reveal something he shouldn¡¯t remember. He replied with likewise vague descriptions when prompted, and didn¡¯t seem to arise any suspicions from the others in the conversation.


    Of course, there were some things that evidently came up which caught Hector¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You can feel other people¡¯s presences?¡± Hector asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°I can.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Unfilial disciple!¡± Goulth slammed his hand on the table and glared at Red. ¡°You could have at least told your master about it!¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have told you about it.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± the blacksmith seemed surprised at his apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I can see why you would like to hide it. Next time, just make sure to tell me the truth, alright?¡±


    Red nodded again. ¡°I will.¡±


    Goulth smiled. ¡°Good.¡±


    This sudden change in attitude earned him more than a few judging gazes, but the giant simply pretended nothing had happened.


    Unlike his master, Hector didn¡¯t seem too angry at this revelation.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very useful skill.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°And from what I understand, without it or your quick thinking, none of your fellow sect members would have made it very far in the trial.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But without their help, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten very far either, even with my powers.¡±


    Hector looked satisfied at this reply. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand that.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t really understand the praise. He was just being sincere. Still, he didn¡¯t protest it.


    ¡°So, by the looks of it, the creator of this trial wanted to keep his identity hidden, which is not uncommon in the cultivation world. Many cultivators leave enemies behind after their death, so it makes sense that they would like to keep their identity hidden.¡± Hector said. ¡°The fact the imperials knew about this place and actively sought it out is the part that interests me the most. It implies at there being something larger behind those trials¡­¡± the elder looked over at Red. ¡°Do you still have that compass?¡±


    The boy nodded and threw it towards the old man.


    Hector examined the item with curiosity. ¡°Interesting design. I could take it apart and inspect it, but I¡¯m afraid that might destroy the item in the process.¡± he passed the compass over to Goulth. ¡°Anything you can do?¡±


    The blacksmith frowned as he looked over the item. ¡°Hard to tell without careful inspection¡­ If this is really from the Empire, though, I doubt a mortal like me would be able to take it apart.¡±


    Hector sighed. ¡°Just do your best. See what you can learn.¡±


    Goulth nodded and pocketed the compass.


    ¡°Now, what exactly did you acquire at the trial?¡± Hector looked back at his sect members with unconcealed eagerness in his eyes.


    So they all put forward what they had acquired. Five spiritual stones, two monster cores, a few medicine bottles that they had acquired from the imperials, a handful of unidentified talismans, and the dark iron nuggets.


    Goulth¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the ore. ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Dark Iron.¡±


    ¡°Great! Perfect!¡± the blacksmith snatched them up and set about inspecting them. He had seemingly forgotten about all the other items on the table.


    Hector examined the treasures with a frown. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°Why? Is that not enough for you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± the elder shook his head. ¡°I was under the assumption you had acquired more than this.¡±


    ¡°We did, Master Hector.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°We had to exchange most of the spirit stones we acquired on the second part of the trial for medicines to heal Rog and... Me.¡±


    Her words seemed to catch the attention of the rest of the sect members.


    ¡°W-What happened to you, Eiwin?¡± Allen asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°Nothing that matters now, Young Master.¡± the woman shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that because of our wounds, we couldn¡¯t take back as much as we wanted to the sect.¡±


    Hector sighed again. ¡°There is nothing to worry about. The spirit stones alone are more than enough to sustain our growth for months to come. Each and every one of you is entitled to rewards and will have a say on how we spend these resources. Is anyone against me putting all these treasures into the Sect vault after they¡¯ve been inspected?¡±


    No one protested. Red thought that they might have been intimidated by Hector to accept this, but from their expressions, this didn¡¯t seem to be the case. At the very least, the group trusted the elder not to swindle resources from them, so the boy didn¡¯t protest, either.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s settled, let¡¯s return to the matter at hand¡­¡± Hector said.


    His countenance became serious again, and the air around the room changed. The rest of the group seemed surprised, but no one dared to say anything.


    The elder opened his mouth. ¡°¡­ I was wrong.¡±


    Everyone was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Can you say that again, old man?¡± Narcha asked the elder in disbelief.


    Hector sighed. ¡°I was wrong about the imperials.¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°Who would have thought I¡¯d live to see the day the great Hector admitted he was wrong to his juniors?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you bastard!¡± the old man shouted at him. ¡°I have been hiding for too long inside this town, and I was too comfortable with the safety this place provided. I ignored the fact that the true meaning of being a sect cultivator is to take risks for the sect¡¯s future! I was too old and cowardly and didn¡¯t want to risk upsetting the status quo, while you, the young, were right in taking a stand and fighting for your own ideals and future! Is that enough for you?!¡±


    Everyone stared at the old man in shock. Even Domeron¡¯s laughter faded away as he stared at the elder in disbelief.


    Hector scoffed. ¡°I am not beyond admitting my own faults. I am still upset that you disobeyed me, but the fact you did it for the right reasons forces me to put that indignity aside. In the future, I promise you I won¡¯t be so hesitant to take a stand against our enemies, no matter the risks that brings about. At the same time, I won¡¯t be so forgiving against blatant disrespect for the rules. Is that understood?¡±


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°It is, Master Hector.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°However, there is another breach of the rules that needs to be addressed.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Bah! I knew this was too good to be true! What did we do this time, old man?¡±


    ¡°Not you.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°He did it.¡±


    The elder pointed at Allen.


    Everyone¡¯s attention shifted to the young master, and the boy shivered in his chair.

 Chapter 210 - A Secret Revealed

    ¡°You, Allen, have gone against my explicit orders of not leaving the sect grounds.¡± Hector said. ¡°And unlike the rest of your sect members, your offense is by far the most severe.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­¡± Allen shifted in his chair.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Hector cut him off with a wave of his hand. ¡°I was not done speaking.¡±


    The young master nodded in a panic.


    ¡°By putting yourself in danger, not only have you risked your own foolish life, but the lives of your companions as they tried to protect you, and almost wasted all the resources and time the rest of the sect has put into your growth.¡± Hector said with a severe expression.


    ¡°B-But I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    The old man threw him another glare, and Allen fell silent.


    Hector continued. ¡°I care not what notions of grandeur you had, or how much you might want to experience a life of adventure - the responsibility of your life lies with the sect. Everything else is secondary, even your own aspirations and desires¡­ Do you understand?¡±


    Allen looked down and didn¡¯t respond.


    Hector frowned, repeating his question with a threatening tone. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Master Hector.¡± Eiwin interjected. ¡°Young Master Allen didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± the elder raised a hand, cutting off the woman. ¡°I asked him a question! I will not admit anyone else to answer in his stead!¡±


    Allen continued to be silent. He clenched his fists against his trousers and looked around the table. His gaze lingered on Red, but the boy pretend as if he hadn¡¯t noticed the young master¡¯s pleading eyes.


    His intentions were clear.


    ¡®You have to rely on yourself here.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know if Allen understood the meaning of his actions, or if he simply felt betrayed by his companion¡¯s attitude. However, the young master looked back at Hector with a trembling gaze.


    ¡°So?¡± the old man stared at him. ¡°Must I ask you the question again?¡±


    Allen¡¯s expression changed. ¡°N-No¡­¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°Good. Then what is your-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it!¡± the young master slammed his fist against the table in anger.


    Silence reigned in the room as everyone stared at Allen in shock. Hector, most of all, was looking at the boy as if he had just seen the most preposterous scene in the world.


    The elder¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°¡­ What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I-I said I don¡¯t understand it!¡± Allen seemed to find his courage as he repeated his words. ¡°Why do I have to remain here while everyone else risks their lives out there?! Who cares about my duties to the sect?! I never asked for any of it!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Hector got up and pointed a trembling finger at the boy. ¡°Take back what you just said!¡±


    Allen hesitated for a second, but resolve quickly returned to his expression. ¡°I won¡¯t! I¡¯m a cultivator too! If being the sect master means I can¡¯t be out there helping my friends, then I don¡¯t want to be the sect master at all!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Hector stumbled on his feet before falling back onto his chair with a pale expression.


    ¡°Master Hector!¡± Eiwin looked at the elder in concern.


    Hector didn¡¯t seem to hear her. He held his hand between his hands in dismay. ¡°All my years wasted in raising a successor only to turn up with an ingrate¡­ Oh, what would my fellow sect members say if they could see me right now.¡±


    Red stared at the strange display with curiosity. Everyone around the room didn¡¯t seem to know how to react to the elder¡¯s sudden dismay, and they could only exchange gazes with each other in silence.


    Allen, on the other hand, seemed to be regretting his words as he looked at Hector with a troubled expression. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t really mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Hector cut him off. ¡°I know what you mean to say! You¡¯ve made that very clear!¡±


    ¡°B-But I-¡±


    ¡°I SAID ENOUGH!¡± Hector slammed his fist on the table, cracking the wood into splinters and sending the table flying.


    Red and the others jumped back, stumbling between themselves to avoid the wooden shards and the items flying around. The table fell back down with a slam as the treasures they had brought to the sect scattered around the ground.


    Only Hector remained sitting at the table. The old man heaved large gulps of breath in anger, and no one dared to say anything to break the heavy silence that had settled in the hall.


    Hector waved his hand at them. ¡°Out! All of you!¡±


    Not even Narcha dared to disrespect his commands at that moment, as they all sought to shuffle out of the hall with apprehensive expressions.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± the elder called out.


    Everyone froze.


    ¡°Narcha, Eiwin, Red and Domeron.¡± Hector said their names. ¡°You stay. I still need to clarify your reports.¡±


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    Red hesitated. He didn¡¯t want to be near the elder in his moment of rage, but he didn¡¯t think it wise to go against his order, either.


    The others were all too eager to leave the hall. Goulth was still enthralled with the ore and couldn¡¯t wait to go back to his workshop, while Rog and Rimold were trying to be as far away from Hector as possible at the moment. Allen, too, seemed afraid that the elder would change his mind and punish him, so he ran behind his companions.


    Finally, a few seconds later, there were only 5 people in the hall.


    Domeron was staring down at the broken pieces of wood around the room. He looked at Hector with a frown. ¡°You broke our table.¡±


    ¡°So what?!¡± the old man glared at him. ¡°We can just have Goulth build another one!¡±


    ¡°You also broke the pill bottles.¡± the swordsman said.


    Hector waved his hands dismissively. ¡°Bah, it doesn¡¯t matter! Someone will gather them later!¡± he looked back at Eiwin, Narcha, and Red. ¡°So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?!¡±


    Narcha hesitated. ¡°That depends¡­ Will you lash out at us again?¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°Are you going to betray my trust too?¡±


    The warrior shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter. Just spit it out!¡±


    So Narcha did. She told him about what Eiwin had done to defeat a certain monster whose details they couldn¡¯t recall, about how they had found a Parting Sea Pill and how Reinhart had chosen to backstab them at that moment. She trailed off once the topic got to the conversation they had with the knight, though.


    Even Eiwin seemed to be hesitant to speak out.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hector, who was already angry with the interaction from earlier, looked at the two women with suspicion. ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t manage to get the pill, is that right?¡±


    ¡°He tried to blackmail us.¡± Red said. ¡°He wanted us to help him kill you.¡±


    Both Domeron and Hector¡¯s eyes widened in shock once they heard this.


    ¡°He wanted you to betray the sect?¡± the swordsman asked in disbelief.


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Did he give you a reason?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°He did.¡± the boy nodded again. He looked at Hector. ¡°It was for revenge against you.¡±


    ¡°Revenge?¡± the old man frowned. ¡°Revenge for what?¡±


    ¡°For what your sect did.¡± Red said. ¡°He said you and your sect created a technique to extract a cultivator¡¯s Spiritual Sea¡­ He said that you were the master of the individuals responsible for taking his own Spiritual Sea and the closest person to them he could kill to achieve revenge.¡±


    Hector¡¯s face fell once he heard this. Eiwin and Narcha looked at Red with hesitant expressions, but neither tried to stop him as he spoke. Domeron also sighed in resignation, but he remained silent.


    ¡°Is that true then?¡± Red asked. ¡°Did you really come up with such a technique?¡±


    Hector hesitated, but still ended up nodding. ¡°I did. It wasn¡¯t just me, but my research played a large part in the technique¡¯s invention.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I assume the part about your disciples taking his Spiritual Sea is true too?¡±


    Hector¡¯s expression worsened. ¡°How would I know? But I know for a fact my disciples took more than their fair share of Spiritual Seas, so it is obviously plausible.¡±


    Red was relieved by the elder¡¯s honesty, but the information was still alarming to him.


    ¡°Did you take any of them yourself?¡±


    Hector shook his head. ¡°My role in my sect was not what you might think. My realm was very low compared to my companions, so my interactions in the field were very limited. However, when it came to understanding the fundamentals of our sect¡¯s techniques and its applications, not even individuals dozens of times stronger than I could compare.¡±


    The others in the room watched this conversation between Red and Hector in silence. It was clear they knew most of this information beforehand and weren¡¯t surprised by it.


    The boy, on the other hand, was not too sure on what to think about this.


    ¡°Are you worried I will take your Spiritual Sea from you?¡± Hector went straight to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°I am.¡± Red nodded without hesitation.


    Even if the boy had lied, he doubted Hector would have believed him.


    The elder nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not an unfounded worry. I too would be concerned about my superior holding the power to take my Spiritual Sea from me at any point in time.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That is not doing much to assuage my concerns.¡±


    Hector scoffed. ¡°Nothing I say will completely assuage your concerns, so why bother?¡±


    The boy supposed he had a point.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, one of the reasons I left my original sect was precisely because of this technique.¡± Hector said. ¡°Our Ocean Bearers Sect was always focused on healing arts, and one of the biggest conundrums of our research was how to heal a wounded Spiritual Sea, since interacting with it while it remained inside a cultivator¡¯s body was almost impossible. We reached a consensus that taking it out of one¡¯s body, fixing it on the outside world, and then reintroducing it into their body was the only possible way to do it. It was a three-step problem in which we never got past step two.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Red asked.


    Hector sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because taking out a cultivator¡¯s Spiritual Sea from their body brought about unexpected changes. Loss of their cultivation base kept inside their Spiritual Sea was one of them, but there were also problems with the individuals themselves that appeared once they were separated from each other. More specifically, problems with their Spirit, which turned out to be much more severe than whatever wound we were trying to heal in the first place. As such, the idea of the technique stopped in the first phase, but some people within the sect found other uses for it.¡±


    ¡°They used the Spiritual Seas as treasure ingredients, I assume.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°It was an unexpected use of a technique I myself had a hand in inventing, as they were now able to extract the equivalent of extremely rare ingredients from the bodies of cultivators to use in many ways. They also found out that the quality of the Spiritual Sea ingredient didn¡¯t depend on cultivation, but rather on talent. You can imagine what happened from there¡­¡±


    Red could indeed imagine it. Taking talented cultivators off the street, perhaps by force or simply by promising them a spot in their sect, only to stab them in the back and take from them the most important thing for a cultivator. It was an ingenious and devious plan.


    ¡°I protested the use of my technique in this manner.¡± Hector said. ¡°At that point, it did not differ from a demonic technique and we were one of the 7 orthodox sects! We were supposed to fight against those practices¡­ Unfortunately, on the face of such benefits, my protests availed to nothing, and the rampant use of the technique continued¡­ Does that explain everything to you?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°More or less.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°And do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Partially.¡± the boy shrugged.


    People who told the story often made themselves to be the good guy. This was merely the accounts of one man, and while Red appreciated the man¡¯s honesty, he would be foolish to trust it wholeheartedly.


    ¡°There is one thing that confuses me, though.¡± Red said. ¡°Reinhart said you were the master of the cultivators responsible for taking his Spiritual Sea. If you were against the use of this technique, why did your disciples use it?¡±


    Hector¡¯s expression worsened. ¡°Who do you think discovered that demonic use of my technique in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°Are they truly dead, then?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡± Hector said. ¡°Killed by the empire for all their foolishness¡­ However, they left something behind.¡±


    These words seemed to pique the interest of not only Red but also Eiwin and Narcha. Domeron, on the other hand, closed his eyes and seemed to know what was about to come.


    ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell the lot of you is confidential.¡± Hector stared at them with a serious expression. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for what you told me, this would have remained a secret, but considering the urgency of the situation, I have no other choice but to reveal it.¡±


    Narcha frowned in worry. ¡°What is it, old man? Does this have to do with those disciples of yours? Did they leave behind any more cultivators looking for revenge?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have no doubt they did, but that¡¯s not the point.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s about Allen.¡±


    The warrior¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What does this have to do with¡­¡± she trailed off in realization. ¡±Oh no.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°Allen is what my disciples left behind. He is their son.¡±

 Chapter 211 - A True Sect

    There was a silence in the room at this revelation. Neither Eiwin nor Narcha knew how to react, while Red was in deep thought.


    ¡°Does the young master know about this?¡± Eiwin asked.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°He knows his parents were part of the sect and that they were killed by the empire. He doesn¡¯t know about the more¡­ Questionable practice they had their hands in.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Questionable practices?! From your words, it seems like they were engaged in demonic cultivation!¡±


    Hector pursed his lips but didn¡¯t decry her.


    The warrior continued. ¡°Besides, do you think it¡¯s a good idea to hide this from Allen?¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°And what would you do? Tell him his parents committed atrocities and slaughtered innocent cultivators for their Spiritual Seas? What do you think that would do to the psyche of a child?¡±


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°You might be right, but you know you can¡¯t hide this from him forever.¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to. I will tell him when he¡¯s ready.¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t sound as confident as Red was used to witnessing, and he wasn¡¯t the only one that picked up on it.


    ¡°When do you think he will be ready?¡± Narcha frowned. ¡°The more you wait, the more damage you will do when he learns that the parents he looked up to and sought to avenge weren¡¯t so good after all!¡±


    Hector glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t understand it yourself, girl! Although his parents weren¡¯t the heroes the kid thinks they were, this doesn¡¯t change the fact that Allen¡¯s quest for revenge towards the Empire isn¡¯t just! Or what, do you think the people from your tribe were all saints too?!¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth in anger and fell silent.


    Red finally spoke up. ¡°Why are you telling us this? Are you afraid of Reinhart seeking revenge against Allen?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°Not so much of Reinhart, but of the people that might be behind him.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°You mean someone other than Gustav?¡±


    The old man grunted in agreement. ¡°I doubt Reinhart could have acquired this intelligence about me so easily. Even when my sect was still alive, I didn¡¯t have any reputation to speak of and was only known to my fellow sect members¡­ Which is why I believe he must be working with someone else behind the scenes that could acquire that type of information.¡±


    ¡°The Empire then? Or maybe a surviving member of your sect?¡± Narcha said.


    Hector nodded. ¡°Either of them is possible. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s both. There was no lack of cultivators that changed sides to the Empire back then once they noticed the tides changing. They must have placed Reinhart in this town as a spy.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, he doesn''t know about Young Master Allen.¡± Eiwin said in relief.


    Hector sighed. ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t surprise me. My identity was known to quite a few people inside the sect, so it¡¯s not a shock it could have leaked. Allen¡¯s parentage, however, was only known to a scant few, all of which are dead right now or in this room.¡± the elder stared at each and every member with a serious expression. ¡°Suffice it to say, I expect absolute secrecy on your part regarding this and for the three of you to alert me to any signs of Reinhart¡¯s presence in the town.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t even need to say anything, old man. After what Reinhart did in that place, I would be searching for him even if you hadn¡¯t said anything.¡±


    Eiwin and Red also nodded in response, although the boy was still confused about a few matters.


    Hector seemed satisfied, though. ¡°Good. I have entrusted you with the weight of the truth due to what Reinhart revealed to you, and I expected you to wield that power with responsibility. The consequences of letting this leak could be disastrous for the sect and everyone related to it.¡± the old man waved his hands. ¡°Now begone! I have many matters to think about.¡±


    The three of them turned to leave.


    ¡°Not you, boy!¡± Hector interjected. ¡°I need to speak with you.¡±


    Red hesitated. Both Eiwin and Narcha also looked between Hector and the boy with a frown.


    ¡°I said you two can leave!¡± Hector scowled at them. ¡°I won¡¯t take his Spiritual Sea, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re concerned about!¡±


    Narcha scoffed and walked out, while Eiwin looked at Red.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you outside.¡± she said.


    The boy nodded. The younger woman also walked out after that.


    The door to the hall closed behind the two women, leaving behind Red and Hector in the room alone. At least that¡¯s what the boy would have thought until he remembered there was someone else in the room who had been uncharacteristically quiet.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°I thought this was only between me and Hector.¡± Red said, looking at Domeron.


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°I am Hector¡¯s right hand. My presence anywhere he goes is a given. He trusts me implicitly, isn¡¯t that right, old man?¡±


    Said old man ignored the swordsman¡¯s question.


    Red frowned. He returned his attention to Hector. ¡°What do you wish to talk about?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You said you continued on the trial after the others, right?¡± Hector asked after some contemplation.


    The boy nodded. ¡°I did. I don¡¯t remember much, though. All I can recall is having to avoid very dangerous monsters while relying on my detection power. After that, the trial ended.¡±


    The elder grunted. ¡°And you didn¡¯t meet anyone else? No Imperials, no Rickards, no Reinhart?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate to lie. ¡°No one.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°I see¡­¡±


    A silence settled in the room. For a second, the boy thought the elder would accuse him of lying, but thankfully he changed the topic instead.


    ¡°You helped Allen escape, didn¡¯t you?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Red nodded.


    The old man scratched his beard in thought. ¡°And? What did you think about his performance? Did he show any signs of growth?¡±


    The boy was surprised by the question. He had been fully expecting to be punished for helping the young master of the sect escape, but Hector was now asking about how Allen had performed, and without any signs of the anger he had shown earlier.


    Red looked towards Domeron, who was simply smiling at him with his one arm crossed in front of his chest. A possibility came to his mind.


    He looked back at Hector. ¡°Did you know about Allen¡¯s intentions of escaping?¡±


    Hector hesitated, but still nodded. ¡°I did.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°And you still allowed it?¡±


    The elder nodded again. ¡°I did.¡±


    The boy was confused. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I needed him to grow.¡± Hector said as if the reason was obvious. ¡°Of course, if I knew he would be sent to a life or death trial, I would have thought twice about it, but in the end it all worked out.¡±


    Red looked between Domeron and Hector. ¡°You two were in on everything.¡±


    Hector knew about it. Allen¡¯s escape, the sect member¡¯s escapade to investigate the imperials. He was aware of it from the start.


    This revelation came in as an extreme shock to Red.


    ¡°I had to tell Hector.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°He is not stupid. He expected something like this from his sect members as soon as he imposed these limitations.¡±


    Hector let out a dry laugh. ¡°How couldn¡¯t I expect it from a group of stubborn mules like them? I was not only expecting it, but I was counting on it.¡±


    Red was still puzzled. ¡°If you wanted it to happen, why all the theatrics?¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted to test them.¡± Hector said. ¡°I wanted to see how far they were willing to go to resolve their own personal vendettas. I wanted to cultivate their hatred for the Empire towards a common goal and to see them all grow because of it.¡±


    ¡°This all sounds so unnecessary.¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just have told them?¡±


    The old man scoffed. ¡°It was a test¡­ You see, a few months ago before you came about, I had never seen Eiwin disobey my orders even once. She stuck to the rules and principles of the sect, even if it was to the detriment of her companions. Yet, in you came, and then suddenly she is challenging me to my face. I was angry at first, mostly at you, but then I realized this was a true growth on her part, and I was happy about it. Then, she did it again, this time around to help Narcha against the Empire¡±


    Red was baffled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell us how the sect rules and principles were important to you? Why would you be happy about her violating it?¡±


    Hector shook his head. ¡°A sect isn¡¯t about rules and traditions. It¡¯s about the spirit of the sect and how the people seek to achieve it together. It¡¯s something a lot of sects nowadays have forgotten about. They stick to their old-fashioned customs and ideals, following the rules established by their ancestors without a second thought. They are willing to do anything to rise in position inside their sect, even sacrificing their integrity and companions for the sake of a hollow title and prestige. It¡¯s a mockery of the bastions of humanity these sects were in the past and is why I left my sect in the first place.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t say that he understood this ideal sect Hector spoke about, but he could understand the disdain in the old man¡¯s words.


    Hector continued. ¡°Narcha, Eiwin, and Allen hold the idea of a sect on too high of a pedestal. One day, once they are out to explore the world, they will understand how treacherous and petty sect cultivators are too, how they are no heroes to be celebrated. Even the Crystal Sky Sect these days is infested with infighting, though the mortal world at large may be unaware of it. These are not the examples I want them to follow. I want them to challenge the rules and authority imposed over them, to stand up for each other and carry the spirit of the sect with themselves, not bound by traditions or petty worries. I want them to rely on each other, to put their own lives on the line for their companions and reach as one for that ultimate goal of all cultivators - immortality! This is what a true sect is and what I want this Water Dragon Sect to become in the future¡­ For that, though, they must prove themselves willing to challenge the judgment of the ones they fear and respect the most.¡±


    Red was starting to understand it. ¡°Is that why you are putting up this act? To raise a rebellious and cooperative spirit in them?¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t sure how that was supposed to work, and yet judging by what he had seen from the others, it seemed to be working. He had lost count of how many times his fellow sect members had risked their lives to save each other. Even Red was no exception to that.


    Hector grinned. ¡°It sounds ridiculous when you put it that way, but it¡¯s just how I like to teach. There is no point in spelling things out to my students - either they grasp these concepts on their own or they die trying. It¡¯s just the cultivator way.¡±


    It seemed Hector and his master were of the same mind on these matters. There was, however, still one thing that Red was confused about.


    ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± the boy asked. ¡°It seems risky to entrust me with this information.¡±


    Red had barely been part of this sect for a few months. How could he be trusted with so much delicate information?


    Hector scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a cynic, boy. I told you all of this, but did you feel moved at all? You probably spend every hour of the day wondering how people around you can betray you, how you can be stabbed in the back at your most vulnerable moments, how you can only rely on yourself at the end of the day¡­ Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°In some ways, those are the markings of a true cultivator, but I¡¯m trying to build a sect, not create a bunch of independent and arrogant rogue cultivators.¡± the elder said. ¡°Still, there is at least one admirable trait to you - you have a sense of honor. There were times when you put your life on the line for your companions, even if you were unwilling to and knew how prejudicial it would be for your future. You might have had an ulterior motive behind those actions too, but what matters is that you saw them through. This is why I know I can trust you.¡±


    Hector took a badge out of nowhere and handed it to Red. It was a bronze medallion, depicting a large-beaked and slender bird with astonishing detail.


    ¡°This is why I have a new position for you inside this sect.¡± the elder said.

 Chapter 212 - Rain Dance

    Red regarded the medallion with some wariness.


    He looked up at Hector. ¡°What kind of position?¡±


    The elder smiled. ¡°Have you ever heard of a heron bird?¡±


    Red shook his head.


    ¡°They are adept and stealthy hunters.¡± Hector said. ¡°Yet they don¡¯t stalk and search for their prey like you might think. Instead, they wade into shallow waters using their long legs and remain still and observant, waiting for a fish to come by so they may catch it. Sometimes they even use bait to attract their prey. They are incredibly patient hunters, and many cultivators have studied these beasts¡¯ mannerisms to develop their own techniques.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°What do you mean to say?¡±


    Red was always interested in learning more about beasts and other matters of the cultivation world, but right now, his priority was to understand what Hector wanted of him.


    The Hector continued to smile. ¡°Some cultivators who studied these herons were from my sect. They incorporated their observations into their weapon techniques and became some of the most adept assassins in the cultivation world. They hid in plain sight, waiting for their victims to wander by. Then, in the blink of an eye, they struck, and suddenly our sect had one less enemy to worry about. Most of the time, the people in the scene didn¡¯t even see what happen before our assassins left the scene.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°So that¡¯s what you want me to be? An assassin?¡±


    Domeron spoke up. ¡°I think it fits you. This practice requires patience, ruthlessness, and an eye for opportunity. Out of everyone in this sect, you are the only person who has all three of those traits in abundance.¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t sure whether he was supposed to be flattered.


    ¡°Of course, I do not intend to send you on political assassinations like our sect did.¡± Hector said. ¡°What I want is for you to protect and watch the back of those three. They lack the resolve and ruthlessness required to thrive in the cultivation world, and although I hope one day they will grow up too, I must have someone willing to do what¡¯s necessary with them.¡±


    ¡°You mean you want me to kill everyone who threatens them?¡± Red asked.


    Hector nodded with a grin. ¡°More or less. Of course, I don¡¯t mean to trick you. You would still be an assassin, trained to get rid of the enemies of this sect. However, you may rest easy in the fact that you are doing this for your companions and not for my own personal interests.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very convincing.¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°Nothing I say will be fully convincing to a paranoid child like you. How about a promise then - if you do not agree with a mission I assign you, you may refuse it. How does that sound?¡±


    Red hesitated. This was an extremely important decision he was about to make, and he wasn¡¯t willing to rush into it while not aware of all the benefits and dangers involved in it.


    Domeron seemed to have almost read his mind. ¡°Your training will also change. I will not only teach you how to fight, but I will also teach you how to kill. This will involve teaching you the weapon arts of the Great Heron School of the Ocean Bearers Sect.¡±


    The boy¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°You mean like a Spiritual Art?¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°More or less. It¡¯s something you will be able to use in the future if you break into the Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Red¡¯s hesitation disappeared. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Hector glared at the boy. ¡°What, was the prospect of helping your companions not attractive enough for you? All I needed to do was to offer you a reward for you to do something?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Bah, get out of here, you greedy brat!¡±


    ¡°¡­ What do I do with the medallion?


    ¡°Just take it with you! I don¡¯t care!¡±


    Red examined the lump of metal. ¡°Can I sell it?¡±


    Hector¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°If you sell it, I¡¯ll skin you alive!¡±


    Red supposed that was a no.


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Just go rest. Your training will begin tomorrow, and I¡¯m sure Goulth will also want to talk your ear off.¡±


    Red nodded and walked towards the exit, leaving behind a fuming Hector and a smiling Domeron.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As soon as he walked out of the hall, he saw Narcha and Eiwin waiting for him near the fence. The boy wondered whether they had heard any of his conversation with Hector, but he didn¡¯t think the elder would be careless when talking about so much important information.


    Narcha waved him over. ¡°Come here, kid!¡±


    Red walked to them.


    The warrior smiled. ¡°You¡¯re still alive, huh?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Were you worried Hector was going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Well-¡±


    ¡°We were not.¡± Eiwin cut her companion off. ¡°We were simply worried Hector was going to punish you for bringing Allen out¡­ Wait, did he?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°He just wanted to talk about the trial.¡±


    ¡°Talk about the trial?¡± Narcha seemed confused. ¡°What else could you tell him we didn¡¯t already?¡±


    ¡°He thought I was a more impartial witness to the events there and could give him a more reliable account on what happened.¡± Red said. ¡°He told me he couldn¡¯t trust you because you were too hot-headed, and he couldn¡¯t trust Eiwin either because she always covers for you.¡±


    The boy lied as naturally as he breathed, and the two women seemed to be convinced by it.


    Narcha gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°That bastard! That¡¯s exactly something that he would say!¡±


    ¡®I know, which is why I came up with it.¡¯


    ¡°Enough, Miss Valt.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°It is understandable that Master Hector would be wary of us after what happened. Besides, we didn¡¯t omit anything in our report, so there is nothing he could fault us for.¡±


    The warrior nodded with some reluctance. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that all you wanted to ask about? I¡¯d like to rest if that¡¯s fine.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Narcha stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡±


    The woman picked something out of her pouch before handing it to Red. It was a glass vial full of dozens of green-colored pills.


    Red examined the medicine. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Wood-Attributed Vein Opening Pills.¡± Narcha said. ¡°I exchanged for them with the remaining Spirit Stones we had.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you give this to Hector?¡±


    The warrior shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s because it belongs to you. You gave out all your Spirit Stones to me to exchange for the medicine and couldn¡¯t exchange for anything for yourself. It¡¯s only fair I got something for you.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to hesitate, Red. These pills will be very useful for you in opening the rest of your veins. Wood is the most gentle of elements too, so the energy in the medicine will be very easy to control.¡±


    Red nodded, storing the vial in his pocket. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten very far in that trial.¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°She is right. You have helped us in more ways than you can possibly know, Red, so it¡¯s only fair you are rewarded for it.¡±


    ¡°Now go and have your rest!¡± the warrior waved him off. ¡°We are tired too, so we¡¯ll be going to our own rooms.¡±


    Red nodded again and walked away.


    At this point, his crimson sense could already encompass the entire sect, so the boy knew there was no one waiting for him near his room. That was ideal. He needed time to think.


    Red entered the small wooden building, closing the door behind himself. He didn¡¯t even bother turning on the lantern, as his improved vision allowed him to see in the room''s darkness. He sat on the bed, taking out the bottle of pills Narcha had just given him.


    The boy was conflicted.


    ¡®Do I tell her about the Parting Storm formation?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know. There were too many complications with this matter. On one hand, it was the best way he could repay Narcha for lying to her, but on the other hand, it was an enormous risk he would be taking.


    First of all, the boy couldn¡¯t reveal this formation to any other specialists, considering the value it had. He needed to build it himself, but he didn¡¯t know how long that would take him. Narcha only had a few years left to open her Spiritual Sea, and Red was just not sure he could learn it by then, much less gather all the supposed rare materials. Then there was also the fact that this formation wasn¡¯t a pill - it didn¡¯t guarantee you could open your Spiritual Sea. Sure, for Narcha it was better than nothing, but was it worth it for the boy to give her false hope?


    Maybe it was the only chance she had, but Red needed time to do his research first. As long as he felt it was possible to build this formation within two years, then he would tell Narcha about it. If it was impossible, then there was no point in giving her hope only to waste her time.


    At this moment, the boy was too mentally tired to go through the Arcane Scripture book, though. There was, however, something he was keen to try.


    He picked out one of the manuals from his pouch and read the title.


    ¡®Storm¡¯s Blessing.¡¯


    It was a curious name. Could a storm ever be considered a blessing? Weren¡¯t they a very destructive natural phenomenon? Perhaps there was a deeper meaning behind this, but Red wasn¡¯t in the right mindset to think about it.


    He opened the book and right on the first few pages he found out what he was looking - the vein opening technique that the hawk had spoken about. Once he read the name of said art, though, his expression changed.


    ¡®Rain dance?¡¯


    Since when could a dance help you open your veins? As Red continued to read the instructions, he was even more perplexed. The manual depicted a set of ridiculous and exaggerated movements, which it called dance moves. Apparently, Red was supposed to repeat this dance until he felt the spirit of the rain calling for him, and by then the blessed Spiritual Energy would enter his body. Not only that, but the boy had to repeat the same sentence the entire time he was practicing the technique.


    ¡®Oh rain, bless your lost child.¡¯


    The boy almost thought this was an elaborate prank, but he doubted the hawk would spend so much effort just to trick the trial¡¯s winner. So, Red decided to put the manual down and tried to imitate the movements.


    As soon as he did the first steps, the boy hesitated.


    ¡®This is ridiculous.¡¯


    Red sighed and put such thoughts to the back of his mind. He repeated the movements many times with diligence, even if he thought of them as silly. The dance itself was very simple, with many hops and movements of the arms, as if praying to the skies.


    Red spoke the sentence outloud, knowing through his crimson sense no one else was near him to hear it. This went on for almost ten minutes, with nothing happening.


    Just as the boy was thinking that he was doing something wrong, he heard the boom of thunder in his ear. His movements faltered as he was shocked.


    ¡®Is it raining?¡¯


    Red looked at the sky outside his window. It was a clear night, with no signs of clouds.


    ¡®What is going-¡¯


    Before the boy could complete his thought, another boom sounded in his ear, and he felt a raging tide of energy enter his veins.

 Chapter 213 - Taking Stock

    Red immediately sat down to focus on the energy entering his body. Although the situation took him by surprise, he didn¡¯t panic. It wasn¡¯t the first time he dealt with rampant forces inside of his body.


    This Spiritual Energy, however, was unlike anything he had ever seen.


    It was strong, far thicker than the Spiritual Energy Red was used to cultivating with. Yet his veins seemed more than capable of bearing this brunt. The true challenge for the boy was controlling the energy.


    Every time he tried to exert the little bit of control he had over his own veins to direct the energy, it slipped away from him, diving into another part of his body. It was like trying to direct a stubborn animal to its pen - it did the exact opposite of everything you ordered it to do.


    Red frowned.


    ¡®Since when is cultivation supposed to be like this?¡¯


    The boy struggled again and again, to no avail. Five minutes passed before the energy dissipated from his veins, with Red being unable to use even a thread of it to open his acupoints.


    He felt mentally exhausted, but still tried to ponder upon what he experienced.


    ¡®The manual said nothing about this.¡¯


    Red started to have some doubts. With the technique he learnt from Viran, there was no need to exert fine control over the Spiritual Energy. In fact, the threads of energy would naturally travel towards the boy¡¯s unopened veins, and all he needed to do was give it a push.


    This energy from the ¡®rain dance¡¯ was quite the opposite. It ran rampant inside his body, not stopping at one place for more than a moment. It was impossible to use it to cultivate under these circumstances, and yet Red didn¡¯t see how he was supposed to control it when he didn¡¯t even have his Spiritual Sea open.


    ¡®I have to be missing something.¡¯


    He doubted the spirit would give him a faulty technique. Yet, no matter how many times he read the explanation for the technique in the manual, he found no explanation of any sort.


    ¡®I suppose this is something I will have to figure out on my own.¡¯


    Red had a few ideas already, but he didn¡¯t dare try them in his current state. This being the case, he put the manual aside for now. There was no reason to rush it.


    Then the boy promptly pulled out another manual. A Primer on Arcane Scripture.


    ¡°Arcane scripture is the true language of the world.¡±


    This was the first phrase Red came across when he opened the book. Unlike the cultivation manual, the explanation in these texts came across more like a diary, and the boy could feel the writer¡¯s feelings and personalities come through these words.


    The manual then explained what Arcane Scripture was.


    ¡°Arcane Scripture consists of all symbols that once taken shape, may evoke a reaction in the world around it.¡±


    The deliberate choice of words left Red curious. The boy had been led to believe that Arcane Scripture could only be represented through drawings and etchings, but this sentence seemed to hint otherwise. No explanation seemed to be forthcoming, though, so he continued reading.


    ¡°Arcane Scripture is used in four different areas: formation-building, talisman-drawing, rune-carving, and in the execution and creation of spells. This means that by mastering the basics of Arcane Scripture, one would also achieve initial proficiency in any of those areas. This makes it by far the most useful trade skill in the cultivation world and can earn an individual a large amount of riches to help their journey.¡¯


    Red frowned. Why did the manual put such emphasis on earning money in the explanation? Did his master predict that his disciple would be poor? Not that the boy was complaining. He would need a large amount of resources if he planned to build that formation and heal his wounded acupoint.


    The boy was also curious about the spells the manual mentioned. He was not aware that Arcane Scripture was also tied to such an integral part of combat for stronger cultivators. If that was the case, did it mean Hector also had some mastery over Arcane Scripture?


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    If that was the case, why would the elder throw the responsibility of studying Arcane Scripture to Goulth? Red felt compelled to find the answer, but the book didn¡¯t seem to broach this question just yet, and the boy had no intentions of skipping the explanations.


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    ¡°Humans first found out about Arcane Scripture by observing certain natural phenomena in the very dawn of cultivation. The shapes of a storm, the veins of a leaf, the arc of a lightning - the arcane symbols can be found all over the world. Yet, no one truly knows how the practice itself originated and who was responsible for coming up with the idea of utilizing these symbols for another purpose. Over tens of thousands of years, humans have developed the Arcane Scripture to serve many purposes, and they even manage to create symbols not previously found in nature, which expanded the practice to new horizons.¡±


    The explanation sounded familiar to Red. He recalled what Eiwin had told him about Spiritual Energy - how humans were able to create previously unseen types of energy based on abstract concepts such as swordsmanship, order, virtue, and many others. It seemed this concept extended beyond just pure energy, though.


    Red continued to read the manual. It didn¡¯t delve deep into these interesting matters, only establishing a basic understanding of them before diving straight into the practice itself.


    It explained the materials Red needed for the Arcane Scripture - that being a fine-point pen and paper - at least for the basics. More complex arcane symbols would require much more expensive material, but right now, this wasn¡¯t the boy¡¯s concern. The manual said that his first goal should be to familiarize himself with the fundamental arcane symbols and how to draw them.


    Said fundamental symbols consisted of 496 complex drawings that Red had to master before even beginning his study proper. The manual explained the use of every symbol. Some of them represented basic elements - such as fire and water - while others represented concepts and connections - such as expand, retract, retain. Many of those basic symbols also had variations depending on their use, which meant that it was more than simply 496 drawings the boy had to memorize.


    Red immediately understood how daunting the task ahead of him was. It was no wonder this was such a difficult practice. He felt his head hurting just by looking at one of these symbols, and now he was supposed to draw and memorize almost 500 of them.


    How long would that take?


    The boy was not discouraged, though. He was not afraid of hard work; he was afraid of having no path forward at all.


    Red closed the book and made up his mind.


    ¡®I will need to ask Master Goulth for help tomorrow. He must have proper paper and pens for this.¡¯


    The boy was not too worried about revealing his intentions of learning Arcane Scripture to the blacksmith. The giant had always kept a secret for him. What worried the boy was how Goulth would react when he learned Red intended to focus on something else than blacksmithing.


    Would the man be happy that he could share some of his burden with Red? Or would he be angry at the boy for splitting his attention to some other practice?


    Red didn¡¯t know, but he had to find out one way or the other.


    After addressing his two most immediate concerns, the boy looked down at his arm. He pulled back his sleeve, revealing the silver bracelet wrapped around his wrist. The treasure stood out on Red¡¯s arm, and the only reason no one had asked him about it was because his sleeve was covering it.


    Yet, how long could he keep it hidden? The chances of someone spotting it during his day-to-day life in the sect were too high for the boy to risk it. Red didn¡¯t think they would push him about the bracelet¡¯s function if he wasn¡¯t willing to talk about it, but the boy would rather not arouse any suspicion in the first place.


    So he took it off his wrist and tried to put it around his ankle. Red was expecting it to be a tight fit, but to his surprise, the bracelet seemed to change sizes on its own and strapped around his legs perfectly. The boy then pulled both his trousers and his socks over it, so in that manner it would be better hidden than in his wrist.


    It was still a risk that others would find out about it, but this was the best Red could do.


    An hour had passed since the boy had entered his room, and yet with his curiosity sated, there were still so many things he needed to address urgently before sleeping.


    He sat down cross-legged on his bed and used the meditation technique Eiwin taught him. His expanded awareness came to him even more easily now that he was out of danger, and Red was able to inspect his own body.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary compared to last time, which made him relieved. He had felt nothing weird in his transformed eye either, which meant that the demonification hadn¡¯t gone past the surface level.


    Red then focused on the mist covering every corner of his body. The strands didn¡¯t stir like they did the last time once they came into contact with his awareness, though, which left the boy confused. He tried it again a few times, but the mist remained silent.


    Red was suspicious about this behavior. Yet, there was nothing he could do against the being inhabiting his body right now other than observe it and be careful.


    The boy let the expanded awareness dissipate, focusing back on his surroundings. More specifically, he focused on his enhanced crimson sense.


    Back in the trial, Red didn¡¯t have the time to inspect it thoroughly. Now, however, he could examine its new limits in the comfort of his room.


    Like he had thought before, the range of detection of his crimson sense had doubled to around two hundred meters. All things considered, this wasn¡¯t that large of an increase effectively in a plain environment, but in the town and forest with countless buildings and trees behind which he and his stalkers could hide? It was invaluable.


    Then, there was also the matter of precision. Red felt he could discern the fluctuations of others better, even in a crowd. Not to mention, when he inspected his sect members earlier, he felt like he could feel more details about their fluctuations. He didn¡¯t know what they meant, but his experience in the trial had offered him a lot of insight into how his power worked.


    First, he was almost confident that what his crimson sense detected had to do with blood. This was supported by the fact the body could not feel any non-living beings with his crimson sense, such as the hawk spirit and the statues, and also because of his other ¡°demonic¡± powers having to do with blood too. It was just conjecture at this point, but Red felt as if he wasn¡¯t too far off mark.


    There were, however, some problems with that theory. If what he felt was blood or related to blood, why couldn¡¯t he feel this blood once it left an individual¡¯s body? He couldn¡¯t feel the fluctuations of puddles of blood, or any dissected flesh, for that matter. This left him confused.


    And yet there was an even more puzzling matter for the boy.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I feel my own fluctuation?¡¯

 Chapter 214 - The Dark Star

    Red always thought of his detection power as a sixth sense, hence the name. Yet, if that was the case, why couldn¡¯t he detect himself with this crimson sense? He could see himself with his vision, smell his own odor, and hear his own voice, so why would this detection power be an exception?


    Perhaps the boy had the wrong idea in the first place. He understood little about the power, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for him to be off the mark with his conjectures. Yet, this detail left Red both curious and unnerved.


    What would he feel if he could detect his own fluctuation? Would he be able to detect the mist? Would he feel his own dwindling life essence?


    This was something he decided to work towards understanding. The usefulness of his crimson sense couldn¡¯t be overstated. It saved his life countless times, and Red felt as if he barely scratched the surface of what this power was capable of. However, there were some things he was worried about regarding it.


    The boy was wary of the demonic origins of his crimson sense, and he wasn¡¯t sure whether using it contributed towards his demonification. Yet, he couldn¡¯t ¡°turn off¡± the ability, as he found out, so he didn¡¯t have a choice. Since that was the case, he decided to take the hawk¡¯s advice and seek to explore and understand this power in the future.


    Red spent the next half an hour studying his companions'' fluctuations as he laid in bed. Already he found out details he couldn¡¯t pick out before. In particular, the boy discerned one specific trait from his observations.


    ¡®It seems the younger you are, the more active your fluctuation is.¡¯


    It was extremely easy to miss this at first. Yet, the more he observed it, the more easily he could feel them. There was a certain ¡°vibration¡± to every signal he detected. It didn¡¯t seem to be tied to the strength of the fluctuation itself, yet it hinted at a potential strength that was hidden inside the body of each individual.


    The most active fluctuation was Allen¡¯s by far, followed by Eiwin, Narcha, and Rimold in this order, which just so happened to match with their ages as far as Red knew. Then there were the other ones whose fluctuations were slower - the order being Rog, Goulth, Domeron, and Hector.


    In fact, Hector¡¯s fluctuation was much more inert compared to the rest of them. It was like each ¡°wave¡± his crimson sense detected coming from the elder was dozens of times stronger than the others in the sect, yet they didn¡¯t come as frequently as the others either. Red guessed this had to do with his age.


    ¡®I wonder how old he is.¡¯


    Was the elder close to death? You never knew with a cultivator. If the boy wanted to know, he would need to experiment with others around town.


    Still, the little time he spent studying his companions with his powers yielded him far more knowledge than he was expecting. Perhaps in the future he would be able to tell much more about an individual other than just their strength and age.


    ¡®Not now, though¡­ Now I need to sleep.¡¯


    Red laid his head down on the bed and closed his eyes. For some reason, as darkness started to take his consciousness, the boy had a strange feeling that something was waiting for him.


    These thoughts didn¡¯t have the opportunity to develop, as his exhaustion carried him to the land beyond.


    ¡­


    Cold, hard ground.


    This was the first thing Red felt. He immediately knew where he was.


    The boy opened his eyes.


    Endless black sand. Bone mountains. A blood crimson sky. A dark sun.


    He was in hell again.


    ¡®So that¡¯s what was calling for me¡­¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t feel any comfort in knowing he predicted his foray into this realm.


    The boy tried to get up, before feeling a pressure on his wrist. He looked down, noticing a skeletal hand grabbing his hand. He followed the bones up with his gaze, before coming to rest on a human skeleton wearing plated armor, lying motionless on the ground by his side.


    Red was shocked.


    ¡®Where did this come from?¡¯


    The boy observed the skeleton, noticing the ornaments decorating his armor. He felt as if he had seen this scene before, but no matter how much he concentrated on it, he couldn¡¯t recall where. All he could think about was the emotional distress he had felt back then.


    It was as if a part of his memory had gone missing.


    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯


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    Red¡¯s eyes widened. His feelings seemed to be exactly the same as his fellow sect members who had their memory wiped out after leaving the trial.


    The boy felt his blood run cold. Had his memory been messed with, too?


    After analyzing the situation, Red felt this was almost certainly what had happened. Yet, who could have done this?


    Was it the hawk spirit? What reason did it have to do something like that after being so open with his knowledge?


    Was it the mist? Could it have been trying to hide something from the boy?


    Red felt a sense of dread come over him. He freed himself from the skeletal grip and sat cross-legged on the ground.


    He closed his eyes and concentrated on the meditation technique. The boy felt his awareness expand, and he peered inside his own body.


    Red¡¯s mind was shaken again. The mist, which had burrowed into almost every corner of his body, was nowhere to be seen. The boy checked it again, but there was nothing.


    ¡®Where did it go?¡¯


    Red almost fell into a panic again under the strangeness of this situation. The fact the mist had possibly altered his memories made the boy reassess the entire relationship with this demonic presence.


    He took a deep breath, using the meditation technique to calm himself down again. Red recalled the hawk¡¯s words.


    ¡®Analyze everything with an open and rational mind¡­¡¯


    There was no point in panicking. There were many things Red didn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t hope to understand about this situation and this place yet, so he had to focus on the things he could understand.


    First, he focused on himself.


    Curiously enough, Red was wearing the same clothes he wore when he had first entered this place - that being the fancy garbs Eiwin provided him on his first night in the sect. He hadn¡¯t noticed this before, and this strange occurrence confused him. None of his belongings were with him, unfortunately.


    Red¡¯s hand moved up, feeling the side of his face which had undergone demonification. To his surprise, all he felt was smooth skin, which left him even more flabbergasted.


    ¡®What happened to my scales?¡¯


    The boy couldn¡¯t think of a reasonable explanation. Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be the Infernal Realm? Why was his demonification reversed in this place?


    The only possibility Red could think about was if this wasn¡¯t his actual body he was currently in, but rather a dream version of himself or something similar.


    ¡®Everything here still feels so real, though.¡¯


    The boy managed to use his meditation technique to inspect his body. Was this something possible in a dream? Red didn¡¯t know, but upon finding nothing else after a thorough self inspection, he examined the armored skeleton.


    From experience, the boy was able to tell this skeleton belonged to a man. There were no signs of rot on the bones, which meant that either things didn¡¯t decompose in this place on this corpse was very recent. Red looked through his armor and body, but was unable to find anything. There were no signs of cracks or fractures on his skeleton either, which made the cause of death unclear.


    ¡®Why was he grabbing onto me?¡¯


    Red was unsure of what kind of interaction other than a fight could result in that, considering his own cautious nature. The more important part, though, was what was this person doing here.


    ¡®Could it be another individual who made a deal with the mist?¡¯


    That would make sense. Technically, Red didn¡¯t really know if he was the first person to bring this demonic presence out of the underground, so it might have already spread to the world at large without his knowledge. Yet, the most important part was why was this individual right next to him?


    There were so many questions Red had, and all answers he could provide were mere conjecture. It was somewhat frustrating for the boy, but he didn¡¯t lose spirit.


    The answers might not come quick or easily, but one always has to start from somewhere. Conjecture was the first step toward true knowledge.


    Red looked around, noticing the large bone mound he had been moving to the last time he had been in this dream. The mountain-sized rib still looked impossibly far away, but this was the closest thing the boy had in his vicinity.


    He thought about taking the man¡¯s plate armor with himself, but he changed his mind after feeling how heavy the equipment was. Instead, the boy took apart the man¡¯s skeleton before taking a few of his limb bones and ribs with himself as some kind of improvised weapon. This was unlikely to defend him against anything in this place, but it was preferable to walking unarmed.


    Besides, Red still had an idea.


    He used one of the broken bones to stab at his own hand. The task was surprisingly difficult, as the skeleton seemed to be more brittle than Red was expecting, but eventually the boy succeeded. A fine stream of blood flowed down his palm before dripping onto the black sand below.


    The fluid just flowed between the grains before disappearing with no further reaction. It looked like his blood invoked no magical reaction in this place.


    Red looked back at his wound, noticing it had yet to regenerate. It seemed as if that power was tied to the mist inside his body. He wondered whether his crimson sense would still work here, but even if it did, there was nothing for the boy to detect.


    He tightened his fists, putting pressure on the bleeding to stop it. Then, his gaze wandered back to the mountain in the distance.


    ¡®Another endless journey, then?¡¯


    Red was used to those at this point. He walked forward.


    ¡­


    Time passed by.


    Once more, Red was uncertain how long exactly. It could have been a few hours, or it could have been a few days. To his surprise, though, this time around, he was making progress.


    The bone mound got progressively bigger in his vision, which meant that this place wasn¡¯t some kind of spatial distortion, like the inheritance ground he had come from. However, even after walking for an eternity, Red had yet to reach the protruding mountain, and he was already near the point of exhaustion.


    ¡®This is strange¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be this tired.¡¯


    Red guessed this was another side effect of having the mist leave his body. His improved endurance was gone, and now the boy was back to being a ten-year-old child with three veins open. His progress was inevitably slowed down because of this.


    Just as the boy was contemplating sitting down to rest, he felt the ground rumble. He stood on guard.


    ¡®Could it be that fiend?¡¯


    Red recalled the first time he came to this place and the impossibly large demon that burst out from beneath the black sand. This rumbling was a prelude to it. Yet, even as the rumbling continued, the boy couldn¡¯t see any signs of this creature.


    Red frowned, wondering what was happening before he felt something. It was a familiar sensation in some ways, yet this time it filled him with dread that the boy didn¡¯t think imaginable.


    He shivered and looked up.


    The blood sky trembled. The firmament seemed to grow ever so close to the boy. And then, in the center of it all, was the dark star.


    It shimmered, and Red saw something on its surface.


    He saw rage.


    He saw violence.


    He saw death.


    He saw destruction.


    He saw the end of everything.


    Then he saw nothing.

 Chapter 215 - The Art of Assassination

    Red was woken up by the sound of knocking at his door.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the boy sat up in his bed in a daze.


    He looked around in confusion.


    He remembered staring at the sky one moment, and on the next he was back in the real world. Red didn¡¯t recall what he saw, but he had the distinct sensation that it was an extremely terrifying sight.


    In fact, the more he tried to remember it, the more this feeling of dread settled in his gut. Red fought his own desire of understanding and looking into this mystery and decided to let the matter go for now. He learned from his own experience and from the hawk¡¯s words that certain things in this world would be aware if they were mentioned in conversation or even thought about.


    He couldn¡¯t afford that right now.


    Another knock at the door.


    ¡°Come out, kid.¡± Domeron¡¯s voice came from the other side. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Only now did Red register there was someone waiting for him at his door. He looked out his window with a frown.


    It was still the middle of the night.


    The boy got up and opened his door. On the other side, he saw Domeron waiting for him with a smile.


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I said we need to talk.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°Many matters.¡±


    ¡°Is it so urgent that we need to do it in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Well, not really.¡± the swordsman shrugged. ¡°However, you should get used to it. It¡¯s not convenient to do your training while others are watching, so we will mostly train in the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°And you think the others won¡¯t notice it?¡± Red was skeptical.


    ¡°They probably will.¡± Domeron said. ¡°But they will know better than to stick their nose in my business. Besides, you have your power, don¡¯t you? You will be able to tell if anyone is spying on us.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°To the training field.¡± the man pointed it out. ¡°We can have our conversation there.¡±


    Domeron led the way, and soon the two of them found themselves in the sand field. Red checked for his sect member¡¯s fluctuations, but all of them seemed to have retired to their chambers. The boy did feel the curious absence of Rimold¡¯s presence in the sect vicinities, but he didn¡¯t mention it to Domeron.


    The swordsman turned around and nodded at Red. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Go ahead with what?¡±


    ¡°With your questions.¡±


    ¡°What questions?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you wondering why I didn¡¯t tell you that Hector knew about Allen¡¯s escape plan?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Hector¡¯s explanation was very clear.¡±


    ¡°And aren¡¯t you angry that I tricked you?¡±


    ¡°Not angry, just surprised.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the man frowned.


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t trust much at face value, but I was really convinced by your speech about the Empire and how Hector¡¯s attitude was helping them¡­ Turns out, the two of you are just really good at playing your parts.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°A good lie always has a bit of truth mixed in. I believed in what I said, and to a certain degree, I do think people like Hector were responsible for the rise of the Empire¡­ But in that situation, I was just using that to convince you to take part in our plan.¡±


    ¡°So it seems. I only hope it pays out for Allen in the long run.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no way anyone can know that. We can only try to push him on the right path, but he is the only one that can walk it.¡±


    ¡°And what is this right path exactly? Do you plan to have him start his own sect and begin an uprising against the Empire?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°That is more or less Hector¡¯s dream.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Although he is thinking more in the long term, too. As long as Allen can sow the seeds for the growth of the rise of a new sect according to his image in the future, then Hector will consider his work done.¡±


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    ¡°What about you? Do you have any thoughts of your own about this?¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°Are you trying to probe into my real thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded.


    Domeron was a mystery to the boy. First of all, he was apparently the strongest person in the sect below Hector, and that was just with one arm. However, Red had never seen him in action outside of training. Then there was also the man¡¯s attitude. He was the only person inside the sect that seemed capable of reprimanding Hector on his actions, and the old man also respected his opinions. However, a lot of it might have been pure theatrics, and maybe Domeron was actually completely deferential to the elder.


    Red didn¡¯t think that was the case, though. He wasn¡¯t the best judge of character, but he didn¡¯t think Domeron¡¯s attitude and fearlessness in front of Hector could be faked. There was something about the man that spoke to an unyielding and carefree attitude in front of anything in his life, despite his missing arm and non-existent hopes of reaching the Lesser Ring Realm.


    The boy thought it was admirable, and if Domeron was able to fake it, then Red had to applaud him.


    The swordsman continued to smile at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care much either way. I don¡¯t have any ambitions and one of the few joys I can get from my day-to-day life is preparing the next generation to take on the world as I once did. If one day kids like you, Allen, Narcha, and Eiwin leave their marks in this world, then I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±


    Domeron turned around and walked to the weapon rack. He picked out two wooden long swords, throwing one towards Red.


    He stared at the boy with a widening grin. ¡°Now I finally get to train an actual assassin. I¡¯m quite excited myself.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between what you will teach me and what you are teaching the others?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Well, I teach them how to fight. You, I will teach how to kill.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is there a difference?¡±


    ¡°Sure there is.¡± Domeron nodded, as if it was the most obvious matter in the world. ¡°You see, the fighting I teach them is straight forward combat - how to defend yourself and defeat your opponents. It is obviously an extremely important skill, but fighting is not the most efficient way of killing. It requires too much effort and involves taking too many risks, and in cultivation, that is something you want to minimize whenever you can. The most efficient way of killing is ending the fight in a single blow before the enemy even knows what is happening.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious though?¡± the boy was confused.


    That train of thought was self-evident when you spoke about fighting in general.


    ¡°Of course it is, and yet if it could be accomplished as easily as that, there would be no need for learning how to fight.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°It requires grasping and creating opportunity, as well as knowing how to act when the time comes. The mastery of that practice is called assassination, and it requires far more than just knowing how to fight.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Red nodded in understanding. ¡°But why don¡¯t you teach the others about it, too? Wouldn¡¯t it be a useful skill to have?¡±


    ¡°Every skill is useful to have, but not everyone can learn every skill.¡± the man said. ¡°Assassination requires subtlety, cunning, and skullduggery. Do you think people like Narcha with her unruliness, Eiwin with her honest nature, and Allen with his naivety would be good fits for that?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Only someone devious like you who is used to sneaking around, stealing things, and stabbing people in the back with no remorse is suited for such a practice.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t sure whether that was a compliment.


    Domeron continued. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m not really here to teach you everything about assassination. I was never an accomplished assassin myself, so a lot of the fine details will be on you to learn.¡±


    ¡°What are you here to teach me then?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°I will teach you the most important part of assassination.¡± Domeron pointed his sword at the boy. ¡°Killing with one blow.¡±


    The swordsman walked over to one of the wooden dummies in the courtyard.


    ¡°You see, one of the more important matters of assassination is knowing where to strike and for this you need a knowledge of human anatomy.¡± Domeron started to tap the dummy with his weapon. ¡°The human being has a total of five vital organs, without which their body would certainly die very quickly. Those are the kidneys, the lungs, the heart, the liver, and the brain. Damaging any of those hard enough may cause near instant death, or at the very least imminent death, and is what assassination mostly focuses on. Of course, though, when it comes to cultivators, you may often find out that they can survive what would otherwise be fatal wounds¡­¡±


    Red actually knew that from experience.


    Domeron continued. ¡°Some cultivators who have all their veins open can survive damage to a lot of their vital organs, and with healing pills, they may even recover in a matter of minutes. Therefore, you have target areas that can cause instant death, such as the heart and the brain¡­¡±


    The swordsman went on to explain a lot of human anatomy to Red and how to best kill a cultivator. He spoke about how to locate an individual¡¯s heart properly, from which position to stab into someone¡¯s back, how to best penetrate into a skull. It was all explained in fine and gory details, without the man so much as swinging his sword once.


    Apparently, Domeron had a lot of experience with this and he told Red all about the difficulty and traps one might run into while trying to kill someone.


    ¡°Mind you, even if you¡¯re not perfect, it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t kill someone.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It may often happen in your assassinations that you won¡¯t be able to kill someone in a single blow. However, the spirit of an assassin is to always strive to achieve that perfect killing blow, or else you give the opportunity for your opponent to retaliate and recover, and at that point, your assassination skills will avail you naught.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I never imagined you could put so much thought behind killing.¡± Red said.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You can put a lot of thought behind anything, kid. There is a science and principle behind any practice or art in the world, and a large part of cultivation is figuring out exactly what those are. Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± the boy nodded with no emotion in his expression. ¡°I do have a question, though.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A lot of what you told me is useful, but do I have the strength to become an assassin as I am?¡± Red asked.


    He had seen cultivators with twelve open veins in the past. They had far better senses than him and could react much faster, too. The boy imagined trying to use these techniques on someone like Reinhart, and he didn¡¯t think the results would be very good for him.


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about ordinary combat strength, then there is no chance.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°But assassination is the ultimate opportunist¡¯s art. A true master assassin can kill people many times stronger than them as long as they have the right opportunity and technique. I can¡¯t really help you with finding opportunities, but I can teach you the right skills.¡±


    The swordsman pointed his sword at him.


    ¡°So, do you want to learn the heron¡¯s way, kid?¡±

 Chapter 216 - Tranquil Beak Weapon Art

    Red frowned. ¡°I thought I already agreed to it earlier.¡±


    Domeron snorted. ¡°I was just asking it for dramatic effect, kid. Either way, there are a couple of things we need to establish before we move on.¡± the man swung his sword in the air. ¡°First, this ¡®assassination course¡¯ doesn¡¯t replace your combat training. Although a lot of the skills you learn in both practices are interchangeable, you can¡¯t really abandon one in favor of the other. After all, an assassin should still know how to fight.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I now have double the work?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the swordsman nodded. ¡°Combat training in the daylight and assassin training at night. Why? Do you think it¡¯s too much for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the effort required.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just worried if I will have enough time in the day to attend all my practices.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will settle into a rhythm eventually.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°Once you grasp initial proficiency in these skills, you will notice that improving in them becomes much more difficult and just hard work won¡¯t suffice. By then, you will just need to make sure you don¡¯t get rusty.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re always lazing about?¡± Red asked.


    Domeron ignored him and turned around to face the wooden dummy. ¡°Now, let me show you the principle of this assassination art.¡±


    The man twirled his sword around in his hand before putting it into a reverse grip with the blade flat against his extended arm. He brought his legs together and stood straight as a ramrod, setting his arm down on his sides and staring directly at the wooden dummy from three meters away.


    His posture looked strange to Red, and rather than looking ready to kill, Domeron looked as if he was a soldier paying his respects to his superior.


    ¡°In assassination, you never want to give your hand away too early. This is why your combat stance needs to be subtle, so as not to raise any alarm on your target. ¡±the man seemed to be able to read his thoughts. ¡°Of course, this is assuming it is a broad-daylight assassination. If you¡¯re doing it in the shadows, then you need not worry so much. It¡¯s still good practice, though.¡±


    ¡°Can you even gather any power in that stance?¡±


    Red was skeptical. He couldn¡¯t imagine how someone could manifest enough strength and speed behind their blow to kill in one hit with that posture, much more so from that far.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°This is where the heron weapon arts come in.¡±


    Suddenly, the man exploded into movement. Before Red even noticed what was happening, he heard the impact of wood hitting against wood. Splinters flew everywhere as Domeron¡¯s practice weapon exploded against the wooden dummy. The training device also had a huge chunk of wood missing off its chest from the aftermath.


    Red¡¯s gaze wandered back to Domeron in shock. The man¡¯s body was almost parallel to the ground as he had stretched his whole frame forward, front leg left bent as support while his back outstretched leg was almost touching the sand floor. Domeron¡¯s upper body was bent forward over his left knee as his arm stretched upwards in the wooden dummy¡¯s direction, holding onto what remained of his sword.


    The man¡¯s whole body seemed taut as a bowstring, and he held that position for a few seconds for Red to observe it. Finally, he relaxed, standing back up.


    He looked at Red with a grin. ¡°How about it?¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± the boy asked in a daze.


    The speed at which the swordsman moved, the power behind his blow, and all from that strange position. Even with all his experience, Red had yet to see someone with twelve open veins capable of such a feat - not even Viran.


    Domeron seemed satisfied with the boy¡¯s reverence. ¡°This is the wonders of martial arts, kid. It gathers the potential within one¡¯s physical body and releases it all in a myriad of ways for a myriad of reasons. It requires skill, physical conditioning, and the right mental state.¡±


    ¡°And you can do all that without Spiritual Energy?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can do part of it.¡± the man shrugged. ¡°You can think of Spiritual Energy as that one thing that unlocks the true potential behind these arts, but even without it, you can still do a lot. If you can master a proper martial art before opening your Spiritual Sea, you will stand head and shoulders above other cultivators at your level.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I assumed you mastered swordsmanship then.¡± Red stared at the ruined sword in the man¡¯s hand.


    Domeron laughed. ¡°What gave you that impression?¡±


    ¡°Well, you seem really skilled with a sw-¡±


    ¡°That was a rhetorical question.¡± the man cut him off. ¡°But yes, I have reached the level of mastery with the longsword. It¡¯s something a lot of cultivators at the Lesser Ring Realm can¡¯t claim to have done¡­ Then again, I don¡¯t think I have the right to be proud, considering they can still kill me with a wave of their hand.¡±


    Red recalled a similar conversation he had with Rog while the two of them were out hunting. The boy was still curious to hear Domeron¡¯s thoughts on the subject, though.


    ¡°Who else in the sect has reached that level?¡±


    ¡°Rog is the best archer I have ever seen in my life.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Likewise, Goulth is also the best blacksmith I have ever seen. Hector is a master of water spells, too, but that¡¯s beyond my purview. As for the others, none of them are close to that level. Maybe Eiwin is the closest with her monk fist, or whatever she calls it, but she still has a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°And you think I can do it before opening my Spiritual Sea?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± the man shrugged. ¡°It depends equal parts on your hard work and talent.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°Then, can you teach me about this heron¡¯s art?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Tranquil Beak Weapon Arts.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°Tranquil Beak? Are you sure this is an assassination art?¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°What, did you expect them to name it ¡®The Ruthless Assassination Weapon Art¡¯? That¡¯s more of a devilish name. Orthodox sects like to put pretty names on things, no matter how evil and violent those things may be.¡±


    Red recalled the name of the cultivation art the hawk spirit had given him. Perhaps Domeron had a point.


    ¡°Either way, we can start with our lesson.¡± the man looked at Red with a serious expression. ¡°First, you need to think like a heron.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Really?¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just joking. That¡¯s a more advanced chapter of this art.¡±


    In the end, Red still wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he was serious.


    ¡­


    Two hours passed before Domeron called their practice to an end.


    The man had explained to Red the initial posture of the Tranquil Beak Weapon Art, and how dozens of different attacks in the art all began from this same strange stance. The boy tried to replicate the posture, but it turned out to be harder than he had been expecting.


    Even by copying Domeron¡¯s movements perfectly, Red could not conjure up any significant power behind his blows. The man explained that the trick was in tensing his muscles in a certain way, and even gave a thorough explanation of how to do it to the boy. Still, this seemed to be beyond Red¡¯s reach as of yet, but he wasn¡¯t too worried.


    If it was easy to master, was there any point in practicing it in the first place?


    Finally, when the training was over, Domeron asked him a question out of nowhere.


    ¡°Have you chosen a weapon?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Why not just go with a longsword?¡± the man said. ¡°It¡¯s the only weapon I have mastered anyway, so it will make our training much easier.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to use a sword for this weapon art?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Anything with a pointy end and that doesn¡¯t stand out too much will work. As it turns out, though, that mostly involves swords and daggers.¡±


    Indeed, Red couldn¡¯t imagine a discreet assassin carrying a spear around.


    ¡°Do I need to pick a weapon soon?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Hector would say the sooner the better, but as a responsible teacher, I say you shouldn¡¯t rush it. It might delay our training a bit, but when it comes to cultivation, no decision should be made in a rush.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I understand. I will speak with Goulth. He might be able to help me choose.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Now go to sleep. The sun will be rising in a couple of hours and I imagine you must be tired from the trials and all the training.¡±


    Red nodded and left the field. He was indeed tired, but in reality, he wasn¡¯t as spent as he expected. Another side-effect of the mist, or so he thought.


    ¡®Speaking of the mist¡­¡¯


    As soon as Red returned to his room, he sat cross-legged on his bed and entered into a meditative state. Domeron had interrupted the boy right after he woke up, so he didn¡¯t have the time to check on the mist¡¯s condition after he left the dream world.


    His awareness expanded, and he quickly noticed the crimson tendrils extending to every corner of his body.


    ¡®It¡¯s still here.¡¯


    Indeed, the disappearance of the mist from his body only seemed to count in the dream world. Not even the cut the boy made on his palm had transmitted to the real world, so it was safe to say that as real as that dreamscape felt, nothing that happened there was capable of being transmitted to his body.


    Or so he hoped. He still remembered the hawk¡¯s advice.


    Out of habit, Red reached towards the mist, hoping for a response. To his surprise, the entity stirred once his awareness touched it, breaking its silence since he had left the trial. Their communication was nothing more than a jumbled mess of feelings and emotions, but the boy could still grasp what the mist was trying to say.


    It was afraid.


    ¡®No, not just afraid.¡¯


    It was terrified.


    Something had happened to it, and perhaps it had to do with what that sensation of dread Red felt once he left his dream. The boy almost felt compelled to search his memories again, but he thought better of it.


    Instead, he tried to use his awareness to communicate back with the mist.


    He tried to convey one feeling - safety.


    Eventually, his message seemed to get across as the entity calmed down and returned to its silence. Red let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but be worried about his immediate future.


    How was he supposed to deal with a problem he couldn¡¯t even think about?


    ¡®I have to remain steady in my path. A way forward will eventually reveal itself as long as I seek it.¡¯


    The boy tried to comfort himself this time around, but these were his true thoughts. Since he had won the trial, Red didn¡¯t entertain doubt any longer.


    This was his path, and no matter how many difficulties he came across, he would not be toppled by them. Even if he wasn¡¯t aware of what the danger was.


    With such thoughts, Red eventually went back to sleep.

 Chapter 217 - Dark Iron Ore

    Red was once again woken up by frenetic banging on his door.


    ¡°Wake up, kid! I need to show you something!¡±


    A rough voice called out to him from the other side of the door. Red sighed and looked out the window. It was already daytime.


    The boy got up and opened the door. He was greeted by the sight of a giant of a man wearing workshop clothes and an apron full of coal and grease marks.


    Goulth smiled upon seeing him. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake! I was waiting the entire morning for you in the workshop, but you never came!¡±


    ¡°I was just too tired.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, that¡¯s fine!¡± the blacksmith waved him off. ¡°Just come quickly! I have something to show you!¡±


    The man didn¡¯t wait for his response before running back the way he came. Red sighed to himself again as he followed behind the giant.


    On the way over, he noticed Domeron was sitting in his usual chair, while Allen was sitting on the ground in front of him. The young master¡¯s eyes lit up once he saw Red walking by and he looked as if he wanted to go greet him. However, a stern gaze from Domeron was more than enough to stop Allen in his tracks.


    It looked as if they were in the process of talking about something important, so Red didn¡¯t bother greeting them either. He soon arrived at the workshop and walked through the door the blacksmith had left open for him.


    The boy smelled the coal burning in the forge, so he didn¡¯t need to guess where his master was. He walked to the forge room and saw the man bent over a mold he had put over the fire.


    Goulth smiled at him and waved him over. ¡°Come here! Quickly! You¡¯re going to miss it!¡±


    Red ran over and examined the material in the process of melting.


    ¡°Is it the Dark Iron?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°It is.¡± Goulth nodded with eagerness. ¡°Now just watch it¡­¡±


    The boy observed the piece of rock in silence. Even under this extreme heat that would have melted a normal piece of iron ore, this rock still seemed to be holding. Almost an entire minute went by with nothing happening, but just as Red was wondering whether his master had made a mistake, there was a sudden reaction within the rock.


    A wisp of white smoke came out of the rock before suddenly dissipating in the air. The boy was confused by the reaction until a moment later, he felt his skin tingle with a familiar sensation.


    He looked back at the blacksmith in shock. ¡°Was that Spiritual Energy?¡±


    Goulth nodded with a huge smile. ¡°It was! In its natural state, Dark Iron Ore can attract and retain a lot of Spiritual Energy. It¡¯s how most of these magical ores are created in the first place!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you try keeping this energy inside the ore, then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much impossible, kid.¡± the blacksmith shook his head. ¡°We need to smelt the ore if we want to use it, and the Spiritual Energy will always escape it either way. You shouldn¡¯t worry, though. You can think of smelting as a purification process, and the amount of Spiritual Energy that the purified metal can contain after the fact increases exponentially.¡±


    Red nodded in understanding. ¡°How long does it take to smelt Dark Iron ore?¡±


    ¡°Probably six to ten hours a piece.¡± Goulth shrugged.


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°And you need to keep watch over it the entire time?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± the blacksmith nodded. ¡°Sometimes the process of purification of these kinds of materials can be quite¡­ explosive. I need to watch the forge temperature the entire time to prevent anything of the sort happening.¡± he turned around patting the boy¡¯s shoulders with a smile. ¡°At least I won¡¯t need to watch it alone this time around.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Since when did I¡­¡±


    ¡°Shush, just pay attention and you might learn something¡­¡±


    The boy fell silent and continued to observe the forge.


    ¡­


    Six hours passed by.


    Red remained under the constant heat of the forge, helping his master raise and lower the temperature as requested. Although some might perceive the boy to be doing most of the hard work, he knew this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Goulth was constantly bent over the melting ore, touching it with all kinds of tools to check the consistency and temperature. The man explained to him this wasn¡¯t a process they could hurry by just raising the temperature, since it could actually damage the properties of the metal and cause a very violent reaction.


    Indeed, Red tasted a sample of that more than once. Sometimes the ore would release sudden bursts of Spiritual Energy like an arrow shot from a bow, and both the boy and the blacksmith had to jump back so as not to get burnt by it. After this happened a few times, the boy didn¡¯t feel so relaxed with this seemingly menial task.


    Finally, a bright red liquid started to form at the bottom of the mold as the pure metal separated from the slag.


    ¡°Quickly, bring me the other mold!¡± Goulth waved at the boy.


    Red had already helped the blacksmith smelt bars in the past, so he knew what he needed to do. He brought the ingot mold right up to the furnace, holding it with a pair of pliers.


    Goulth proceeded to dump the liquid metal down into the mold. The molten fluid settled at the bottom of the mold, and to Red¡¯s surprise, he could already see signs of it solidifying. Barely 30 seconds had passed until the metal had lost its red-fiery glow and turned into a dark, opaque color.


    Goulth laughed. ¡°There, it¡¯s a success!¡±


    Red observed the metal bar with curiosity. ¡°Is there supposed to be so little of it?¡±


    The boy now recognized the mold he had chosen seemed to be a bit too small for the quantity of metal.


    His master sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s just the reality of smelting. You may receive a large piece of ore only to be left with a bit of pure metal. It¡¯s even more so the case for these rare Spiritual Ores.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is there even enough with those three ore pieces to make anything?¡±


    ¡°By themselves? Of course not.¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°But this is why we make alloys. The result will be worse than if it was all pure dark iron, but it will be better than any steel weapon you can find out there.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to make a weapon out of this?¡±


    Goulth smiled. ¡°I have. Now I just need you to choose the kind of weapon you want.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°You are making me a weapon?¡±


    The blacksmith laughed. ¡°Of course I am! I asked Hector, and he agreed to it. After all, you¡¯re the only one in this sect without a proper weapon. Well, other than Rog and Eiwin, but one uses bows, and the other uses her fists, so there¡¯s not much point to that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Red nodded in understanding. ¡°When are you making it?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you have decided on the kind of weapon you want.¡± Goulth said. ¡°Ah, but I misspoke for a second there! I¡¯m not the one making the weapon, you are!¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°¡­ What?¡±


    The blacksmith grinned. ¡°Are you surprised? I didn¡¯t tell Hector about this, of course, but I thought this would be an appropriate test for you. After all, isn¡¯t it proper for a blacksmith to make his own weapon.¡±


    Red was still skeptical. ¡°Isn¡¯t it risky having an apprentice handle such valuable material?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Goulth nodded. ¡°But that¡¯s why you¡¯ll have enough time to prepare. The metal isn¡¯t going anywhere, after all.¡±


    ¡°And how long do you think that will take?¡±


    ¡°Depends.¡± the blacksmith shrugged. ¡°I will tell you when I feel you are ready. It might take a day, a week, a month, or maybe even more. It will not be just a matter of knowing how to handle the material, though. I want to see your creativity flow! I want you to create your own masterpiece and understand what that feels like! That will be the hardest part.¡±


    Red nodded with some reluctance. ¡°I understand.¡±


    He recalled where they had left his study the last time. Goulth had admonished him for only knowing how to copy, which wasn¡¯t necessarily bad, but it would bring him difficulty in the long run as a crafter had to learn by creating. The boy had never really tried to create something, though, so he was wondering whether that creativity really was hidden somewhere inside his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kid.¡± Goulth patted his shoulders. ¡°We can walk through all your shortcomings step by step and I will help you overcome them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± the blacksmith waved him off. ¡°Then you can go eat something. I¡¯m sure Domeron is still waiting for you to practice.¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ There is something else.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Goulth stared at him in suspicion. ¡°Did you hide something from Hector and the others?¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    The blacksmith glared at him. ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid?! What kind of master would I be if I didn¡¯t know my own disciple well?!¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, you still had the good sense of telling your master at least.¡± Goulth nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So what is it?¡±


    ¡°I found a manual on Arcane Scripture.¡± Red said. ¡°I would like to learn it.¡±


    ¡°You what?!¡± the giant¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you being serious?!¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°May I see it?¡± the blacksmith asked.


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ There might be sensitive information inside that manual.¡±


    The blacksmith frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain it.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I simply can¡¯t show it to you, though.¡±


    Goulth fell silent, examining the boy with a suspicious expression. In the end, though, he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I will trust you on this matter. It¡¯s not like I need to read it either. I know my own talent in that area¡­ So what is it that you need help with?¡±


    ¡°I would like to request you for the materials for practice.¡± Red said. ¡°Preferably hidden from Hector and the others. I would also like to practice in your workshop if possible.¡±


    ¡°Why do you feel the need to hide it from them, though?¡± Goulth seemed confused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want them to prod into the origin of this manual.¡± Red said.


    The boy was being sincere. This manual contained not only the Parting Storm Formation, but it might also contain hints about the author¡¯s identity. If any of that was ever leaked outside the sect, then most likely all of them would die.


    The only reason he revealed it to Goulth was because this master of his seemed to be the most accommodating when it came to the boy¡¯s secrecy.


    ¡°I see.¡± Goulth nodded in understanding. ¡°I can help you with the materials, but it might raise some questions with Hector if there is a sudden influx of papers and special inks.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Can you help me fool him?¡±


    The blacksmith smiled. ¡°Do you even need to ask?! I couldn¡¯t be more proud of my own disciple trying to learn Arcane Scripture! Of course, you need to promise me you won¡¯t neglect blacksmithing either, is that clear?!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    The boy had taken a huge step in voluntarily revealing a secret of his to someone else. He couldn¡¯t be more relieved at how it had turned out.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Red said to the blacksmith with all sincerity. ¡°For everything.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for thanks, kid.¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°I am just doing my part! After all, I am your only master, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Red froze for a second, but still nodded. ¡°Yes, you are my only master in this world.¡±

 Chapter 218 - Weight

    As soon as Red left the workshop, he saw Domeron sitting in his rocking chair and waving him over. The boy sighed and approached.


    Domeron snorted once he saw his expression. ¡°What¡¯s with that face? Are you truly so reluctant to speak with your instructor?¡±


    ¡°That depends. Is it good news?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really news of any kind.¡± the swordsman shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to praise you.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Praise me for what exactly?¡±


    ¡°For guiding Young Master Allen.¡± Domeron said. ¡°We didn¡¯t have the time to talk about it at the meeting, but he told me some of the things you told him. It left a mark on him.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I said nothing of note. Allen just didn¡¯t know much in the first place, so everything must have been revealing to him.¡±


    ¡°That might be the case, but I don¡¯t think you understand how he feels.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°I see it in the way he talks about you. He trusts and admires you from the bottom of his heart and even told me he wants to be more like you in combat - confident and unafraid.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good example to follow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so either, but Young Master Allen is just a kid.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°Actually, you are just a kid too, which is something I forget very often. In any case, I think you should keep that in mind when you interact with him. For better or for worse, he now thinks of you as both a companion and an idol of sorts, so you better to not disappoint him.¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Why is that my responsibility now?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your responsibility. However, keeping good relations with your companions is conducive to a better working environment. Shouldn¡¯t that be in your best interests too?¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not as hard as it sounds, kid. You¡¯ve impressed him not by pretending to be a different person, but by just being who you are. All I¡¯m asking of you is to not turn your back on him when he needs you.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I suppose I can do that.¡±


    Domeron¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Good. Now go to the library! Eiwin was asking for you earlier.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to train?¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Training after you¡¯ve exhausted yourself helping that big oaf? No, just leave that for tomorrow once Allen is feeling better, too. Just focus on resting for now.¡±


    Red nodded and walked away.


    He soon found himself in front of the library building. The door was open and he could see Eiwin sitting at the table inside. As he approached, the boy noticed she had a lot of books open in front of her and many others piled to the side.


    Red announced his arrival. ¡°You asked for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Eiwin looked at him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. I thought you were never going to leave that workshop.¡±


    ¡°I was helping Goulth smelt the dark iron ore.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± the woman nodded in understanding. ¡°I asked you here to share our reports with you.¡±


    ¡°Reports? About what?¡±


    ¡°About our preliminary investigation into the bandits, the imperial, and the forest in general.¡± Eiwin said with a smile. ¡°Master Hector insisted I share this information with you. I already planned on telling you about this, but seeing this request come from our Grand Elder itself made me both surprised and excited. I assume this is Master Hector finally showing his trust in you.¡±


    Red was also surprised by this, but he supposed it made sense. Since the elder had given him a new position, it would come with some benefits, too.


    ¡°It seems like your conversation last night went better than you previously led us to believe.¡± Eiwin said.


    Red shrugged. ¡°I just didn¡¯t imagine anything would come out of it.¡±


    The boy, of course, couldn¡¯t tell Eiwin about the position Hector had arranged for him. Of all the people in the sect, he was certain she would react the most negatively to it.


    ¡°I can see why. Master Hector''s compliments are not always very clear.¡± she pointed him to the chair across from her. ¡°Sit. There is a lot to go through.¡±


    Red did as he was told. He examined the title of the books spread around the table. The majority of them seemed to be tales and biographies of cultivators of the past, while a few of them still talked about specific topics - such as inheritance grounds.


    When the boy saw that, he had a bad feeling.


    ¡°What are you researching?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I was looking to shed some light on our experience in that trial.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°This is not the first time in history a cultivator wiped the memories of a trial¡¯s participants. Of course, most cultivators do this due to the fear of their enemies hunting their inheritor in the outside world. I can only assume the person who set up that inheritance ground had a similar fear.¡±


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    Red frowned. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe to look into this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to find many clues in these books.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°There are too many cultivators in history, so it¡¯s impossible for me to find out which of them that inheritance trial belonged too, much more so when I can¡¯t remember any of its details.¡±


    ¡°Then what exactly are you looking for?¡± the boy was confused.


    ¡°I was looking for any recordings of individuals who managed to recover their wiped memories. Seeing as the Empire took an interest in that hidden realm, it would serve us well to know the reason.¡±


    Somehow, that was even worse than Red¡¯s original assumption.


    ¡°And did you find anything?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°Some people succeeded in recovering their memories, but they had the help of incredibly strong cultivators or medicines - neither of which we have right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    Red actually couldn¡¯t be more relieved.


    ¡°It is.¡± Eiwin nodded in disappointment. ¡°But who knows? In the future, it might not be beyond our reach.¡±


    ¡®I hope not.¡¯


    ¡°What did you want to report to me?¡± Red changed topics.


    ¡°Ah, right!¡± Eiwin seemed to have forgotten the reason for being here in the first place. ¡°The baron¡¯s men have been moving towards the bandits¡¯ hideout. However, they are still only finding abandoned camps and very light resistance.¡±


    The boy was unsurprised. ¡°The majority of them must have died in the trials.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if Rickard is around, though. Of everyone in the trial, he is the one most likely to have won.¡±


    Red knew that all too well. He wondered whether the man had managed to recover from his wounds after their confrontation at the end of the trial.


    ¡°Either way, that¡¯s not the most important thing the baron¡¯s men have found.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°They have seen signs of monsters in the forest.¡±


    Red was surprised this time around. ¡°Really?¡±


    Eiwin nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes. We can only assume that their disappearance had to do with the trial, and now that it¡¯s done, they have been seen reemerging from the tunnels. It seems we won¡¯t have an environmental collapse just yet.¡±


    ¡°What about the tunnels? Have they explored it?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± she shook her head. ¡°There are still a lot of monsters in there, and their initial delves into the tunnel network shows that it might extend throughout the entire region, as Rimold told us. In any case, I doubt they will find anything of value down there, or anything that might point us towards the trial¡¯s location, anyway.¡±


    Red had to agree. Someone as thorough as his master seemed to be would never leave behind those sorts of clues.


    ¡°And the imperials?¡± Red asked. ¡°Any signs of them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°If the remainder of them are still alive, they have yet to be spotted in the forest or in town.¡±


    Red knew that those people were dead, but he was more worried about what he had heard from them before they died.


    ¡°Do you think they have any more of their people in town?¡± he asked.


    ¡°If they do, they¡¯re very well hidden.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°If our initial investigations failed to uncover them, I doubt they would give themselves away right now, much more so if they have won the inheritance as we think they did.¡±


    Red nodded, but his mind was spinning with the possibilities. If there was an imperial spy still in the region, they would definitely know they didn¡¯t win the inheritance, seeing as none of their companions came back. The boy could only imagine that person would try to get to the bottom of this matter if the inheritance was as important to the Empire as he thought.


    Thankfully for him, Rickard would probably be their prime suspect. It wasn¡¯t far-fetched for their investigations to eventually lead them to their sect, though. This was something the boy had to be on the lookout for.


    ¡°Reinhart hasn¡¯t returned to town either.¡± Eiwin said with a bitter tone.


    The boy looked at her, noticing the woman¡¯s struggling expression. ¡°Are you afraid he will do something? Even with Hector here?¡±


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°You were with us when he betrayed us. Did that look like a man concerned with the possibility of death?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°He gave up on the Parting Sea Pill when we didn¡¯t agree to help him. He doesn¡¯t seem to care for riches or anything else other than revenge.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the woman nodded. ¡°Not only that, but he is a wise and patient man. Master Hector¡¯s presence here gives me some security, but what about when we are outside the sect? He can¡¯t be there to protect us forever, and I don¡¯t think any of us can defeat Reinhart in combat. If he finds out about Allen too¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we stick together.¡± Red said. ¡°He might be strong, but I doubt he could take all of us at once.¡±


    The boy actually wasn¡¯t completely confident in that assertion, but it was the best plan they could stick to at the moment.


    Eiwin nodded with a troubled smile. ¡°You are right. I can only hope we find him eventually, though. Until then, we will have to live with this sword above our heads.¡±


    Compared to what Red had to face, Reinhart¡¯s threat felt more like a dagger.


    ¡°Master Hector also told us to be prepared.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Monster movement in the Skycrown Mountain has been increasing, so it¡¯s likely the horde could hit us within the year. He said it¡¯s a priority to increase the sect¡¯s strength right now.¡±


    Red had almost forgotten about the monster horde with all he had been facing.


    ¡°I will do my best.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°Are you about to finish opening your veins too?¡±


    Eiwin''s expression became troubled. ¡°After what happened in the trial, I might need to delay it for a bit more.¡±


    Red recalled the power she had displayed in their fight against the parasite. It seemed she hadn¡¯t overcome its consequences just yet.


    He considered asking Eiwin about what that power was, but seeing her expression, he decided to forgo his idea. She had the right to keep a secret, and the boy would be a hypocrite if he put her in a position where she felt pressed to reveal it.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It should be.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°We can continue your reading and writing lessons tomorrow, if you wish. Although, I don¡¯t think you will be needing it for much longer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°There are still things I wish to study further.¡±


    Now that Red was about to try his hand with Arcane Writing, he needed his calligraphy to be perfect. His practice with Eiwin was sure to help.


    ¡°Then I will be going.¡± Red said before turning around and walking towards the exit.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Eiwin called out to him. ¡°There¡¯s something else!¡±


    "Hm?¡± the boy turned around in confusion.


    ¡°I never thanked you before.¡± Eiwin said with a sincere tone. ¡°So thank you. For everything. It might not look like it, but since the day we decided to take you into this sect, things have been changing for the better around here. Narcha, Allen, Goulth, even Hector¡­ I think they all benefited from your presence, no matter what kind of risks they think you might have brought with you.¡± she smiled at him. ¡°Just know this, Red - you can always trust us, no matter what kind of troubles you are facing. You are one of us now, and we would put our lives on the line for you.¡±


    Red fell silent. A few seconds later, he nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Then he turned around and left the room.


    Narcha, Goulth, Domeron, and now Eiwin too. Every kind word and trust thrown his way weighed more on his back than the constant threat of death. Those words that were supposed to raise his spirits up felt more like anchors to the boy, as much as he tried to tell himself they weren¡¯t.


    Red wasn¡¯t sure he could live up to their faith. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even sure it was a good idea to.


    The boy knew in his heart one day he would need to leave this place.


    By then, he was afraid he would have made too many promises and would need to make a choice of whether to live up to them or pursue his dreams and ambitions. It wasn¡¯t a choice he was looking forward to making.


    Yet, there was still a long road ahead of him. For now, he would focus on each step.


    He still was far from being a proper cultivator, after all.

 Chapter 219 - Advancing

    Six months passed by.


    It was the middle of the night, and Red was focusing on his ¡°rain dance¡±. At this point, he already engraved the steps of the technique in his mind. The movements flowed from him like never before, and there was a certain harmony and fluidity in each step the boy took.


    No longer did the technique feel strange to him. Instead, Red felt at peace when he executed it, as if he was becoming part of something bigger. A few minutes passed by when he finally heard the sound of thunder right by his ear.


    ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯


    He sat down cross-legged on his bed in a hurry. The boy grabbed onto the insectoid crystal by his side before the tide of Spiritual Energy flowed into his veins.


    Over this last half-a-year Red discovered the trick to manipulating this strange energy. Instead of trying to direct it with his limited control, the boy let it roam free through his veins, nudging it along to travel all over his body like a flowing river.


    Soon enough, the energy started to dissipate and lose strength, but the boy also had come up with a solution for this. He took out one of the Vein Opening pills the hawk spirit had given him before swallowing it.


    Surprisingly enough, instead of wandering to open one of his acupoints, the Spiritual Energy from the pill merged into the strands of the river dance¡¯s energy. The two seemingly different powers became as one, and a single new strand of energy now flowed through his veins.


    Red tried to direct it. As he had expected, the previously stubborn energy now followed his orders without resistance, and travelled up towards his head.


    Soon enough, they clashed against the ninth and last acupoint in his Five Senses Vein. Red already struck against this obstacle multiple times, so it didn¡¯t take long for the powerful tide of energy to break through.


    Red felt something pop in his head. A terrible headache overcame him, but he was already bracing for it and held onto consciousness.


    As the acupoint opened, the insectoid crystal in his hand glowed. Strands of green mist slipped into his veins, filling the newly opened acupoint.


    It took just a few seconds for the Moonstone energy to fill the acupoint, but Red was only able to collect himself and recover from the pain and exhaustion after three more minutes passed. When everything was done, he sighed in relief.


    ¡®That should stave off the curse for a bit longer.¡¯


    Just like the hawk had said, the draining of the creature in the Moon had grown stronger over these last six months. Red barely had enough Moonstone energy in his veins to feed the beast¡¯s appetite, and he was afraid of what would happen when it wasn¡¯t enough any longer.


    Thankfully, though, he persevered. Now, after six months, he finished opening his Five Senses Vein.


    In retrospect, this vein alone took him longer to open than all his three other veins combined. Red was more than satisfied with his speed, though.


    The Five Senses Vein was the third hardest vein to open, and it took most people almost half a decade to see it through. Yet, not only had Red done it in six months, but he had also done out of proper order. If he had the support of all the previous nine veins, the boy was sure he could have opened it even quicker.


    ¡®This technique is truly magical.¡¯


    Red had also solved his issues with the Rain Dance technique over that period. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn¡¯t able to direct the energy from that technique to the right vein. When he was out of options, he used one of the Vein Opening pills the hawk gave him.


    To his surprise, that ended up working. The energy from the pill merged with the energy from the technique, and Red could finally direct it towards his vein. By then, opening his acupoints became a matter of time.


    The boy didn¡¯t know if that was what he was supposed to do from the outset. However, it was the only solution he found. He didn¡¯t give up on controlling that energy by itself, but perhaps he could only achieve success once he opened more veins.


    There was another discovery he made during that time, too.


    ¡®My crippled acupoint has healed.¡¯


    He discovered this during his cultivation. Any energy strands that passed through that area in his shoulder would cause a pang of pain in him. Yet, during his experiments with the Rain Dance technique, he noticed that pain disappeared.


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    Red checked it many times before coming to a definite conclusion. He was joyful at the revelation, but he was also left quite confused.


    The boy wasn¡¯t sure who, or what, healed him. Was it the hawk? Was it the regenerative powers from the mist? If the latter was the case, then that had deep implications.


    It meant his blood powers could heal even injuries in his vein. Didn¡¯t that mean that Red could absorb as many Spirit Stones through his acupoints as he wished? Wouldn¡¯t that make him invincible under the Lesser Ring Realm? Of course, this was all under the presumption he was willing to absorb more blood to recover, which would incur much harsher consequences on the boy.


    He wasn¡¯t willing to worsen his demonification.


    The crimson mist inside his body returned to normal, too. It was willing to communicate with Red through his meditation technique and it even prompted the boy many times for ¡°more.¡± He could hazard a guess as to what it was referring to, and he obviously didn¡¯t provide it. Thankfully, the mist didn¡¯t push him on the matter.


    He had also found himself back on that dream hell-scape a handful of times over the last six months. Like the boy thought, his body in that place carried its own wounds and equipment. The scar of the cut in his hand was still there when he awoke and he was still carrying the bones.


    He didn¡¯t know what that meant necessarily, but it was more information than he had before. Nothing of note happened during those dreams, and Red kept walking towards that bone mountain.


    He was yet to reach it, though.


    ¡®I still don¡¯t know what happened back then.¡¯


    Indeed, he still recalled nothing about the ¡®incident¡¯ and his lost memories. However, it did not happen again, so it wasn¡¯t urgent for the boy to figure it out.


    Another matter he made significant progress on was with his crimson sense. He had singled out many more peculiarities about the fluctuations he detected. Now he felt confident in detecting strong emotional fluctuations through his crimson sense, as well as age and general health of an individual.


    This, by itself, wasn¡¯t too impressive, since most of these things were observable by the naked eye. However, Red imagined the possibilities. If he could detect this much just through a single upgrade in his powers, who knew what he could detect in the future? It would be invaluable against the subterfuge of some cultivation arts.


    Of course, for that he would need to absorb more blood, which he still wasn¡¯t willing to do.


    The boy sighed.


    ¡®So much temptation. No wonder so many people resort to demonic arts.¡¯


    With such special powers and shortcuts, who wouldn¡¯t feel tempted? Red had held steady, though.


    Since the monsters in the forest return, he had more than a few opportunities to absorb more of blood. At times, he even had to be careful not to let spilled blood touch his skin.


    It was a comical sight, actually.


    Now he had to avoid touching the blood of anything he killed. He didn¡¯t know if that was feasible, so it was better if he found a way to control the mist¡¯s absorption.


    As Red was absorbed in thought, he felt a fluctuation approaching his room. He looked out of his window and frowned.


    ¡®He¡¯s early.¡¯


    The boy got up and opened his door. He saw Domeron standing in front of it with a surprised expression.


    The man smiled. ¡°You know, sometimes I forget how you can feel when I¡¯m approaching.¡±


    Red ignored his remark. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°What do you mean? We need to train, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Red said.


    The man shrugged. ¡°I just felt like starting training early today.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been early since we started training at night.¡±


    Domeron sighed in defeat. ¡°Just follow me, will you? We need to talk.¡±


    Red nodded and followed behind the man.


    Soon enough, he found himself back at the training field.


    He frowned in confusion. ¡°Are we talking or training?¡±


    ¡°Do your stances first.¡± Domeron threw him a wooden weapon. ¡°I¡¯ll brief you on the situation.¡±


    Red nodded. He took the short sword in his hand before walking over towards a wooden dummy.


    He took the weapon in a reverse grip before straightening his posture, standing straight as a ramrod. His breathing slowed down, and he closed his eyes as he sought to tense his muscles in the way he had been taught.


    Just as Red was getting ready to strike, Domeron spoke up.


    ¡°The horde might be here tomorrow.¡±


    The boy stumbled. He looked over at the swordsman in shock.


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Probably tomorrow.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Might take a few days too.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we would know about the horde coming weeks before it happened?¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too. However, something seems to have happened at Skycrown Mountain. Hector just received news about it and he woke me up to inform me.¡±


    Red had a bad feeling about the situation. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°The sect cultivators at the border were engaged in battle against the first waves of the horde when they were ambushed from behind.¡±


    ¡°Ambushed? By monsters?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°By demonic cultivators.¡±


    Red¡¯s blood ran cold.


    Domeron continued. ¡°We have had many isolated cases of demonic cultivators running amok around the world. Yet this is the first time in almost a decade that they have organized in such numbers, not to mention striking at the sects so blatantly.¡±


    ¡°Did the sect cultivators win?¡±


    ¡°Apparently there were some casualties, but they were able to force the demonic cultivators to retreat.¡± Domeron said. ¡°However, by then, the damage was already done. Thousands of monsters slipped through the sects'' barrier and they¡¯re not causing havoc around the Skycrown neighboring countries.¡±


    ¡°And this includes us?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the man nodded. ¡°We have received news from scouts across the river. They have already seen signs of foreign monsters appearing at the edge of the forest, with many of them in the Lesser Ring Realm. I wouldn¡¯t doubt if we even saw a few of them in the Greater Ring Realm. The surrounding settlements will probably all start evacuating to our town tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What are we going to do then?¡±


    ¡°We are going to have an emergency meeting with the Baron tomorrow.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Every person of power and influence in the town is going to be there to discuss our next course of action¡­ Hector also wants to take some of our sect members with him.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Red nodded, before his eyes widened in realization. ¡°Wait-¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. That includes you.¡±

 Chapter 220 - Making Plans

    There was a prolonged silence as Red digested the information.


    He looked back at Domeron. ¡°Why?¡±


    The swordsman shrugged. ¡°Might be a test, or he might just want you to learn what it feels like to be in one of those meetings. Trust me, there¡¯s nothing quite like being in a room full of cultivators who can kill you with a wave of their hand.¡±


    Red frowned.


    After his promotion six months ago, nothing had changed in the boy¡¯s routine. He still focused mainly on his training, and sometimes he went hunting for troublesome monsters in the forest with Rog. Hector had never given him extra responsibilities, and since the collapse of the bandits, the region as a whole had been rather peaceful.


    It was a period of bliss for Red, where he could focus on his training.


    The boy didn¡¯t expect this peace to last forever, but he was still taken off guard by the revelation.


    ¡°Is anyone else coming too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Allen and Eiwin are going too.¡±


    ¡®The sect¡¯s talent base.¡¯


    Yet, the boy noticed the absence of a name in particular.


    ¡°What about Narcha?¡± he asked.


    Red knew the woman had a short temper, but it wasn¡¯t to the point where she would disrupt such an important meeting with a tantrum.


    ¡°Gustav is going to be there too.¡± the swordsman said with a grin.


    That explained everything. Coincidentally, this was also the first time Red would ever meet the merchant.


    ¡°What can I expect?¡± he asked.


    Domeron sighed. ¡°You can expect a lot of arguments and insults thrown between Hector and Gustav. The Baron will try to mediate it, but he only succeeds about half the time. If things don¡¯t go too well, you might be in the meeting for a few extra hours.¡±


    Red nodded, but there was another concern for him. ¡°I won¡¯t have to speak, will I?¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to. However, Gustav is a manipulative individual, so he might try to instigate you to probe your temperament. Since you¡¯re not the kind to respond to provocations, though, it should be fine.¡±


    The boy was relieved. He had achieved the difficult goal of remaining as inconspicuous as possible in this rather large town - even with his red hair. The last thing he wanted to do was to draw the attention of important individuals to him.


    Domeron continued. ¡°That power of yours should be useful there, too. You might be able to tell if anyone is spying on the meeting.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    The swordsman seemed satisfied with his response. ¡°Then you should go back to sleep. Trust me, you will be thankful to be well rested for tomorrow. Those kinds of meetings can be more draining than a dozen fights.¡±


    ¡°I will do that.¡±


    Red trusted Domeron¡¯s advice on these matters. He was never one for social meetings either, much less a war council of this kind.


    After bidding the swordsman farewell, Red returned to his room.


    The boy was prepared to go to sleep when he felt a fluctuation move.


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    Red frowned, staring at the wall of his room.


    The person he felt move was Rimold, and this wasn¡¯t the first time it had happened either. Over these last six months, the rogue got into the habit of leaving the sect at night many times a week. Unfortunately for the man, Red¡¯s nightly training seemed to have disrupted his schedule, and he always waited until Domeron and the boy were done before sneaking out.


    In his escapades, Rimold also tried to stay as far as possible from Red¡¯s room, probably fearing his detection abilities. Of course, the rogue was acting with outdated information, since with the boy¡¯s upgraded crimson sense, his detection range had doubled.


    The boy never followed or asked Rimold about it, though. His escapades didn¡¯t concern Red as long as it didn¡¯t affect him or the sect at large.


    He was just about to settle down to sleep when he sensed something strange. Rimold was moving towards his room.


    Red frowned in suspicion.


    ¡®What is he trying to do?¡¯


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    Did he think Red had gone back to sleep already? That didn¡¯t seem likely.


    The boy monitored his movements with his crimson sense. Sure enough, the rogue continued to approach his room until he was standing right in front of his door.


    Red examined his fluctuation. He sensed the man was somewhat nervous.


    The boy waited for a knock at his door, but even after almost a minute, it didn¡¯t come. Rimold continued to stand in front of his room, doing nothing.


    Red was tired of waiting. He got up and approached the door with quiet steps.


    With his improved senses from opening his Five Senses Vein, the boy could hear the rogue¡¯s heavy breathing clearly.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked.


    The boy heard a yelp on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Fuck, you brat¡­¡± Red heard an angry voice. ¡°Why did you need to scare me like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one standing in front of someone else¡¯s room in the middle of the night.¡± the boy said.


    There was a prolonged silence at those words.


    Rimold finally spoke up again. ¡°¡­ Ugh, just open the door, will you?


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Red asked.


    The boy felt some hesitation behind the door.


    ¡°¡­ I need your help with something.¡± the rogue said.


    Red still didn¡¯t open the door. ¡°With what exactly?¡±


    ¡°Listen, kid, can¡¯t we speak face to face?¡± Rimold seemed fed up. ¡°The more I stand right here, the more likely someone is going to notice us.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Wait for me in the training field then.¡±


    The rogue grunted. ¡°Why not- Ugh, fine.¡±


    Red felt his fluctuation move away. He moved back to his room and picked up an iron short sword that he had been using as his replacement weapon these last few months.


    The boy had yet to craft anything using the Dark Iron.


    He sheathed the sword at his waist before walking outside.


    Rimold was waiting for him in the training camp, leaning against the fence. He was wearing a dark robe, but beneath it, the boy could see the glint of armor with his dark vision.


    The rogue¡¯s expression changed once he saw the weapon on Red¡¯s waist. ¡°What is that for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for if you were trying to kill me.¡± the boy said.


    Rimold glared at him. ¡°You think you could stop me if I wanted to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Red nodded.


    Anyone else in the sect would be a different story, but the boy felt somewhat confident about fighting against Rimold.


    His response seemed to make the rogue even angrier. ¡°Ugh, you little¡­¡± he trailed off, swallowing his irritation. ¡°¡­ Listen, we need to be quick before anyone else notices we are here.¡±


    ¡°They are all in their rooms.¡± Red said.


    ¡°How do you- Oh, of course.¡± Rimold sneered. ¡°I forgot you are constantly monitoring everything people around the sect do.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I have a choice in the matter.¡¯


    Red sighed. ¡°What is it that you want?¡±


    Rimold¡¯s expression became troubled. ¡°I need your help with something delicate.¡±


    ¡°You mean something that you can¡¯t tell the others?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Judging by the rogue¡¯s expression, Red hit the mark with his words.


    The rogue recomposed himself. ¡°Look, you¡¯re very discreet, aren¡¯t you? I heard about what you did in the past for the others when you¡­ Stole things from other people.¡±


    Red frowned. This wasn¡¯t the reputation he was hoping to garner, and it was one of the reasons why he didn¡¯t engage in those shady matters over the last half a year.


    ¡°You want me to steal something?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the rogue hesitated. ¡°Yes, I do. I would do it myself, but this is a two-man operation.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to steal?¡±


    Rimold looked surprised. ¡°Really? You¡¯re going to agree to it just like that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would agree to it.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I just need to know the details before making a decision.¡±


    The rogue frowned. ¡°How can I just tell you all my plans before you agree to it? What if you tell the others about it?¡±


    The boy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not about to agree to something I know nothing about.¡±


    Rimold hesitated. In the end, though, he relented with a sigh. ¡°¡­ Fine, but I need you to promise me you won¡¯t tell them about it.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± Red nodded.


    He had no interest in screwing Rimold over, despite their less than amicable relationship.


    ¡°There is a merchant in town.¡± the rogue looked reluctant as he explained it. ¡°He is carrying a lot of Spirit Stones with him¡­ I need those stones.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why do you need those stones?¡±


    Rimold scowled at him. ¡°Does it matter? It¡¯s not like you need to know the reason to make a decision.¡±


    The boy supposed he was right.


    ¡°Tell me about this merchant.¡± Red said. ¡°Is he someone with influence? What kind of protection does he have with him?¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t imagine someone carrying such a fortune wouldn¡¯t have some strong bodyguards.


    ¡°As far as I know, he isn¡¯t anyone important.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°That being said, the fact he is carrying so many Spirit Stones with him means he must be conducting business with important people.¡±


    Red was about to ask how the rogue even knew about these Spirit Stones in the first place, but this wasn¡¯t relevant information, either.


    ¡°As for bodyguards¡­¡± the man hesitated. ¡°He has a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator with him.¡±


    The boy frowned. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the revelation, but it immediately made him reluctant to partake in the rogue¡¯s plan.


    Rimold was able to guess what he was thinking. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. If everything goes well, there won¡¯t be any confrontation and they won¡¯t know anything happened until it was all said and done.¡±


    It sounded like wishful thinking of the rogue¡¯s part, but Red was at least willing to hear him.


    ¡°What is your plan?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I will provide a distraction. I have already scouted where they are staying, so all that remains is for me to draw them away, and for you to break in while they¡¯re not there.¡±


    Red was skeptical. ¡°Would they leave such precious merchandise unguarded?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°What matters the most is for me to drag the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator away. For the other bodyguards, you can use this.¡± he took out a talisman from his pouch. ¡°This is a sleeping spell. It can take out anyone in their room without making a sound.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He reigned in his curiosity, though, still considering the matter. As much as Rimold seemed to have thought his plan through, there would still be an inherent risk that things could go wrong, and since they stood against a cultivator at the Lesser Ring Realm, the consequences could be dire.


    Rimold noticed his hesitation. ¡°You can also have a share of the Spirit Stones. We can split it in half.¡±


    ¡°How much is that?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Should be about 5 spirit stones each.¡±


    Compared to what he had gotten in the hidden realm, this wasn¡¯t a lot. However, Red was aware that opportunities like the ones in the trial came once in a lifetime and five Spirit Stones were already a fortune in the outside world. He would need a lot of those too if he intended to buy the materials for his Parting Storm formation.


    ¡°Fine, I will do it.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But if things go wrong, don¡¯t blame me for not going forward with the plan.¡±


    Rimold smiled. ¡°That goes without saying, of course.¡±


    ¡°Where are they staying?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re staying in an inn in town.¡± Rimold said. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild, to be more exact.¡±


    Red frowned.


    That was Gustav¡¯s place. The same place he had stolen from before.

 Chapter 221 - Stealing Again

    Red stared at Rimold with some wariness. ¡°You know I stole from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before, right?¡±


    The rogue nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for your help. Since you stole from it once, you shouldn¡¯t have much trouble stealing from it again.¡±


    ¡°And you think they wouldn¡¯t be wiser to it?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Why would they?¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°If I have it right, the last time you stole from them was six months ago. They might have been a bit more guarded with that incident, but after six months of nothing else happening, do you think they would still be so attentive?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°You might have a point, but you know there are other reasons this is risky too.¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°Gustav is just the owner of that inn. He might be angry, but as long as we don¡¯t target him directly, there is no need to worry about retaliation from him.¡±


    While that might be true, this wasn¡¯t the only thing Red was worried about. For a merchant to be moving around with so many Spirit Stones, they might have a strong backer that would investigate this matter. Of course, the boy knew that if he wanted to gather enough stones to build his formation, he would probably need to resort to theft, and it was inevitable he would provoke the ire of many people.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t press Rimold on the matter.


    ¡°Are we going right now?¡± Red asked.


    Rimold nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll meet in twenty minutes at the entrance to our street. I need time to prepare some things first.¡±


    The boy nodded and the two parted ways.


    Red returned to his room and prepared his equipment. There wasn¡¯t anything in particular he needed to take considering his mission, but the boy wanted to have some items he could rely on if things went south.


    He opened his hidden stash stored below one of the floorboards, picking out one slip of paper in particular. It was a talisman that the boy had been able to exchange with Hector for his contributions during these months.


    After the hidden trial, Red recognized how useful talismans were to people like him who hadn¡¯t opened their Spiritual Sea. They could mean the difference between life and death, and the boy made sure to stack up on them whenever he could.


    ¡®This should be enough.¡¯


    Best-case scenario, Red didn¡¯t have to use any talismans, but he knew to prepare for the worst.


    After he was done putting on his uniform and equipment, Red checked his surroundings again with his crimson sense before sneaking out. He traveled down the uninhabited street before sensing Rimold¡¯s presence behind another ruined building.


    He made sure to make his presence known with heavy steps so as not to surprise the rogue. The man turned around in surprise once he heard his approach, but he immediately relaxed after noticing it was the boy.


    Rimold scowled at Red. ¡°You know, it¡¯s a bit unfair¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± the boy was confused.


    ¡°How you can just tell where people are.¡± the rogue said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve been sneaking around my entire life and have managed to stay unnoticed even by Hector. Yet, a brat like you can spot me with little effort. Do you see how that¡¯s unfair?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded.


    Rimold grunted. ¡°And I suppose you don¡¯t care, do you?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond.


    The rogue sighed. ¡°How did you even get that power in the first place?¡±


    ¡°We should focus on the mission.¡± Red tried to shift the topic of conversation.


    ¡°Right.¡± Rimold nodded. ¡°We all have our secrets.¡±


    The rogue didn¡¯t say anything else and pointed forward.


    ¡°You follow me.¡± Rimold said. ¡°We¡¯ll climb a few buildings once we get near the Guild so we can scout the area and I can point out the room they¡¯re staying at. After that, we¡¯ll split up and you will wait for my distraction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already late at night.¡± Red said. ¡°Won¡¯t they already be inside their rooms? How are you going to drag them out?¡±


    The rogue smiled with some arrogance. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I might not be as strong as the others, but when it comes to ingenuity, no one in our sect can match me.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t know if Rimold was just boasting or not. Since returning to the sect, the man didn¡¯t do much other than scout and gather information around the region. Red didn¡¯t even see him training even once, which was why he wasn¡¯t too confident in his strength. That being said, there were no ordinary individuals in the Water Dragon Sect, so perhaps the rogue had reason to be confident.


    ¡°Just stay close to me.¡± Rimold said. ¡°I know the best route.¡±


    To Red¡¯s surprise, the man did indeed know his way around town.


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    Although it was the middle of the night, there were plenty of guards walking the streets on the lookout for thieves just like the two of them. Rimold, however, not only knew how to make his way through the ruins and buildings, but he also seemed to know the patrol¡¯s route by heart. They had an easy time making their way over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and climbing one of the nearby buildings.


    As soon as they approached, Red¡¯s crimson sense covered the building. The boy felt at least 30 fluctuations within the guild, but one of them in particular stood out to him.


    Rimold squinted as he examined the building. ¡°The merchant should be-¡±


    ¡°In a back room on the second floor.¡± Red completed his sentence.


    The rogue¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you- Oh wait, is it your power again?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I can feel the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.¡±


    Rimold smiled. ¡°So he¡¯s really here¡­ I was hoping that maybe he could have left to take a walk.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°In the middle of the night? That seems unlikely.¡±


    The rogue looked troubled. ¡°I know, I was just making a- Ugh, nevermind. How many people are with him right now?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell exactly from here, but I can sense four other people in close proximity.¡±


    ¡°The merchant and his three other bodyguards.¡± Rimold nodded. ¡°That matches.¡±


    ¡°How strong are the other ones?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they probably have all opened twelve veins.¡± the rogue said. ¡°Suffice it to say, you don¡¯t really want to face them in combat, so just stick to using the talisman.¡±


    Red nodded. It was what he was planning on doing.


    Rimold continued. ¡°I will go create a distraction and as long as it works, you should sense the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator leaving the room. That will be your cue to break in and use the talisman.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Won¡¯t they all be awake by then? How am I supposed to sneak in?¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sneak in. You can just break the window and throw the talisman in. Trust me, there will be plenty of noise to cover your movement.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Red trailed off before shaking his head. ¡°Nevermind. Where are the Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°A strong box, about the size of your head.¡± Rimold exemplified it with his hands. ¡°It will be hard to miss. The key is kept with the merchant at all moments, so you¡¯ll need to search through his body to find it. If you can¡¯t locate the key, just bring the box outside and we can figure out how to open it later.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Where will we meet up after this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try to meet up back at the Sect¡¯s street when we can.¡± Rimold said. ¡°By that point, the town¡¯s guard might be on high alert, but they won¡¯t dare to come barging into our Sect¡¯s territory so easily, so we should be safe to reconvene... Of course, if things go wrong, just make sure to hide until everything calms down.¡±


    ¡°As long as you can drag out the Lesser Ring cultivator and the talisman works as intended, we should be fine.¡± Red said.


    The rogue snorted. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d make that kind of mistake in planning? If the Lesser Ring cultivator doesn¡¯t come out, then there¡¯s no point in even continuing our heist.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    He still wasn¡¯t sure how Rimold was going to pull that cultivator away from the room, but as the man said, if he didn¡¯t manage to do that, Red wouldn¡¯t dare to break into the room in the first place.


    ¡°You can scout the place while you¡¯re waiting.¡± Rimold paused in thought. ¡°I can¡¯t give you a signal for when I will be acting, but it should be very obvious.¡±


    ¡°How much time do I have to act?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°It depends on how long I can keep that cultivator away.¡± the rogue hesitated. ¡°Probably no more than a few minutes.¡±


    This really wasn¡¯t a lot of time, but Red supposed he didn¡¯t need that long if things worked as Rimold suggested.


    ¡°Ah yes, I forgot about something.¡± Rimold picked something from his pouch before handing it to Red. ¡°Here.¡±


    The boy picked it up. It was a black leather mask. ¡°A mask?¡±


    ¡°It will be useful to keep your identity hidden.¡± the man nodded. ¡°Of course, if they spot you, a kid, running around in the crime scene, they probably will suspect you immediately, but at least you will have something to fall back on if things get complicated later.¡±


    Red frowned. If his identity was revealed during the heist, that would mean no end of troubles for him. However, as Rimold said, it was best to have the mask on just to be safe.


    Rimold wore his own mask, which only left two holes for his eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    The man walked to the edge of the building, where he was about to climb down, before he paused and turned around to look at Red.


    ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t screw this up, brat.¡±


    The rogue jumped down, disappearing from his view.


    Although Rimold said his farewells, Red could still quite clearly sense the rogue¡¯s exact position with his crimson sense, which made the whole interaction awkward for him. Either way, the boy didn¡¯t stay idly by and immediately got on the move.


    He jumped and scaled a few other buildings, a task he accomplished with surprising proficiency compared to the first time he sneaked through the town. Although the boy hadn¡¯t stolen anything for the last six months, it didn¡¯t mean he hadn¡¯t been sneaking around town.


    After all, Red still had a lot of secrets he had to keep away from his sect members.


    Soon enough, he arrived at the backside of the Guild. He was standing across from it, on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the inn where he could clearly see into the rooms of the second floor. He was able to identify the room of the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator very quickly, but he didn¡¯t let his gaze linger by their curtained window.


    Red learned to be more cautious since his encounter with Rickard in the trial. Cultivators in this world possessed all kinds of strange and otherworldly abilities, so the boy couldn¡¯t discount the possibility some of them could detect if they were being spied on.


    The boy laid down on the rooftop and waited for the ¡°signal.¡±


    He felt Rimold¡¯s fluctuation moving around the front of the building, but he couldn¡¯t see what the man was doing from his position. To his surprise, though, he felt the rogue approaching a handful of other fluctuations that still seemed to be awake on the bottom floor.


    Red knew that two of those belonged to horses, but one of them clearly belonged to a human.


    ¡®He¡¯s at the stables.¡¯


    Rimold continued to approach this individual¡¯s position until he was only a few meters away from him. The boy, who could only monitor the rogue¡¯s actions through his crimson sense, braced himself.


    ¡®Is he going to kill them?¡¯


    Red waited and prepared to move, expecting this to be the signal. However, to his surprise, nothing happened even after twenty seconds had gone by, and Rimold continued to be right next to this fluctuation, doing nothing.


    ¡®Is he biding his time, or are they talking?¡¯


    Red felt confused, but finally Rimold moved again, doing nothing to the other fluctuation as far as the boy could tell. This time, the rogue was moving towards the horses.


    ¡®What is he doing-¡¯


    Before Red could complete his thoughts, a scream resounded from the first floor.


    ¡°There¡¯s a thief!¡± a man¡¯s voice yelled in alarm. ¡°They¡¯re stealing the carriage!¡±


    Immediately, the whole guild stirred awake. To the boy¡¯s surprise, he heard the sound of alarmed voices coming from the merchant¡¯s room.


    Suddenly, he heard the neighing of horses, and the sound of a heavy carriage barrelling down the street, which Red couldn¡¯t see from his position.


    An enraged scream came from inside the merchant¡¯s room.


    ¡°DON¡¯T LET THEM GET AWAY!¡±


    The windows were immediately thrown open, and Red saw a shadow jump down to the street from the second floor before running off. It was the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and before long, he was out of his field of vision.


    Rimold had done as he promised.


    Now, it was Red¡¯s turn.

 Chapter 222 - Seeing Red

    Red felt for the remaining fluctuations inside the room. He got up from his cover to look into the open window of the inn.


    The older merchant, whom Red could recognize because of his extravagant clothing, was pacing around the room with a nervous look on his face. There were two other large men standing by the walls, equipped with scale armor and carrying weapons at their waist. They seemed to be ready to take on any invaders, even in the middle of the night.


    Just one look at them told the boy they weren¡¯t your common mercenaries.


    ¡®The third bodyguard is not in the room.¡¯


    Red could feel the fourth fluctuation walking downstairs, perhaps to investigate what had happened.


    The boy was hesitant as he examined the situation.


    ¡®Rimold told me nothing about the carriage.¡¯


    Red also thought it was strange how nervous the merchant was. Wasn¡¯t the man carrying his most valuable possession in his strongbox? Why would he be so worried then?


    The boy wasn¡¯t fond of receiving incomplete information, but this wasn¡¯t the time to curse Rimold¡¯s name. There was only a brief window of time to act.


    ¡­


    The merchant turned around to glare at his bodyguards. ¡°Where is your other companion?!¡±


    ¡°He went downstairs to speak with Hubert.¡± the man said with a steely expression.


    The merchant sneered. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s not going to get lost on the way over?!¡±


    The bodyguard frowned but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I even pay the lot of you!¡± the merchant was losing his temper. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you left someone to watch the carriage?! How did they even-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± the bodyguard¡¯s expression changed as he looked at something behind the merchant.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®wait¡¯?! Are you out of your-¡±


    ¡°Get down!¡± the bodyguard rushed forward to pull the merchant back.


    His other companion¡¯s hand went to his weapon, but it was too late.


    They saw a small shadow at the window. A pink light was glowing in their hands, before it suddenly exploded in a flash towards them.


    Then, they only saw darkness.


    ¡­


    Red was shocked as he stared at the scene. He never imagined Rimold¡¯s talisman would be so effective. One second, these men were standing ready to face an intruder, while on the next, they had all fallen down like sacks of potatoes.


    The boy made sure they were all truly unconscious before entering the room.


    The first step - locate the strongbox.


    Red gave the room a cursory glance, but he found no signs of said strongbox. The container was too big to be on the merchant¡¯s person, according to Rimold, so the boy went straight towards the wardrobe and clothes chest in the room, the only other places it could be hidden.


    ¡®Nothing in the wardrobe.¡¯


    The boy moved over to the chest. He threw the clothes out but still didn¡¯t find the strongbox. Red didn¡¯t panic, though.


    He roughly measured the chest from the side, noticing something strange. Red took out his short sword before stabbing it down into the chest¡¯s bottom. He heard the ting of his weapon stabbing something metallic.


    ¡®Hidden compartment.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t bother looking for the mechanism to open this compartment. Instead, he opted for the tried-and-true method of brute force.


    He continued to slash at the chest¡¯s bottom, hacking the container to pieces. Finally, he broke enough of the wood to take out a metallic strongbox. Red didn¡¯t bother examining the box. If this wasn¡¯t what he was looking for, then he had to commend the merchant for fooling him.


    Red used his crimson sense to examine his surroundings. No one was coming to the room, so he still had time.


    ¡®Next, the key.¡¯


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    He walked over to the merchant, patting him down. He found a coin pouch, which he pocketed, as well as a handful of jewels. No signs of the key.


    Red looked at the man¡¯s neck, noticing he was hiding a handful of necklaces under his shirt. The boy pulled them out, and sure enough, there was a small key amidst the jewelry.


    Red was about to snap the chain out of the merchant¡¯s neck before something suddenly drew his gaze in. It was one of the pendants.


    A dark, opaque jewel was hanging off the necklace. It was a pure black color, darker than the night, and that seemed to draw all the light from its surroundings, as if threatening to swallow everything in. It didn¡¯t seem to fit all the other jewelry the merchant was wearing.


    It looked almost demonic in nature.


    Yet, no matter how much Red tried, he couldn¡¯t shift his gaze away from it. Slowly, something seemed to shift in the endless darkness of the gem. An image formed on the surface of the pendant, and then the boy saw it.


    A lizard-like crimson eye, staring back at him, holding the end of the world in its gaze.


    Suddenly, Red remembered.


    The rage.


    The violence.


    The death.


    The destruction.


    The chaos.


    The dark star.


    It had seen him.


    Like a floodgate, something seemed to unlock in the depths of his mind. A trembling came over his entire body as Red fell to the ground in horror and dizziness.


    ¡®N-No, I have to¡­¡¯


    The boy tried getting up, but his body seemed to refuse him. He looked around, searching for some support to stand up, but he abruptly noticed his entire vision was crimson.


    His hand went up to his eyes, feeling a damp fluid running down under his mask. Panic overtook his actions as the boy fumbled around, searching for anything to help him.


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t¡­ Not here.¡¯


    Almost as if by instinct, his mind went back to the meditation technique, trying to use it to calm himself down. Yet, it was to no avail. It was as if every fiber of his being was consumed by fear and despair, and no matter what Red did, there was no getting rid of it.


    His mind dug deeper, searching for something to help him. Then he remembered something.


    The first time he saw the crimson mist on the surface - he had felt the same way back then as he felt now. It was a force beyond his understanding, and the boy wouldn¡¯t have been able to get rid of it if it wasn¡¯t for that one image.


    The white slate.


    As soon as Red thought back on it, he felt his fear and despair fade away like dust blown by the wind. The boy took a deep breath, noticing he had seemingly been unable to breathe the entire time. The terror dissipated from his mind, but the effects it had on his body were still there.


    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t dare to contemplate what had just happened. He wiped at his eyes with his sleeves, clearing his vision somewhat, before stumbling a few times trying to get to his feet. That was when he felt an approaching fluctuation.


    ¡®The other bodyguard is returning.¡¯


    The boy tried to hurry. He picked up the strongbox, completely ignoring the key, as he was too afraid to even look back in the general direction of the merchant¡¯s neck. Then, like a drunk, he stumbled towards the window.


    He looked at the ground below.


    ¡®I can¡¯t climb down in my state.¡¯


    As the boy was pondering, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The boy frowned, but didn¡¯t hesitate any longer.


    He threw the strongbox first and jumped down after it from the second floor.


    In a normal situation, someone like Red who had opened quite a few veins wouldn¡¯t have any trouble landing that jump. Yet, in his state, his landing was not graceful. He fell down on his side, and he felt the breath being taken away from his lungs.


    The boy swallowed down his pain, though, and got up as fast as he could, which wasn¡¯t fast at all. He grabbed the strongbox and limped away, using his crimson sense to scout his surroundings.


    Above him, he heard a scream of alarm. He knew the bodyguard entered the room. Red hurried even more, almost fainting to get out of the alley before the man looked out the window.


    However, he wasn¡¯t confident in his speed in this state, and was already fishing his talisman out of his pocket in preparation. Then, a few seconds later, he heard a terrible shriek from above him, followed by a scream of terror.


    Red felt his blood run cold, and he looked back at the window. He couldn¡¯t see anything from his position, but above him, he heard the sounds of flesh being torn apart. From inside, more screams of panic sounded out, and the boy felt a new fluctuation appear in his detection range.


    It was a demonic fluctuation.


    Red shivered and started to run away without looking back. Thankfully, whatever appeared in that room had plenty of other distractions in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and didn¡¯t chase after the boy.


    Soon enough, Red had successfully fled the scene of the crime, as the entire town seemed to be awoken by the death throes of the adventurers.


    ¡­


    The boy didn¡¯t immediately return to his agreed upon meeting spot with Rimold. The whole town seemed to be in a panic, and the guards were running towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild while screaming in alarm.


    Red hid by an alley until he had recovered enough and the majority of the guards had passed him by. Only then did he return to his sect¡¯s street.


    The boy was somewhat hesitant as he approached. He knew the rest of his sect members would have woken up due to the panic, and it was likely they would find his and Rimold¡¯s rooms empty. How wouldn¡¯t they suspect the two of them for being responsible?


    There was a bigger emergency at hand than worrying about the other¡¯s suspicions, though. As Red approached the sect grounds, he sensed Rimold¡¯s fluctuation hidden behind a few ruined houses.


    The boy approached him, and he saw the rogue was in an alarmed state.


    He shot up as soon as he saw Red, even ignoring the strongbox in his possession. ¡°What did you do?!¡±


    The boy shook his head, still shaken by the occurrence. ¡°Something¡­ Happened.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°You¡¯re telling me?! What the fuck did you do to alarm the entire town?!¡±


    Red caught his breath, thinking about how to explain it. ¡°I was looking for the key¡­ Then¡­ Then there was a demon.¡±


    The rogue froze. ¡°¡­ A d-demon? How was there a demon?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just looked at the merchant¡¯s necklace then-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Rimold cut him off. ¡°You said there was a necklace?!¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Did it have a dark gem?¡± Rimold asked with a troubled look.


    The boy nodded again in surprise. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    The rogue shivered after his confirmation. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh no.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red was perplexed by his reaction.


    ¡°We¡¯re doomed.¡± Rimold shook his head in denial. ¡°We¡¯re all doomed.¡±


    The rogue fell silent before looking back at Red with a terror-stricken face.


    ¡°We¡¯ve messed with demonic cultivators.¡±


    The boy felt his blood run cold.


    This was indeed a reason for worry.

 Chapter 223 - Town on Alert

    Red held his worry back and stared at Rimold. ¡°What does the necklace mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a symbol of a demonic cult.¡± the rogue said with some apprehension.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®cult¡¯?¡± Red was confused. ¡°They also worship demons?¡±


    ¡°Of course they do, you brat!¡± Rimold looked at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t feel like giving you a history lesson right now! We first need to figure out what we are going to do!¡±


    Red frowned, but he knew the rogue was right. He reined in his curiosity. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going back to the sect?¡±


    Rimold sneered. ¡°And getting caught red-handed by Hector? I¡¯d rather not!¡±


    ¡°What else would you suggest?¡±


    ¡°We go hide somewhere, of course!¡± Rimold said. ¡°They¡¯ll kill that demon really quickly anyways, and once things have blown by the morning, we can return to the sect!¡±


    Red stared at the rogue in confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just delaying the inevitable? Besides, how are you so confident they will kill that demon?¡±


    The boy was actually aware from the demon¡¯s fluctuation that it wasn¡¯t even in the Lesser Ring Realm, so the town¡¯s cultivators wouldn¡¯t have much issue killing it. However, Rimold didn¡¯t know about that, so Red didn¡¯t know where his confidence came from.


    ¡°Do you really don¡¯t know?¡± Rimold once more regarded the boy with some derision. ¡°There¡¯s an ancient formation covering the town that the Baron controls. As long as the demon is not in the third realm or above, it won¡¯t survive under it.¡±


    Red faintly recalled hearing some information about that.


    ¡°What about the others?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Won¡¯t they think something happened with us if they don¡¯t find us at the sect?¡±


    Rimold hesitated before picking out something from his pouch. It was a communication talisman - something they had in large stock since they robbed that imperial agent.


    ¡°I will send a message to them.¡± the rogue said.


    ¡°What are you going to say?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Rimold threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out!¡±


    The rogue activated the talisman, which glowed in a soft blue light. His whole countenance and air suddenly changed as he began to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s Rimold¡­¡± the man trailed off. ¡°Me and the kid are safe¡­ By kid, I mean Red. Uh¡­ It¡¯s not convenient to come back to the sect right now, but we¡¯ll be back in the morning¡­ Bye.¡±


    The glow dissipated as the talisman deactivated.


    Red was looking in bewilderment at the rogue.


    ¡°What?!¡± Rimold glared back at him.


    ¡°I thought you were supposed to be good with words.¡±


    The rogue seemed offended. ¡°Of course I¡¯m good with words! I¡¯m just not really good when it comes to speaking to-¡±


    Suddenly, the talisman began to glow again, and an enraged, and familiar, elderly voice came from it.


    ¡°WHAT HAVE YOU FUCKING DONE?! I SWEAR I¡¯LL SKIN YOU ALIVE IF YOU DON¡¯T COME BACK TO THE SECT RIGHT NOW!¡±


    The glow disappeared, leaving Rimold¡¯s pale expression and a heavy silence behind.


    ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to reply?¡± Red asked.


    Rimold cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Either way, do you still think it¡¯s a good plan to go back to the sect right now?¡±


    Red shook his head. Even if they were going to be punished upon return, he would rather it wait until Hector had somewhat calmed down.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I have some hideouts around town prepared for this kind of occasion.¡± Rimold said. ¡°We can wait in there until things blow over.¡± the rogue examined the strongbox in the boy¡¯s hand. ¡°Did you get the key, by the way?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I got out of there as soon as I noticed something was wrong.¡±


    The rogue grunted. ¡°That¡¯s fine. At the very least, you got the strongbox. Do you want me to carry it?¡±


    The boy hesitated, but still nodded. He would rather not be weighed down by anything if they needed to flee.


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    Rimold took the box in his hands and looked back at Red. ¡°Now, follow me closely. The last thing we need is to be caught up with guards.¡±


    The boy nodded.


    Thankfully for them, the guards were too occupied with the demon appearing in the middle of the night to be on the lookout for a couple of thieves. Soon they made it to a couple of ruins and abandoned houses on the edges of town.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Rimold pointed out a building in particular.


    He led Red into the ramshackle room. The place seemed to have been abandoned for a long time - the roof had partially collapsed and the wooden furniture was in different states of ruin.


    Red frowned. ¡°Is this your hideout?¡±


    Rimold glared back at him. ¡°Do you really think I would just pick a random abandoned house for a hideout? Here, just hold the box for a second.¡±


    The boy did as he was told. With his hands free, the rogue walked over to a certain corner of the room where a large collapsed wardrobe was toppled on the floor. Rimold pushed the piece of furniture away, and below it a trapdoor came into Red¡¯s vision.


    The rogue fished around at his waist before picking out a key and unlocking the hatch. He swung the trapdoor open before looking back at the boy in arrogance.


    ¡°See? I told you I had my means.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    The rogue climbed down the ladder. The boy watched as he descended over five meters into the ground before finally hopping down onto the floor. Red lost sight of the rogue as he wandered away, but soon enough, he noticed a white light illuminating the shaft.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lit up the room.¡± Rimold said. ¡°You can come down now.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t need the light in the first place, but he saw no reason to comment on that. He climbed down the ladder while holding onto the strongbox.


    When he reached the bottom, he was surprised by what he saw.


    ¡®As it turned out, this really was a hideout.¡¯


    Red found himself in a relatively small square room, no more than five meters across. Stone bricks lined the walls - a large shelf full of sealed wooden boxes and all sorts of paraphernalia stood against the right side, while a makeshift bed stood on the other. There were also all kinds of tools strewn about the place, and Red could barely walk without stumbling over something.


    Rimold looked back at him with a smug grin. ¡°So, what do you think? I¡¯ve built this myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive.¡± Red nodded.


    He was being honest. The room, of course, was a mess, but it served its purpose in being a hideout, much more so when it was all done by one person.


    Rimold nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Finally, you acknowledge my skills. Now stand back, I need to close the hatch.¡±


    Red did as he was told. The rogue climbed back up and lifted the wardrobe over the trapdoor before slowly closing it down.


    A few seconds later, he was back in the room.


    He patted the dust off his clothes. ¡°Now that we finally have some time, tell me exactly what happened. Oh, and take off your mask, will you?¡±


    Red hesitated, but he still followed the man¡¯s instructions.


    The rogue yelped once he saw the dried blood running down his face. ¡°What the fuck happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°I did everything as you told me, but when I was looking for the key, I felt my gaze drawn in by that dark pendant¡­ After that, I was dizzy and barely made it out of the room before another bodyguard came in. When I was back in the alley, I felt that demon appear with my power and I heard the screams of someone dying.¡±


    Red obviously omitted some details, but he saw no reason to lie to the rogue otherwise.


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Did you ever see the demon? Or how it came to be?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I got out of there as soon as I could.¡±


    The rogue looked troubled. ¡°I¡¯m not a demon specialist, but even then this whole story sounds weird to me.¡±


    The boy was confused. ¡°Why is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are two ways for demons to be created.¡± the rogue said. ¡°Either they are summoned in rituals, or someone becomes a demon over time. Neither of these happens spontaneously, though, and from what you told me, it didn¡¯t look like the merchant was in the middle of a summoning ritual, was he?¡±


    Red shook his head.


    The rogue grunted. ¡°That¡¯s what confuses me. I never heard of something like this, but then again, I suppose I don¡¯t know much about demons in the first place.¡±


    ¡°What about the pendant?¡± Red asked, noticing Rimold had brushed past what he thought would be the most pressing matter in his story. ¡°You said it¡¯s a symbol of a demonic cult, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Rimold¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°It is. They say it¡¯s crafted from obsidian mined from the Infernal Realm and that if you stare deeply into it, then something on the other side will also look back. I thought it was all bullshit, of course, and I came across quite a few of those pendants in the past that belonged to demon worshippers and they didn¡¯t do anything like that. However, if what you said is true¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it means they work.¡± Red completed his sentence.


    And it also means that the eye he saw belonged to a demon from the other side.


    The rogue nodded in dismay. ¡°Maybe the ones I saw in the past were all fake¡­ Or maybe they don¡¯t work all the time. I-I never imagined that this merchant¡­ I¡¯m sorry, kid.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Do I have to be expecting anything else to happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°But just coming into contact with a demon worshipper¡­ That can¡¯t mean anything good for any of us.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Those Spirit Stones¡­ Do you think they were meant for a demonic cultivator?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my worry, yes¡­¡± the rogue nodded. ¡°Of course, it could be that the Spirit Stones and the demon worshipping thing are unrelated, but even then we still have messed with something we should have stirred clear from.¡±


    ¡°You think other demonic worshippers will come investigate?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but not yet. A demon appearing in the middle of town is a pretty big deal, and I don¡¯t think the Baron will leave it alone.¡±


    Red realized something. ¡°You think they could find out we were involved?¡±


    Rimold shook his head. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be. We left no traces behind, and-¡±


    The man suddenly froze.


    Red had a bad premonition. ¡°What is it? Did you leave something behind?¡±


    ¡°N-No but I¡­¡± Rimold stuttered. ¡°T-The bodyguard in the stables, he¡­¡± the rogue trailed off.


    ¡°You had a deal with him, didn¡¯t you?¡± the boy frowned.


    ¡°I did¡­¡± the rogue nodded. ¡°I was supposed to give a cut of the profits from the items in the carriage to him. He didn¡¯t even know about the Spirit Stones we were trying to steal¡­¡±


    ¡°Does he know your identity?¡± Red asked the most vital question.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t reveal it to him, but¡­ If he does some digging around, he might find some clues.¡±


    The boy felt his blood run cold. It didn¡¯t seem likely that this bodyguard would investigate this matter, considering it involved a demon, but leaving a loose end like this on such a serious issue didn¡¯t sit well with Red. Not to mention, this bodyguard was likely to be questioned due to his involvement with the merchant, whom Red didn¡¯t even know was still alive.


    Rimold¡¯s expression suddenly became determined. ¡°We need to do something about it.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    The rogue nodded. ¡°We need to kill him.¡±

 Chapter 224 - Debt

    Red frowned. ¡°Kill him? Just for that?¡±


    Rimold gritted his teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it either, but what choice do we have?! If they figure out we were involved in this, we¡¯re completely screwed!¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but think about it for a second. If we kill him, we will be digging a deeper hole for ourselves. Right now, it¡¯s unlikely this bodyguard will look into this matter if he knows it involves demons, and he will probably just run away to not get implicated with his employer.¡±


    The rogue glared at him. ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand! We need to make sure to not leave any loose ends in this matter!¡±


    The boy went silent at this sudden bout of anger. He knew how troublesome this matter was, but he still found it odd for Rimold to react so violently towards it.


    ¡®There has to be something he¡¯s not telling me.¡¯


    The rogue seemed to notice how he had gone too far with his words, so he looked away from the boy in embarrassment.


    ¡°Before we proceed, I think I need you to clarify me a few things.¡± Red said.


    Rimold frowned, but still nodded.


    ¡°How did you escape from that Lesser Ring Realm cultivator?¡± the boy asked.


    The rogue¡¯s face fell. ¡°I used a talisman.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t comment on his vague words. ¡°What about the carriage? What did you do with it?¡±


    Rimold hesitated. ¡°¡­ I abandoned it.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°That seems weird. Earlier, you told me that the bodyguard agreed to help you for a share of the goods in the carriage, but you just abandoned it?¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°I was obviously just lying to him.¡±


    ¡°And the bodyguard just agreed to help someone who doesn¡¯t know who planned on stealing a carriage from his employee by himself while going against a Lesser Ring Realm Cultivator? What gave him such confidence that things would go well?¡±


    The more Red recounted the situation, the more absurd it truly seemed.


    Rimold also noticed this, considering how his expression looked defeated. ¡°Fine, you win. I had other people that put me in contact with this bodyguard¡­ I passed the carriage to them and they helped me escape from the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°So that¡¯s the connection you¡¯re afraid will get revealed¡­ Do they know your true identity?¡±


    Rimold nodded. ¡°They do.¡±


    ¡°So why aren¡¯t you worried about them revealing your involvement in this, too?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°They have as much to lose about this coming to light as I do. Besides, even if I wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t be able to silence them.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ Did they know about the Spirit Stones?¡±


    Rimold shook his head. ¡°No. I found out about it by chance while investigating the merchant. I made my plans with you on the side so we could split it between ourselves.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That sounds very risky. Wouldn¡¯t they have found out you acted behind their backs if the merchant asked about it?¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°These people don¡¯t care about loyalty. As long as I gave them a cut later, they wouldn¡¯t complain.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Of course, but now that there¡¯s a demon involved, things get more complicated. They don¡¯t know about my involvement, so you can claim to know nothing about it, but I doubt they would believe you.¡±


    Rimold had a grim expression at his words.


    ¡°Who are these people you were working with?¡± the boy asked the most important matter.


    Rimold hesitated, before shaking his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for me to judge.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°I gave you the benefit of the doubt once I agreed to this job, considering you are my fellow sect member, but you still hid information from me that may have future consequences for me.¡±


    Rimold looked outraged. ¡°You think I knew about the demon?!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°But you still didn¡¯t tell me powerful people were involved in this operation, and thus implicated me into yet another issue, not even mentioning the possible demonic cultivators behind the merchant. That by itself is more than enough for me to demand more clarity moving forward.¡±


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    The rogue frowned. ¡°And what will you do if I don¡¯t tell you?¡±


    ¡°I would be forced to ask Hector for help.¡± Red said. ¡°It would be my only choice in this matter.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t say this to threaten Rimold; he was just being sincere. These people that helped the rogue seemed to be active in this town and were powerful enough to help him escape from a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. Unlike the force behind the merchant, this was a very real and immediate threat.


    Rimold frowned at those words. ¡°¡­ I can tell you, but you must promise me you won¡¯t reveal it to Hector and the others.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t immediately agree to it. ¡°That depends. How likely is it that they could come after me?¡±


    ¡°They definitely won¡¯t come after you.¡± the rogue shook his head. ¡°I can promise you that, and if at any point you feel that might not be the case, I give you my permission for you to tell the truth to Hector.¡±


    The boy nodded with some reluctance. ¡°Fine. I promise I won¡¯t tell Hector as long as they don¡¯t threaten me.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Rimold trailed off. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m working with Gustav¡¯s people.¡±


    Red immediately regretted his promise.


    There was a heavy silence in the room as the boy tried to digest this revelation. The gaze he used to look at Rimold had changed to one of wariness.


    ¡°I¡¯m not betraying the sect if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± the rogue tried to clarify the matter.


    ¡°You¡¯re working for Gustav.¡± Red said. ¡°He¡¯s our enemy.¡±


    Rimold gritted his teeth. ¡°I know! But it¡¯s not what you think! I only agreed to help him as long as it didn¡¯t involve acting against the sect!¡±


    ¡°¡­ I find that hard to believe.¡± the boy shook his head.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not asking you to trust me at face value, but think about it!¡± the rogue tapped the side of his head. ¡°I have been working with him for the last six months, but did anything bad happen to the sect in the meantime?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything. As far as I know, you might just be biding your time.¡±


    ¡°Biding my time for six months only to reveal my connection to the enemy to a fucking brat like you?!¡± Rimold glared at him.


    Red sighed. ¡°You just told me I don¡¯t need to trust you at face value, so I¡¯m doing just that. If you truly wish to convince me, tell me why you are working with Gustav.¡±


    The rogue hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m trying to repay my debt.¡±


    ¡°You borrowed money from Gustav?¡± the boy was surprised.


    ¡°No, not from him.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°I borrowed it from someone else while I was in the kingdom¡¯s capital¡­ I made a contract with them to repay this loan overtime by providing my specialized services. They told me someone would approach me once I returned to town, but I never imagined they would bring me to Gustav.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You mean you borrowed money from the faction behind Gustav?¡±


    The rogue nodded with a dejected look. ¡°I didn¡¯t figure it out at the time but¡­ I should have seen it coming.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Gustav try to make you betray the sect?¡±


    ¡°He did. But I told him I would rather they kill me then and there than to betray our sect¡­¡± Rimold said in anger. ¡°In the end, he didn¡¯t push the matter to my surprise, and neither did he threaten to reveal it to Hector¡­ He just told me I would need to do jobs here and there for him. Stealing and spying on others - things I¡¯m good at doing. Some of them were risky, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I took out that loan.¡±


    Red examined the rogue¡¯s face, looking for a sign of a lie. There was nothing but guilt and remorse. Then, he used his crimson sense. The man¡¯s fluctuation was flaring, a sign of an individual in great distress as the boy had come to learn, which was to be expected considering the situation, but it didn¡¯t tell him whether he was lying or not.


    ¡°How much do you owe them?¡± Red asked.


    Rimold gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­ Fifty.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Fifty what?¡±


    ¡°¡­. Fifty spirit stones.¡±


    Red stared at the man in shock. ¡°How is that even possible?¡±


    Fifty spirit stones were several times the net worth of an average Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. The boy just couldn¡¯t imagine what Rimold wanted to take out a fifty Spirit Stones loan, much less for someone to grant him such an exorbitant amount.


    The rogue shook his head. ¡°The amount I needed was lower, about fifteen Spirit Stones. Fifty spirit stones is the ridiculous interest they told me I had to pay¡­ Of course, this isn¡¯t a debt I¡¯m meant to be able to pay as long as I¡¯m alive. It¡¯s pretty much just a slavery contract to Gustav and his faction.¡±


    ¡°And they aren¡¯t afraid you would try to run?¡± Red asked in confusion.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t¡­¡± Rimold looked conflicted. ¡°I left collateral with them back at the capital¡­ I left something behind that I can''t afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What did you borrow the money for?¡±


    The rogue didn¡¯t answer, instead looking at Red. The boy felt the man¡¯s gaze lingering on him, as if pondering what to reveal.


    A few seconds later, Rimold sighed. ¡°I borrowed it for medicine. I have¡­ Someone in the capital. They were sick with a rare disease, and they needed medicine. Expensive medicine¡­ That¡¯s all you need to know.¡±


    Red contemplated the man¡¯s words. If what the rogue said was true, it took little thinking to figure out what his collateral was.


    The boy tried to use all his senses and experience to see through Rimold¡¯s potential facade. Yet, if the man was lying, then Red wasn¡¯t able to detect it. This didn¡¯t give him any assurances, though, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t find out if the rogue was being genuine or not without investigating into this matter - something he clearly couldn¡¯t do right now.


    This made him hesitate, something Rimold was quick to pick up on.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to believe me, kid.¡± the rogue said with a rude tone. ¡°I just need you to keep your promise and not tell Hector about what happened.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I have no reason to.¡±


    ¡®At least not yet.¡¯


    This seemed to satisfy Rimold. ¡°Good¡­ I wanted to look for that bodyguard, but as you said, he might be long gone by now and even then, killing him is not a good idea. Either the guards or Gustav¡¯s people got to him first, but in either case, I doubt they would reveal my involvement in this, since it would implicate them too.¡±


    ¡°So what do you plan on doing?¡± Red asked. ¡°Wait here until the morning?¡±


    Rimold nodded. ¡°Yes. It leaves us time until things calm down and to come up with a good story to tell Hector. Besides¡­ We haven¡¯t even opened the strongbox yet, have we?¡±


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± the boy asked with some skepticism.


    ¡°If I can do it?!¡± Rimold glared at the boy. ¡°You brat, who do you think taught your precious Master Goulth about how to pick locks?! As long as it¡¯s not locked by enchantments, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t open!¡±


    The man picked up the metal container before setting it on top of a wooden box.


    ¡°Just sit there and watch closely.¡± Rimold said. ¡°You might learn a thing or two!¡±

 Chapter 225 - A Head

    Five minutes passed as Rimold fiddled with the strongbox, and the rogue¡¯s expression became less confident and more trouble.


    Rimold grunted in annoyance. ¡°Ugh, what did they make this lock out of?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I have never seen a lock so complex before.¡± the rogue shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how some of these mechanisms work.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Does that mean you can¡¯t open it?¡±


    Rimold hesitated. ¡°¡­ I will need a few hours to study and do it properly, but I might still be able to do it.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°As long as you can still open it, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    It was not like the boy had much to do while locked up in this place.


    He examined the rest of the small room while Rimold occupied himself with the strongbox. There was a large assortment of equipment on the shelf, what the rogue used to steal things, Red assumed. Nothing stood out to the boy, though, and he didn¡¯t dare to open the closed box in front of the man.


    ¡°How did you learn about the Spirit Stones, by the way?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I have sources on the other side of the river.¡± Rimold said without looking up from the strongbox. ¡°When Gustav asked me to steal from that merchant, I looked a bit into who this guy was. Imagine my surprise when someone tells me he might be carrying a large amount of Spirit Stones with him.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Might?¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°Well, he took out a large amount of Spirit Stones from his guild¡¯s coffer before setting out, and my source saw his strongbox. You just need to put two and two together.¡±


    ¡°But how can you be so certain about it?¡± the boy was still skeptical.


    He thought that Rimold¡¯s information was more than just guesswork, no matter how likely it turned out to be.


    ¡°Look, I have experience with this, okay?¡± Rimold seemed annoyed. ¡°Now, just sit there and let me work and we¡¯ll eventually find out if I¡¯m right, will we not?¡±


    Red sighed and remained silent.


    ¡­


    Just like the rogue said, it took him almost two hours to unlock the strongbox.


    ¡°Hah! Finally!¡± Rimold wiped off the sweat from his forehead. ¡°I was actually starting to doubt myself midway through there.¡±


    Red, who was sitting in a corner of the room meditating, opened his eyes and looked over. ¡°Are there any traps in the box?¡±


    The rogue grunted. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to check now.¡±


    In a similar manner that Red had seen Goulth do before, Rimold lifted the lid slightly and started to check for any wires or trap mechanisms.


    A few minutes later, he sighed in relief. ¡°No traps.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Red was confused. ¡°They didn¡¯t put any traps in such an important container?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about this all wrong.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°A merchant wouldn¡¯t really rig a strongbox they were supposed to deliver, would they? Not only would it risk damaging the goods, but even if it was stolen, they would rather these goods remain intact so they can recover it in the future. Of course, if it was some really sensitive object or something of the sort, then it would be a different story, but for Spirit Stones they probably thought just a sturdy lock would suffice. Too bad they met me.¡±


    The rogue smiled arrogantly and flipped the lid open. He looked down at the box¡¯s contents. Suddenly, his expression changed.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± the rogue jumped back in shock.


    Red shot up to his feet, half-expecting an explosion to occur. However, nothing happened.


    He looked over at Rimold in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°T-The box¡­¡± the rogue pointed at the container with a trembling finger. ¡°There¡¯s something in there!¡±


    Red frowned and walked over to the strongbox. When he saw the box¡¯s contents, he understood the rogue¡¯s shock.


    ¡°It¡¯s a head.¡± the boy said.


    It was a desiccated head. Its eyes socket were empty, its skin grey and pulled taut against its skull, and its teeth poking out from between its torn lips.


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    It turned out that when Rimold compared the strongbox¡¯s size to a human¡¯s head, it was more apt than the rogue imagined.


    Red squinted as he examined the disembodied head. ¡°It looks human, but there¡¯s something weird about it.¡±


    ¡°Get away from it, you lunatic!¡± Rimold pulled the boy back by his scruff. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it does!¡±


    The boy turned around to look at the rogue. ¡°There are no Spirit Stones in there.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°I noticed! But we have more pressing concerns right now!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Why is there a head in that box?¡±


    The boy just couldn¡¯t imagine why a merchant, even a cultist one, would need to put a desiccated head inside this kind of strongbox.


    ¡°He was a demon worshipper!¡± Rimold said. ¡°They use all kinds of blood sacrifices and other unholy things in their rituals!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So you¡¯re saying this might have been for a ritual?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my guess.¡± the rogue nodded. ¡°Nothing else would make sense!¡±


    ¡°It makes sense, but you do know what that means, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you- Ugh!¡± Rimold had a sudden realization.


    Red completed his train of thought. ¡°If the merchant was carrying this with him, then it means he was probably acting under the orders of other demon worshippers.¡±


    One of their solace after discovering that the merchant was a demon worshipper, was the possibility that he wasn¡¯t acting under the orders of a demonic cultivator or anything of the kind. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case, and this meant they had just interfered in the business of some very dangerous and insidious people.


    Rimold had a grim expression as he understood this. ¡°Why did everything have to go so fucking wrong?!¡±


    Red ignored the man as he walked back over to the box.


    The rogue continued to complain. ¡°I mean, I just wanted to earn some money to repay my debts, so why- Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you to get away from that?! You don¡¯t know if that head is cursed or carrying a disease or something!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­¡± Red said. ¡°I feel like I recognize this head.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Rimold looked shocked.


    He reluctantly walked over and also examined the head by the boy¡¯s side. His expression became intrigued as the seconds passed.


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ Those large teeth do remind me of someone.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond as recognition came to him. The boy felt his blood run cold as he finally recognized who this head belonged to.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this Viran?¡¯


    The boy couldn¡¯t believe it. How had these people gotten to the old warrior¡¯s body? Wasn¡¯t it lost in the underground? More importantly, why had they done this to his head?


    Red felt both indignant and terrified at the same time.


    From the corner of his eyes, he saw Rimold tremble. ¡°This¡­ No, it can¡¯t be.¡± the rogue dropped down to his knees as he approached the strongbox. ¡°M-My mother¡­¡±


    The rogue¡¯s words shocked Red out of his daze. He looked at the man in confusion. ¡°Your mother?¡±


    Rimold ignored him. ¡°N-No, it can¡¯t be¡­ How could they do this to you, mother? H-How could they¡­¡±


    The rogue was just about to reach into the box and touch the head. Red, however, realized what was happening.


    ¡°Rimold, no!¡± he tackled the rogue into the ground.


    Rimold was taken by surprise and glared at Red with fury in his eyes. ¡°What are you doing, you fucking bastard?!¡±


    The rogue looked like he was about to attack Red.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your mother!¡± the boy warned him. ¡°I¡¯m seeing someone different on its face.¡±


    Rimold froze, looking at the boy in confusion. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I recognized someone else in the head¡¯s face¡­ But it was a man.¡±


    The rogue trembled in horror.


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with it.¡± Red said. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t look at it.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± Rimold nodded in a daze.


    Red got up and walked over to the box, not daring to even spare a glance at its contents. He closed the lid without hesitation, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°W-What was¡­¡± Rimold stuttered in fear. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The rogue looked down at his trembling hands. ¡°When I looked at that head¡­ I felt something change. I-It was like a creeping feeling¡­ When I recognized my mother¡¯s face, I¡­ I felt like I needed to touch it.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°We should tell Hector about this. As quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re right.¡± the rogue nodded.


    To his surprise, Rimold agreed with him.


    ¡°But should we bring it with us?¡± the man looked back at the box.


    ¡°No way.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it here.¡±


    As far as they knew, the head only affected them once they looked at it, but the boy would never risk bringing it back to their sect. It was too dangerous.


    Rimold got up and looked at the box with apprehension. ¡°We should leave.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Neither of them dared spend one more second close to that thing.


    ¡­


    A few hours had passed since they had hidden away, and the town seemed to have calmed down somewhat. They still saw quite a few guards running around, but the sense of urgency in them was gone.


    ¡®They killed the demon already.¡¯


    This was the only conclusion that made sense to Red. Now, they were probably looking around town for any other signs of demonic activity.


    The boy looked back at the ruined hideout they had just crawled out from, feeling a shiver run up his spine. He hoped that wouldn¡¯t result in another demonic summoning.


    Rimold led the way back to the sect as they sneaked under the night sky. It didn¡¯t take them long to arrive at the sect¡¯s street.


    The rogue stopped and turned around to look at Red. ¡°Let me do the talking, okay?¡±


    Red nodded. If Rimold wanted to receive the brunt of Hector¡¯s anger, who was he to stop him?


    They walked towards the sect¡¯s courtyard and Red already felt a handful of fluctuations moving about. Eiwin, Domeron, Allen, Goulth, and Hector.


    He didn¡¯t feel Narcha''s or Rog¡¯s fluctuations.


    ¡®Must have gone to investigate the scene.¡¯


    As soon as they got within a few dozen meters of the gate, the doors swung open. Hector walked outside, staring daggers at the two of them.


    ¡°You little shits!¡± the man trembled in anger. ¡°What the fuck have you done?!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Rimold raised his hands up. ¡°I know you¡¯re mad, but there¡¯s something really important we need to tell you! Whatever punishment awaits us can wait until then!¡±


    Red praised the rogue¡¯s approach in his mind. Hector¡¯s temper was explosive, but these bouts of anger disappeared just as quickly as they came about, as long as the elder had something else to focus on, that is.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Hector gritted his teeth in anger.


    It seemed the old man knew exactly what Rimold was doing, but he could do nothing to stop it.


    ¡°Fine!¡± the elder waved his sleeve. ¡°To the hall!¡±


    He spun on his heels and walked back into the courtyard. From behind him, Red saw the figures of Allen and Eiwin looking at them.


    The young master¡¯s expression brightened up once he saw Red. ¡°Did you steal something?¡±


    Eiwin frowned from the side.


    Red didn¡¯t respond to the boy¡¯s question.

 Chapter 226 - Demonic Influence

    Soon enough, everyone was gathered inside the sect hall, except for Narcha and Rog. Goulth was glaring at Red, but the boy ignored it for now.


    Domeron rubbed his eyes. ¡°What have you two done this time?¡±


    The swordsman looked more bothered at having been woken up in the middle of the night than anything else.


    Goulth grunted. ¡°Do you need to ask? They probably went stealing something again!¡± he looked over at Rimold in anger. ¡°I knew you would be a bad influence for my disciple!¡±


    Rimold put his hands up in defeat. ¡°Look, you can admonish me however you want after we are done reporting our situation, okay?¡±


    Hector, who was weighing up the two of them in silence, snorted loudly. ¡°Then go ahead! Explain to me how the two of you managed to summon a demon in the middle of town!¡±


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°So it was a demon?!¡±


    A glare from the elder was enough to silence him.


    ¡°We were uh¡­ Acquiring something from a merchant in the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± Rimold tried to put it in the vaguest way possible, but that already earned him plenty of unfriendly looks. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t matter! What matters is what the kid saw once he entered the merchant¡¯s room!¡±


    Goulth¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°You sent him inside by himself?!¡±


    ¡°Not the point.¡± the rogue shook his head. ¡°Tell them, kid!¡±


    Rimold looked at Red with pleading eyes.


    The boy sighed and turned to look at the others. ¡°I was searching the merchant¡¯s body for a key when I found an opaque dark pendant around his neck.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed once they heard this, except for Allen, who looked confused.


    ¡°A demon worshipper?¡± Domeron asked in a heavy tone.


    Red nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it at the time, but Rimold informed me afterwards. That¡¯s not all, though¡­¡±


    Goulth¡¯s expression fell as he seemed to realize something. ¡°Did you look at it?¡±


    The boy frowned and nodded.


    ¡°This¡­¡± the blacksmith put one of his hands to his head in dismay. ¡°Did it react?¡±


    Red nodded again. ¡°It did. I felt dizzy and my eyes started to bleed¡­ I saw something inside that pendant. It wasn¡¯t until I left that I heard the demon inside the room.¡±


    There was a prolonged silence as Goulth¡¯s countenance paled. Eiwin too looked anxious, while Domeron was pondering to himself with his eyes closed. Hector was frowning and looking at Red.


    The boy was quick to understand there was more to this matter than Rimold first told him, but when he looked over at the rogue, the man seemed just as confused as him. Before he could question them, Allen spoke up.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your faces?¡± the young master noticed the strange atmosphere in the room and was starting to become worried himself. ¡°Isn¡¯t Red safe?¡±


    Hector ignored Allen¡¯s question, gazing at Red deeply. ¡°Do you remember what you saw inside that pendant?¡±


    Red frowned, trying to remember the image, but before he could respond, the old man cut him off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to visualize it too much.¡± Hector said. ¡°Just tell me what you can remember off the top of your head.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°¡­ It was a reptilian eye.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°So a draconic demon, then.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop beating around the bush and tell us what the issue is?¡± Rimold looked nervous. ¡°Why does it matter what the kid saw?¡±


    Hector ignored the rogue and continued to focus on Red. ¡°Do you know why it¡¯s so dangerous to practice demonic arts, kid?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t it because of demonification?¡±


    ¡°That is certainly one reason.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°But not the only one. In truth, practicing demonic arts makes you more susceptible to¡­ Outside influence.¡±


    The boy understood where this was going.


    Hector continued. ¡°Some strong-willed cultivators can fight off demonification, and as such, they choose to rely on these demonic arts. They say that there is no such thing as an evil technique, only an evil cultivator. To some degree, they are right, but these people grossly miss the true danger of the demonic arts.¡±


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    The mood around the hall continued to get heavier and Red felt cold sweat running down his back.


    ¡°Throughout history, great cultivators fell victim to demonification and became horrible monsters.¡± the elder said. ¡°These people were extremely strong willed, even more than any of us in this sect, and yet they still fell to this dark curse. Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Because of outside influence?¡± Red said with uncertainty.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°Using demonic Spiritual Energy will inevitably open one up to the influence of demons from the Infernal Realm - creatures of primordial evil beyond our understanding. Intrusive thoughts, whispered words, strong bouts of unexplainable emotion - these demons can push a person to the brink of a mental breakdown without them noticing, and even if they do, sometimes there¡¯s nothing they can do to stop it. Under the pressure of such vicious beings, these cultivators find themselves unable to fight back against the demonification and they all end up falling in the end.¡±


    ¡°But Red doesn¡¯t practice any demonic arts!¡± Allen said with a nervous look. ¡°Why does that matter to him?¡±


    ¡°If these demons were only a risk to demonic cultivators, they wouldn¡¯t be as dangerous as they are.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°In truth, even normal people can be influenced by those demons if they¡¯re exposed to them.¡±


    The young master¡¯s expression fell. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°When he looked into the pendant, it¡¯s very likely a demon took notice of him.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s what happened¡­¡¯


    Red felt some trepidation at this discovery, but he didn¡¯t let it show.


    Hector sighed. ¡°Most of these pendants cultists carry with them are fake, and even the real ones don¡¯t work all the time with establishing connections to the infernal realm. However, you just so happened to stumble upon a real one. You are very unlucky, kid.¡±


    Somehow, Red felt this had nothing to do with being unlucky.


    ¡°What does this mean for me then?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± the elder shook his head. ¡°You see, there are many types of demons. Draconic demons in particular are very prone to bouts of anger and violence, so their influence is easily noticeable in other people. If you do end up suffering under its influence, it will be easy to notice.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°And what can we do about it if something does happen?¡±


    ¡°I will call one of my colleagues.¡± Hector said. ¡°There are actually treatments for demonification in this world. As long as it¡¯s detected in the first phase, it can still be cured. So you don¡¯t need to lose heart yet - although your situation might be dangerous, it can still be remedied.¡±


    The boy nodded, but in actuality, he was worried about something else. Red had the crimson mist inside his body which, as far as he understood, actually prevented the demonification from affecting his mind, so even if this demon did try to affect him, perhaps he would be immune to it.


    However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his physical demonification. If Hector¡¯s colleague came to treat his demonification and noticed the boy was actually already in the second phase of transformation, what would happen to Red? Would they kill him on the spot?


    He couldn¡¯t let that happen, but he couldn¡¯t deny them outright, either.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine for now.¡± Red said. ¡°But I will inform you if I feel something out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Red has excellent control of his mental state.¡± Eiwin said, looking over at Goulth and Allen. ¡°I doubt any sudden changes will pass by unnoticed by him.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± the blacksmith nodded as the woman¡¯s attempt at consoling him seemed to work. He looked over at Red. ¡°You are my disciple! No pesky demon will be able to bring you down!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± Allen¡¯s expression lit up. ¡°You already fought a demon before! What¡¯s one more?!¡±


    Hector cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation. Everyone looked over at him.


    ¡°Previously, I was intent on punishing the two of you, but how can I still be in such a mood after learning such dire news?¡± the elder said. ¡°I would say that you have learned your lesson already, but in truth, the punishment seems to be overly severe for your infractions. So instead, let the lesson be to be more careful about how you approach complete strangers. Demon worshippers hide amongst common people all the time, so one should always be on their guard if they find any strange signs, much more so if they see those dark pendants.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Rimold nodded with a frown. ¡°But that isn¡¯t all¡­¡±


    Hector¡¯s anger threatened to reignite. ¡°What else did you do?!¡±


    Everyone looked at them with anxious expressions.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rimold hesitated. ¡°I did say we were trying to steal from this merchant. However, we found¡­ Something strange in his possession.¡±


    ¡°We found a decapitated head.¡± Red said.


    ¡°You¡­ You what?!¡± Hector¡¯s face fell.


    The boy continued. ¡°We found it in his strongbox. Rimold theorized it might be something they would use in a demonic ritual, but that¡¯s when something strange happened.¡±


    Red described the experience to them. He told them about how both he and Rimold felt like they recognized the face in the desiccated head and how the rogue felt compelled to touch it before the boy stopped him.


    Rimold had an embarrassed expression once Red was done recounting the story.


    This time, there were a lot of confused expressions around the hall. From their initial reaction, no one seemed to have any idea what that thing was.


    ¡°There are all sorts of strange evil items in the world.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°By your account, it seems as if this ¡®head¡¯ was trying to compel you to touch it. It¡¯s not that uncommon for cursed items like these to exist, much more so in possession of demonic worshippers.¡±


    Rimold frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°You said this thing was inside a common strongbox, right?¡± Goulth asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°Indeed. As far as I could tell, it was made of common steel and there were no traps or special locks to speak of.¡±


    ¡°Hm, that is strange.¡± the blacksmith scratched his beard. ¡°Cursed items like these are generally capable of influencing people even if multiple walls are placed between them. Even if one was only affected by looking at it, I can¡¯t imagine what kind of idiots would feel safe locking it away in a common container.¡±


    This was something that confused Red too, but he didn¡¯t dare stay too close to the box to investigate it.


    ¡°Where did you say you left it?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°In my hideout by the edge of town.¡± Rimold said.


    ¡°At least you kept it hidden.¡± the elder nodded and got up from his chair.


    ¡°What do you plan on doing, old man?¡± the rogue frowned.


    ¡°I will take the box and throw it into the river.¡± Hector said. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to keep something like that in town, and I don¡¯t feel confident in dealing with such a demonic item with only the resources I have in hand.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious to know what that head is?¡± Red asked in surprise.


    He didn¡¯t really expect Hector to be so eager to get rid of the item.


    ¡°Of course I am curious.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°But I know better than to meddle in things I neither understand nor am prepared to deal with. It¡¯s a useful survival skill, kid. You should try learning it someday.¡±


    Hector turned to look at Rimold.


    ¡°Show me where the hideout is.¡± the elder said.


    The rogue nodded, and soon enough the two of them had left the hall, leaving behind a bewildered Red.

 Chapter 227 - Naming Evil

    Everyone else left the hall one by one, including Red. The boy went back to his room to reflect on what he saw on that pendant.


    ¡®The dark star.¡¯


    As soon as Red recalled that image, a sharp headache came to him. The boy gritted his teeth and stopped trying to visualize it. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t as easy.


    The image of that dark star surrounded by the crimson skies lingered on the back of his mind, just like ephemeral colors that remained in one¡¯s vision after staring at a bright light. It took almost a minute before Red cleansed his mind of it.


    ¡®I still can¡¯t think about it.¡¯


    Although that was the case, the boy now remembered that his memory loss back in the dreamscape of the Infernal Realm was related to that star.


    As soon as Red thought back on it, another headache came to him.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but grunt in frustration and pain. Now that Red knew about the cause for his short-term amnesia, how could he stop his own thoughts from wandering back to that ¡°thing¡±? It was instinctive, and trying to fight against it was almost like trying to stop your unconscious breathing. It was almost impossible.


    He couldn¡¯t help but think it was better when he couldn¡¯t remember it at all.


    ¡®This won¡¯t stop until I clear my doubts.¡¯


    With no other choice, Red tried to fight through this worsening headache and reflect on what he had learned. First, the dark pendant. It was apparently a portal to the Infernal Realm, and that demon saw him through it. As Hector told him, draconic demons were a sub-type of demon, and this wasn¡¯t the first time Red saw one. The demon back then also had lizard-like features, so it was likely that the being that noticed him and the demon that he killed were connected in some ways.


    The biggest question, though, was what did any of this have to do with the dark star from his dreams? How was this draconic being connected in any way to that nightmare-inducing celestial body? Why did looking at that lizard eye remind him of it?


    Red tried to recall what he saw in the depths of the dark star that one time. His eyes widened.


    ¡®Could it be that I-¡¯


    Another sharp headache, this time stronger than before. The boy felt his vision darken, and the image of the dark star was engraved even deeper in his mind. Red felt as if it was about to hop out of his imagination and take form in the real world.


    And who was the boy to say that wasn¡¯t exactly what was happening?


    Hector¡¯s words from earlier echoed in his head.


    ¡®I have to stop.¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t prepared to deal with this.


    He closed his eyes and tried to draw his thoughts away from that thing. This time, it took ten minutes for the image to disappear from his mind. When it was finally gone, Red let out a sigh of relief.


    Almost by instinct, he wondered how he could deal with this problem before he caught himself. If he tried to think about solutions, that was likely to draw the image back to his mind, and the boy didn¡¯t want that to happen.


    ¡®So I can¡¯t even make a plan?¡¯


    Red frowned. For someone who was meticulous and oftentimes over thought every minor aspect of his life, this was one of the hardest challenges he was faced with yet.


    To stop analyzing and contemplating plans and countermeasures and to just let this enormous problem be. Was that even possible?


    ¡®Maybe I should look for something to wipe my memories¡­¡¯


    With no other choice, Red laid down on his bed and tried to go to sleep.


    His mind, however, subconsciously wandered towards the image of the dark star over the course of the night, and a strong headache always hit him every time that happened. The boy didn¡¯t know if this was due to some cursed effect or just the result of his curious and wandering mind thinking about what he shouldn¡¯t think. Either way, it was an unsustainable state of affairs.


    Red soon gave up on sleeping and instead sat down cross-legged on his bed to meditate with his Radiant Current technique. His mind was wiped clean of any superfluous thoughts and the boy concentrated solely on examining his body¡¯s condition with his expanded awareness.


    This distraction worked, and the image didn¡¯t return to his mind while he focused on the technique.


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    Red didn¡¯t know how much time passed in this state until he heard a knock at the door. The noise broke his concentration, and the boy felt a fluctuation in front of his room.


    He frowned and walked towards the door before opening it.


    Rimold was waiting for him on the other side with a troubled expression.


    ¡°S-So¡­¡± the man stumbled over his words. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re about to invite me to another heist, I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there was no way I could have known he was a demon worshipper!¡± Rimold threw his hands up in defeat. ¡°I know it might not look like it, but most times my jobs don¡¯t go this badly.¡±


    ¡°And where do you assume it went wrong?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± the rogue hesitated. ¡°Perhaps I should have done a more thorough investigation into this merchant, but in my defense, this was our only opportunity to strike if we wanted those Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°And yet, there were no Spirit Stones.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Only a cursed rotten head.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, that was indeed the case¡­¡± Rimold scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°That has me very confused, too. I¡¯m certain that the information I got of the Spirit Stones was legitimate, and since the merchant did no big purchases with them, I thought it was reasonable to assume he was carrying them on his person. And yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Could he have been carrying it in another hidden compartment?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Rimold frowned. ¡°You were the one in the room. Did you see anything else?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I only found the strongbox in a hidden compartment.¡±


    Rimold sighed. ¡°Then there¡¯s no point in thinking about it. If he did have another way to hide the Spirit Stones, we couldn¡¯t have found it in the short time we had to act.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Is this all you wanted to talk about?¡±


    The rogue scowled at him. ¡°Are you telling me to go away?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Look, you¡­¡± Rimold gritted his teeth in anger but held himself back. ¡°Argh, nevermind. I brought you something.¡±


    The rogue fished something from his pouch before handing it over to Red. It was a small box.


    The boy looked over at him in bewilderment.


    Rimold urged him on. ¡°Just open it!¡±


    Red did so. Inside of it, he saw three glowing white stones.


    ¡°Spirit Stones?¡± the boy was surprised.


    Rimold nodded. ¡°It was what I could fork out at this moment. I still owe you two more.¡±


    Red frowned in confusion. ¡°Why?¡±


    The rogue snorted. ¡°Because you got screwed over, obviously. We were business partners, and since my lacking information put you in a lot of danger for no reward, it¡¯s only reasonable that I repay what you¡¯re owed from my own pocket.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°That sounds reasonable.¡±


    Rimold frowned. ¡°And? You¡¯re not even going to say thank you?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was your repayment? Why should I thank you for it?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you¡­¡± Rimold eyes twitched. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I have a reputation to maintain! Some people out there wouldn¡¯t even bother paying you out of their pocket if something went wrong!¡±


    The boy knew he was right, but then again, the rogue wasn¡¯t the one being targeted by yet another demon.


    Rimold face changed as if he suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh yeah, Hector wanted me to deliver you a message!¡±


    ¡°Did you get rid of the head?¡± Red asked.


    The man nodded. ¡°We did, but it¡¯s not about that¡­¡±


    Rimold trailed off and looked around in suspicious.


    Red realized what he was doing. ¡°No one is spying on us, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    The rogue nodded in relief. ¡°¡­ Hector got some information from Narcha and Rog, as well as from other people. The demon was killed very quickly, but he still managed to take twelve other people with him from the inn. Just like what you said in the hall, the demon was also lizard like...¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised to hear this. ¡°Did you figure out where it came from?¡±


    ¡°We did¡­¡± Rimold hesitated. ¡°The merchant transformed into it.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°The merchant?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± the rogue nodded. ¡°I was confused too. I never heard of any demonic transformation that sudden and that fast, and not even Hector knows how that happened. It might be related to the pendant, though, since, according to Narcha and Rog, the baron¡¯s men found it in pieces in the room.¡±


    Red¡¯s mind started to wander towards certain possibilities before he caught himself.


    ¡®No¡­ I can¡¯t think about it.¡¯


    ¡°Is this what Hector wanted to tell me?¡± Red asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to warrant the secrecy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know that, at least for now, no one knows about your presence in the room. The demon also destroyed almost everything in there, so they can¡¯t even tell if something was stolen.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°That is reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s the bad part¡­ Hector doesn¡¯t think that is the only cultist in town.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How does he know that?¡±


    ¡°The demonic group that attacked the sect forces at the Skycrown Mountains was also related to the same demon that the merchant worshipped.¡± Rimold said. ¡°It¡¯s too much of a coincidence for someone like the merchant to appear in town right before the horde is about to appear, so Hector thinks that there are probably more already in town or arriving soon.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You mean they might investigate what happened?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Rimold nodded. ¡°Gustav is going to be at the main target of this, since this all happened under a building he owns, but he is more than capable of defending himself. As for the two of us¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say we better not wander around town alone if they do find out what happened.¡±


    Red understood the severity of this situation.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing that¡¯s confusing me, though.¡± the boy said. ¡°How do you know the merchant was related to that demonic group that attacked the sects?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Rimold hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain, but Hector said it was a fair assumption considering that the merchant transformed into a draconic demon. He said that demon worshippers will always transform into the type of demon they revere and pray to. The demonic cultivators in the Skycrown Mountain also worshipped the same damn type of demon¡­ Probably the same demon too, if I had to guess.¡±


    Red frowned. He felt like he was getting close to a discovery and he needed to push through.


    ¡°And what demon is that exactly?¡± he asked.


    Information on demons in the books of the library was scarce, probably since people considered the study of those creatures to be taboo and a form of temptation itself. Red¡¯s knowledge on the subject, as such, was still rather limited.


    Rimold hesitated. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not wise to speak too much of Her.¡±


    ¡°Her?¡± Red was confused.


    The rogue nodded with some trepidation. ¡°According to legend, She is one of the nine archdemons of the Infernal Realm, and also one of the beings responsible for invading our world thousands of years ago.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t like where this was heading.


    Rimold continued. ¡°She has many titles¡­ The Mother of Destruction, the Primordial Calamity, the Dark Sky. The one most people use, though, is the Chaos Dragon.¡±


    The boy shivered, a familiar image resurfacing in his head.


    At the next moment, everything went dark.

 Chapter 228 - Towards the Castle

    Red¡¯s dreams were different this time. Or perhaps it was better to say his dreams were normal instead. Flashes of images and feelings that made no sense to him, and only the slightest sliver of a conscious thought to interpret them.


    He saw himself towering above the world as lands unraveled to infinity beneath him. He saw everything crumble to dust, an ocean of blood and destruction washing away everything around him.


    He felt helplessness and sorrow, the latter emotion which the boy wasn¡¯t used to experiencing. Then, like dust to the wind, these sensations were blown away, and what came to fill its void was rage, unstoppable and insatiable.


    So strong, so single-minded in its pursuit of revenge and retribution.


    This rage was directed at something or someone at first. This the boy knew. Yet so much time passed - time lost in a fruitless pursuit, an objective that remained just as distant to him as when he first started seeking it.


    It consumed him, this anger. So much so that the self eventually was lost in this unbridled sea of pure emotion. There was no longer a reason or aim behind it, no target or morality holding it back.


    There was only rage and the desire to destroy, directed at existence itself.


    The boy was no longer an individual. He no longer had a name or thoughts of his own.


    He became an incarnation of something bigger, more primordial.


    He became the end of everything.


    ¡­


    The first thing Red felt when he came back to was his back lying against the soft mattress. Then, as awareness returned to him, he felt a lingering headache plaguing him.


    The boy stirred in the bed, scrunching his eyes in discomfort.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± a surprised and relieved voice came from his side.


    Red opened his eyes in confusion and looked towards the sound. He saw Eiwin sitting by a chair next to his bed, looking at him with a smile on her face.


    The boy frowned, focusing on his crimson sense. Indeed, he could feel the woman¡¯s fluctuation right there, but it felt as if this detection power of his was being sluggish and it took it longer to process the information he received. This wasn¡¯t a normal occurrence.


    Even when Red was close to death in the past, his crimson sense always stood fully functioning. Something had happened.


    ¡®Then again, I suppose that much is obvious.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked Eiwin.


    ¡°Rimold called me after he saw you collapse.¡± the woman said with a worried expression. ¡°We put you on your bed and examined your condition, but we couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with you. You were just sleeping. It looked like you had just suddenly collapsed from exhaustion, but considering recent events, I was worried something beyond my understanding might have happened to you.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong about that.


    Red frowned as he realized something. ¡°Did you ask Hector to examine me?¡±


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°Rimold wanted to call him, but I convinced him not to. We agreed that if you didn¡¯t awaken by the time the sun was up, we would tell Master Hector.¡±


    Red looked out of the window. The faintest traces of sunlight were coming through.


    He looked over at Eiwin and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The last thing the boy wanted was for Hector to go snooping around his body. What if the elder found out about his healed acupoint and the being living inside his body? How would Red explain himself then?


    Eiwin had proven yet again to be the most conscientious and considerate person the boy ever knew. She wasn¡¯t privy to most of his secrets, and yet she still respected his privacy and knew how much his secrecy was important to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± she shook her head with a smile. ¡°If you had worse symptoms, then I would have asked Master Hector for help, but you looked fine, so I opted to wait. It seems I was right¡­ Or was I?¡± she looked at Red with a worried expression.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a small headache.¡±


    Eiwin sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. However, you must tell us if you feel anything strange, whether it is in your body or in your mind. Even experienced cultivators can¡¯t always predict how matters involving demons will develop, so we need to react to anything out of place with utmost urgency.¡±


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    ¡®If only she knew¡­¡¯


    Red nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if I need help.¡±


    The boy used this choice of words deliberately, and it didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Eiwin.


    The woman hesitated, but just nodded. ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll be leaving you to rest.¡±


    She made to get up.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Red stopped her. ¡°The meeting tomorrow¡­ Or rather today with the baron. Is it still happening?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°It is. If anything, what happened with the demon yesterday only made the need for a meeting even more urgent. Of course, considering what happened to you, you don¡¯t need to come should you not wish to.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Is that what Hector said?¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°No, but I¡¯m sure he will understand.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Eiwin nodded, seemingly unsurprised. ¡°I will let the others know about it.¡±


    With that, the woman left the room, closing the door behind her. Red was alone again with his own thoughts, as well as the images from his dream.


    ¡®No. I can¡¯t do that again¡­¡¯


    The boy chose to distract himself by picking up a book by the table and reading it. It seemed to work, and for many hours after, his mind didn¡¯t linger towards forbidden thoughts and memories, until eventually the boy had subconsciously thrown them to the back of his mind.


    ¡­


    A few hours later, Red was called to meet with Hector in the main hall.


    When he got there, the elder, Eiwin, and Allen were already waiting for him. The young master waved at him excitedly.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t wait for it!¡± Allen said. ¡°I have never been part of a war council! I have some ideas that I want to-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to speak.¡± Hector cut him off.


    ¡°What?!¡± Allen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°You will only go there to listen and learn.¡± the elder said. ¡°If you embarrass me in front of the Baron, I¡¯ll punish you myself when we get back to the sect.¡±


    The young master frowned but nodded in defeat. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Satisfied, Hector looked over at Red. ¡°There are some things you should know before we go.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°There are?¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t intend for you to speak, but you should know Gustav is going to be there, too. This is the first time you will meet with him, and since I know that bastard very well, I¡¯m certain he will try to speak to you to find out what kind of person you are. You must not answer to his provocations, or any of his questions at all if possible, for that matter.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hector waved his hand towards the door. ¡°Then we are off.¡±


    The group walked out of the sect with the elder in the lead. As soon as they arrived near the main town streets, their whole surrounding became abuzz as the townsfolk spotted Hector.


    ¡°It¡¯s the old man from the Water Dragon Guild!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the third time he appeared out in public this year!¡±


    ¡°Do you think this has to do with the demon? Is another demon invasion coming?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the sects fought with demonic cultivators at the Skycrown Mountain!¡±


    Red continued to hear such speculation and rumours as he walked through the streets. Most of the townsfolk¡¯s attention was placed on Hector, but he could feel quite a few gazes directed towards him. It made him feel uncomfortable.


    Red could also sense through his crimson sense that these people were all very anxious and concerned, which was understandable after what happened yesterday. Yet, in all their hubbub, a term continued to come up.


    Red looked towards Eiwin. ¡°This demon invasion they¡¯re talking about¡­ Should we be worried about it?¡±


    This was yet another piece of information that wasn¡¯t readily available in the books of the sect¡¯s library. All the boy knew was that some thousands of years ago, a horde of demons invaded this world and almost wiped out human life from it.


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°Demonic worshippers have always been active since time immemorial. A demon appearing in the middle of town is hardly an indicator that another demon invasion is upon us.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Mortals¡¯ memories are too short-lived. Sometimes decades go by without any major appearances from demonic cultivators, and yet at the first sign of their presence, they believe it is a presage to the apocalypse. Those fiends have committed much greater atrocities in the past. Ambushing a couple of sect forces is barely worth mentioning in our long history.¡±


    ¡°But how can you be sure this time it¡¯s not for real?¡± Allen asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°Bah, do you know the first thing about the demon invasion, brat?!¡± Hector glared at the young master. ¡°They established a connection to the Infernal Realm, a bloody portal capable of crossing dimensions! People from the other side of the world saw the after-effects of this phenomenon long before it was completed, so do you think it would go unnoticed this time around?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Allen hesitated. ¡°What if they¡¯re building it in secret? How can you be so sure they haven¡¯t found out another way to do it?¡±


    Hector looked like he was about to admonish the boy again before he paused. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a surprisingly good question for someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the young master looked surprised.


    The elder grunted. ¡°It is a valid concern, but you have to think clearly. How can they hide a portal to another world? Even if it¡¯s created in utmost secrecy, the sects still have their ways to detect fluctuations in space and demons don¡¯t tend to be particularly stealthy either. Not to mention, such an endeavor would probably require an enormous amount of resources, which I doubt those demon cultivators could move without being noticed.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what do they want from attacking the sects?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°To undermine their forces, of course.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°Long gone are the times where demonic cultivators could act openly in the world. Now they are hunted down if the slightest sign of their presence is made known, so they stick to the shadows and look for opportunities to expand their influence again. This obviously means that often sects are taken by surprise when these demonic cultivators decide to act, but trust me, it is a much preferable state of affairs than when they had the strength to act in the open.¡±


    The elder continued to talk about this as they walked through the streets, oblivious to the gaze the townsfolk were giving the group. Red, on the other hand, now knew he had even more of a reason to hide his demonic tendencies.


    They continued to move up the hilly town, a path that the boy had seldom traveled through before. Around here, the buildings became scarcer, leaving only the ruins of the temple that once stood in this place.


    At the top of the hill, though, was a large castle, an amalgamation of different kinds of building materials that stood as the symbol of their Bestrem town. The Baron¡¯s castle.


    As they approached it, Red saw a contingent of guards waiting for them at the gate, as well as many others hidden from view that he felt with his crimson sense. Inside the castle, Red even felt the presence of three people in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Hector looked back at them. ¡°Remember. Do not embarrass me.¡±


    The elder left these warning words behind before walking forward.

 Chapter 229 - The Meeting

    The guards opened the large wooden gate before the group, revealing a lavish patio inside. Unlike the castle¡¯s outer appearance, everything in this courtyard was elegantly adorned, more befitting a noble as Red imagined them.


    There was a garden on each side of the paved path, where flowers the boy never saw before were bathing under the sunlight. Finely crafted stone statues of angelic figures were sparsely placed around each corner of the patio, and Red even saw a few paintings hanging off the walls. The path leading into the castle split further in, leading to other rooms where there was a constant flow of servants and guards weaving in and out of rooms.


    This patio alone was bigger than their sect grounds, and the boy knew there was even more awaiting him further in.


    Allen looked at him with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it? Just looking at it from a distance doesn¡¯t do it justice. I hear the King¡¯s castle in the capital is even bigger than-¡±


    Hector cleared his throat, glaring at Allen. The young master fell silent with a reluctant expression.


    A servant dressed in elegant clothing, flanked by two guards, approached them once they got inside.


    The man bowed towards Hector. ¡°The Baron is honored to welcome you to his castle, Master Hector.¡±


    The servant spoke in a reverential manner, yet his expression remained cold and emotionless.


    Hector grunted. ¡°We both know the Baron wouldn¡¯t invite me here if there wasn¡¯t an emergency.¡± the elder looked around with a frown. ¡°Is everyone else already here?¡±


    The servant nodded, unbothered by his words. ¡°Sir Gustav is already waiting inside the meeting hall. Would you like me to show you the way?¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°No point in waiting.¡±


    ¡°Then please. If you would follow me.¡±


    The two guards stepped aside, clearing the path as the servant led Red and the others towards the large central building of the castle. The boy was still examining his surroundings with interest, but above all else, he was paying attention to his crimson sense.


    He counted more than a hundred people in this castle alone. He could also sense through their fluctuations that these people, being mostly servants and guards, were carrying themselves with a sense of urgency and concern. Red could make a good guess as to why.


    Some of these people even looked at Hector with some fear and trepidation, sentiments which were extended to the people following him.


    They were led through a long stone corridor, at the end of which two guards were waiting in front of a large wooden door. The servant nodded at them and stepped aside, looking back at Hector.


    ¡°The Baron is waiting for you inside.¡± the man said.


    Hector grunted and walked forward.


    The guards pushed the door open before stepping aside, revealing a large chamber to the group. They were first hit by the light from a crystal chandelier hanging off the ceiling. It illuminated the rest of the room, decorated in lavish paintings depicting majestic creatures that Red had never seen before. Beneath it stood an enormous, round wooden table, on which all sorts of foods and decorations were set.


    The boy couldn¡¯t pay attention to it, though, since as soon as they entered the chamber, he felt multiple gazes being thrown in his group¡¯s general direction by the people sitting around the table.


    ¡°Ah, so the old man finally deigns to bestow upon us his presence!¡± a loud and vibrant voice said.


    Red looked over at the source of the voice. A large, overweight man sat on the right side of the table, staring at Hector with a wide smile on his unblemished and round face. He wore elegant clothes, the kind one might expect from a merchant, except much more extravagant, as jewels and fancy decor occupied almost every spot on his person. Most of all, the boy felt the man carried himself with a sense of confidence and astuteness that he felt befitted the best of conmen, something he was familiar with since arriving in this town.


    It took little thought to figure out this was Gustav.


    Red¡¯s attention shifted towards the two individuals sitting on either of the man¡¯s sides. They wore plain, white masks, hiding their facial features, and unlike the merchant, they were sporting a set of scale armor, not unlike what the boy had seen people from the adventurer¡¯s guild use.


    The one on Gustav¡¯s left was a tall, muscular man who towered over everyone else, even from his sitting position. Red gathered he must be even bigger than Goulth, something the boy had yet to see before. The individual to the merchant¡¯s left didn¡¯t call as much attention to them, being average in build and having a reserved air. By simple observation, one wouldn¡¯t be able to discern their gender, but Red could tell through his crimson sense that they were a woman.


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    Both of these individuals were in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Hector snorted. ¡°I deliberately arrived late to avoid hearing your loud chewing.¡±


    Gustav laughed. ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve failed! I¡¯ve been waiting for you before digging into this feast!¡±


    To underline his point, the merchant grabbed onto a chicken leg in front of him and took out a large bite from it, not breaking eye contact with Hector the whole time. The elder twitched in anger and looked as if he was about to retaliate, before the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted him.


    ¡°Please, gentlemen.¡± a man sitting at the head of the table said. ¡°If you despise each other¡¯s presence so much, then you shouldn¡¯t extend this meeting with petty discussions.¡±


    Red looked over at this middle-aged man, with a serene expression and sporting a short glistening dark hair and beard speckled with grey hairs along their length. He wore elegant dark and crimson clothing, decorated with fine golden threads and a coat of arms depicting what looked like a mountain on his chest. Unlike Gustav, his get up didn¡¯t seem as fancy, and yet the way the man carried himself with such nobility and composure hinted towards his obvious identity.


    This was the Baron, and to Red¡¯s surprise, the third fluctuation in the Lesser Ring Realm he felt belonged to this man.


    Hector grunted in annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re right, Feron, but do not presume I will stand by and take in silence every insult this rogue throws at me.¡±


    Gustav laughed again. ¡°Insult? We both know that if anyone so much as breathes too loud in your vicinity you would take it as an insult!¡±


    The elder frowned, glaring at the merchant.


    ¡°Please, Hector,¡± the Baron cut them off. ¡°Sit, so we may end this as soon as possible.¡±


    Hector didn¡¯t respond, and simply walked towards the free chairs on the other side of the room. Red and the others followed him, sitting on either side of the elder. Eiwin had a calm expression and demeanor as she sat down, while Allen couldn¡¯t help but look around the room in concern, clearly affected by the heavy atmosphere.


    He looked as if he wanted to speak to Red, but he caught himself.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve brought a few of your sect members over, Hector.¡± Gustav said as he examined the group through squinted eyes. His gaze lingered on Red. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I recognize this one, though¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a new member.¡± Hector said with a frown.


    Gustav smiled, not shifting his gaze from Red. ¡°Ah, is that so? I do feel like I recognize him, now that you mention it. Say, aren¡¯t you the little thief that has been stealing from me over the last year?¡±


    Suddenly, the atmosphere around the room changed. Hector¡¯s frown deepened, but he didn¡¯t respond. Much to Red¡¯s dismay, he felt everyone¡¯s attention in the room shift towards him, including the unfriendly gazes of Gustav¡¯s two bodyguards, which could be felt even underneath their masks.


    The boy didn¡¯t panic, though, and returned the merchant¡¯s gaze. He already expected Gustav to know about this, since Reinhart had already revealed to him he was aware of his involvement in the theft involving their guild.


    He examined the man¡¯s mocking expression that dared Red to respond, to lose his composure in front of the Baron by denying this accusation and embarrass Hector.


    The boy didn¡¯t fall for it, so instead, he just nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡±


    Gustav¡¯s expression changed in bewilderment, and the two bodyguards by his side gave the boy murderous glares. Hector twitched beside him, while both Allen and Eiwin looked at him with expressions of shock.


    An awkward silence followed his words, before the baron cleared his throat once more.


    ¡°We should move on to the subject matter.¡± the man said, trying to change topics.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Hector nodded, sparing an angry glance out of the corner of his eye towards Red.


    No one protested, not even Gustav. The merchant was still staring at Red, but the gaze of provocation had changed to one of curiosity.


    The man nodded with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re correct, Baron. We should move on - but not before I eat a bit!¡±


    Gustav turned his attention to the food on his plate, digging into it with unexpected savagery. Hector stared at the merchant with disgust before looking back at the baron.


    ¡°What of the demon?¡± the elder asked. ¡°Did you find out anything else about it?¡±


    The baron shook his head. ¡°Nothing yet. We learned that the merchant had one more bodyguard looking after his carriage, but we didn¡¯t find him at the scene. He must have fled as soon as he noticed what happened.¡±


    Red¡¯s attention was piqued by this.


    ¡°Do you know where the merchant is from?¡± Hector asked.


    The baron nodded. ¡°According to the documents Gustav provided, he should be from Illion, across the river.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°That¡¯s rather far.¡±


    The baron sighed. ¡°Indeed, and it will take us a while to get any information from them, much more so considering the horde is just about to hit us.¡±


    ¡°Me and my guild can help you with the investigations, my dear Baron.¡± Gustav interjected. ¡°Of course, it will still take a while to receive information back, but we have more important matters to worry about right now, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°More important than a demon appearing in the middle of town?¡± Hector frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to avoid responsibility?¡±


    Of course, the elder said this since the demon had appeared inside Gustav¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that, Hector.¡± the merchant shook his head. ¡°Do you truly think I had anything to do with a demon appearing inside my own establishment and killing some of my trusted clientele? I would expect you to know better than that.¡±


    Hector snorted, but didn¡¯t respond. Indeed, it was hard to imagine Gustav would jeopardize his own reputation like this. Red, however, knew better, since he was aware that Gustav had a habit of stealing from his own clients, but he couldn¡¯t reveal that to Hector as he promised to keep Rimold¡¯s secret.


    The baron set about explaining what they had learned from the demon and the merchant¡¯s belongings, information Red already knew. So instead, the boy once more examined the rest of the chamber.


    He didn¡¯t pay attention to it before, as absorbed as he was, but there was a guard placed near each corner of the room, standing in posture and in complete silence. The boy found it impressive for them to maintain such composure, but he could tell through their fluctuations that they were also in a state of turmoil.


    Red counted five of these guards with his crimson sense, but just when he was about to return his gaze to the table, he noticed something strange.


    ¡®Five guards?¡¯


    Since when did a square room have five corners? The boy frowned, looking around once again. He counted only four guards, and not one more individual in the room.


    ¡®How is that possible?¡¯


    Red felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked towards where he felt this strange fifth fluctuation. It was right there, behind the Baron. Yet, when the boy looked towards it, he saw nothing but empty air.


    However, Red knew better than to doubt his crimson sense, so he arrived at a conclusion.


    There was an invisible individual inside this room.

 Chapter 230 - The Invisible Man

    Red¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t linger around the spot where he saw this invisible fluctuation. Instead, his focus returned to the meeting.


    ¡®Is this one of the baron¡¯s men?¡¯


    Perhaps a hidden bodyguard. Although, when the boy thought about it further, it made little sense. The reason Red didn¡¯t notice this additional fluctuation was because it was rather weak compared to the Lesser Ring cultivators in the room and more comparable to the other guards.


    Would someone as strong as the baron need that kind of weak protector?


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t be hasty with my conclusions.¡¯


    How could the boy presume there were no ways to trick his crimson sense? That kind of overconfidence could spell his death one day if he misjudged an enemy¡¯s strength.


    Of course, there was another possibility. Maybe this invisible individual was a spy. In which case, Red needed to warn Hector about it.


    He looked towards the elder from the corner of his eyes. The old man didn¡¯t seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Red didn¡¯t feel comfortable whispering in his ear either, since he was inside a room filled with people with superhuman hearing.


    He needed a different approach.


    He looked over at Eiwin, poking her in the arm. The woman was taken by surprise, looking over at Red with a quizzical gaze.


    ¡°Do you have pen and paper?¡± the boy asked.


    Eiwin looked confused, but she nodded. She fetched something from her pouch, handing it over to Red.


    It was a small, leather-bound diary, accompanied by a special quill that, as Red had come to learn in the past, could store ink at its tip that did not dry for months.


    He took the items, nodding towards Eiwin. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    His small interaction didn¡¯t go unnoticed by others in the room, but they didn¡¯t spare the boy a second glance before returning to their discussion. More importantly, Red didn¡¯t feel the invisible fluctuation stir.


    He opened the diary, which seemed to serve as some kind of ledger for the sect, before flipping it to a blank page. He took the quill, writing a short sentence in it.


    Then he turned to look at Hector, poking the elder in his arm while he wasn¡¯t speaking. The old man looked at the boy with a questioning frown, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Red handed him the diary, hiding it from the view of others. Hector looked down at the written words.


    ¡®There¡¯s an invisible person behind the baron.¡¯


    The elder¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change once he read this. Red didn¡¯t know if this was because he wasn¡¯t surprised or that he was simply hiding it.


    Hector extended his hand towards Red. The boy knew what he was expecting, and handed him the quill. The elder wrote something in the diary before handing it back to the boy and refocusing in the meeting.


    There was a short sentence written on the page.


    ¡®Ignore it for now.¡¯


    Red¡¯s expression likewise didn¡¯t change in reaction. By his side, he could feel Eiwin was silently paying attention to the whole interaction, so the boy handed the diary and quill back to her.


    The woman read the few sentences and a slight twitch in her eyebrows was all the reaction she showed before stowing the diary away. The boy trusted Eiwin for her to not give away their discovery, and his trust was well placed it seemed.


    Of course, this interaction didn¡¯t escape the eyes of Gustav.


    The merchant smiled at them. ¡°Are your students passing you secret messages in the middle of a meeting, Hector?¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°They were wondering how someone can fit that much food inside them.¡±


    Gustav laughed merrily before taking another bite of the bread.


    The Baron massaged his temples. ¡°Please, gentlemen. We were so close to arriving at a solution.¡±


    The merchant shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t the solution obvious? We can try investigating all we want, but if anyone can dig out any demon worshippers out of hiding, it¡¯s the sect cultivators.¡±


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    Feron sighed. ¡°I have already informed the Crystal Sky Sect embassy on the capital. Unfortunately, they are already stretched thin as it is with the horde, so they can¡¯t really send any demon specialists for the foreseeable future.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved when he heard that.


    Gustav smiled. ¡°That might be so, but don¡¯t we have someone in this room with some connections to a sect that can help?¡±


    He looked over at Hector, and the Baron didn¡¯t admonish the merchant this time.


    Hector frowned, and Red felt his fluctuation flare with anger.


    ¡°Is this the reason you called me here?¡± the elder asked. ¡°To ask me for a favor?¡±


    The Baron shook his head. ¡°You know that is not true, Hector. We had already scheduled this meeting before the demon accident¡­ But yes, you¡¯re right, I did mean to ask for your help.¡±


    Hector grunted in visible annoyance. ¡°You know damn well I¡¯m not part of that sect any longer. When will it get through your thick skulls that I don¡¯t want to have to ask anything of them?¡±


    Red frowned as he heard these words. Didn¡¯t the old man already promise him to ask for help from one of his friends to deal with the boy¡¯s potential demonification?


    ¡®More theatrics.¡¯


    The Baron nodded. ¡°I know that, Hector, but I wouldn¡¯t ask if it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary. We will be dealing with a demon horde over the next few weeks and that will leave our town vulnerable against attacks from the inside. If any demon worshippers choose to act during that time, we might not be able to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Hector!¡± Gustav urged him on. ¡°This is for your sect¡¯s own good! You know it to be true!¡±


    Hector glared at the merchant in silence. Of course, since Gustav was the one most affected by the demon accident, he stood to gain from a thorough investigation. Still, Red knew the man had a point. The only problem was that none of this worked in his favor.


    ¡°¡­ I will ask.¡± Hector said after a long contemplation. ¡°But don¡¯t hold your breath. You know that what remains of my old sect is barely a fraction of their former power, so they might not be able to send anyone over that quickly either.¡±


    Gustav grinned, raising a wine cup into the air. ¡°I¡¯m sure if the Great Elder Hector puts on his charms, tons of cultivators will stumble over themselves to fulfill his wishes.¡±


    Hector frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Red was surprised at how tamely the elder was behaving himself today. Was this out of respect for the Baron or because he knew he couldn¡¯t hurt Gustav? Was he afraid of those two bodyguards?


    Red looked over at them. The bodyguards had yet to speak a word throughout the entire meeting, sitting there like statues by Gustav¡¯s side. The boy could tell by their fluctuations that none of them were as strong as Hector. If anything, the only person in the room that could even slightly compare was the Baron, and even then he was still a ways behind.


    That being such, Red doubted Hector would be afraid of them.


    There was still one additional fluctuation he was paying attention to once the topic turned towards, but there was nothing to indicate any emotional distress in the invisible individual that the boy could feel.


    ¡®What are they doing here?¡¯


    The Baron nodded towards Hector with a genuine smile. ¡°Thank you, Hector. The town and I will not forget this favor.¡±


    The elder grunted but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Since this matter is settled, we can move on to the original reason I sought to gather you here in the first place.¡± the man said, his expression becoming severe. ¡°As you all have been made aware, the horde has already reached the borders of our province. Scouts tell us that they might reach the river in three days at most.¡±


    The air around the room changed once the man said that.


    The Baron continued. ¡°I have already sent messages to the surrounding villages to evacuate with utmost urgency, so over the next couple of days, we will see a large influx of refugees. Gustav has also offered to help the evacuation efforts.¡±


    Gustav bowed slightly towards the Baron. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to serve you, Baron.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Although we are evacuating all settlements beyond and around the river, my plans are to hold the horde at the river line and use the terrain to our advantage.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°That sounds very optimistic. Do you already know what monsters we are dealing against?¡±


    ¡°The first wave is an assortment of mountain monsters,¡± the Baron said. ¡°My men say they number in the hundreds, with a dozen or so at the Lesser Ring Realm. A force to be reckoned with, for sure, but nothing we haven¡¯t managed to defeat in the past.¡±


    Gustav showed some distress once he heard those words. ¡°You mean there¡¯s another wave behind it?¡±


    The Baron nodded with a troubled expression. ¡°The next wave is what worries me. It¡¯s a pack of Skycrown Wolves.¡±


    Red recognized the name. Weren¡¯t those the monsters he fought in the trial?


    The atmosphere around the room became heavier, and Gustav¡¯s expression paled a bit.


    ¡°H-How many?¡± the merchant stuttered.


    ¡°Around 300 or so¡­¡± the Baron hesitated.


    ¡°Not all?!¡± Gustav¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What could be worse than over two hundred fearsome pack monsters?!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re led by a Greater Ring Realm Alpha.¡±


    The merchant almost choked out of shock, entering into a coughing fit. The bodyguards by his side shifted on their chairs, ready to help their boss, but the man waved them off.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine!¡± Gustav said, recovering his composure. ¡°No, wait! I¡¯m not fine! How are we supposed to hold off a pack of Skycrown Wolves led by a Greater Ring Realm monster?! We need to ask for help!¡±


    ¡°You know that isn¡¯t possible.¡± the Baron shook his head. ¡°Our province isn¡¯t the only place where the horde is attacking, and we are not even facing the worst of it. The kingdom can¡¯t afford to spare us reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°So what do you suggest we do?!¡± Gustav slammed the table in distress. ¡°Can any of us kill a monster like that?!¡±


    The Baron didn¡¯t respond, looking towards Hector instead.


    The elder snorted. ¡°You know I¡¯m not at the Greater Ring Realm. I can¡¯t kill a beast like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not in direct confrontation, yes.¡± the noble nodded. ¡°Yet, there is no one else in the province more qualified than you to hold the monster¡¯s attention and remain alive. That much, I know you can do.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°And what would you have me do? Distract it forever?¡±


    ¡°Until we can defeat the pack itself, yes. When that is done, we will reinforce you with utmost haste and dispatch of their leader. Won¡¯t we, Gustav?¡± The Baron looked over at the merchant.


    Gustav nodded frantically. ¡°Y-Yes, yes! I will send all my men to assist you, so please save you, oh mighty Elder Hector!¡± the man held his hands together and bowed towards Hector, as if worshiping the elder.¡±


    A wide smile appeared on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°I suppose if no one else can do it, then I have to act.¡±


    The merchant sighed in relief.


    ¡°But I have some conditions.¡± Hector said.


    Gustav froze.

 Chapter 231 - Contract

    The displeasure that threatened to appear on Gustav¡¯s face disappeared in an instant.


    The merchant continued to smile in an amicable manner. ¡°And might I ask what these conditions might be?¡±


    Hector grinned. ¡°I want fifty Spirit Stones.¡±


    Gustav slammed his fist on the table. ¡°Go to hell, you greedy bastard! If I had fifty Spirit Stones, do you think I would be in here asking for your help?!¡±


    The elder laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure that your guild has that much.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, old man! They are never going to give me that much money, and even if they did, your help is not worth it!¡± Gustav looked at the Baron. ¡°I would rather just abandon the town already if this is how things are going to be!¡±


    The Baron frowned. ¡°Please Hector, you have to be reasonable. If you wish for Spirit Stones as compensation, it can be provided, but even if I sold my entire castle, I would still be hard pressed to provide you with fifty Spirit Stones.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°Fine. It would be remiss of me to be so greedy in a time of need for our town, but I still have other conditions that mostly concern our merchant friend here and my sect.¡±


    Gustav snorted. ¡°The number of Spirit Stones I can provide you is limited right now!¡±


    ¡°I said nothing about Spirit Stones.¡± Hector shook his head, looking over at the Baron. ¡°You know my main concern at any point is always the future of my sect and its safety. By going to face such a powerful monster by myself, not only am I putting my own life at risk, but also the safety of my sect and its members, since I won¡¯t be there to protect them. I need guarantees they will be looked after during this time and if something happens to me.¡±


    ¡°You need not even ask that, my friend.¡± the Baron shook his head. ¡°You act in service of the town, and I would not suffer anything happening to your people if you were to be wounded during that time.¡±


    ¡°I trust you, Baron.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°However, this is something that I need to hear from another person too before I have peace of mind.¡±


    Gustav frowned. ¡°Do I look that unreasonable to you? I would not stoop so low as to take advantage of this situation.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°So you say, yet be that as it may, what about after the horde is dealt with? Will you still keep your promise?¡±


    The merchant didn¡¯t respond, putting on an ugly expression.


    ¡°As I said, I know you too well, you fat bastard,¡± the elder said. ¡°If you want my help, I want you to make an official contract for me. It¡¯s the only way I know someone like you will keep your word.¡±


    Gustav squinted his eyes in suspicion. ¡°What terms are you suggesting?¡±


    Hector smiled. ¡°It¡¯s simple. On top of not acting against any of my sect members, you are to provide all of them with the necessary resources for training for the next five years.¡±


    The merchant hesitated. ¡°¡­ I will not just agree to an arbitrary value.¡±


    ¡°We can settle on something after doing calculations for each individual in our sect.¡± Hector said. ¡°Trust me, though, that I expect you to be willing to part with more than just the bare minimum.¡±


    Gustav didn¡¯t immediately respond, scratching his chin in contemplation.


    Ten seconds later, he nodded. ¡°As long as the value is not detrimental to my business, I can provide it. It¡¯s only reasonable that I¡¯d be willing to fork out that much if you were to be wounded.¡±


    Hector laughed. ¡°Who said anything about being wounded? Those are my terms if everything goes well and I am able to return unscathed.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the merchant¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You want me to just sponsor the growth of your sect while you¡¯re still around?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not finished with my terms.¡± the elder cut him off. ¡°If something does happen to me that prevents me from protecting my sect, I want those terms extended to ten years instead of just five.¡±


    ¡°Ten years?! I am not even sure if I will still be in this town in five years, much less ten!¡±


    Red was surprised when he heard that. Ten years happened to be the elder¡¯s higher estimate on how long it would take Allen to open his Spiritual Sea.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I expect you to sign this contract in the name of your guild. That way, anyone that comes to replace you will still be obligated to fulfill it.¡± Hector said. ¡°I know you have the authority to do that much at least.¡±


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    The boy was expecting the merchant to protest against these terms, but to his surprise, the man fell silent with an ugly expression. There was an inner struggle clearly evident in his face.


    Almost half a minute later, though, Gustav sighed in resignation. ¡°Let me see your numbers.¡±


    Red felt the fluctuation of the merchant¡¯s two bodyguards tremble in surprise, although no reaction could be seen in their masked expressions.


    Hector smiled, looking over at Eiwin. The younger woman nodded before pulling a handful of documents from her pouch. The elder grabbed it, before waving his hand and sending the papers magically flying to settle right in front of Gustav.


    The merchant grabbed the papers and began reading it with some hesitation. His eyebrows twitched a handful of times, and he was done reading it in a few minutes.


    Gustav sighed and looked at the smaller bodyguard on his right before handing her the documents. ¡°Go back to our headquarters and tell them to draft the contract according to his terms.¡±


    Red could sense the hesitation in the bodyguard even without his crimson sense.


    ¡°Just do as I say, will you?!¡± the merchant gritted his teeth.


    The bodyguard nodded and got up, walking towards the door. The guards standing by the door opened it up, allowing her to exit before closing it shut again.


    ¡°It might take my men about an hour to write the contract up.¡± Gustav said. ¡°I want them to be thorough when it comes to these matters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Hector nodded with a smile. ¡°We can wait.¡±


    The Baron, who had been observing the interaction in silence, spoke up. ¡°Then I assume this means you agree to our plan, Hector?¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°Yes, I will deal with the big wolf for you.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of your sect members? They would be of utmost assistance out there against the horde too.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll send a group too. However, I expect our friend here to remember that the terms of our contract should extend even outside of town.¡±


    Gustav¡¯s eyes twitched from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be no problem.¡± the Baron nodded. ¡°Such being the case, we should discuss the distribution of our forces.¡±


    The next hour was spent discussing the strategy they would use against the horde. As it so happened, a mob of angry monster displaced from their homes wasn¡¯t so easily held back, and even if they planned to hold them at the river, there was no guarantee that they would be successful, so they needed to be prepared to retreat too.


    This was not to mention the other effects of such a horde, either. It would have a great impact on the local fauna, which was still in the process of recovering after the trial, and some of these monsters might even join the horde''s forces, bolstering their numbers. Others would probably be outright killed by the rampaging beasts.


    They estimated the forest wouldn¡¯t recover from the impacts of this stampede for many years to come. Yet, in the grand scheme of the cultivation world, this wasn¡¯t all that uncommon of an occurrence.


    Monsters too increased in strength, and the birth of a particularly powerful beast in nature could and most likely would cause enormous disruptions in the biome. A territorial monster, for instance, could force the entire local fauna to migrate to some other place.


    Displaced and deprived of their previous homes, these beasts would be driven into a rage in search of somewhere new to settle. Sometimes they were led by other powerful beasts that lost in a territorial dispute. This was the origin of hordes, monster driven into a rage and desperation in search of a new home, and it was not an uncommon event in the world.


    Nothing short of killing these beasts would stop them. Although a lot of cultivators lamented the fact, this was still something they needed to do, or else this effect could spread and threaten the human population.


    Red also thought it was a shame they needed to massacre these monsters. He didn¡¯t hold a grudge against these beasts like a lot of cultivators, and he rather admired them for their special abilities that allowed them to thrive in nature. Yet sparing and relocating these monsters wasn¡¯t an option either.


    ¡°My two bodyguards will be at the front line.¡± Gustav said. ¡°They will help kill any Lesser Ring Realm beasts that appear.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°You would be willing to give up on your protection for the sake of the town?¡±


    The merchant glared at the elder. ¡°Yes, and unlike you, I won¡¯t be asking for compensation!¡±


    Hector ignored him. ¡°What about you, Feron? Will you be joining the front line?¡±


    The Baron nodded. ¡°It would be negligent of me not to. We will need every Lesser Ring cultivator in the front lines if we hope to hold back these monsters.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°Even a Lesser Ring realm cultivator won¡¯t be necessarily safe out there.¡±


    ¡°Your worry for me is misplaced, Hector,¡± the man shook his head. ¡°I have seen my fair share of battles in the past, even if it doesn¡¯t look like it from my position. It¡¯s you that I am worried about. Even against a mindless monster, the difference in realms is something any cultivator would be hard pressed to contend against.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t claim to be able to kill it, but I have some tricks up my sleeve. If I only need to distract it, then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Hector said. ¡°However, if we do plan to kill it, we will need to be willing to spend no small amount of resources.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± the Baron said. ¡°Once the other threats are dealt with, I have my own plans on how to deal with the alpha.¡±


    Although the man said as much, he refused to elaborate, leaving the rest of them confused. Still, neither Hector nor Gustav decided to press him about it, showing their trust in the Baron.


    Right around this time, the bodyguard Gustav sent out returned to the meeting hall. She was carrying a stack of papers, one she handed to the merchant and the other she gave to Hector.


    The merchant didn¡¯t even bother reading his copy of the contract before signing it. Hector, however, was reading every line of the document with the utmost caution. A few minutes later, he even handed the document over to Eiwin for the woman to check.


    Gustav frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day, you know?!¡±


    Hector didn¡¯t respond to him. Finally, Eiwin handed the contract back to Hector and nodded.


    ¡°It is all in order.¡± she said.


    The elder smiled and likewise signed his own copy. He then exchanged copies with Gustav before putting down their own signatures again. In this manner, both of them had their own copy of the contract with both of their signatures on them. Neither the merchant nor Hector would be able to walk back on it now.


    The elder smiled widely once the deal was done. ¡°It is always a pleasure doing business with you, Gustav.¡±

 Chapter 232 - Preparing for the Worst

    ¡°Then we are settled.¡± the Baron looked over at Hector. ¡°When are you planning on leaving, Hector?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow morning at the latest.¡± the elder said. ¡°I need to settle some things within my sect first. I¡¯ll be sending Domeron to coordinate things with your men tomorrow.¡±


    The Baron nodded. ¡°Good. Then, with fate permitting, we shall win over this horde with no accidents or loss of lives.¡±


    After these words, the Baron exchanged some details with Gustav and Hector. He provided both of them with communication talismans and arranged details on where they would meet on the morrow. Orvin, captain of the guard, would coordinate their defensive efforts, while the Baron and Gustav¡¯s two bodyguards would act independently, ready to move wherever their powers were required.


    They exchanged some pleasantries before the Baron dismissed the meeting. Hector was the first to get up and walk towards the door, with Red and the others following behind. The boy took one final look back at the room, sensing the invisible fluctuation was still there.


    Still, he didn¡¯t let his gaze linger. Red planned on following Hector¡¯s advice on this matter, and he wouldn¡¯t mention this strange presence until the elder brought it up.


    They soon left the castle and were back in the streets of town again. Allen, who had been strangely quiet the entire meeting, looked over at Hector with a worried expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re not really going to put yourself in danger, are you?¡± he asked.


    Hector nodded. ¡°Of course I am, it¡¯s what I agreed to.¡±


    ¡°B-But what if the monster is too strong even for you?¡±


    The elder shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible, but you shouldn¡¯t worry about it. If the monster is too powerful even for me, I don¡¯t intend to risk my life for a lost cause.¡±


    Allen frowned. ¡°What will happen to the town then?¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to the town even if we lose against the horde.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°The Baron has his own methods of defending this place. However, if we lose, it¡¯s likely that we will be stuck inside the town for gods know how long until the sects can send someone to get rid of that wolf.¡±


    Allen nodded, feeling more confident with the elder¡¯s assurances


    Hector continued to walk through the streets as if nothing else had happened. Red looked over at him with a frown, trying to communicate through his gaze.


    The elder shook his head. ¡°Not now.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything else. It was very likely that Hector was worried about being heard even after they left the castle. The boy also focused on his crimson sense, worried this invisible individual could be following them, but he felt nothing within two hundred meters.


    Since they couldn¡¯t talk about this right now, Red decided to ask about something else that was on his mind. ¡°Why are you so confident Gustav will follow the contract¡¯s terms?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the faction behind him.¡± Hector said. ¡°You see, merchants like him are all backstabbing bastards, and yet how could they be successful in this world with such horrible reputations? No one would want to make deals with them and they wouldn¡¯t be able to conduct any business.¡±


    This was something Red hadn¡¯t considered before. ¡°You mean the contracts are their assurance?¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°Indeed. His faction even encourages such skullduggery, and yet they have the inviolable rule that every one of its members should and will fulfill all the terms in any contract they sign of their own volition. Members that try to avoid these responsibilities are punished and most of the time expelled from the faction. It¡¯s the only way they can keep their reputation in the world and be so successful.¡±


    Red nodded in understanding. ¡°What is the name of this faction exactly?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re called the Golden Prestige Guild.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re a guild like us?¡±


    Hector glared at him and Red fell silent.


    Soon enough, they were back in their sect¡¯s street and out of prying eyes of the townspeople. Hector suddenly stopped walking and looked back at Red with a questioning gaze.


    The boy knew what he wanted to know. ¡°I sense no one.¡±


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    ¡°Good.¡± Hector nodded with a serious expression. ¡°Then we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Allen looked at the elder in confusion. ¡°The sect is right there! Why do we need to talk right outside?¡±


    The elder shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure there¡¯s no one else spying on us in there, so it¡¯s safer to do it out here.¡±


    The young master¡¯s face paled. ¡°There are spies in the sect?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally possible, which is why it¡¯s better to be safe.¡± Hector looked back at Red. ¡°Now, tell me, what exactly did you sense?¡±


    ¡°A single individual in the meeting room.¡± Red said. ¡°They were standing behind the Baron the entire time without moving and I at first thought they were one of the guards.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Allen cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m sure there was no one behind the Baron!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I saw no one there either, but I¡¯m certain I felt someone there with my powers.¡±


    ¡°So they were invisible?¡± The young master frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s more than just invisibility.¡±


    It was Red¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have a technique that allows me to scout my surroundings using my Spiritual Energy.¡± Hector said. ¡°It works similarly to the echolocation of certain monsters, where I send out a wave of Spiritual Energy to my surroundings and they bounce back to me, giving me an accurate layout of the closed space I¡¯m in. It¡¯s nowhere near as powerful as the Spiritual Sense of cultivators in the Spirit Core realm, but it¡¯s extremely useful in detecting hidden and invisible presences.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°But you didn¡¯t detect anything there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°I have a habit of using it in any place I stay for more than just a few minutes, and I had already used it even before the kid told me about the invisible presence. I¡¯m certain there was no one there behind the Baron.¡±


    This revelation came as a shock to everyone. Red even began to question himself as to the accuracy of his crimson sense.


    ¡®Could it be that there¡¯s something interfering with my power?¡¯


    After yesterday¡¯s incident, Red couldn¡¯t discount it.


    Hector seemed to sense the boy¡¯s doubt. ¡°I¡¯m not questioning the veracity of your claim, kid. I don¡¯t know exactly how your power works, but I do know that there are plenty of techniques out there that can fool my own detection methods. The only issue is that for that to happen, the individual in question will most certainly be a high level cultivator. At the very least higher than me.¡±


    Red frowned. Back then, this invisible individual seemed no more powerful than a normal guard to his crimson sense, but the boy couldn¡¯t trust what he felt at face value.


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Allen¡¯s face paled. ¡°Could that have been one of those demonic cultivators?¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°We can¡¯t say for certain, but we have to consider the possibility. It could also be a cultivator sent by another sect to spy on us or to keep things in order. They always had a habit of being secretive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also another possibility.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°This could be just a weaker individual armed with a treasure that can fool people¡¯s senses. Maybe they were even there under the Baron¡¯s own orders.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°Hm¡­ That could be true too, but even then, the mere fact someone could possess a treasure like that means their background is not to be underestimated, regardless of their power. In any case, I have the distinct feeling that this coming battle will not be as straightforward as it seems¡­¡±


    The woman put on a worried expression. ¡°Do you think other forces might take this opportunity to attack us?¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°What better occasion than when we are occupied fighting against a ravenous horde of monsters? There are too many forces that have remained quiet in this region for months already. The Empire, whose envoys yet remain in the capital for negotiations, Rickard, the demonic cultivators, the Curse Breakers, even that bloody necromancer who disappeared after that trial.¡±


    Red tensed once he heard that last name.


    Hector continued. ¡°The Baron knows this as well, but the fact he remains so confident means he has some tricks up his sleeve. Perhaps that invisible individual is a guardian of sorts that can help us in case things go south.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what reason does he have to keep it hidden from us?¡± Allen asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably out of fear of information leaking.¡± the elder said. ¡°Maybe this hidden protector means to use us as bait to draw out certain individuals and if news of their presence was made public, then their planning would be for naught.¡±


    The young master¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°T-They¡¯re using us as bait?¡±


    Hector smiled. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. In any case, anything at this point is mere conjecture, but we need to be ready for the worst-case scenario.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°Evacuation of the sect.¡±


    ¡°¡­ B-But didn¡¯t you say that the town would be safe?¡± Allen asked with a crestfallen expression.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s only from outside attacks. If the enemy is already inside, of what use would these defenses be?¡±


    A heavy silence followed his words.


    ¡°Goulth and Domeron will remain behind and make preparations.¡± Hector said. ¡°The rest will all be going out to fight against the horde.¡±


    ¡°Including me?¡± Allen was surprised.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the elder nodded. ¡°Inside the town might not be any safer out there, and if something goes wrong near the front lines, I might still be able to rescue you from danger.¡±


    The young master looked both happy and worried at the same time.


    Hector looked at Eiwin. ¡°I will leave you in charge of the group in the front lines.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°Miss Valt has always been the one to lead us in these kinds of confrontations.¡±


    ¡°If this was just combat, I wouldn¡¯t think twice about putting her in charge. However, if things go wrong just as I¡¯m thinking they will, then you need to prioritize your fellow sect members¡¯ safety, and I don¡¯t trust Narcha to make the best decision then.¡±


    Eiwin seemed hesitant, but she still nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°I will brief all of our sect members on this, but it¡¯s important for you to be bracing yourselves.¡± he looked over at Red. ¡°This includes you too, kid. Since you¡¯re the only person capable of detecting this invisible individual, your help might mean the difference between life or death for all of us.¡±


    ¡®This certainly isn¡¯t the kind of responsibility I would like to have.¡¯


    Still, the boy nodded despite his misgivings. ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    It was all he could and all he had ever done.

 Chapter 233 - Arcane Progress

    As soon as Hector returned to the sect, he gathered the other members of the sect within the hall to share the results of the meeting. As Red already knew all the information, he wasn¡¯t required to stay, but the elder did ask the boy to sense around the sect grounds for any hidden presences. He found no one, to Hector¡¯s relief.


    Eiwin told him she would bring him up to speed on what they settled later, so the boy saw no reason to stay, either. Now that he knew about the challenges that awaited him over the next few days, he needed to attend to a certain matter.


    He walked into Goulth¡¯s workshop. The blacksmith wasn¡¯t here at the moment, but he had given Red permission to use the building even when he wasn¡¯t present.


    The boy opened the door and walked to the forge. He considered getting it running, but then decided against it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how long Goulth will be in the meeting.¡¯


    Instead, Red decided to focus on something else. He walked over to a closed door on the back of the workshop. The blacksmith set aside a room for the boy that used to serve as a storage where Red could study and practice sensitive matters in peace.


    When he opened the door, a strong scent of paper and ink hit him. The room was an absolute mess of drawings and stacks of papers, as well as all kinds of ink bottles strewn about. Countless complex symbols and diagrams were affixed to the stone walls, with notes and references written alongside them. One could barely walk through the room without stumbling into something.


    Yet Red knew where everything was in here. This was where he had been practicing Arcane Scripture over the last six months, after all.


    ¡®Everything seems to be in order.¡¯


    The boy could even tell that no one messed with the room while he was gone, either. With Goulth¡¯s help, he was able to keep this practice of his a secret from his fellow sect members. This wasn¡¯t because this was a dangerous matter like his demonification, but rather because he didn¡¯t want to give them any false hopes about his skills in that area.


    Indeed, after six months passed, he was happy he had kept it secret.


    Out of the 496 basic symbols, Red could barely say to have mastered around a hundred of them. Goulth was impressed by this, since he claimed a cultivator on average would require four years of study to memorize and master all of them, and this was in a proper learning environment. Red, on the other hand, seemed to be on track to accomplish this in half the time, and this was while practicing by himself in the back of a workshop.


    The boy, however, couldn¡¯t be happy about it.


    ¡®It¡¯s still too slow.¡¯


    With so many dangers around him, how could he be satisfied with such a speed? Not to mention, what he was studying right now was barely the beginning. It didn¡¯t cover applications, and Red could only imagine how hard that would become, not to mention how much it would cost him to practice and experiment at that point.


    This all drew him to a single conclusion.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I can prepare the Parting Storm Formation in time for Narcha.¡¯


    The woman only had a handful of years left to breakthrough, while Red felt that it would take him at least five years before he was comfortable to even try experimenting with that special formation. That, too, was only if he had the materials in hand, which didn¡¯t seem likely as yet.


    Red did his research with Goulth¡¯s help. Overall, the basic construction materials would cost around twenty spirit stones, which was a lot, but was still in the realm of possibility for him with enough time. The hardest and most essential material, though, was what troubled him.


    ¡®Aspected Spirit Stones.¡¯


    As the name implied, these were Spirit Stones that contained a specific type of Spiritual Energy. They could cost upwards of dozens of times the price of common spirit stones, depending on how rare the type of energy they contained was, and Red needed three of them. One containing lightning energy, one containing water energy, and one containing wind energy.


    The water and wind ones would cost him around 7 spirit stones each, while the lightning one could cost him more than 15 spirit stones, as it was rarer than the others. Of course, these prices assumed he could find someone willing to sell them to him, which would also prove to a hard task.


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    Aspected Spirit Stones were specialty goods, something high-level cultivators and factions used by the hundreds as he came to learn. As such, any such items were very quickly bought from the market, and that was if they appeared in the market at all. Most of the time, suppliers would just directly sell them to clients.


    Suffice it to say, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Red to acquire them. Thus, he wouldn¡¯t be able to help Narcha so soon, either.


    ¡®I wonder what she will do.¡¯


    Red frowned, as he had such thoughts. Every day that went by, he could feel Narcha¡¯s desperation growing stronger. She was trying to hold it in, but the woman never was good at hiding her emotions. What happened at the trial was still affecting her too, as she sought information about Reinhardt at every opportunity, to no avail.


    ¡®I have to worry about myself right now.¡¯


    It might sound cold to others, but Red was ever the realist. He had his own problems to worry about too, and if he couldn¡¯t help Narcha right now, there was nothing more he could do. He could only hope some miracle happened soon to change her fate.


    Red stepped over stacks of paper and equipment towards the center of the room. Right there, in the middle of everything, was free ground space that he used to work. The boy sat down in that spot and crossed his legs.


    He was preparing to meditate.


    Red could say to have some talent in Arcane Scripture, a work that required a calm and meticulous mind. However, it wasn¡¯t to the degree where he could be two times faster than most students of these arts. In truth, his secret to success lay elsewhere.


    Very early in his training, Red sought to understand where the difficulty of this practice lay in. It took little investigating. Even the basic arcane symbols were extremely complex and took hours of single-minded focus to draw at first, and a simple mistake meant you needed to start again from scratch. Under such strains, even cultivators would suffer from stress and be prone to commit mistakes.


    Red, however, had a special method to eliminate - the Radiant Current meditation technique.


    It could be used to inspect and control one¡¯s own inner body. It was perfect for calming Red¡¯s anxieties and worries, and it allowed him to work at complete serenity. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he was immune to mistakes, but it certainly meant he committed far less of them.


    After six months of practice, Red didn¡¯t even need to repeat the mantras and mudras to enter this meditative state. Merely repeating the word and symbols in his mind was enough.


    When Eiwin learned of this, she was shocked. Apparently, only monks with dozens of years of training could achieve such a state back in her temple, and not even the woman herself could do it right now. She told Red that he had a lot of aptitude in these arts, and this would make him a once-in-a-lifetime talent back in her temple.


    The boy didn¡¯t let himself get any ideas, though. He wanted to be a cultivator, not a monk. Eiwin told him then that a monk could still be a cultivator, but the boy also knew that a monk had many other responsibilities other than just cultivating. How could Red allow himself to be bound as such?


    He focused back on his body. There was nothing out of the ordinary from what he could feel. The crimson mist also seemed calm, which confused Red. He thought this being would be distressed after what happened yesterday, but there was nothing to indicate it.


    As soon as Red thought back on it, he felt a headache. The boy shifted his thoughts away from the subject in a hurry.


    After he calmed himself down, he opened his eyes. He was ready to work.


    He looked around for his stack of clean paper, picking out a page from it. Then he set it on top of a smooth wooden board that was in front of him and picked up his ink and brush. Since he was still just practicing this symbol, there was no need to use the expensive material yet.


    With no other immediate concerns, Red set about his task.


    ¡­


    Almost two hours passed by before he was finished. To his surprise, he managed to draw the symbol successfully in one go.


    This wasn¡¯t entirely uncommon. Sometimes an easy symbol could be done in one go, while the harder ones might take the boy a few days and multiple tries. Of course, replicating it was just the initial success. Now Red needed to commit the image to mind with a few more attempts.


    However, he didn¡¯t continue his training. It was just about time for the meeting to be over, and Red knew Goulth was about to come back. He got out of his training room and entered the forge, sitting down to wait.


    Sure enough, ten minutes later, he felt the fluctuations in the meeting hall disperse. The blacksmith, in particular, seemed to be nervous about something and was going back to his workshop in a hurry.


    When Goulth entered the building and saw the boy waiting for him there like a ghost, he jumped in fright.


    The man glared at him. ¡°Agh, you fucking brat! Why are you trying to scare me?!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not. You¡¯re the one that¡¯s nervous about something.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m nervous!¡± Goulth massaged his temples. ¡°Imagine hearing from your boss that you need to be prepared to evacuate your entire workshop and the sect¡¯s treasury in a matter of days! How would that make you feel?¡±


    ¡°So he already told you about it?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± the blacksmith nodded. ¡°He also told us about the¡­ Visitor at the Baron¡¯s castle.¡±


    ¡°You can talk about it.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°No one is around.¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°Can you be sure?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s best not to mention it.¡± the blacksmith shook his head. ¡°Anyway, what do you want?¡±


    Red was confused by the question. ¡°How do you know I want something?¡±


    Goulth smiled. ¡°I told you already, I¡¯m your master! Your emotionless expression might fool others, but I have my ways to tell what you¡¯re feeling or thinking about.¡±


    Red frowned.


    ¡®Could it be that he has a crimson sense too?¡¯


    Upon further thought, the boy thought that was a ridiculous idea. He must have some different type of power.


    ¡°I do want something.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I want to make my weapon.¡±

 Chapter 234 - An Impossible Challenge

    Once Goulth heard that, his smile disappeared.


    ¡°I thought we talked about this.¡± the man shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not ready.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I know, but I need all the help I can afford right now. You heard Hector himself, didn¡¯t you? We don¡¯t know what will happen during these next few weeks, and having a good weapon at my disposal could make all the difference.¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change the fact you¡¯re not ready to make that weapon.¡±


    He knew his master was right. This was the single biggest point of frustration for Red over these last six months. All his other practices were going very well - his cultivation, his weapon training, his arcane scripture training - the only thing that the boy lacked in was in this blacksmithing aspect.


    This wasn¡¯t because Red was a bad blacksmith. In fact, he had picked up a lot on the practice with Goulth¡¯s help and he was confident in making almost any weapon already to his master¡¯s specifications. The only problem was when it came to creating something for himself.


    Red lacked creativity. He couldn¡¯t help but always fall back on the same designs he knew worked when making weapons, and any foray into something original resulted in the boy making something nonsensical or subconsciously copying Goulth¡¯s models.


    At first, he and his master thought nothing of it. As Goulth claimed, even creativity itself could be practiced and improved. However, after months passed by, the blacksmith noticed the problem wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed.


    Red¡¯s mind seemed to work differently than anyone the giant had ever seen before, and this problem extended beyond just blacksmithing.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m not ready, couldn¡¯t you make the weapon for me?¡± the boy asked.


    Goulth put on a displeased frown. ¡°If I do that, won¡¯t it mean we wasted these six months of training?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It will, but it will increase my chances of surviving.¡±


    He didn¡¯t try to deny the blacksmith¡¯s claim. However, the truth was that the boy wasn¡¯t any closer to creating something right now than he was six months ago.


    Goulth still didn¡¯t relent. ¡°You have no idea how much of an opportunity this is, kid. No words can describe the feeling of creating something for yourself the first time.¡±


    Red, indeed, did not know at all why this was so important. To him, it didn¡¯t matter who made the weapon or in what form it came from, as long as it was a good weapon. However, he was willing to take his master¡¯s word on it.


    Yet, the boy also wasn¡¯t deterred. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice. If we don¡¯t make this weapon right now, then who knows when we will be able to?¡±


    His words gave Goulth some pause. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I am?¡±


    Red was surprised his master would suddenly agree with him.


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± the man nodded. ¡°We need to make the weapon right now, which is why you will do it.¡±


    The boy was at a loss. ¡°¡­ I thought you said I wasn¡¯t ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°However, nothing we tried seems to improve your horrible sense of originality, so we¡¯ll try something else.¡±


    The blacksmith walked over to a small wooden box at the corner of the workshop. He brought it over to the table in front of Red and put it in front of him.


    The boy knew what this box contained. It was the Dark Iron Ingot.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to use the Dark Iron and make yourself that weapon.¡± Goulth said.


    Red frowned. ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there are some conditions.¡±


    The boy knew that was coming, so he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°First of all, whatever you make here you will need to take with you to the battlefield.¡± Goulth said.


    ¡®That sounds reasonable.¡¯


    If Red could copy Goulth¡¯s models, he wasn¡¯t afraid of making a faulty product.


    ¡°However, that is only if you make something original.¡± the blacksmith said. ¡°If I see so much as a hint of an imitation in your weapon, then I will throw it in the trash.¡±


    The boy was confused. ¡°Are you being literal?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Goulth nodded. ¡°If you make a copy of my weapons, then I will throw it in the river.¡±


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    This took Red by surprise. ¡°You would be willing to throw such a precious metal away?¡±


    The blacksmith smiled. ¡°Of course I am! I am not interested in riches at this stage in my life. Whether the metal costs a few gold coins or a hundred Spirit Stones doesn¡¯t matter to me. What I care about is raising a good disciple, and to me there is nothing more valuable than that!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So that¡¯s your plan? You hope to squeeze something out of me under this pressure?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡± Goulth said. ¡°Since normal methods don¡¯t work, then we will try something else!¡±


    ¡°¡­ What if I refuse to do this?¡± the boy couldn¡¯t bring himself to waste such a precious material.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the blacksmith scratched his chin in thought. ¡°Then I guess I will be very disappointed. Oh, and I will still throw away the metal too.¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. Somehow, this strategy of his was already working.


    Goulth smiled at him once he saw the boy¡¯s expression. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of failure, Red- No, wait! Actually, be very afraid of failure!¡± the man caught himself. ¡°If you fail, that¡¯s about five Spirit Stones¡¯ worth of precious metal going to the trash! You wouldn¡¯t want that, would you?¡±


    The boy could tell that despite the mixed signals he was receiving, the man was very serious about his threat of throwing the Dark Iron away. How could Red, who valued these resources and his own safety so much, allow that to happen?


    The blacksmith was giving him no choice either way.


    Still, no matter how strong the pressure was, Red still tackled his problems with a calm and analytical mind. As such, he still wasn¡¯t too confident in his chances of success.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me.¡± he said.


    This originality that the blacksmith asked of him made no sense to Red. Sure, even the same type of weapon had some differences depending on who made them, but even then those were generally stylistic, and what made that weapon useful would always be the same. A long-sword would still be a long-sword no matter who made it.


    A sharp edge would always just be a sharp edge, no matter in what form or by whose hands it came to be.


    Since that was the case, what did it matter for Red to imitate Goulth¡¯s style? Did the man just want him to put his own decorations on the weapon? That didn¡¯t seem to be the case, so what could the blacksmith possibly want him to do?


    ¡°How many times have I told you?!¡± Goulth glared at him. ¡°Just put your own spirit into your creation!¡±


    ¡®The same answer.¡¯


    Yet, it still wasn¡¯t any clearer to Red. Any attempts to get the man to elaborate in the past were unsuccessful too, so he didn¡¯t even bother asking any more questions.


    Right now, he didn¡¯t have any choice but to try, though.


    He got up from his chair and looked at his master. ¡°Are you going to help me with the forge?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Goulth nodded. ¡°Making a Dark Iron alloy is not easy, and this is not a test of your forge control, anyway. I wouldn¡¯t want some stupid mistake to ruin the real test for you, so you can just focus on the forging part.¡±


    Red was relieved. At least this was one last thing for him to worry about.


    ¡°Can you give me some time?¡± the boy asked. ¡°I just got done with my Arcane Scripture practice.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Goulth slapped the top of his head. ¡°I almost forgot about that! Of course, rest for a bit. However, we don¡¯t have much time, and the forging process might take very long too, so try to be quick.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    His scripture practice didn¡¯t drain him physically as much as it did him mentally. The boy simply needed to rest his mind for a while until he felt he could focus on the hard task ahead of him.


    This was what he did for the next hour or so. He sat down and meditated for most of it, as well as eating some food so as not to work on an empty stomach.


    In the meantime, Goulth was tending to the forge and had already separated the materials necessary. Once he saw Red stand up, he looked at the boy in anticipation.


    ¡°Have you already decided what kind of weapon you want to make?¡± Goulth asked.


    Red frowned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really thinking about that during my rest.¡±


    The blacksmith gritted his teeth. ¡°Ugh, you¡­ We need to at least know what kind of weapon you want to make before beginning the forging! I need to prepare the alloy, after all!¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ Something on the smaller side, then. Short sword sized.¡±


    ¡°A wise decision.¡± Goulth nodded before going to work.


    This wasn¡¯t a choice made just because Red was used to wielding short swords. The truth was that there was not a lot of Dark Iron at their disposal, and as such, they would need to make a mixture rather than just using the pure metal. Unlike alloys such as steel, though, this wouldn¡¯t make the resulting product stronger, and it would instead make it weaker than if they were using pure Dark Iron.


    As such, the bigger the weapon, the more spread out the Dark Iron would be along its length, weakening it even further. Of course, compared to normal steel weapons, it would still be many times stronger, but the boy would rather maximize the Dark Iron¡¯s advantage. This was why he opted for a smaller weapon.


    The blacksmith set about heating up the ingots on their blast furnace, a process that would take many hours, as Red was aware. This left the boy with ample time to think and prepare for what was to come.


    ¡®So I just have to put my own spirit into my creation then?¡¯


    Red had already reflected on that sentence many times and thought of countless possibilities. He considered if the man was being literal, and if the boy would need to awaken some kind of hidden spirit in his body and fuse it into the weapon. In the end, though, it was clear the blacksmith was pointing towards a deeper and more personal meaning of spirit.


    Yet this discovery helped naught with the boy¡¯s task, even back then. He still failed to satisfy his master, no matter how much he thought about how to put his own ¡°spirit¡± into his creation. After all, wasn¡¯t his own rational and cynical spirit that made it so hard for him to be creative in the first place?


    It was a conundrum, and he didn¡¯t feel any closer to the answer right now, even under this pressure. He thought back to all the weapons he saw in the past, even the ones he recalled of his dreams in the underground, where he was a soldier fighting against gods.


    Perhaps he could use one of those models as reference. Yet would that truly be his creation? Would that even be able to fool his master? Better yet, did he want to fool his master?


    ¡®No. I need to take this task seriously.¡¯


    And so Red thought. He pondered for hours to come, considering every possibility, no matter how ridiculous or stupid they were. He came up with many plans and ideas, and yet when the alloy was finally ready for forging, he wasn¡¯t confident in any of them.


    It was the first time in his life Red felt so frustrated by a challenge. He had faced certain death situations, curses he couldn¡¯t hope to fight back, and yet he was never this discouraged by their difficulty. It was this simple and yet elusively complex issue that brought him to his wits end. A challenge that should have a simple solution, and yet Red failed to find it.


    ¡®To put my own spirit into my creations¡­¡¯


    Goulth called his attention. ¡°The metal is ready.¡±


    Red got up from his chair and approached the forge.


    ¡°... Are you ready?¡± the blacksmith asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯ll try it anyway.¡±

 Chapter 235 - Bitter Truth

    Goulth nodded with an intense expression. ¡°Use my hammer. It¡¯s the best one for the job.¡±


    Red was surprised by this. The man never allowed him to use his hammer before, claiming it to be a personal gift he received a long time ago. He didn¡¯t know what made his master change his mind, but he followed his instructions.


    He knew the hammer by heart at this point, so he didn¡¯t have any trouble finding it amidst the various tools. It was heavier than what Red was used to, but he could tell it was an excellent tool.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to fold the metal about ten times so the Dark Iron is evenly distributed along the length of the weapon.¡± Goulth said. ¡°However, for that you¡¯ll need to hammer the lump into the rough shape of the weapon first.¡±


    Red nodded. He knew all of this already, but this was also his first time doing it, so he appreciated the blacksmith¡¯s instruction.


    With the boy¡¯s approval, the blacksmith dragged out the lump of metal from the furnace onto the anvil. Red was ready to hammer it down, but he suddenly hesitated.


    ¡®What am I doing?¡¯


    Goulth noticed this and frowned. ¡°You need to be quick! We don¡¯t want the metal to cool down!¡±


    Red looked at his master, noticing his urging expression. He could see the anxiety and worry in the blacksmith¡¯s eyes, and he knew that his success was more important for the man than for himself. It was at that point that he knew the answer.


    It was no sudden enlightenment or something of the sort. The boy knew the answer to the man¡¯s question the entire time, but he had chosen to ignore it. This was because of a single reason.


    Red was always searching for an answer that would make his master happy, and not for the truth.


    He was always hoping to fulfill his master¡¯s expectations, but he couldn¡¯t fool both of them any longer. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to this man that had helped him so much.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, kid?! We need to move now!¡± Goulth¡¯s voice became more frantic.


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate any longer, and his hammer struck the lump.


    ¡­


    The forging process lasted for more than four hours, and it was one of the most exhausting endeavors Red ever took part in. Even when heated to its utmost, the Dark Iron alloy was unyielding. It took every ounce of his strength to fold the metal onto itself, a task that only got harder with every repetition.


    When that was done, it was time for Red to shape the blade. The boy already had a weapon in mind, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to put his hammer to work.


    Red was focused on his work, so he couldn¡¯t observe his master¡¯s expression. However, he could feel Goulth¡¯s fluctuation storming around with heavy emotions. The man never said anything, though, and let the boy do his work.


    This was the first time Red ever tried to forge this kind of sword and with this type of difficult metal, so the task got much harder as it went along. To his surprise, though, that was when Goulth spoke up.


    ¡°The tip needs to be flatter.¡±


    Red froze for a second. Still, he followed the man¡¯s instructions. Goulth didn¡¯t stop there either.


    ¡°This side is uneven.¡±


    ¡°Strike here now.¡±


    ¡°Flatten this part.¡±


    Every advice was on point, as if the blacksmith knew exactly what kind of weapon Red planned to make. Once they were done shaping the blade, it was time for the quenching and tempering.


    Goulth also assisted with this process, and Red didn¡¯t offer any protest. The sudden cooling from quenching would help give the blade hardiness, while the slow tempering process would help give it flexibility, something that would keep it from breaking from severe impacts. Not that this metal seemed to suffer from either of these risks, but the blacksmith always made it clear how important these two processes were in the forging of a good weapon.


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    So Red listened to him, and once they were through with this, the blade was finally ready.


    It was a dark grey short-sword, roughly fifty centimeters long, although one might confuse it with an oversized dagger. The blade was wide and heavy for a sword of this size, being five-fingers wide at the pommel, but it tapered off on both sides at a sharp angle towards the point, forming what looked like a tall triangle with its shape. There were also two fullers along the wide sides of the blade, something that helped lighten the already heavy weapon.


    It looked unusual for a weapon, and yet from Goulth¡¯s expression he recognized it very well.


    ¡°Cinquedea.¡± the man said with a saddened expression.


    Indeed, this was the weapon Red chose to make. A faithful recreation of something his master once showed him from that blacksmithing book of his.


    ¡°It¡¯s a heavier short-sword, proper for dealing deeper cuts.¡± Red said. ¡°It might not be as swift as a normal short-sword, but I think it¡¯s a good fit for my combat style.¡±


    The blacksmith didn¡¯t say anything. Indeed, Red had failed his task completely, but the boy wasn¡¯t disheartened.


    He looked at his master. ¡°I have always enjoyed learning new things, but I have never been a very passionate individual. My primary goal has always been to survive, and one of the few enjoyments I take out of life is from the feeling of discovery and self improvement as I move along with each day¡­ I take an interest in learning new practices, but that interest only goes as far as how it can benefit me towards these goals in the long run.¡±


    Goulth¡¯s expression faltered, but he remained silent.


    Red sighed. ¡°I tried it. I watched you and how you spoke about your passions, how you seemed to become a different person every time you worked in this forge¡­ Yet, I wasn¡¯t able to spark that feeling you always seemed to talk about, no matter how interested I was in blacksmithing. I don¡¯t feel excited once I look at my works, or feel a drive to create something different, something that belongs to me. All I see when I¡¯m done working is a useful tool.¡±


    The boy could feel the man¡¯s emotions wavering even more through his fluctuation, but he knew he needed to say this. It was what Goulth was owed, after all.


    ¡°Maybe these emotions don¡¯t exist in me.¡± Red said. ¡°Maybe there is something out there I have yet to find that will spark that fire in my heart. Whatever the case, I know for certain that nothing I¡¯ve done until now has been it.¡± he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t be the disciple you want me to be.¡±


    Deep down, perhaps Goulth always knew this but chose to ignore it, so eager was he to have someone finally show interest in his trade, someone to pass on his knowledge. Maybe he hoped that with time he could awaken the passion for this process in this emotionless disciple of his, but Red knew himself better in the end. He wasn¡¯t changing. He wasn¡¯t growing.


    Ever since the day he awoke in that underground, the boy had been one calm lake - unchanged in his feelings and ideals. This didn¡¯t mean he was completely distant - he still felt a sense of responsibility and loyalty to the people that helped him. Yet, Red never felt any kind of strong emotional attachment towards anyone or anything.


    He didn¡¯t feel sad when he saw a dying Viran in the underground. He only thought it was a pity someone as strong as him would die in that kind of dark cave.


    He didn¡¯t feel bad about Narcha¡¯s struggles as a friend. He only felt sympathy for her as a fellow cultivator.


    The boy was still willing to be selfless and put his own best interests aside to help those close to him. Yet, he could never pretend to feel the way people wanted him to feel.


    This was his spirit - practical, cold, and cynical. An ugly face to put towards the world, and yet Red never shied away for accepting himself as he truly was.


    This was the truth Goulth deserved to know.


    The blacksmith smiled with a defeated expression. ¡°I see now that I have asked too much of you. I¡¯m sure you have the capability to become a great blacksmith, yet I also tried to pass all my hopes and dreams onto you¡­ It was unfair.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I should have told you the truth sooner. I took advantage of your eagerness to teach and became your disciple and yet chose to ignore everything else that came with it. It was not something I should have done to someone who decided to help me.¡±


    Goulth laughed with a sad expression. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, kid! You¡¯re barely ten, yet you speak as if you have lived tens of years more than me. Such worries and deep considerations aren¡¯t something a child should have to worry about. Just let me take the blame and be done with it!¡±


    Red frowned but didn¡¯t offer any rebuke.


    The blacksmith looked back at the dark sword. ¡°I have always considered myself a failure to my predecessors. Possessed of the passion and talent for crafting, yet unable to continue in this path because of my poor aptitude in cultivation. It was my responsibility to find someone to carry on in my stead, to not let this knowledge die with me¡­ Now that I say it out loud, how ridiculous does it sound? What kind of master looks for a disciple only to pass on the weight of his lifetime of hopes and dreams onto them? It¡¯s not right. This responsibility, this failure¡­ It is mine to carry alone.¡±


    Goulth got up and approached the newly crafted weapon.


    ¡°You can come back tomorrow to collect your weapon. I¡¯ll have it sharpened and ready by then.¡± he said. ¡°I want to be alone for now.¡±


    He didn¡¯t look at Red as he spoke.


    The boy hesitated, but he still walked out. Red still wasn¡¯t sure whether his choice was for the best, yet he believed in one thing.


    It was always better to know the truth, no matter how hurtful it might be.


    Perhaps it was time he considered applying that line of thought to others in his sect too.

 Chapter 236 - Off to War

    The morning arrived quickly for Red.


    The sound of movement in the courtyard woke him up. The boy looked outside his window and saw that the sun was barely up. It was unusual for so many people in his sect to be awake at this hour, but then again, he supposed they had a long day ahead of them.


    Red got up from his bed and stretched. The forging process from the day before took its toll on him, even with his improved stamina, but after a good night¡¯s rest, he managed to recover.


    The first thing he saw when he opened his door was Eiwin and Allen looking over an assortment of bags and equipment in the main building. The young master¡¯s expression lit up once he saw Red.


    He waved at the boy. ¡°Hey, Red! I¡¯m coming too!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°How do you¡­ Oh, right!¡± Allen slapped the top of his head in realization. ¡°I forgot you were there!¡±


    Red frowned, but said nothing. These last six months had shaped Allen into a finer warrior, stronger and more reliable in a pinch. However, the young master was still just a young child, na?ve and slow on the uptake at times. Hector felt Allen would mature with time, but Red and many others in the sect felt there were certain things that would probably remain the same no matter how long passed.


    Red looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Who¡¯s coming with us?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to talk with Eiwin the night before, as tired as he was after the forging process.


    ¡°Everyone but Master Domeron and Master Goulth.¡± Eiwin said.


    Red was surprised. ¡°Hector is sending so many people out?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a necessary measure. It¡¯s possible we might have to take care of no small amount of Lesser Ring Realm beasts, so we need all the strength we can muster.¡±


    The boy remembered how the previous confrontation with a Lesser Ring Realm monster went for him and his sect members. Then again, this time, they would be prepared for it.


    ¡°What about Domeron and Goulth?¡± Red asked. ¡°Will they be safe by themselves?¡±


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°There is always a danger, but there is no one I trust more to hold down the fort while we are away.¡±


    The boy supposed they had no choice on the matter.


    ¡°Oh right, speaking of Master Goulth.¡± Eiwin picked a bundle of cloth from the top of the equipment pile. ¡°He wanted me to give you this.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t need to guess what the item was. He unwrapped the cloth, revealing the sheathed short-sword they crafted the day before. Both the sheathe and the hilt were made of unadorned dark-brown leather with a simple iron crossguard. It looked like an unassuming weapon if it wasn¡¯t for its peculiar triangular shape.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Allen asked in curiosity.


    ¡°A weapon.¡± Red strapped the sword to his best.


    ¡°Can I see it?¡± The young master extended his hand.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Eiwin cleared her throat to catch Red¡¯s attention. ¡°Master Goulth also wanted me to leave you a message.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why not speak to me directly?¡±


    ¡°¡­ He said he¡¯s busy.¡±


    Although Eiwin said that, he could tell there was something else to the matter, and he could guess what it might be. However, Red didn¡¯t try to push it.


    She continued. ¡°He told me to tell you that you did a good job, and he hopes the sword will serve you well.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t quite know how to respond to this, so he just nodded.


    Eiwin seemed satisfied with his response. She looked over at Allen. ¡°Young Master, can you go fetch me another bag?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Allen looked confused. ¡°But you said we had enough bags already.¡±


    The young woman smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just to make sure.¡±


    ¡°Right, fine!¡± Allen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a second!¡±


    The young master looked to make his claim true as he ran off like the wind.


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    ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± Red looked at Eiwin with suspicion.


    It was evident that Eiwin just wanted Allen to go away so she could tell Red something in private.


    Eiwin¡¯s entire countenance became more serious. ¡°It¡¯s about Miss Valt.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Did she not receive the news about her not being the commander well?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°She wasn¡¯t happy, but she would never jeopardize our mission because of that. I¡¯m just worried that she might be considering doing something rash because of...¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°Because of the pill?¡± Red completed her sentence.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Eiwin nodded with a troubled expression.


    ¡°What makes you think so?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°I can just tell. Others might think this recent bout of anger from her is just like all the other times, something that will eventually pass, but I can tell something¡¯s different. The others¡­ They don¡¯t know how important breaking through is to her, so I-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±


    Allen suddenly interrupted their conversation, running back into their vicinity with a leather bag in hand.


    ¡°What were you talking about?¡± the young master asked.


    ¡°Nothing important.¡± Eiwin shook her head.


    Although she said that, she gave Red a meaningful look.


    The boy nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±


    Eiwin gave him a relieved smile.


    Allen frowned. ¡°Keep what in mind?¡±


    The woman ignored him. ¡°Red, please help me check the supplies again. I¡¯ll hand you the list.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    ¡­


    A few hours passed by as everyone made their last preparations. The trip to the river would take a few days, but in truth, no one really knew how long they would be out there fighting the horde.


    Rog, who had the most experience with monsters, told them that the worst of the fight would be when the waves first hit. That was when the beasts would be at their most ravenous, and the fight would be at its fiercest.


    If they managed to beat back the horde at this point, then it¡¯s very likely the few surviving beasts would run away and hide, and the group would need to hunt them down so they wouldn¡¯t disrupt the province. That task could take much longer, but it also wasn¡¯t as dire as surviving the first assault.


    According to the information they received, the first wave of the horde would arrive tomorrow at the river, near the night, which meant that Red and the others would need to walk through the night if they hoped to make it in time. Thankfully, this time around they could stick to the road, which meant their trip would be much faster.


    The second wave, which was the Skycrown Wolves one, would arrive three days after the first one. This also meant they would have some time to recover and prepare before the biggest challenge arrived. Of course, this was all assuming there would be no surprises along the way, and according to Hector, this was very unlikely.


    The elder gathered everyone in the sect at the front gate. Red noticed the absence of Goulth, who remained in his workshop, but the boy knew better than to approach the blacksmith right now.


    Everyone carried different expressions as they prepared to set out. Rimold looked unwilling, Allen looked excited, Rog looked indifferent, Eiwin looked serious, and Narcha looked angry, more so than normal, that is. They were all carrying large bags of equipment and supplies in their bag, more than enough to last them a week out there. If even that wasn¡¯t enough, they had the Baron¡¯s soldiers and Rog¡¯s hunting skills to provide for them.


    As for other more special items, they had a handful of them. More specifically, they had seven talismans in total and about a dozen pills of all sorts, easily more than half of the sect¡¯s total treasure, or so Red had been told. The boy even had a few of those in his possession, including the fireball talisman he intended to use the other day during his heist with Rimold.


    He had also brought all his sensitive items with him, including the insectoid crystal and his treasures from the trial. It just so happened that the New Moon would arrive in ten days, which meant it was quite possible he would need to deal with his curse in the middle of their voyage.


    He only hoped that no one would take notice of it out there.


    As for Hector, the old man was actually not carrying anything with him. Red wondered if he had some other way to store treasures on his person, but the elder dodge any such sort of questions.


    ¡°I have already told this to all of you, but I will do it again.¡± Hector said. ¡°We are going out there to help the province deal with the horde. However, if things go awry, I command you to prioritize your own survival. The Baron still has his own last line of defense in the form of this town, and it¡¯s pointless to throw our lives away for nothing out there.¡±


    Everyone nodded, except for Narcha, who snorted in contempt. The elder glared at her, but neither of them said anything.


    A few seconds passed by before Eiwin spoke up. ¡°We will do as you say, Master Hector. I promise I will make sure we all get out of this safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hector nodded in satisfaction. ¡°The communication talismans we got from those imperials have a range limit of fifty kilometers, so it¡¯s quite possible we won¡¯t be able to communicate with each other, in which case Eiwin has absolute authority during my absence. She knows what needs to be done in case of any incidents.¡±


    The elder seemed to be directing these words at Narcha in specific, but the woman simply continued to glare at him in silence.


    ¡°As for back here in the sect, Domeron will be taking care of things while we¡¯re gone. You are to get in contact and meet with him as quickly as possible if an accident is to happen.¡± The elder pointed at the swordsman, who was sitting by his rocking chair and drinking from his mug as if nothing was happening.


    Domeron nodded back at them and closed his eyes again as he sipped from his cup.


    Hector continued. ¡±I will walk with you to the outskirts of town. After that, we will split ways and I will hurry east to meet with that big wolf.¡±


    ¡°Do you know of its location already?¡± Rimold asked with a troubled expression.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°No, but I have a good eye. If there¡¯s really a horde of nearly a thousand snow white wolves out there in the middle of the forest, I don¡¯t think they will be very hard to spot.¡± The elder looked at the others. ¡°Any other last-minute questions?¡±


    No one spoke up. Despite how dysfunctional and strange this group seemed at times, they were composed of strong and experienced warriors - including Red and Allen, to some capacity. They were cultivators raised and trained under masters of their craft, and each of them was probably worth ten normal soldiers, which was why the Baron prized their presence in the front lines so much.


    If the town had any chance of withstanding this attack, they would need the Water Dragon Sect¡¯s help. Unless the cause was lost from the beginning, of course, in which case Hector made it quite clear to them they were to flee.


    ¡°Then we are off.¡± Hector nodded and waved his hand, turning to walk out the gate.


    Red and the others followed behind him. From their fluctuations, the boy could tell that some of them were more confident about this trip than others.


    Red himself didn¡¯t know in which camp he fell.

 Chapter 237 - On the Road Again

    The entire town was in a state of high alert. The news about the horde reached them at this point, and refugees already lined the sides of the street. At the same time, many merchants and visitors of the town were in the process of leaving Bestrem to take refuge somewhere else, where they thought it would be safer.


    Uncertainty and fear could be seen in everyone¡¯s expressions. Families gathered on the sides of the road, disheveled and carrying barely anything on their person, comforting their children and the elderly as the guard tried to maintain some semblance of order. It was a grisly sight and a heavy atmosphere.


    Only now did it seem to dawn on a lot of them what was at play here.


    Red, with his crimson sense, felt this even more clearly. Their emotions affected him to a degree it never had since the trial, and the boy caught himself having a terrible headache in the middle of town.


    This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by his companions.


    ¡°Are you okay, Red?¡± Eiwin looked at him in concern.


    Red shook his head. ¡°Too many people. Should be better once we are out of town.¡±


    The woman nodded, but she took one step closer to him, ready to act in case anything went wrong. Red didn¡¯t protest, and they continued on their way downhill.


    Surprisingly, their group didn¡¯t get as much attention in the chaos the town had become. The townsfolk that recognized them, though, seemed more hopeful than before.¡±Hector and his guild are going to deal with the horde!¡±


    ¡°With Master Hector¡¯s help, we have nothing to fear!¡±


    Red wondered how these people would feel if they knew the elder planned to abandon them at the slightest sign of trouble. Still, their appearance did lift the townspeople¡¯s spirits and gave them some comfort, as fleeting as it may be.


    The streets were so crowded with carts and refugees that their progress downhill was slowed down. Still, with the help of the guards to clear the way, they eventually made it to the town¡¯s edge, where even more refugees could be seen huddling around the side of the road and building their own camps.


    Allen looked at them with some wonder and worry in his eyes. ¡°This is a lot of people.¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°Although our Bestrem town is the biggest settlement in the region, there are still dozens of villages and hamlets around the forest. Everyone in the horde''s path was made to take refuge here.¡±


    The young master frowned. ¡°But there are still people arriving. Are they all going to make in time?¡±


    Indeed, even now they could see a trail of dozens of carts making their way up the road towards their town. The suddenness of the horde had obviously made it so the evacuation had to be done in a short amount of time.


    Eiwin had a troubled expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the Baron¡¯s men are doing their best.¡±


    This didn¡¯t seem to comfort Allen, who stared at the refugees with a sad expression.


    As soon as they reached the town¡¯s edge, a guard on horseback approached them. Red could tell this was the individual responsible for seeing movement in and out of town.


    The man got off his horse and bowed towards Hector. ¡°Greetings, Master Hector. Our lord Baron told me to receive you and your sect members as soon as you left town.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°Why? Is there something I need to know?¡±


    ¡°Ah, not at all.¡± the guard shook his head. ¡°I was told that the Baron was not made aware of how you and your group planned to travel, so me and my men were to provide you assistance if necessary. We have horses available for your use, should you so wish.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Horses? With how many people are on the road, horses would be more of a hindrance than anything. No, we¡¯ll be making our way on foot.¡±


    The man gulped with a nervous expression. ¡°I-Is there any other help that I can provide you?¡±


    Before Hector could respond, Eiwin spoke up. ¡°Thank you for offering your assistance, but we have everything sorted here.¡±


    The guard looked relieved. ¡°Very well. Should you require something on your way over, make sure to approach some of our guards. The road to the river is long, but we have men stationed at various points along it to assure swift communication and support for our allies.¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°We will keep that in mind.¡±


    The guard bowed towards them again before mounting his horse and trotting off.


    Hector led the group to an empty area amidst all the refugees and the farmland before looking back at his sect members.


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    ¡°This is where we part ways.¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be going ahead of you.¡±


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Wait, how exactly are you going to go ahead of us? Are you just going to run really fast?¡±


    Red also shared the same doubts. For some reason, he just couldn¡¯t imagine someone liked Hector running around or doing any kind of physical task, for that matter.


    The elder scoffed. ¡°Running? What do you think I am, a brute?¡± he shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t fly at my cultivation level, but I still have my ways.¡±


    As the elder said that, he waved his hand in front of him. Bright blue Spiritual Energy manifested from his fingers, transforming the ground in front of him into ice. Then, he stepped onto this slippery ground before giving the rest of them one last glance.


    ¡°Remember - prioritize your safety above everything else.¡±


    With those words, Hector waved his hand again, and the ice began to extend in front of him, forming a raised path in the air. Without hesitation, the elder slid along this ice road, his movements leading him effortlessly along this continuously expanding path.


    Pillars extended beneath the narrow icy path and connected to the ground, as Hector conjured it with waves of his hand, and before long, the elder was standing almost ten meters above the ground. He skated along with extraordinary speed, and before long he was at the tree line. This spectacle didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the people at the edge of town, who all pointed in wonder at this seemingly flying old man.


    Red and the others also watched in awe as Hector distanced themselves from them, disappearing completely from their view below the horizon a few minutes later. The boy was in disbelief, but the raised ice path the elder left behind served as evidence that what just happened was indeed real.


    ¡°How long can he keep that up?¡± Red asked.


    Rog scratched his beard. ¡°A few hours. Then he has to land and run for a bit or else he would spend all his Spiritual Energy.¡±


    The man had recovered his scraggly hair and appearance after six months of recovery, and no one could tell he had almost died from being burned alive.


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Wait, but I thought he didn¡¯t run!¡±


    The hunter shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a funny sight.¡±


    The rogue ignored the man and looked back at the ice path. ¡°Can¡¯t we also use this path to-¡±


    As soon as Rimold said that, a cracking sound came from the ice path. It started to collapse and melt gradually in front of their eyes, leaving nothing but broken ice and a puddle of water to indicate it was there in the first place.


    Eiwin smiled and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s relatively hot where we live. Ice like this can¡¯t sustain itself for long, not to mention elemental structures created by Spiritual Energy have a certain impermanence too.¡±


    Narcha sighed in annoyance. ¡°Can we go already or are you going to give us another lecture?¡±


    Eiwin looked over at Narcha with a frown, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    She glanced at the rest of them and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way, then.¡±


    ¡­


    Red wasn¡¯t really used to traveling on a road. Most of his forays into the forest were made amidst the trees, and not on a clear path to walk on. He stood exposed to the elements out here, an easy target for an ambush by anyone hiding behind the heavy foliage of the forest.


    Thankfully, however, he had the rest of his sect members by his side. Rog and Rimold were experienced in scouting in the forest, so they could notice if anything was amiss. Not to mention that with Red¡¯s crimson sense, he could detect such ambushes from far away.


    As they walked through the road, they came across more refugees and guards, rushing to reach the town. They became scarce as night arrived, but even then the group found a handful of them along the way, either walking through the night to reach the town or camping by the roadside. This also meant they had plenty of torches and campfires to light their way.


    Still, they had prepared a handful of lanterns to help them. Not that Red needed them.


    The atmosphere around the group itself was awkward. Narcha¡¯s brooding expression didn¡¯t go unnoticed by any of them, except maybe for a certain someone who was terrible at reading the room.


    ¡°When are we going to arrive?¡± Allen asked with an excited expression.


    ¡°Probably in twelve more hours.¡± Rog said. ¡°Around when the sun is coming up again.¡±


    The young master smiled in eagerness. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it! It¡¯s been so long since we have been on a trip together! I will show you how much I have improved since then! I¡¯ll be fighting right by your side in the frontline!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay in the back.¡± Narcha cut him off.


    ¡°What?! No way!¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°This is not a joke, you brat. You have no idea how fierce a horde really is. The first clash is always the most dangerous, and none of us are going to have time to look after you in the thick of it.¡± She looked over at Red. ¡°That goes for you too. I know you¡¯re capable, but this is something you haven¡¯t dealt with before.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s true.¡¯


    Red remembered his time in the underground dealing with the waves of monsters. Of course, the boy was never in the frontlines back then, so he supposed Narcha was right to some degree. He had gotten stronger, but it wasn¡¯t to the point where he felt confident in handling himself against dozens of monsters in melee combat.


    Thankfully, he brought his bow along, too.


    Eiwin looked over at him and Allen. ¡°You will both have your chance to contribute, but that¡¯s after the initial attack has passed. For now, you will stick with Rimold and Rog in the back and support us from afar.¡±


    Rimold looked surprised. ¡°I¡¯m staying in the back?¡±


    ¡°Why? Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, no! I mean, that¡¯s perfect for me!¡± the rogue shook his head. ¡°I can definitely be more useful on the back.¡±


    Allen looked disheartened, but he didn¡¯t protest. That in itself was proof that the young master had indeed grown and matured, if only a little bit.


    They continued to walk through the night, as Red felt the familiar pressure of the lunar gaze set upon him. He had gotten used to it, but its effects on his mind were impossible to ignore, much more so as it got closer to a New Moon.


    Right as Red was dealing with the pressure, he felt something flicker in his crimson sense.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The boy froze and looked between the trees.


    His movements were immediately noticed by the rest of the group, who had come to learn to rely on his power during their ventures.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rog asked, his hand going to his bow.


    ¡°I felt something.¡± Red said. ¡°It appeared and disappeared in a second.¡±


    His crimson sense didn¡¯t exclusively detect human or monster presences. It could also detect normal animals, and there were many of them in the forest. However, their fluctuations were much weaker, and it barely registered in the boy¡¯s senses.


    This one, however, was strong enough for him to detect, and the fact it immediately disappeared from his senses was suspicious.


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Do you know what it was?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Although he said that, he felt a sense of recognition in his mind. A lingering feeling that he knew he couldn¡¯t ignore.

 Chapter 238 - Floating Thoughts

    Red¡¯s hesitant response didn¡¯t give the group much assurance.


    Narcha looked over at the area he pointed out with a scowl. ¡°You said this¡­ thing appeared and disappeared instantly in your senses, right? Do you think it knows about the range of your powers?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how it would know that.¡±


    Even his companions only knew his range to be about 200 meters. In truth, the boy counted it to be a few meters higher than that and just rounded the number down. With that in mind, he didn''t think anyone could be so precise as to enter and leave the edge of his detection range in an instant.


    Something else was going on.


    ¡°Do you think we should investigate?¡± Allen asked the group.


    ¡°This seems too suspicious.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°I say we just continue on our way and ignore it. We¡¯re on a tight schedule too, so we can¡¯t afford to lose time.¡±


    Narcha was just about to speak before she caught herself.


    She looked over at Eiwin with a frown. ¡°You¡¯re the leader. What do you think we should do?¡±


    The younger woman seemed hesitant. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s best if we look into it. I don¡¯t want to risk having a stalker or some other danger following behind us during our trip. We will not be overly long, though, since we still need to worry about reaching the river in time.¡±


    Narcha and Allen nodded in approval, while Rimold didn¡¯t look too happy. Rog, on the other hand, had already taken out his bow.


    The boy also agreed with Eiwin¡¯s decision. If they willingly chose to ignore these strange signs, it¡¯s quite possible it might come back to haunt them in the future.


    Eiwin nodded towards Red. ¡°Lead the way. We¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    Red did as much. He strayed from the road and walked into the sea of trees towards the direction he felt that fluctuation.


    Narcha and Eiwin flanked the boy, ready to strike if anything popped out, while the others watched their backs. They used the lantern to illuminate their path, but Red¡¯s dark vision allowed him to see just as clearly in the pitch black night.


    They approached the area where Red felt the fluctuation, inspecting their surroundings. However, nothing stood out to them, and soon enough, they arrived around the spot where that fluctuation should have been.


    Narcha looked around with caution. ¡°Can you feel anything?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    Eiwin looked back at Rog. ¡°Can you discern anything?¡±


    The hunter said nothing and approached them instead. He crouched down and beckoned Allen over to hold the lantern close while he inspected his surroundings for tracks.


    Thirty seconds later, the hunter got up and shook his head. ¡°No tracks or anything I can see.¡±


    Rimold looked over at Red. ¡°So there¡¯s nothing here? Are you sure about what you felt, kid?¡±


    Allen scowled at the man. ¡°Red¡¯s power was never mistaken before!¡±


    The rogue threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m not saying he was wrong, but maybe it was just a coincidence! Maybe a flying monster could have dipped in and out of your detection range while it was gliding over, right?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I suppose that¡¯s possible.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Yet, you don¡¯t look too convinced. Is there something you¡¯re not telling us?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling. I felt like I recognized that presence, but it was too brief to make any conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it have been a monster you saw before, too?¡± Rimold asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s possible. I just felt it was something worth investigating, but since there¡¯s nothing to follow up on, there¡¯s no point in lingering around.¡±


    ¡°You were right to speak up.¡± Eiwin assuaged his concerns. ¡°Hector warned us many times to expect something to happen during our foray into the forest, so we should be attentive towards anything suspicious.¡±


    Rog nodded in agreement. ¡°I would prefer not to get ambushed by a demon or something else, so keep your eyes open, kid.¡±


    The rest of the group shared similar feelings, and they got ready to return to the road. Red gave one last look at his surroundings, preparing to join companions.


    That was when he felt it. The same fluctuation, a few meters behind him.


    Red looked back in a hurry, and what he saw made his blood run cold


    A decapitated head, floating in the air.


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    A familiar sight.


    He froze.


    His sudden stop didn¡¯t go unnoticed by his companions.


    Rog, in particular, was the first to pick up on it.


    He looked over at Red. ¡°What are you-¡±


    ¡°Stop! All of you, don¡¯t look over!¡± Red howled at them and looked away from the head.


    His warning brought great alarm to the rest of them. They all froze in their steps, not even moving their heads to look over. All except for one person.


    Allen looked back at the boy. ¡°What are you talking about, Red-¡±


    The young master trailed off and his eyes suddenly widened. Red saw a mixture of terror and surprise appear on Allen¡¯s face as he looked at something behind him.


    At that moment, the boy knew that he saw it.


    ¡°Allen, look away!¡± Red charged at the young master.


    Allen didn¡¯t even seem to notice his presence up until he was pushed to the ground by Red.


    Finally, he seemed to snap out of his daze and trembled. ¡°Ah, R-Red, there is something¡­¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it!¡±


    ¡°Kid, what is going on?!¡± Narcha stared at him with an unsettled expression.


    The entire group seemed on edge, but none of them had disobeyed Red¡¯s instructions to not look back. Rimold, in particular, seemed to be aware of what was happening.


    The rogue stumbled over his words. ¡°I-Is it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the head.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s right there on the tree.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s expression paled. ¡°H-How is that possible? Hector threw it in the rive!¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we need to-¡±


    ¡°A-Allen¡­¡±


    A hoarse, almost inaudible voice came from behind them. It was so low that it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for them to hear it, and yet it sounded like it was spoken right next to their ear.


    Red felt a shiver run down his spine.


    Allen, who was still down on the ground, suddenly seized up.


    An expression of recognition crossed his face. ¡°¡­ M-Mom?¡±


    The voice spoke again, this time a bit louder and more feminine than before. ¡°Yes¡­ My dear Allen. How much you¡¯ve grown, my dear, beloved son¡­¡±


    Tears welled up in the young master¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­ B-But how? You¡¯re supposed to be-¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Red put a hand over Allen¡¯s mouth.


    To his surprise, the young master started to struggle against him, and since Red had opened fewer veins than him, it took little effort for Allen to throw him off. The young master got up and looked towards the head again.


    Red warned the others. ¡°Hold him back!¡±


    Eiwin was the first one to shoot forward towards Allen. However, before she reached him, he already laid eyes on the head again.


    Renewed terror appeared in his expression. ¡°M-Mother, what happened to you-¡±


    ¡°Allen, no!¡± Eiwin pulled him back.


    However, at that point, they all felt something was wrong.


    ¡°Allen, my dear Allen¡­ I¡¯ve missed you so much! Please, come and give me a hug!¡± The voice now sounded completely substantial, and it was almost deafening to their ears.


    Red felt through his crimson sense that this strange fluctuation was growing ever so close to them. He still didn¡¯t dare to look back.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming for us! Run!¡±


    This was all the prompting his group needed. They shot forward as one back towards the way they came. Eiwin carried Allen under her arm, who was still struggling to get free.


    ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand!¡± The young master squirmed in despair. ¡°It¡¯s her, I know it!¡±


    ¡°Allen, that is not your mother!¡± Eiwin tried to convince him as they ran.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! It¡¯s her, I know it!¡±


    It was to no avail. Allen continued to repeat the same words as if he was struck by a spell, and according to what Red remembered of his own experience with this head, the young master might as well be.


    The voice continued to speak as if it was right behind them. ¡°Allen! Don¡¯t let them take you away from me again!¡±


    Red, however, could gauge its position with his crimson sense. ¡°It¡¯s catching up!¡±


    Rimold looked at his companions in alarm. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°Get ready to fight!¡±


    The woman¡¯s hand grabbed something inside of her pouch, revealing it to be a talisman. She seemed ready to activate it at any moment.


    That was when Red felt the fluctuation disappear. ¡°It disappeared! It-¡±


    Before he could even complete his sentence, something manifested in front of them. The head appeared in front of the group out of nowhere, and they all couldn¡¯t help but lay eyes on it.


    Their steps slowed down, as they couldn¡¯t help but feel themselves being drawn into its gaze. Eiwin also dropped Allen down in a daze, prompting the boy to get up and look towards the head.


    ¡°Mom! I¡¯m going to save you!¡±


    The young master dashed forward, the only one unaffected by this malaise. Red, however, was quickly able to snap out of his daze the same way he did when he first saw the head and looked away from it. At this point, however, he knew he couldn¡¯t stop Allen.


    ¡®I need to do something!¡¯


    Without much thought, the boy took out his bow from his back and shoot at the young master¡¯s leg. His arrow struck true and impaled itself on his calf.


    ¡°Agh!¡± Allen screamed in pain as he stumbled to the ground.


    Even then, the young master continued to crawl towards the head, which was gently floating in the air, waiting for him.


    ¡°Closer, my son¡­¡± the voice said. ¡°You¡¯re almost back to me.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Allen cried as he crawled along. ¡°I¡¯m going to save you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my son¡­ Just a little bit clos-¡±


    Before the head could finish speaking, a dark sword cleaved onto the side of its skull. Red, who had his eyes closed, felt his slash connect and dig into flesh and bones as he used his new weapon and his crimson sense to strike the floating head.


    Surprisingly, the head didn¡¯t go flying off as he thought it would against the force of his blow. Instead, the floating skull remained stationary even as his sword found purchase.


    ¡°No!¡± Allen screamed in anguish. ¡°What have you done?!¡±


    Red ignored the young master''s pleas and pulled his sword free. He kept his eyes closed and made to hack down again, before he suddenly felt the fluctuation disappear.


    He still didn¡¯t dare open his eyes and kept his guard up, waiting for the head¡¯s fluctuation to reappear. And reappear, it did, right behind him.


    ¡°I see you, moonspawn¡­¡±


    An inhumane chorus of voice whispered into his ears. Red felt his mind be overwhelmed by an overwhelming force, and he felt his entire world go dark.


    The last thing he heard before falling unconscious were the screams of alarm of his companions and the sound of weapons being drawn.

 Chapter 239 - Unexpected Savior

    Red¡¯s mind stewed in the infinite darkness of unconsciousness for who knows how long. When he started coming to, the first thing he felt was a strong fluctuation right by his side.


    ¡®Crap!¡¯


    On instinct alone, Red rolled away from this presence. His other senses returned to him, and a flood of light assaulted his vision. It was sunlight.


    How long was he unconscious? What happened to the others?


    Red couldn¡¯t even stop to contemplate as he felt this strong fluctuation stir. The boy struggled to get up and run as fast as he could, not even sparing a glance back.


    ¡°Already leaving? No thanks?¡±


    A guttural and deep voice spoke from behind him.


    Red¡¯s steps faltered as he heard this, and he looked back with some hesitation even as he distanced himself. A large tree-bark bear was sitting on the ground, staring at the boy with a surprisingly human expression. What caught his attention, though, was the fact that parts of this beast¡¯s bark-like skin seemed to have rotted away, revealing the flesh and bone beneath it.


    By all means, no creatures should be able to live in this state. Yet the enormous bear stood there, gazing back at Red. As his mind recovered from its state of confusion, he recognized this was an undead creature, and the fact it could speak only meant one thing.


    It was the necromancer.


    Red looked at the monster in wonder. ¡°¡­ How?¡±


    The beast made a loud noise that the boy assumed was a laugh. ¡°How what? How I save you?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°How are you here?¡±


    He assumed that after the trial was over, the hawk spirit wouldn¡¯t allow the necromancer to roam free any longer. Yet, here they were, still possessing another creature.


    The bear scratched at its rotting skin. ¡°Bird let me come help you¡­¡±


    Red shook his head without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Not even mentioning the meager possibility that the hawk would trust the necromancer enough for this task, the spirit made it clear in the past that Red needed to walk this journey on his own. Why would it send the necromancer to help him now?


    The beast grunted. ¡°Left mind sliver behind on surface. Bird couldn¡¯t stop me even if it tried¡­ Still cut off from main body, though.¡±


    Red struggled to understand what the necromancer was saying. ¡°What do you mean ¡®cut off¡¯? Aren¡¯t you the same individual? How could you be cut off from yourself?¡±


    ¡°Silly brat.¡± The bear shook its head. ¡°Split little pieces of mind to make clone. Clone is connected to main mind - can feel and communicate with it. Still, stupid bird cut off way back¡­ Can no longer feel main mind! Now all lost and wandering¡­¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t say that the situation was made any clearer by this explanation, but he got the gist of it, at least.


    ¡®A clone, separated from the main body¡­¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t knowledgeable enough about the subject to understand the implications of this. Still, judging from the strange lack of enthusiasm in the necromancer¡¯s speech the boy had gotten used to, it couldn¡¯t mean anything good for them.


    Red had other matters to concern himself about, though.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Saved you.¡± The bear shrugged.


    Red sighed. ¡°I know you did, but tell me what happened to my companions and the floating head.¡±


    The beast scratched its decomposing chin in thought. ¡°Was stalking you from afar to stay hidden when suddenly heard battle noises. Undead energy, too. Very strong. Rushed over and saw your human friends fighting ghost head. Picked you up and ran away¡­ Stupid woman tried to chase, but too slow for me.¡±


    Red tried to digest this sudden deluge of information. For one, he didn¡¯t really trust the necromancer at face value, but he did hear the sound of battle before he fell unconscious, and the boy couldn¡¯t think of any other way he could get separated from his group.


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    ¡°What happened to them?¡± Red asked. ¡°My companions, that is.¡±


    The bear shrugged with disinterest. ¡°Not sure. Didn¡¯t stick around.¡±


    The boy frowned and looked at his surroundings. They were in the middle of a clearing in the forest, but Red had no idea exactly where.


    ¡°Take me back to them.¡± He said.


    The undead beast shook its head. ¡°No way. Too dangerous. Ghost will still be around. Besides, companions probably not dead yet¡­¡±


    ¡°And how can you be certain?¡±


    ¡°Head not looking to kill. Head looking for hosts.¡±


    Once again, Red was at a loss.


    He stared at the necromancer. ¡°Explain to me.¡±


    ¡°Head is prison. Necromantic treasure gone rogue.¡± The bear said. ¡°Meant to imprison ghosts, but with no master, they rebel. Probably hundreds inside. Only way they can escape is possession.¡±


    Red had heard the term before, but like with many other forbidden subjects, information about possession and ghosts in common books was limited. He knew what it meant for his companions, though.


    ¡°So the ghosts inside this head were trying to possess us?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bear nodded. ¡°Tempts fools with voices and illusions. If you touch head, then you are gone. Probably succeeded already. Your friends probably all different people by now.¡±


    The boy contemplated this information. ¡°¡­ This head was in the possession of a demonic cultivator inside of town. I stared at it directly, but I was still able to escape the illusion. So why did it only attack us now? Why did it choose to target us, of all people?¡±


    ¡°Your stench too strong.¡± The bear waved its paw in front of its snout. ¡°Can feel moonstone smell from miles away. Irresistible to undead - might have awakened the ghosts. Head probably wanted to take you then, but too scared to do it in town.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why was it scared?¡±


    ¡°Same reason as me. Formation covering town. Strange powers in ruins. If it reveals itself, it will get killed.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s more to this...¡¯


    From what he heard from Rimold and Hector, the elder had promptly dispatched the head to the river. It could have attacked Hector at that point, but it chose not to, which meant that it probably also feared the old man to some extent. This, added to the fact Red stabbed it with little resistance, meant that this head might be more fragile than what it first seemed.


    The boy would have liked to know more about this strange treasure, but he knew he didn¡¯t have the time. He looked up at the sun and saw it was in the middle of the sky. It was already midday, which meant the horde could strike the river at any time, and yet his sect members were nowhere to be found.


    The first thing he did was to take out a talisman from his pouch. It was one of his communication talismans, given to him in case of emergencies where his group was split up. It would put him in direct contact with the others.


    Red was about to activate it before the necromancer interrupted him.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± The bear said. ¡°If companion possessed, it can track you down by talisman.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±


    The beast nodded. ¡°High-level skill, but totally possible. Some of the ghosts inside head really powerful, could know trick.¡±


    Red hesitated, but still put his talisman away. ¡°In that case, help me find them.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± The bear shook its head. ¡°Head still out there. Could find you any time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with or without your help.¡± Red said. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to see me possessed, you should probably help me.¡±


    He was reluctant to ask the necromancer for help, but he had little choice. It was the only being that knew about this head¡¯s capabilities, and if his companions were really possessed, he would need the necromancer¡¯s help.


    The bear hesitated. ¡°¡­ Was given order. Keep you safe. Could just hold you here until head left.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not possible.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°If that head tracked me even after being thrown to the river, what¡¯s stopping it from doing it again?¡±


    This was mostly just a bluff from Red¡¯s part. He didn¡¯t actually know if the necromancer had a way to keep him hidden, but according to their earlier words, the boy¡¯s ¡®stench¡¯ was too strong, and the bear didn¡¯t seem too confident in itself as it spoke.


    Indeed, the beast let out a guttural grunt of frustration. ¡°Dangerous, stupid idea. If head catches you, can¡¯t guarantee safety.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s afraid of the town, so as long as we can get there back in time, it won¡¯t be able to do anything to us.¡±


    At this point, the boy was already ignoring their earlier plans to help the town with the horde. This was exactly the kind of crisis Hector told them to be wary about, and with such an insidious enemy out there, how could they guarantee their own safety?


    The bear growled in agreement. ¡°Hm, can help with companions, but there is problem¡­ If they possessed, can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Red frowned. One of the main reasons for asking the necromancer for help was because of that, and the fact they couldn¡¯t help threw a wrench into his plans.


    ¡°Is there nothing that can be done?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°Ghost possession too strong, too dangerous.¡± the bear said. ¡°Longer ghost is in body, harder to take out. Stronger ghost is, harder to take out too. Might be possible if I had powers, but¡­ Too weak, too faint. Not sure how long form will last away from main body.¡±


    ¡°So you mean you could do something if you had a connection to your main body?¡±


    The bear nodded. ¡°¡­ Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Not possible.¡± Red shook his head.


    It was obvious the necromancer was probing him. The hawk didn¡¯t really give him a means of communicating back, and even if it did, the boy would never use it on the necromancer¡¯s stead. After all, Red still needed to consider that this might be all a ruse from the necromancer¡¯s part.


    Even if his companions were in trouble, the boy couldn¡¯t just throw caution to the wind.


    The bear pondered in silence. ¡°¡­ Hm, in that case, there might still be way.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Red asked in suspicion.


    ¡°Learn necromancy and you can help them.¡±


    The boy swore he saw a smile on the undead bear¡¯s face at that moment.

 Chapter 240 - Chasing Ghosts

    Red just sighed in response, as if he was expecting those exact words.


    The necromancer was playing an overt scheme here. By teaching him necromancy, the boy would become an inevitable enemy to organizations like the Curse Breakers, not to mention other possible consequences that came with it. He would need to rely more and more on the necromancer, and when he eventually inherited the hidden realm, it was more likely Red would free them.


    ¡®As if the curse wasn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    An overt scheme, however, was only so direct because it was meant to force one¡¯s hand. Indeed, if Red wanted to help his companions, who else could he rely on other than the necromancer? Yet, every moment that passed made the boy more certain that this was all a clever plot set up by this individual.


    He needed to be careful to not fall in too deep.


    Red stared at the bear. ¡°Bring me to my companions and prove to me you can help them. Then, and only then, will I consider your offer.¡±


    The rotting beast seemed to have been expecting this answer.


    It nodded. ¡°Can do that¡­ but first, probably need this.¡±


    The bear shoved its claw inside of its chest cavity. It grabbed onto something, dragging it out of its rotting flesh. It tossed it to Red¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Sword.¡± the bear said. ¡°Dropped it.¡±


    The boy looked down at the dark weapon covered in blood and bodily fluids.


    ¡®To think I just made this yesterday. Wait, or was it the day before?¡¯


    He took out his water canteen and a piece of cloth and set about cleaning the weapon. He didn¡¯t forget what he had learned about undead infections from Eiwin, so he didn¡¯t stop washing the sword until it was glistening again. Even then, Red still wasn¡¯t satisfied and decided to just sheathe the sword for now.


    ¡°We need to go back to where the head ambushed us.¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s the only way I can track down my companions.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± The bear shook its head. ¡°Can tell where they are. Some, at least.¡±


    Red frowned in suspicion. ¡°How can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Ghost energy.¡± The beast huffed. ¡°Strong, pulsating. Need hurry, others will feel too.¡±


    ¡®So they are indeed possessed.¡¯


    The fact the necromancer omitted information from him did not surprise the boy, but this new revelation did make his life more complicated.


    ¡°How many do you feel?¡± Red asked.


    The bear held up its decomposing hand. ¡°Three. Need hurry, though. Head might recover and take others.¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°You already said that. Just tell me which direction I must go.¡±


    The undead beast stirred into movement, standing on its four legs. Red was immediately put on guard, being reminded that it wasn¡¯t just a common animal the necromancer was possessing, but a full-fledged monster. If they almost managed to kill the boy back then when possessing an elderly corpse, what could they do when controlling a huge tree-bark bear?


    Thankfully, the beast didn¡¯t attack him.


    Instead, it used one of its claws to point towards its back. ¡°Hop on.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°¡­ No way.¡±


    The bear grunted. ¡°Need hurry. Already told you. Much faster on back.¡±


    The boy hesitated, but he knew they had a point. He probably wasn¡¯t as fast on foot as a tree-bark bear. However, he was worried about something else.


    ¡°What about the infection?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Infection?¡± The bear seemed confused. ¡°Kid immune to infection with Moon power to help. Nothing to worry.¡±


    Red obviously didn¡¯t trust the necromancer at face value.


    The beast seemed to notice that. ¡°Look, dragged you here with teeth. Saliva all over back of neck. If infected, already too late.¡±


    Red shuddered and put his hand on the back of his neck. He felt nothing there, but upon further examination, he felt two large holes in the collar. He shuddered.


    ¡°Friends waiting.¡± The bear said. ¡°Coming or not?¡±


    The boy sighed and approached the bear. His worries were probably unfounded, since if the bear planned to infect him, it would have done it while he was unconscious. Although, that raised another interesting question.


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    ¡®Does the moonstone energy really protect me from undead infection?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t have the time to ask the bear. He hopped onto its back, holding his breath against the rotting stench and grabbing onto its bark-like skin for support.


    ¡°Hold tight and prepare to hide just in case.¡± The bear said. ¡°Curse Breakers might spot us.¡±


    Red¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Wait, the Curse Breaker are-¡±


    He didn¡¯t have time to complete his question as the bear charged forth and he struggled to keep his grip.


    ¡­


    Red barely had the chance to locate himself inside the forest as trees whizzed by his vision. The boy had never moved so fast in his life before, and he recognized the fact that even a tree-bark bear shouldn¡¯t be able to be fast either.


    The undead creature was extremely swift despite its size, weaving and dodging past trees and other obstacles with surprising dexterity. Red thought he was about to fall off multiple times during this brief journey, but he held on in the end.


    Finally, the bear¡¯s path seemed to lead them up a hill, where it slowed down. They came to a stop, and Red jumped down from the beast¡¯s back without hesitation, trying to recover his composure. The creature stared at him in silence, waiting for the boy to pick himself back up.


    Red took a deep breath, only to gag because of the rotting smell. This was one of the disadvantages of opening your five senses vein - you became much more sensitive to smells.


    A few seconds later, though, the boy finally collected himself.


    He looked back at the bear. ¡°Why have we stopped?¡±


    Red had already checked his crimson sense and couldn¡¯t detect anything special around them.


    ¡°Close already.¡± the bear said. ¡°Can¡¯t get closer. Ghost would feel my presence.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°So what do I do now?¡±


    ¡°Beat up, capture.¡± the beast said. ¡°Will teach what to do after.¡±


    He didn¡¯t think this process would be so direct. ¡°¡­ Is there anything I need to look out for against these ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be.¡± the bear shook its head. ¡°Ghost dangerous, but limited inside physical body. Might be knowledgeable and cunning, though, so be careful.¡±


    Red sighed. He now had a plan, although he didn¡¯t think things would go over so smoothly.


    ¡°Point me in their direction.¡±


    The bear did as much, pointing northward downhill. ¡°Ghost moving. Should hurry.¡±


    Red frowned. He would have liked more information, but it didn¡¯t seem like he had the privilege of time.


    The truth was that when it came to straightforward combat, the only person the boy had any hopes of defeating was Allen. The others were all stronger than him, so Red would need to rely on his quick wits and improvisation this time around. Yet were his chances any good against people like Narcha and Rog?


    ¡®I have to try.¡¯


    He sprinted downhill, following the direction the bear pointed out. Although he was moving as quickly as possible, the boy still kept an eye out for any signs of whoever this possessed individual was.


    Red ran for almost 30 seconds, and just as he was wondering whether he was still on the right trail, he felt a fluctuation enter his detection range. The boy froze in his steps and crouched down, careful not to make any noises.


    He immediately recognized this presence.


    ¡®Allen.¡¯


    The fluctuation was unmistakable. Yet, even as the boy felt it, he could tell there was something strange about his presence, too. It was in a state of great turmoil, as if the young master was overwhelmed by emotions that threatened to swallow his very being.


    Was this a sign of possession, as the bear told Red?


    The boy felt Allen¡¯s fluctuation moving at a brisk pace, almost escaping his crimson sense¡¯s detection range as Red observed him. With no choice, the boy got up and chased behind the young master.


    At first, Red had a difficult time following his trail, which was reasonable seeing as Allen opened more veins than him. However, the young master seemed lost, stopping to change directions very often, thus giving the boy a chance to catch up and get ever so close.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I shoot him in the leg? How can he move so quickly again?¡¯


    Red, however, was reminded of how most undead creatures had rotting bodies and broken tendons, yet could move like normal even under this cursed energy. He assumed the same was happening to Allen.


    Finally, once he was within fifty meters of his target, Red could lay eyes on him through the thicket.


    This was, without a doubt, Allen. Yet his mannerisms didn¡¯t seem to fit the image the boy had of him. The young master seemed frantic, looking around with a lost and angered expression which matched the emotions Red felt in his fluctuation.


    The boy didn¡¯t need any powers to be able to tell that something was definitely wrong with Allen.


    ¡®I need to act quickly.¡¯


    Thankfully, the young master seemed too distracted to notice his approach. Red intended to end this fight with a single blow, preferably a powerful strike to the side of Allen¡¯s head or by choking him out, as Domeron had taught him. The boy might not have the power to do the same to the others, but against the young master, that was another story.


    Red continued approaching his target, ready to pounce as soon as he stopped to change directions yet again. However, that was when something happened.


    Allen suddenly froze mid-sprint and looked over at the exact spot Red was hiding. An expression of surprise appeared on the young master¡¯s face before turning into anger.


    ¡®How did he-¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t have time to think as Allen sprinted off. With no other choice, he gave chase, not bothering to hide his presence any longer.


    As Red chased after the young master, something he had ignored came to his mind.


    ¡®If the head could detect me because of my moonstone energy, who¡¯s to say the ghosts can¡¯t do the same?¡¯


    This yet another piece of information the necromancer omitted. However, Red couldn¡¯t help but blame himself, too. He should have considered this before, and yet in his eagerness to act and under the necromancer¡¯s urging, he ignored this completely.


    Red didn¡¯t have time to ponder on his mistake, though. Allen was quickly gaining distance on him, and the boy knew he had to do something. He didn¡¯t have his bow on him, yet another item he had dropped at the scene of the battle before falling unconscious, but he did have something he could throw.


    He took out his short-sword from its scabbard, taking aim at Allen from behind.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry about this, Allen.¡¯


    Red reared his arm back, before hurling the sword just like a throwing dagger towards the young master¡¯s leg. His aim was true, and the weapon impaled itself on Allen¡¯s calf, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.


    ¡°Agh!¡± A scream of pain came from the young master.


    Red took this opportunity to close in and attack. He tried to kick the back of Allen¡¯s head, but the young master showed surprising reaction time, moving out of the way before he could be hit. Then, without hesitation, Allen took out the sword from his calf in one single swift motion, as if it was nothing, and tossed it aside as he distanced himself from Red.


    He glared at the boy. ¡°I won¡¯t let you stop me! I will kill them all!¡±


    Red felt Allen¡¯s fluctuation stir as he said those words, and he felt a strange energy coming out of his body. The boy knew this wouldn¡¯t be as easy as he first assumed.

 Chapter 241 - Fighting the Possessed

    Red inspected Allen with some caution. This strange feeling of uncertainty continued to grow in the boy as he examined the young master. It was a sensation that something was wrong, as if the light behind Allen¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t match with the person Red knew.


    ¡®This is what possession is like, then.¡¯


    Red hesitated to attack. He first needed to gauge his opponent.


    The boy took one step in Allen¡¯s direction, and the young master immediately stirred into movement. He took out a short sword out of his waist and charged at Red.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!¡±


    The young master¡¯s movements were sloppy, but under this strange energy Red felt Allen seemed even faster and stronger than he was used to witnessing. He didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him.


    The boy side stepped the sword slash before twisting around his opponent and punching him on the right side, the same side in which he was holding the weapon. This was a maneuver Red used many a time when sparring with Allen - a good way to punish an opponent that over committed in their offense and push them off balance.


    Yet, even as Red felt his fist connect, Allen seemed barely affected by it. The young master swung his sword back to follow up, and Red had to scramble out of the way in a hurry so as not to get wounded.


    The boy distanced himself from his opponent, catching his breath.


    ¡®Is this another side effect of possession? Not feeling pain?¡¯


    This made this ordeal more complicated. A punch like this in the past would have left Allen reeling, but the ghost possessing him seemed barely affected by it.


    Red couldn¡¯t use a weapon for fear of injuring his companion too much, but his punches also had limited effect. What was he to do in this situation?


    He wasn¡¯t afforded too much time to think, as Allen continued to charge at him like a mad dog.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    A barrage of sword attacks came in Red¡¯s direction, but the boy didn¡¯t have any trouble in dodging them. Allen was already predictable in his attacks, but whoever was possessing his body was worse, lacking even the bit of skill that made the young master a challenge for Red.


    It was someone possessed of great strength but unaware of how to use it.


    At first, Red thought this was just a ploy to get him to lower his guard. Yet, after almost thirty seconds passed by, this ghost continued to throw wild attacks at him, continuing to miss the margin.


    The boy couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡®Is it this weak?¡¯


    Maybe the necromancer was exaggerating the danger these ghosts represented.


    ¡°Stop dodging, damn you!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ looked increasingly frustrated.


    Red shook his head. ¡°Am I supposed to let you hit me?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The young master stopped attacking once he noticed he wasn¡¯t getting anywhere.


    He stared at Red from a few meters away with hate in his eyes.


    ¡°You ruined my life while I was alive, and now you can¡¯t even leave me alone even when I¡¯m dead?!¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡®Allen¡¯ snorted. ¡°It¡¯s because of you cultivators! It¡¯s all your fault! You killed my family! You destroyed everything we held dear!¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one responsible for that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a cultivator!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ pointed his sword at him. ¡°I know it, I read his mind! I know what your kind does! Your fights and wars destroy villages and towns just in passing. You don¡¯t care about anything else other than yourself. You ruin lives, you destroy dreams¡­ But I won¡¯t allow it! Not anymore!¡±


    Before Red could say anything, the young master attacked him with renewed savagery. The boy was still trying to process what he had just heard, but he was still able to dodge his opponent¡¯s attacks.


    This ghost didn¡¯t seem to be the monstrous and evil presence he had been expecting, so Red was at a loss. Still, it was a momentary hesitation. No matter what the circumstances were, he still needed to save his companions.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry for this, Allen¡­ Again.¡¯


    Red ducked under the sword¡¯s swing, but this time, instead of going for a punch, he grabbed onto Allen¡¯s right arm. Before the young master could try to free himself, Red used his leg to sweep his feet from under him, throwing him onto the ground with practiced movements.


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    Allen screamed as he fell face down to the forest floor, but even then, Red still didn¡¯t let go of his right arm. Instead, the boy used his entire body weight to pull the young master¡¯s arm back before twisting it.


    A cracking noise came from Allen¡¯s shoulder.


    This time, the young master screamed in pain. Red jumped away from his opponent before he was caught up in a retaliation.


    Allen struggled to get up, trying to move his arm. However, the limb was completely limp, and he couldn¡¯t even hold the sword in his grip any longer. He looked back at Red with a hateful gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The young master didn¡¯t even bother picking up his sword to attack, instead hoping to strike Red with his bare hands, or the remaining one at least. It was even less of a contest at that point.


    Red used his opponent¡¯s momentum against him, sweeping his legs and throwing him onto the ground again. He grabbed onto Allen¡¯s left arm before he could even react and twisted it again.


    Another crack and another scream of pain.


    This time, the young master wasn¡¯t so quick to get up, so Red took this opportunity. He took out a length of rope from his backpack, using it to tie Allen¡¯s arms and legs.


    When his opponent finally noticed what was happening, it was too late. ¡°¡­ You! What are you doing you bastard?!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead moving back to examine the boy.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! I need to kill them!¡± Allen struggled against his bindings, and for a moment, it looked like he might really snap the ropes with sheer strength.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯


    Red rushed forward and struck the back of the young master¡¯s head with a kick. Allen grunted but remained conscious.


    It took Red three more strikes before he was sure his opponent was truly unconscious. After dealing so much damage to Allen, the boy made sure to check whether he was still breathing normally, and to his relief, everything seemed to be in order.


    Other than the broken arms and pierced leg, that is.


    Red was just considering what to do next when he felt the necromancer approach the scene. He looked back and saw the undead bear making its way towards him from within the trees.


    Red frowned. ¡°You lied to me. You could have helped.¡±


    ¡°And risk clone?¡± the bear shook its head. ¡°No, stupid plan. Besides, kid in control, it seems.¡±


    Indeed, the boy couldn¡¯t deny that this task was far easier than he was expecting. Still, this was just the first part of the issue.


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Red asked. ¡°How I get this ghost out of him?¡±


    ¡°Two ways.¡± the bear raised two of its claws. ¡°Necromancy or convince ghost to leave.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°You told me I would need necromancy to expel the ghosts from their bodies. Now you¡¯re telling me I could just convince them to leave?¡±


    ¡°Not just.¡± the beast shook its head. ¡°Convincing much harder. Necromancy easy in comparison.¡±


    ¡°How can that be true?¡± Red was very skeptical.


    ¡°Ghost born from unresolved obsession after death.¡± the bear said. ¡°Strong, powerful obsession. Most ghosts unreasonable, evil, corrupted. Unless obsession resolved, almost impossible to make ghost move out of own volition.¡±


    The boy immediately realized the difficulty of the situation. Wasn¡¯t the ghost claiming it wanted to kill all cultivators? How could Red possibly help them resolve that kind of obsession? Still, the boy picked up on something.


    Red looked at the bear. ¡°You said it¡¯s almost impossible to do it. Do you mean that there is a way to convince them without resolving their obsession?¡±


    The bear nodded. ¡°Some ways. Can trick ghost or convince ghost obsession is wrong. Very, very hard, though.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I have to try.¡±


    The undead bear seemed to shrug. ¡°Won¡¯t stop you. Remember time, though. Head might notice us.¡±


    The necromancer didn¡¯t look concerned that Red would succeed, which meant they were probably not lying about the difficulty of this task. The boy would rather test it himself, though.


    ¡°Can you help me keep him still?¡± Red asked. ¡°My ropes won¡¯t be able to stop him.¡±


    The bear grunted. ¡°Hm. Sure.¡±


    It walked over towards the unconscious Allen before putting one of its paws on his back. Indeed, a bear weighing down on you would probably keep you from moving.


    Red walked over towards Allen, noticing the young master didn¡¯t seem to be any closer to awakening. The boy fished a yellowish powder pouch out of his backpack before dragging it in front of Allen¡¯s nose.


    The young master stirred, and his eyes slowly opened, taking in his surroundings.


    ¡°¡­ Hm?¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ seemed confused. ¡°Where am I? What is- You!¡±


    Anger reappeared on his face as he looked at Red, who was crouching right in front of him. Allen struggled, to no avail. He couldn¡¯t even see what was weighing down on his back, but from his sudden chance of expression, it was clear he sensed the necromancer¡¯s presence.


    Suddenly, some of the fight left him as instead the young master now had a fearful expression. Red looked over at the necromancer in confusion.


    The bear shrugged. ¡°Ghosts scared of necromancers.¡±


    The boy could only imagine why. Wasn¡¯t it a necromancer that threw this ghost inside that head in the first place?


    Red looked back at his possessed companion. He hesitated for a bit, but decided to just be straightforward.


    ¡°I want you to leave my companion¡¯s body.¡± he said.


    The ghost glared at him and sneered. ¡°And what? Die again now that I have a chance at getting my revenge? I will never do it!¡±


    What the ghost said gave him pause.


    He looked at the bear. ¡°Will they die?¡±


    The bear seemed to be in thought, but it still nodded. ¡°Weak ghost. Without body to possess, soul will dissipate quickly.¡±


    Red frowned. Already he found himself stumped. What the boy was offering this ghost was definitive death and oblivion. How could he convince such an obsessed being to do something like that?


    The difficulty of the task was dawning on him, but he didn¡¯t give up. He needed more information.


    Red started to have an idea.


    He looked back at the ghost. ¡°You said you were killed by cultivators, right? Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡®Allen¡¯ spat at him. ¡°Why would I tell another cultivator anything about this?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Because I might be able to help.¡±

 Chapter 242 - Exorcism

    ¡®Allen¡¯ didn¡¯t look the least bit convinced by his words. ¡°Help?! How would you help?! Why would I ever trust a cultivator to help?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not even a cultivator yet. I haven¡¯t opened my Spiritual Sea.¡±


    The ghost shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! I saw what you did in the past, too! Ruthless! Cold! Calculating! You¡¯re just like them!¡±


    Red wanted to rebuke this ghost for being unreasonable, but he held off. It wouldn¡¯t help his situation.


    The truth was that the boy was never good at convincing other people, at least not by being charismatic. When he wanted others to listen to him, he appealed to their reason or how they might benefit from the situation, too. However, what use would logic and reason be for a ghost?


    Red needed another approach.


    ¡°You said you saw what I did in the past, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡®Allen¡¯ nodded. ¡°I just said that!¡±


    ¡°If you know me and what I did in the past, you know I always keep my word.¡± Red said. ¡°No matter what, if I promise you something, I will always see it through.¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t lying about that. Even if little else mattered to him when it came to convention and morality, the weight of his own words was one of the things that Red always kept in mind as he moved forward. It was his anchor and his guide, something he gave great importance to since the day Viran said his final words to him.


    The boy often asked himself why that was the case. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier for him if he gave no importance to his promises? Yet, he always arrived at the same conclusion - Red did it because he thought it was right. Because it gave him comfort and assurance in himself.


    It was that simple.


    Although ¡®Allen¡¯ still looked unwilling, Red saw a change in his expression that told him the ghost was finally listening to him. Now it was time to strike with some of his infallible logic.


    ¡°I know that you are unwilling but consider your own situation.¡± Red said. ¡°You got beaten by me, someone who has only opened four veins. Not to mention all the issues that come with possessing someone else¡¯s body, the way you are right now, you¡¯ll never be able to get your revenge.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t aware of exactly what problems came with possessing a body, but since the bear spoke about them, he was sure they were serious. His words seemed to affect the ghost.


    He gritted his teeth and glared at Red. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°I already told you what I want. Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡®Allen¡¯ snorted. ¡°What is there to tell? It¡¯s the same old tale. Cultivators appear and start fighting out of nowhere for some stupid piece of rock or treasure that we dug up. We, the villagers who have nothing to do with it, get swept up in their fight and lose our lives¡­ I lost count of how many times I heard it happen. Just never imagined it would be our turn.¡±


    There was a deep melancholy and despair in the ghost¡¯s voice, and all the anger seemed to slip away from him.


    ¡°Do you know who destroyed your village?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know their names.¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ shook his head.


    ¡°What about the organization they came from? Were they from a sect?¡±


    The ghost hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure they were from a sect.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Where exactly are you from?¡±


    ¡°Altam Village.¡±


    The boy looked over at the undead bear with a questioning gaze.


    The beast shook its head. ¡°How would know? Villages too common, too small.¡±


    Red looked back at Allen. ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I was from the Black Rock Province. From the Kingdom of the Seven Sanctuaries¡­ I think.¡±


    Red never heard of it, so he stared at the bear again for guidance.


    The beast seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°Kingdom of Seven¡­ Up north, near barbarian land. Destroyed now, though. Only ruin and petty kingdoms remain.¡±


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


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    The boy was suddenly reminded of a possibility. ¡°How long ago was it destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Before bird locked me, so¡­ Five hundred years, at least.¡± the bear said.


    Red frowned. ¡°So this is a five hundred-year-old ghost?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ seemed shocked. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be!¡±


    The bear nodded. ¡°Head keeps ghost fresh. Can be even older.¡±


    This posed yet another problem for Red. How was he supposed to help the ghost when the people that destroyed his village were probably already dead?


    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± the ghost shook its head. ¡°It all felt so quick.¡±


    ¡°The people who killed your village are probably already long dead.¡± Red said. ¡°Getting your revenge is impossible.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ gritted his teeth. ¡°Even if they¡¯re dead¡­ They will pay! Someone will pay!¡±


    The ghost¡¯s unreasonable attitude once more left Red at a loss for words.


    The undead bear grunted. ¡°Told you. Ghost unreasonable, impossible to convince. Better to use necromancy.¡±


    The necromancer might be telling the truth, but Red wanted to exhaust all his options first.


    ¡°What sects or organizations act in that region?¡± he asked the bear.


    ¡°Only know one.¡± the bear said. ¡°Hallowed Valley Sect.¡±


    Red¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The Hallowed Valley Sect, one of the birthplaces of human cultivation, the holy land of swordmanship, and most important of all, one of the few remaining sects in the world after the Empire¡¯s rise.


    Could the cultivators responsible for destroying this ghost¡¯s village be from that sect? Maybe they were still alive. Red hoped this wasn¡¯t the case, since he could never compare against a cultivator that could live beyond five hundred years of age.


    ¡°The Hallowed Valley Sect! That¡¯s it! It¡¯s them!¡± The ghost showed an expression of recognition. ¡°I need to go there! I have to make them pay!¡±


    Red frowned. He was contemplating how to proceed now that he knew such a behemoth was involved with this matter.


    ¡°You!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ called out to him. ¡°You told me you wanted to help, right?! Let¡¯s make a deal!¡±


    The boy had a bad feeling once he heard that, even though he was the one that came up with the idea. ¡°What kind of deal?¡±


    ¡°Help me destroy the Hallowed Valley Sect!¡± the ghost said. ¡°If you do that, I promise to leave your friend¡¯s body alone!¡±


    Red hesitated. He was about to say that he didn¡¯t have the power to do that right now, but even if he did have the power, was this something he wanted to do? He remembered how the hawk spirit told him about how his master could have destroyed many sects, but chose to spare them for humanity¡¯s sake.


    Was Red willing to make such a promise for Allen¡¯s freedom?


    ¡®No, this is too reckless.¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°I knew it! You¡¯re just like them!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ glared at him with a hateful gaze. ¡°If you won¡¯t help me, then I¡¯ll do it myself!¡±


    Red ignored the ghost¡¯s rambling and looked over at the bear with a sigh of resignation. He had no other choice.


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± he asked.


    The undead beast seemed to smile. ¡°Easy. Take out moonstone core.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised the necromancer could feel the crystal, even if he hadn¡¯t revealed its existence. He took out the green, gleaming core from his backpack and held it with both hands.


    As soon as it came into view, ¡®Alen''s¡¯ eyes widened in fear. ¡°W-What is that?!¡±


    The bear¡¯s clouded eyes also seemed to shine once it looked at the core in Red¡¯s hands. The boy was almost expecting the beast to charge at him, but that didn¡¯t come to pass as the zombie seemed to recover its composure.


    It looked back at Red. ¡°Now, focus on core and chant words-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± the boy cut him off. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to explain what we are going to do?¡±


    ¡°What need?¡± the bear shook its head. ¡°Use core to draw out ghost. Easy, done. What questions?¡±


    Red frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything. There was obviously more to this than the necromancer was letting on, but what was the point of complaining right now? The boy knew there were going to be consequences for this as soon as he agreed to it, but it was the only way he knew to help his companions.


    Whatever came next was probably more manageable than promising to destroy an entire sect.


    ¡°Ready? Here it is.¡± The bear started to recite some strange words to Red in its guttural voice.


    They sounded completely foreign to the boy, yet he couldn¡¯t help but compare them to the mantra Eiwin taught him. There were some similarities in how these words were pronounced, yet at the same time, Red felt they invoked an almost opposite sensation compared to his meditation technique.


    The more he repeated these strange words in his mind, the stronger this feeling of disquiet and wrongness became.


    The boy knew then that he was dabbling with something quite dangerous. And he wasn¡¯t the only one that felt it.


    ¡°Wait!¡± ¡®Allen¡¯ called out to him. ¡°W-What are you doing?! Don¡¯t you care about your companion?!¡±


    ¡°Are you willing to let him go?¡± Red asked.


    The ghost didn¡¯t respond. The answer was obvious - whatever choice he made meant his oblivion, and he wasn¡¯t willing to compromise with Red either. There was never any room for negotiation.


    ¡®Allen¡¯ glared of hatred reappeared. ¡°You will pay for this! All of you will pay for this!¡±


    Red ignored him and focused on the bear again.


    The beast repeated the mantra a few times before looking back at Red. ¡°Got it?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Is that it? No hand seals?¡±


    ¡°No need. Not monk technique.¡± the bear shook its head.


    ¡°And how is this supposed to draw the ghost out?¡±


    ¡°Concentrate on core and all will work. Process is natural.¡± the bear said.


    He wasn¡¯t getting any more out of it.


    Red took a deep breath before reciting the words as he focused his gaze on the insectoid crystal. At first, nothing happened, but the boy was used to this from his practice with his meditation technique.


    He continued to recite these words while focusing on the core until almost a minute passed by. The bear never once corrected him, and just as Red was wondering if he was doing something wrong, the crystal suddenly began to shine.


    The ghost, who was struggling under the undead bear¡¯s and hurling threats at Red all this while, suddenly fell still. Its gaze changed as it looked at the core, and an ephemeral energy started to come out of Allen¡¯s forehead.


    This grayish energy traveled to the insectoid crystal, before disappearing into its glowing surface. Red observed the process in wonder, but he still didn¡¯t stop reciting the incantation.


    Ten seconds passed by as this energy continued to leave Allen¡¯s body and enter into the crystal. Eventually, though, this process slowed down, until no more gray strands came out of the young master¡¯s forehead and the core stopped glowing.


    Red also fell silent. He looked over at Allen, noticing he had fallen face down, unmoving. The boy could see, though, the slowly rising and falling movement of his chest, indicating the young master was still alive.


    ¡°There, all done.¡± the bear said. ¡°Now Red a real necromancer!¡±

 Chapter 243 - Ghost Hunting

    Red frowned at these words. He felt nothing different about himself after repeating these sentences, but he knew a cursory glance wouldn¡¯t suffice.


    ¡°What happened exactly?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Moonstone core same energy as ghost.¡± the bear said. ¡°Core naturally absorb energy. Easy to absorb ghost with right trick.¡±


    The boy frowned in confusion. ¡°How does this involve necromancy?¡±


    ¡°Core catalyst, words technique. Necromancer words, ancient, very primal, very powerful. Can draw out more than ghosts out of bodies with right words.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ You mean they can draw out souls too?¡±


    The bear nodded. ¡°Red catch on quick.¡±


    The boy could only imagine what these insane necromancers could do with these kinds of powers at their disposal.


    Red continued to examine the insectoid core with skepticism. ¡°So the ghost is inside this core now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the bear shook its head. ¡°Turned to energy, pure, without will. Ghost completely gone now.¡±


    The boy was both relieved and scared at the necromancer¡¯s words. Everything was solved very easily, and yet it was this extreme ease with which someone¡¯s soul was snuffed out that frightened Red too.


    Would these people even have the chance at a possible rest? Would any trace of their presence remain in this world at all?


    Such concerns troubled Red, but he had more to worry about right now.


    He looked over at the unconscious Allen. ¡°Does that mean he is okay now?¡±


    The bear grunted. ¡°Should be when awake.¡±


    Red considered waking the young master up to verify the necromancer¡¯s claim when he noticed a problem.


    His gaze wandered back to the giant undead bear sitting on top of Allen''s back.


    ¡°He can¡¯t see you here.¡±


    The bear seemed surprised. ¡°Oh, right! Forgot!¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t afford to have his involvement with the necromancer be made known to his companions. Back then in the forest, Allen and Rimold had discovered it too, and Red thought he would need to find a way to convince them to keep quiet after the trial.


    Yet, the hawk spirit thought that far, and it erased their memories of the occurrence, as Red learned later. Now they only had a faint recollection of talking with the necromancer before entering the trial, but they couldn¡¯t remember the contents of the conversation.


    The undead bear got up and suddenly began to walk away.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Red called out to it. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Leaving.¡± the bear said. ¡°Job done, what else to do?¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°I still need your help to find my other companions.¡±


    ¡°Have other things to do.¡± the beast shook its head. ¡°Red can track them. Good tracking skills. Use same technique once you do.¡±


    ¡°What about the head? Isn¡¯t it still around?¡±


    ¡°No worry about head. Caused too much commotion. Curse Breakers already on trail.¡±


    The beast resumed its retreat.


    Red wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words as the undead bear continued to walk away without looking back. It wasn¡¯t until the beast disappeared out of his detection range that the situation dawned on him.


    The necromancer obviously didn¡¯t care about his companions. They only used this opportunity to teach him a necromancer technique. What happened to the others didn¡¯t matter to them.


    It was an obvious conclusion now that Red thought back on it, but he assumed the necromancer would try to teach something more complicated to him that would unmistakably mark the boy as a necromancer. Instead, they taught him with a few magical sentences and then left.


    ¡®What exactly are they planning?¡¯


    It was not like Red could go asking about these words to others either, so he could only put this concern to the back of his mind for now. However, now that he didn¡¯t have the help of the undead bear to guide him to his companions, the boy needed to hurry even more to make sure he could pick up on their trail.


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    He looked over at Allen, who was still unconscious. Before he gave the young master one of their healing pills, he needed to make sure he wasn¡¯t being possessed any longer.


    Red took out a pouch with some special medicinal herbs from his backpack before waving it in front of Allen¡¯s nose. The effect was almost immediate as the young master stirred awake.


    Allen moaned in pain. ¡°Ugh¡­ Why does everything hurt so much?¡±


    ¡°Allen, is that you?¡± Red went straight to the point.


    It took the young master a few seconds to stave off his initial confusion. ¡°Huh? R-Red, is that you?¡±


    Recognition appeared in Allen¡¯s face. Red didn¡¯t respond immediately, examining his companion¡¯s facial expressions.


    ¡°Oh, gods¡­¡± the young master gritted his teeth. ¡°E-Everything burns! My arms! I can¡¯t move them! W-What is going on?¡±


    ¡®It seems convincing.¡¯


    Red, however, knew better than to trust first impressions to discern the young master¡¯s current state. He couldn¡¯t ask him questions either, since the ghost was apparently privy to all of its host¡¯s memories, so instead, the boy used something else to assess the situation.


    His crimson sense.


    There was a lot of distress in his fluctuation, which was to be expected given the situation. Yet, to Red¡¯s relief, he couldn¡¯t sense any lingering hatred or anger from Allen¡¯s presence, which made him feel more confident about the ghost¡¯s disappearance.


    In the meantime, the young master continued to groan in pain. ¡°R-Red, please help me! Everything hurts so much!¡±


    Red nodded. Now that he had confirmed his companion¡¯s identity, there was no point in not treating him.


    He took out of the medicinal pills Hector had entrusted them with before bringing it to Allen¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Here, take it.¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s medicine.¡±


    The young master didn¡¯t hesitate and swallowed the pill. Red also cut him free from his bindings as the medicine took effect.


    There were two audible pops in Allen¡¯s arms as his limbs realigned. The puncture on his leg too closed on its own. The young master howled and thrashed in pain as the recovery process took place, but his wailing about was at the very least a sign his arms were in working order once again.


    It took a few minutes for Allen to recover his breath, and Red waited patiently by the side.


    When the young master felt strong enough to speak again, he looked over at Red in confusion. ¡°W-What is going on?¡±


    ¡°What do you remember?¡± Red answered with another question.


    ¡°I¡­ W-We were traveling together and then we went to investigate something, and then¡­ And then¡­¡± Allen trailed off. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t remember what happened next.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°We were attacked by¡­ a floating head. It used its powers to compel you and the others. I tried to stop it, but I fell unconscious. After I woke up, I went after your tracks and found out you had been possessed by a ghost.¡±


    ¡°P-Possessed? G-Ghost?¡± Allen¡¯s face paled. ¡°W-What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics either.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°All I know is that someone else was in control of your body.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ N-Now that you mention it, I remember dreaming about something.¡± the young master trembled in fear. ¡°I was on a farm with my family. O-Only I was someone else. And then¡­ a-and then¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to dwell on it.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± Allen nodded. ¡°W-Were you the one that saved me?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ I was.¡±


    He expected a followup question about how Red did that exactly, but instead the young master just looked at him with a grateful gaze.


    ¡°T-Thank you Red.¡± Allen said. ¡°I felt like every moment I was in that dream it was becoming harder and harder to wake up. If you didn¡¯t come along, then I don¡¯t know what could have happened.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°¡­ I might have been the one responsible for awakening that head, so there¡¯s no need to thank me.¡±


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Allen seemed confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain it later.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Right now, we need to find the others.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Allen nodded. ¡°We need to¡­ Wait, it¡¯s already day?! What about the horde?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something we can worry about right now. Remember what Hector said - our priority is our own safety.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. We need to help the others first. Do you know where they are?¡±


    Red was relieved Allen didn¡¯t fight him on this. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we can try to track them down.¡±


    Truth be told, a lot of distance could be covered in these hours Red was unconscious, so he couldn¡¯t be confident he would reach his possessed companions any time soon. Still, he had the advantage of knowing his terrain, and as long as he had enough time, the boy could definitely track each one of them down.


    However, right now, he had to hurry.


    ¡°Which direction are we going?¡± Allen asked.


    Red hesitated. The easiest option would be to go back to where they confronted the head, but the necromancer told him that the Curse Breakers were on that being¡¯s trail. It was entirely possible the boy could end up stumbling into them if he went that direction, but what choice did he have?


    ¡®The necromancer said three of our number were possessed. Then what about the other two?¡¯


    Red looked back at Allen. ¡°We will retrace the steps you took on your way here. Maybe someone else was also tracking you down in the meantime.¡±


    Indeed, although Rog was the hunter, everyone else in the group had some experience with traveling through the forest. It wouldn¡¯t be that hard for some of them to follow Allen¡¯s obvious tracks.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! Let¡¯s do that!¡± Allen got up and checked his equipment. His expression changed as he looked around in confusion. ¡°Wait, why is my sword on the ground?¡±


    ¡°The ghost who possessed you tried to attack me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°W-Wait¡­¡± Allen showed an expression of realization. ¡°Did I¡­ Did he try to kill you?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I needed to subdue you.¡±


    The young master seemed to be deeply affected by this revelation. ¡°I¡­ There¡¯s no way I would-¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you.¡± the boy cut him off. ¡°Remember what I told you - don¡¯t dwell on it. The others might also be possessed by ghosts and according to what you said, the more time passes, the harder it will be to wake them. We need to be swift.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Allen nodded. ¡°Lead the way, then!¡±


    Red did as much, starting to track the young master¡¯s footprints from all the way where he first spotted his possessed self.


    ¡°Are these bear footprints?¡± Allen asked in wonder.


    Red nodded with some hesitation. ¡°There is probably a tree-bark bear around. We should be careful.¡±


    Red put on a brisk pace as he tracked Allen¡¯s path over. The ghost seemed to change directions very often, though, and the boy needed to stop now and then to reaffirm the direction he had been heading.


    More than an hour passed by, and Red recognized some landmarks around him. They were indeed not too far from the road now.


    At that moment, however, Red suddenly froze up.


    Allen immediately noticed this. ¡°Is there someone ahead?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Eiwin.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± the young master looked elated. ¡°Then we need to-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Red held him back. ¡°There¡¯s something strange about her.¡±


    Indeed, the boy could feel her fluctuation in great distress like never before. Was she too possessed?

 Chapter 244 - Tense Encounter

    Allen looked concerned at Red¡¯s words. ¡°What do you mean by strange? I-Is she possessed too?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we should¡­¡±


    The boy trailed off as he felt Eiwin¡¯s fluctuation speed up in their direction. He gritted his teeth as he looked around in a hurry.


    ¡®Of course she heard us.¡¯


    Red knew that Eiwin had a special technique for opening her acupoints too, and although he didn¡¯t know the details of said technique, it was clear that it gave her an edge in many aspects. This included her senses.


    Red considered whether they should hide, but he knew there was no point.


    He looked back at Allen. ¡°Take out your sword and be prepared. If she¡¯s possessed, she might try to trick us to lower our guard.¡±


    The young master¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°W-Wait, do you want me to-¡±


    ¡°Just do as I told you!¡± Red cut him off before also taking out his short sword.


    A few seconds later, they heard footsteps approaching them from afar. Eiwin¡¯s figure appeared in view, and her face lit up once she saw Red and Allen waiting for her.


    The woman smiled. ¡°Red! Young Master Allen! What are you¡­¡± she trailed off as she noticed their drawn weapons, which they didn¡¯t lower even after she announced herself. She looked over at Red. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t respond, instead examining Eiwin¡¯s actions. More importantly, he focused on her fluctuation.


    Allen, however, couldn¡¯t hold himself back. ¡°We¡­ We need to know if you are possessed.¡±


    Red¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but he remained quiet.


    ¡°Possessed?¡± Eiwin seemed surprised, before an expression of realization came to her. ¡°I see, so that is what is happening. I had my suspicions once I saw that flying head attack us, but to have it confirmed¡­¡±


    Allen nodded. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Red¡¯s help, I don¡¯t know what could have-"


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Red cut him off.


    The young master immediately stopped speaking and stood at the ready, pointing his weapon at Eiwin.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Eiwin.¡± Allen said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sorry.¡± Eiwin shook her head with a smile. ¡°Red is right. You need to make sure I¡¯m not possessed.¡± She looked over at Red. ¡°Is there any way I can prove it to you?¡±


    Red frowned, falling into deep thought. From her fluctuation, he could feel the woman was happy and relieved upon seeing the two of them, but the boy didn¡¯t dare to lower his guard just because of that.


    ¡°You seemed to be very anxious before coming here.¡± Red noted. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Eiwin''s expression became troubled. ¡°¡­ After the head appeared, I don¡¯t remember much else. I suppose I must have fallen unconscious, but I do distinctly remember having strange dreams, violent and rage-filled dreams. Now that you have mentioned this matter of possession, I¡¯m quite certain something must have tried to take control of my body while I was unconscious.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me the ghost failed?¡± This revelation immediately put Red on guard.


    ¡°Back in my temple, the elders taught us how to steel our mind against outside influence.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°I never experienced possession myself, but this must have been what shielded my mind from its control.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯re completely free of any influence?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain. I know there are ghosts and evil spirits who can hide within someone¡¯s mind and trying to take control once the time is right. In fact, after I woke up and saw that I was alone in the middle of the forest, I felt a bout of nervousness I never quite felt before. I didn¡¯t feel it was weird at the time, but now¡­ It is entirely possible that this was the result of a failed or hidden possession..¡±


    Red frowned. Even he was not aware of this, and the fact Eiwin revealed this of her own volition made him feel more confident about her identity.


    ¡°So you might have a ghost in you too?¡± Allen seemed concerned. He looked back at Red. ¡°Can¡¯t you help her like you did to me?¡±


    Eiwin raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at Red. ¡°You helped him?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But don¡¯t ask. Not right now.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°I understand. Do you think you could check me to see if any ghosts are within my body?¡±


    The boy hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can do that, but¡­ If there are any ghosts in your body, I might be able to take them out.¡±


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    Allen smiled in relief. ¡°That¡¯s great! Then can you help her right now?¡±


    ¡°I can, but¡­¡± He looked over at Eiwin.


    The woman seemed to understand the meaning behind his gaze. ¡°You are afraid something will happen if you approach?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°You yourself said you don¡¯t know if there are any hidden ghosts within your body. If there are, they will probably act as soon as I try to extract them.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed a very likely possibility.¡± Eiwin nodded with a troubled look. ¡°There might be a solution for that, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± The boy asked with some wariness.


    He was still considering that this might all be an elaborate ruse to trick him.


    ¡°Possession all stems from taking control over a host¡¯s body parts.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°The evil spirit will always aim to take control of the brain, where the mind lives, upon which it will command the rest of the body to obey it. However, if it cannot do that, it may still be capable of taking control of other body parts, such as an arm or a muscle.¡±


    ¡°You mean that you could have a sudden muscle spasm and punch me to death when I approach?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°That¡­ is indeed the case.¡± Eiwin nodded with an embarrassed expression. ¡°However, I have a way to gain a deeper control over my body¡¯s movements.¡±


    ¡°Your meditation technique.¡± Red followed her logic.


    ¡°Indeed. As long as the ghost tries to do something, I should be able to stop it before it happens.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°That would require you to put your trust in me, though.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t immediately respond. On the one hand, he could approach Eiwin to try to exorcise her and risk being pummeled to death. On the other hand, he could just leave her for now and try to deal with these underlying dangers later. Of course, for the latter option, there was still the risk that this possession problem could worsen later on. Not to mention, Red would definitely appreciate the woman¡¯s help through the tasks ahead.


    Both Eiwin and Allen stared at the boy, waiting for his response.


    Red sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s do it then.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Allen exclaimed in joy. ¡°Thank you, Red!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°You need to be on the lookout in case something goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Allen nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pay attention.¡±


    Eiwin stared at Red. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only sensible choice.¡±


    Actually, the boy planned to execute the technique from a certain distance first before resorting to getting close to Eiwin. He didn¡¯t think it would work, but there was no reason not to try.


    After receiving his confirmation, Eiwin sat down cross-legged on the ground and executed the Radiant Current meditation technique she had taught Red. The mudras and mantras flowed out of her with ease as she closed her eyes and entered a reflective state.


    Red observed her fluctuations, noticing that her previous nervousness and joy completely disappeared, being replaced by a serenity that grew over the next minute. He waited for her prompting, which came almost two minutes later.


    ¡°You can do it now.¡± she said, still keeping her eyes closed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try this technique from afar first.¡± Red said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will work, but it¡¯s better than taking the risk.¡±


    Eiwin didn¡¯t respond, and the boy took it as her approving of his method.


    Red took out his insectoid core from his backpack.


    Allen looked surprised by the sight of the green crystal. ¡°Is that a monster core?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different, though.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The young master scratched his chin in thought. ¡°I swear I feel like I saw it somewhere before.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s because you did.¡¯


    Red used this core back in the trial to distract the fireleaf deer from attacking his companions. However, these memories had been wiped from Allen¡¯s mind, it seemed.


    ¡°Now be quiet.¡± Red said. ¡°I need to concentrate.¡±


    Allen did as much and stopped talking.


    Red focused on the insectoid core, trying to grasp into that ephemeral feeling he felt the first time he executed the technique. It didn¡¯t come immediately though, so the boy decided to recite the words the necromancer taught him.


    The string of strange and slightly ominous words came out of his mouth as the boy focused on the core. Allen gaze him a strange gaze, but Red ignored him.


    The insectoid core glowed, but even after almost a minute passed, Red saw nothing come out of Eiwin¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t know if this meant there was no ghost inside her, or if the technique was ineffective from this far, so he had made a decision.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming closer.¡±


    Eiwin still didn¡¯t respond, remaining in her peaceful and meditative state.


    Red approached the woman bit by bit, reciting the necromancer¡¯s words with every step. Nothing seemed to happen, and soon enough the boy was within four meters of the woman. He hesitated to approach further, though, since if he went any closer, he wouldn¡¯t feel confident in escaping Eiwin¡¯s sudden attack.


    Still, Red furrowed his brows and continued to walk forward.


    Three meters.


    Two meters.


    It was then that Red saw something come out of Eiwin¡¯s forehead. An almost imperceptible trace of grey smoke that looked quite similar to the one that had come out of Allen¡¯s body.


    His method was working. There was indeed something inside of Eiwin¡¯s body.


    That was when he felt the woman¡¯s fluctuation suddenly stir.


    ¡®Crap!¡¯


    Red sought to dash back, but Eiwin shot up in a flash and threw a right punch directed at the boy¡¯s face.


    Just as Red braced himself for impact, the hand halted a few inches away from his face. The boy took a few steps in retreat, and noticed that Eiwin¡¯s left hand was grabbing onto her right wrist, holding her own fist back.


    The woman¡¯s whole body tensed up, as if she was struggling against her every muscle to stay still.


    She looked over at Red with an urging expression. ¡°Quickly!¡±


    The boy indulged her. He continued to repeat the mantra while holding onto the insectoid core a few meters away, as more and more of the grey smoke came out of Eiwin¡¯s forehead and entered into the green crystal.


    As this ghostly substance exited her body, the woman seemed to gain an edge in controlling her muscles. Soon enough, her struggling expression disappeared, and she sat back down as Red continued to execute his technique.


    A few minutes passed by before the smoke finally stopped coming out of her body. Both Eiwin and Red let out a sigh of relief once that happened.


    The boy looked back at Allen, who was cowering with the sword in his hand. ¡°I thought I said you were supposed to help if anything went wrong.¡±


    ¡°Y-You did but¡­ Was I supposed to hit Eiwin?¡± Allen shook his head. ¡°I could never do that!¡±


    Red frowned, but he decided to let the matter go.


    Eiwin got up and smiled. ¡°Everything turned out well, so there¡¯s no need to focus on the details. We still need to hurry and find the others.¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°What were those words you were saying, Red?¡± Allen asked in a fearful tone. ¡°I swear that when I heard them I felt a chill run down my spine.¡±


    Eiwin shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Young Master. Whatever this technique was, it was the only way to help us right now, so you shouldn''t be concerned about it.¡±


    ¡°I-I guess so, but still¡­¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. No matter how scary the words may sound, what matters is that they came from someone we trust. Isn¡¯t that right, Red?¡±


    She gave the boy a meaningful gaze.


    Red didn¡¯t quite know how to respond. However, he got the distinct feeling Eiwin knew very well what those words he uttered meant.

 Chapter 245 - Unrecognizable

    ¡°Do you know what happened to the others?¡± Red asked Eiwin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± she shook her head. ¡°When I woke up, they were all already gone. I could see some of their tracks, but I could only chase after one of them¡­¡±


    ¡®So she chose Allen.¡¯


    It was the most sensible choice, even though Red got to the young master first. There was no way she could have known that was going to happen, though.


    ¡°Did you try using the communication talisman?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°I tried to contact everyone, including you, but I got no response.¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure there was no message on my communication talisman.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°Then it is as I thought. There must be something blocking communication. It could be that being¡¯s work.¡±


    This guess made sense, but for some reason, Red didn¡¯t think this was the work of the head. The necromancer mentioned back then that the possessed beings could be able to track him by his communication talisman, which might have been just a scare tactic to keep the boy from speaking with his companions. However, it was likely that a being like the necromancer would be able to tell communications were blocked, so why go through the trouble to warn Red against it either way?


    Something else must be going on, and mysteries only kept accumulating for him to ponder upon..


    ¡®¡­ No, I need to focus on the matter at hand.¡¯


    Now, however, the boy was left with a troublesome question.


    ¡®The necromancer mentioned there were three possessed individuals amidst my companions. Did this include Eiwin?¡¯


    Unfortunately for Red, there was no way to clarify this with the necromancer.


    ¡°We should go back to where the head attacked us!¡± Allen said in an urgent tone. ¡°We can track them from there.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The Curse Breakers might have noticed the commotion and went to investigate the scene.¡±


    ¡°The Curse Breakers are here?¡± Eiwin frowned.


    ¡°I assume so.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°They were pretty adamant about our encounters with the necromancers when we left the trial back then, so it¡¯s likely they are still around.¡±


    Actually, according to the necromancer, it was a certainty that the undead hunters were still around. However, Red was not sure if he could take the bear¡¯s words at face value.


    Red continued. ¡°If they find out we were involved there, we won¡¯t be able to reunite with our companions or cure them of their possession.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only concern.¡± Eiwin looked worried. ¡°They can also follow our tracks like anyone else. If the rest of our friends are also possessed and the Curse Breakers find them before us¡­¡±


    She trailed off, but the implication behind her words was obvious. The Curse Breakers were ruthless undead hunters, and they wouldn¡¯t suffer anything that came into contact with the corruption to live, even the very victims of possession.


    Allen paled. ¡°You mean they¡¯re going to kill them? Then we need to hurry¡­ But if we can¡¯t go back to follow their tracks, how are we going to find them?¡±


    Both Red and Eiwin fell silent.


    ¡®If only that cursed bear were still here to locate them.¡¯


    A few seconds later, Red looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Do you recall the direction of the tracks?¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ I only did a brief examination, and I¡¯m not as good as you or Rog in this matter. Allen¡¯s tracks were the most obvious, so I followed them. The only other set of footprints I could discern were headed east towards the river. I think they were Miss Valt¡¯s but I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do you think she was possessed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Eiwin shook her head helplessly. ¡°She might have gone after the others too, but it¡¯s impossible to tell.¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°In that case, we have no choice. We¡¯ll head east too and hope to find traces of her.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°That is the only way.¡±


    ¡°B-But what if we come across one of those Curse Breaker knights?¡± Allen asked with some apprehension.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°That depends.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°If they insist on getting involved, then we will have no choice but to fight. I won¡¯t let them hurt one of our friends.¡±


    Her steel expression spoke to how serious she was about the matter. Red also knew that the woman had the strength to back up her claims, although he wasn¡¯t sure how much it would cost her this time.


    ¡­


    They trekked east with Red on the lead. Blindly searching through the forest for someone else wasn¡¯t a very efficient tracking method, though, and they spent hours walking with nothing to show for it.


    ¡°It¡¯s already afternoon.¡± Allen said with some concern. ¡°Isn¡¯t this about the time you told us the horde would attack?¡±


    Eiwin furrowed her brows and nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Do you think the town¡¯s guard can deal with it?¡±


    ¡°Orvin and his men are very capable. They might have some trouble, but they should still be able to hold back the first wave.¡± The woman tried to assuage Allen¡¯s fears.


    ¡°R-Right.¡± Allen nodded with some relief. ¡°I wonder if Hector knows about what happened to us¡­¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t imagine the elder would. If things were going as expected, then the old man was probably in the process of risking his life trying to delay the alpha of the wolf pack. How would anyone be able to deliver a message to him in the middle of that?


    As they continued walking, Red suddenly noticed something.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± he put his hand up to stop the group¡¯s march. ¡°There¡¯s something over there.¡±


    Eiwin immediately tensed up. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tracks.¡± Red approached the spot where he saw the footprints.


    One wouldn¡¯t be blamed for missing this kind of track in the middle of a forest. In the beginning, Red too couldn¡¯t really tell apart anything amidst the leaf litter and foliage. However, Rog taught him what signs he should look for - crushed leaves, broken branches, disturbed earth - things one would ignore at first, but that held more information than one might think.


    It just so happened that Red spotted a lot of them around this area.


    ¡°Someone was in a hurry.¡± he said. ¡°They didn¡¯t really bother covering their tracks.¡±


    Allen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s Narcha?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The footsteps seem to be pretty heavy, not something that fits with Narcha¡¯s build.¡±


    Even if she was possessed by a ghost, it didn¡¯t mean she would suddenly gain weight.


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°So it¡¯s someone else?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°One person. They¡¯re also headed east.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Could it be one of those Curse Breakers knights?¡± Allen asked with an expression of realization. ¡°I mean, all that armor would make them pretty heavy, right? It would fit the tracks!¡±


    Red and Eiwin looked at Allen with surprise. It was clear the two of them already considered the possibility, but the fact the young master arrived at the same conclusion so quickly came as a shock to them.


    Allen smiled upon seeing their expression. ¡°I¡¯m right, am I not?¡­¡± The young master trailed off as if he suddenly realized something. ¡°Wait, if that¡¯s the case, could it be that¡­¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°They might be chasing Narcha.¡±


    Allen paled. ¡°Then we need to hurry!¡±


    Red looked back at Eiwin with a questioning gaze. He wanted to know whether she was ready to use her powers to stop this individual, considering they were likely in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    The woman seemed to understand the meaning behind his gaze and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way.¡±


    Satisfied with the answer, Red got up and patted himself. ¡°Make sure to have your talismans ready. We might need any help we can get.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t know if Eiwin¡¯s power up would make her stronger than this Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, so he needed to be ready to help her in the fight.


    Allen nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready!¡±


    With their brief plans settles, the group began to track the heavy footsteps. They moved at a brisk pace, hoping to catch this individual before he reached Narcha.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t stop observing his surroundings. He hoped to find some signs of a second set of tracks, this one belonging to Narcha, but he was unsuccessful. All he saw was the evident path made by the supposed knight.


    This gave rise to an odd feeling in the boy.


    Was the woman always this stealthy? Was this a result of her possession? Or did they have this whole situation wrong in the first place?


    Just as Red was beginning to have some misgivings, they heard the sound of an explosion in the distance.


    Eiwin¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Someone¡¯s fighting!¡±


    Both Allen and Red unsheathed their weapons, and the group broke out in a sprint. The sounds of explosion continued to echo through the forest as they rushed ahead until they abruptly quieted down.


    Eiwin paled once this happened and she ran ahead of the two of them.


    ¡°Wait, Eiwin!¡± Allen called after her.


    Red and the young master tried to keep up with the woman, to no avail. They thought they were about to lose track of her, but for some reason, Eiwin began to slow down, allowing them to catch up with her.


    ¡°E-Eiwin¡­¡± Allen tried to catch his breath as he ran up to her. ¡°Why did you suddenly¡­¡±


    The young master trailed off as he noticed what lay ahead of them. Red, too, could barely believe his eyes.


    The scene of a battlefield.


    Splintered wood and toppled trees lay everywhere, forcefully creating a clearing in the middle of the dense forest. An acrid smell pervaded the entire area, reaching Red¡¯s group. And then, there was another smell, very familiar to the boy.


    Blood.


    At the center of it all stood two figures. Or better put, only one of them stood. The other, a knight sporting the dark armor of the Curse Breakers, was on their knees, unmoving. A large, dark saber was driven from their shoulder into their torso, carving a path through both flesh and metal into the knight¡¯s chest, almost bisecting them in half. Fresh blood poured out of the recent wound, and yet Red felt no sign of life from the knight with his crimson sense.


    Then, there was the other individual, holding onto the saber¡¯s hilt firmly, standing tall over their opponent. Someone they all recognized.


    ¡°Miss Valt?¡± Eiwin asked in an uncertain voice.


    Only now did the other woman seem to notice their presence. ¡°Hmm? Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±


    She spoke in an impassive tone, unlike the Narcha they knew. In fact, Red could feel through her fluctuation that there was almost no emotion at all coursing through the woman. Only cold indifference.


    The others didn¡¯t even need his prompting to notice something was wrong.


    ¡°N-Narcha¡­¡± Allen looked frightened. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°Why ask questions you know the answer to, child?¡±


    As if to punctuate her words, she pulled out her saber from the knight¡¯s corpse, letting them tumble to the ground. Fresh blood pooled at her feet as she turned around to look at them.


    Red felt a shiver run down his spine as a feeling of unprecedented danger came over him.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯, however, looked entirely unbothered. She smiled at them. ¡°So you are her friends, then? Well, we have much to talk about.¡±

 Chapter 246 - Insidious Presence

    Eiwin glared at ¡®Narcha.¡¯ ¡°Leave her alone.¡±


    Her voice was full of anger.


    The ghost smiled. ¡°No time to talk, then? And here I thought you were the reasonable one of your group.¡±


    ¡°That body doesn¡¯t belong to you, ghost.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Leave her alone and pass on to the Netherworld, as all living beings should.¡±


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ seemed confused. ¡°Ghost? Ah, but of course. That is what I am, is it not? I wonder if this is how all ghosts must feel. Yet, no matter how much I try to see otherwise, how could I lament and curse my very own existence, no matter in what form it comes?¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°¡­ So you won¡¯t leave?¡±


    ¡°And doom myself to oblivion?¡± the woman shook her head. ¡°Nay, I would rather take my chances in this form.¡±


    Eiwin glared at her possessed companion and took a deep breath. Then, without saying anything, she entered a combat stance.


    ¡®Narcha'' seemed to find this amusing as she laughed. ¡°It really does seem as if you care about this girl a lot¡­ Still, don¡¯t you want to know what I have to say? Not even if it involves the existence of that floating head?¡±


    Her words gave Eiwin some pause.


    ¡°Eiwin¡­¡± Red called out to her with a frown.


    The younger woman looked back at him with an angered expression. They both exchanged glances, and Red could see the clear struggle in her expression.


    He shook his head.


    The boy¡¯s meaning was clear. This wasn¡¯t something they could rush head on into, and Red couldn¡¯t let Eiwin¡¯s anger lead her to making a reckless decision. The boy remembered what the necromancer told him about a powerful ghost inhabiting the head, and judging by how this Curse Breaker¡¯s knight died, whoever was possessing Narcha couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    Eiwin hesitated for a few seconds, but she still let her stance drop in the end.


    After seeing this, the ghost smiled and looked over at Red. ¡°You¡¯re the child with special powers, aren¡¯t you? Or can I even call you a child at this point? One would be hard pressed to think of you as such considering how you act.¡±


    The boy frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    The woman continued. ¡°Some would credit this maturity to signs of reincarnation, but it is not unheard of for a child to grow before their time. There were often rumors in my sect about how most of my premature success and talent were all due to my memories as a cultivator in my previous life. You would not imagine the hurdles certain people go through to discredit others¡¯ accomplishments because of envy.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re from a sect?¡± Red asked.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ nodded. ¡°Does that surprise you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a ghost.¡± the boy said.


    She laughed. ¡°Trust me, this isn¡¯t even the worst ending you can get as a cultivator. Mortals often think of sects as inviolable sanctuaries of virtue and tradition, and yet they don¡¯t know that internal disputes happen just as often in these places as anywhere else. In fact, these disputes are often worse in sects, seeing as a fight between cultivators can often wipe out entire towns.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you ended up imprisoned inside that head? By a sect dispute?¡± Red tried to extrapolate from her information.


    The ghost smiled. ¡°Not so fast, child. I did say I wanted to talk, but it won¡¯t do if you¡¯re the one asking all the questions, will it?¡±


    The boy frowned. He wanted to use the ghost¡¯s willingness to talk to extract information from her, but above all else, he was trying to buy himself some time.


    Whoever this person possessing Narcha¡¯s body was, they were powerful beyond expectation. Red was skeptical they had any chances to defeat them in straight forward combat, so he was trying to come up with a plan.


    ¡®This Curse Breaker knight was alone¡­ Maybe their companions will be searching for him.¡¯


    That could prove to be an opportunity out of this situation, or it could make everything else even more complicated. In either case, Red still needed more time.


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    Eiwin continued to stare at Narcha with a severe gaze, while Allen looked uncertain about how to proceed. In any case, both of them seemed to trust Red to take care of the situation.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± he asked.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ put on a pondering expression. ¡°I have searched through this girl¡¯s memories, and yet the information I was looking for was absent. Not to mention, what I found was very alarming, to say the least¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to know about your sect?¡± Red guessed at her intention.


    She smiled. ¡°How smart. Indeed, I want to know about my sect, and if they¡¯re still alive, that is.¡±


    ¡°What is the name of your sect?¡±


    ¡°Amber Saber Sect.¡±


    Red froze. He recognized that name.


    His master Goulth¡¯s manual came from that very same sect.


    This change in expression didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the ghost.


    She sighed. ¡°So they¡¯re indeed destroyed. A pity. Was it this Empire?¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡®They don¡¯t know about the Empire.¡¯


    This would put them at the very least as being five hundred years old or more, around the dawn of the Empire.


    ¡°I have never heard of this Empire before, but I can see they¡¯ve caused quite a ruckus around the cultivation world.¡± the ghost said. ¡°Barely 500 years old and yet already strong enough to go against sects that were thousands of years old¡­ I wonder how they accomplished such a feat. Perhaps this is something I should investigate myself.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t an uncommon question for the general populace, but there were many conflicting theories about it. All people knew for certain is that one day extremely strong cultivators, or celestial practitioners as they called themselves, suddenly appeared in the Empire and declared war against the sects occupying their lands.


    They attributed their sudden rise to their Celestial Gods, but no one knew the truth for certain.


    Red stared at the pondering ¡®Narcha.¡¯ ¡°How did you get inside that head?¡±


    ¡°I was betrayed and killed by my own sect.¡± the ghost said. ¡°They were members of a rival faction, envious of my rise to power. We often relied on sabotaging and undermining each other¡¯s efforts, but to think they would go as far as to rely on assassination¡­ Truly, it is no wonder we were destroyed in the end.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t know.¡± she shook her head. ¡°You should know ghosts often don¡¯t remember much of their own life, not to mention the moments leading up to the corruption of their form while they¡¯re nothing but a wandering soul.¡±


    This was the first time the boy heard of this. He looked over at Eiwin for confirmation, and the younger woman nodded.


    ¡°All I recall was waking up in that¡­ place.¡± the ghost said, her expression showing some apprehension for the first time. ¡°Thousands of wailing souls, confused and fearful of their situation. So many emotions¡­ It took all my will to just keep my own sanity, and I only succeeded due to the fact I reinforced my soul during cultivation. Even then, there were some ghosts inside that head that even I was fearful of. Suffice it to say, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I fled that place as quickly as I could.¡±


    ¡°And took our friend¡¯s body for yourself.¡± Eiwin frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a sect cultivator? Shouldn¡¯t you be ashamed of living in this corrupted form? People like you almost wiped out humanity in the past!¡±


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ shook her head. ¡°I thought so too when I awoke¡­ To be a ghost was worse than death, a sign of corruption of one¡¯s very soul and ideals they once stood for in life. Yet, I met someone inside that place that convinced me otherwise. Now, I see this form as a second chance in death to achieve what I couldn¡¯t do in life.¡±


    The younger woman gritted her teeth. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace! As both a cultivator and a human being!¡±


    The ghost smiled. ¡°Maybe, but compared to being dead, this is a much preferable state of being, is it not?¡±


    Eiwin shivered in anger, on the verge of charging at the woman.


    ¡°Ah, now wait a second!¡± ¡®Narcha¡¯ held her hands up. ¡°Don¡¯t you want your friend back? If you attack me right now, there is no way you will be able to take me out from her.¡±


    Red looked at his companion. ¡°Eiwin, let¡¯s hear what they have to say.¡±


    Once more, his prompting was enough to calm Eiwin down. Of course, the ghost was under an erroneous assumption.


    They thought that the group had no way of taking them out of Narcha¡¯s body. Perhaps Red could use this to his advantage.


    ¡°What do you want from us?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, you see, possession is a fickle thing.¡± The ghost looked over their possessed body. ¡°Sects have been researching the subject for as long as humanity has existed, hoping this would provide a way to prolong their own life beyond what their bodies could support. However, the immutable truth they discovered is that a body and soul were both parts of one being, made and created for each other. A soul would only be in perfect harmony in one¡¯s own body, and outside of it, or even occupying a different shape, innumerable problems would occur that would eventually lead to the soul¡¯s dissolution. A true and absolute death, if you will.


    ¡°Of course, they found some ways to counterbalance that. Searching for compatible bodies and transforming one¡¯s soul were amongst them, yet these are half-measures, and don¡¯t solve the root problem.¡± The ghost looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Of course, this was until the Queen of the Dead and her necromancers came along and offered a more permanent solution.¡±


    Eiwin spat on the ground. ¡°So now you intend to consort with necromancers?¡±


    The ghost smiled. ¡°It is my only option, isn¡¯t it? For that, however, I need a proper body to control until I¡¯m able to meet with their necromancers and that¡¯s where our problem resides.¡±


    Red started to have an inkling about where this conversation was going.


    ¡°You see, compatibility is important in choosing a body to possess, permanent or not.¡± the ghost said. ¡°I was a woman in life, so I had to choose a woman¡¯s body to possess. Unfortunately, however, I didn¡¯t have time to identify my potential hosts, and ended up assigned to a rather¡­ Unsuitable one.¡± They examined themselves. ¡°This girl is more of a brute, a barbarian, too angry and headstrong for her own good, quite unlike how I myself was in life. No, I won¡¯t last too long inside this body. For me to reach my objective, I need someone more gentle, more calm¡­¡±


    She looked over at Eiwin.


    ¡°Someone more like you.¡±

 Chapter 247 - A True Expert

    Even if Red expected to hear this, he still felt surprised. Was changing and possessing bodies something a ghost could do so casually?


    Eiwin also looked shocked at these words, but she kept her composure.


    ¡°Is this what this is about, then? Just looking for another body to take over?¡± Eiwin¡¯s contempt for the ghost seemed to grow at every exchanged word. ¡°Have you no pride left as a cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Pride?¡± ¡®Narcha¡¯ shook her head. ¡°I thought you would be smarter, but it seems as if your upbringing has left you severely unaware of how the cultivation world works. Pride serves as nothing but chains. Sects use words such as ¡®duty¡¯ and ¡®honor¡¯ only as a means of maintaining order at their convenience. When it suits them, they don¡¯t let such matters keep them from their objectives. Any successful cultivator would never let such matters get in their way.¡±


    Eiwin stared at the ghost with disdain. ¡°Is this supposed to convince me?¡±


    The ghost laughed. ¡°You? Nay, you monks are very set in their ways. I know the only way to convince you, Eiwin, is by using your care and worry for your companions against you. So this is why I am offering you a deal.¡±


    The younger woman frowned. ¡°My body for Miss Valt¡¯s safety, then?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The ghost nodded. ¡°Your body and temperament are more suited to me. It should last a few months, at least until I can find the Black Marsh necromancers. Your talent, too, while not outstanding, is better than this girl¡¯s. Not to mention I know you have been practicing a body refinement cultivation art. It should prove useful in case I have to fight any more of these pests.¡±


    As if to display her point, the ghost kicked the body of the knight in the ground.


    ¡°Of course, we need to be fast.¡± ¡®Narcha¡¯ said. ¡°These Curse Breakers are like cockroaches. Where there is one, there is likely to be a nest of them nearby, and I would rather not take my chances.¡±


    Eiwin fell silent. She stared at her possessed companion, dozens of conflicting thoughts passing through her head as evidenced by her changing expression. The ghost, in the meantime, just smiled at her.


    The sight of Narcha staring at them with such an unfitting expression sent a shiver down Red¡¯s spine.


    It seemed that Eiwin, too, had let go of her rage and was considering things more calmly, at least as far as the boy could judge from her expression. He could guess where her doubts were coming from, but there was no way for Red to answer her without the ghost hearing it. Not to mention, the boy himself wasn¡¯t too certain his exorcism method would work against this opponent.


    Allen seemed to pick up on Eiwin¡¯s hesitation. He looked at her with a worried expression. ¡°Y-You aren¡¯t thinking about accepting it, right?!¡±


    Eiwin frowned at the young master¡¯s words. She looked over at Red too, but the boy maintained his steely expression, afraid to give out anything to the attentive ghost. In the back of his mind, however, he was still afraid he would misinterpret Eiwin¡¯s intentions, if she was indeed trying to communicate one through her silent gaze.


    She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Remember what Master Hector told us, Red? The priority of our mission?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ The safety of our sect is our priority.¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°Indeed. This also means that we have to make tough decisions for the future of our sect if need be. As the leader, this is my duty and obligation.¡±


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What are you talking about-¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t beat her.¡± The young woman cut him off. ¡°I can¡¯t leave her to her fate either.¡±


    Red sighed. The ghost¡¯s strength was evident. There was no hint of spiritual energy emanating from Narcha¡¯s body, which meant that whoever had possessed her used nothing but her own skills and limited physical capabilities to defeat this knight who was likely in the Lesser Ring Realm, if the state of the battlefield was any indication. It was possible that the ghost also had hidden abilities, like the one who possessed Allen, and this one still seemed in complete control of their mental faculties.


    If that was the case, did Eiwin have a chance of winning, even with her special abilities?


    ¡°So you¡¯ve come to a decision?¡± He asked.


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    She nodded. ¡°Make sure to take care of Allen, Miss Valt, and the others¡­ And if the opportunity presents itself, try to save me in the future too.¡±


    ¡°Eiwin, no!¡± Allen looked like he wanted to rush forth, but Red held him back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°Trust her, Allen.¡±


    The young master gritted his teeth and looked over Red¡¯s shoulder at Eiwin.


    The woman continued to ignore him, however, and turned to glare at the ghost. ¡°My body for her freedom. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the ghost nodded. ¡°Unlike what you may think, I have no interest in killing mortals. As long as I can have what I want, what is the point of engaging in pointless murder? I also do not intend on having your elder or his friends hunting for me.¡±


    ¡®She knows about that too.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know how much the ghost could discern from Narcha¡¯s memories, but if he was to assume they knew everything, then any kind of trickery became extremely hard to execute. The boy could only hope Eiwin had a good plan.


    ¡°What must we do?¡± Eiwin asked with a scowl.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± the ghost said. ¡°Approach me and I will do the rest. As long as you do not resist, the process should be painless.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And Miss Valt?¡±


    ¡°The girl will wake up like normal in a few hours. Some side-effects of the possession will still linger, but she will recover from it.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°Then let us do it.¡±


    Without hesitation, she began to walk towards the ghost. The possessed Narcha simply smiled at her and supported her saber on the ground, waiting for Eiwin¡¯s approach. Unlike what Red was expecting, the ghost didn¡¯t demand Red or Allen to leave this place, as if she was unafraid of their interference.


    ¡®She¡¯s too relaxed.¡¯


    The ghost was surely aware of Red¡¯s capabilities and the fact they were carrying talismans, yet they still seemed to keep their guard down. The boy didn¡¯t think this boded well.


    There were still 10 meters between Eiwin and Narcha, and Red was already prepared for things to go wrong.


    That was when the ghost smiled. ¡°So a fight it is, then?¡±


    Eiwin froze in her steps, her whole body tensed.


    ¡°Oh, so young, so innocent¡­¡± ¡®Narcha¡¯ pulled her saber up. ¡°You think I can¡¯t tell? You think I don¡¯t know the kind of person you are, my dear Eiwin?¡± the ghost shook her head. ¡°It is a shame, though. I hoped to capture your body with no injuries, but if you must remain stubborn to the end, then I have no choice.¡±


    Eiwin said nothing. Instead, her response came with a silver light that emanated from her skin. Along with it, Red felt her fluctuation suddenly flare with unprecedented power.


    He knew what came next.


    Eiwin suddenly charged forward with incredible speed, striking at Narcha with an open palm. Her possessed companion, however, reacted in time and sidestepped the attack before it even got near her.


    Eiwin didn¡¯t stop in her offensive, though, and sought to follow up with a thrust kick even as the ghost retreated. The possessed Narcha put her saber in front of herself, blocking the blow successfully.


    Still, the force behind Eiwin¡¯s kick was enormous, and the ghost found themselves flying several meters backwards, almost crashing against a tree. Yet, throughout it all, Red felt their fluctuation was as serene as it had always been.


    ¡°Eiwin!¡± Allen looked over at Red in alarm. ¡°Red, we need to help her!¡±


    ¡°Not yet!¡± Red continued to hold him back.


    They were not qualified to enter this kind of battle as they pleased. At least, not yet, while their opponent had yet to reveal their true strength.


    Eiwin continued to press the advantage, using her explosive and lightning fast strikes to overwhelm her possessed companion. Yet, even after a continuous bout of attacks, she failed to connect with a blow directly. Every step of the way, ¡®Narcha¡¯ dodged by a hair¡¯s width or just managed to put her saber in the way of Eiwin¡¯s attacks and block her blows.


    To those looking in from the outside, it seemed as if at any point the ghost would be caught by one of these attacks and be knocked unconscious. It was a style of pure desperation, yet Red knew better. In fact, he felt as if he had seen this exact style of fighting before.


    The ghost laughed as they moved around. ¡°Ah, the saber! A weapon of brutes, barbarians!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Eiwin showed uncharacteristic anger as she pressed her attack.


    She threw another punch, which the possessed Narcha continued to dodge, just barely.


    ¡°I never liked it myself, you see¡­¡± the ghost said. ¡°Yet they always made me train it! It¡¯s in the name of our sect after all, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    Red felt something stir in Narcha¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°Eiwin, watch out!¡± He warned Eiwin.


    Yet, it seemed like it was too late. A second later, just as Eiwin threw another open palm at her opponent, the ghost finally seemed to move.


    The possessed Narcha dodged to the side, no longer having the desperation from before. Then, like a twirling dervish, she twisted on the sole of her feet, bringing her large two-handed saber down against Eiwin¡¯s back with air-splitting power and speed.


    Eiwin didn¡¯t even have time to react. She brought her right arm up to block the slash.


    Saber and limb clashed, and a shower of sparks flew out from Eiwin¡¯s arm as if Narcha¡¯s weapon had struck pure metal. The young woman gritted her teeth, apparently still feeling the pain despite the fact her skin seemed as tough as iron.


    She tried to counterattack, but the ghost twirled away from her, following the momentum of her attack. Eiwin tried to close the gap, but the saber came down against her once more out of nowhere as the ghost spun like a tornado.


    Eiwin was forced to block again, and more sparks flew from her forearms. Yet, the ghost¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t stop, as with every spin of their feet, the saber in Narcha¡¯s hands built up more power and became a deadlier force. It was an impressive and unique sight for Red, and Eiwin soon found herself on the back foot.


    The young woman seemed to notice her disadvantage too, so instead of trying to remain in melee range, she jumped backward and distanced herself from her opponent. The possessed Narcha stopped spinning as she noticed this, and stared at Eiwin with a wide grin.


    She laughed. ¡°Well then, all bark and no bite? No matter, you won¡¯t learn your lesson until I put you in your place.¡±


    At that moment, Red was suddenly reminded of who this ghost reminded him of.


    ¡®Viran.¡¯


    For some reason, that was all the boy could think about as he stared at Narcha.

 Chapter 248 - Outclassed

    Red tried to think why he got a similar feeling from this possessed Narcha as he did when seeing Viran fight. It wasn¡¯t because of their fighting style. No, this ghost was far more graceful and agile, while Viran relied on pure brute strength and savagery.


    So where was this feeling coming from? What was so similar between those two individuals?


    Was it the fact they were fighting against someone much stronger than them while relying only on skill and physical strength? Was it the feeling of absolute mastery and confidence they invoked in anyone who saw them fight?


    While Red was considering this, the ghost went into another bout of attacks against Eiwin. The younger woman tried a more cautious approach this time around, looking for a counterattack and not over-committing in her strikes. Yet, she was quick to notice that being more passive didn¡¯t give her any advantages.


    In fact, it allowed the ghost to move freely in her dervish dance and accumulate more momentum, making her blows much more difficult to deal with. Eiwin felt this in her skin as more saber slashes drew sparks from her limbs.


    She was on the backfoot once again.


    Allen stared at Red with an urging gaze. ¡°Eiwin is in danger! We need to do something!¡±


    The boy frowned. He knew that much, but what could they do?


    Use their talismans? They could cause significant damage, but all of that would be directed towards Narcha¡¯s body, and the last thing they wanted was to kill her. Join the fight? This was the last thing Red wanted to do. Against the ghost¡¯s onslaught, none of them would stand a chance, and the only reason Eiwin was keeping up with them was due to her sudden power up.


    Yet even that wouldn¡¯t last forever, as both Red and probably the ghost themselves were aware. When Eiwin became exhausted, what then?


    There were other ideas crossing the boy¡¯s mind, but all of them were very dangerous.


    ¡®Maybe if I can get close enough to use the technique the necromancer taught me¡­¡¯


    Red hesitated, though. He didn¡¯t know how effective this would be against this ghost, and as soon as he tried it, he would have shown his hand. If it didn¡¯t work or it wasn¡¯t as effective as he hoped, then it was very likely the ghost would target him.


    Yet, maybe, just maybe, if his actions could provide an opening for Eiwin, then just one well-placed strike could knock Narcha out.


    Red nodded at Allen. ¡°You¡¯re right. We have to do something.¡±


    The boy picked out a handful of knives from his backpack before handing it to Allen.


    The young master looked confused. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Throw it at Narcha.¡± Red said. ¡°Distract her long enough for me and Eiwin.¡±


    Allen frowned in worry. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    The boy pointed at Narcha and then at his ears. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    He was worried the woman could hear them, and with good cause.


    Thankfully, Allen seemed to pick up on the meaning of his motions and nodded. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡±


    Red was satisfied with his companion¡¯s response. He turned to look at the two combatants. It was clear from Eiwin¡¯s expression that she wouldn¡¯t be able to last much longer.


    The boy picked out the insectoid core and held it with his left hand while holding his sword on the right one. Then he looked at Allen and nodded.


    It was his signal.


    He charged forward, closing the distance between him and the possessed Narcha. Red focused on the crystal in his hand, whispering the incantations. From behind him, he heard the shrill sounds of a dagger being thrown.


    The knife passed right over his head, flying towards the ghost. The aim and power wasn¡¯t particularly strong, but the projectile was meant as a distraction, and it worked.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ stopped her spinning for an instant and sent her saber over to bat the knife away. It was a swift movement, barely breaking her rhythm, and yet it was more than enough for Red, who was looking for such an opportunity.


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    He closed in within a few meters of the ghost and recited the incantations, louder this time. The crystal in his hand glowed, and for the first time since they meet this possessed Narcha, he felt her fluctuation stir as her expression changed.


    The slightest bit of grey gas came out of the woman¡¯s body, and her movements slowed down for a second. She seemed to recover very quickly, and yet, her opponent wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.


    Eiwin dashed forward, striking with her open palm. This time, the blow connected directly, clashing right against Narcha¡¯s armored chest. The possessed woman was sent flying, separated from her saber by the force of the strike, crashing against a half collapsed tree and causing it to splinter as she fell down.


    The ghost grunted in pain and struggled as they tried to get up. A blow like this should have knocked even Narcha unconscious, yet in this possessed state, the woman looked barely injured.


    Eiwin looked like she wanted to follow up on her blows, but her steps faltered. The silver glow on her skin started to wane and an expression of pain and exhaustion appeared on her face. She seemed to want to take another step forward, but even that seemed too hard.


    Six months after the trial, she lasted even longer under her improved state than Red recalled. Yet, it ended just the same.


    Eiwin looked at Red with an urging expression. ¡°Quickly! Before she recovers!¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t even need her prompting. He charged forward, getting within two meters of the struggling Narcha as he continued to recite the incantations.


    More grey smoke exited the woman¡¯s body as the ghost struggled to get up. Red focused on the core in his hand, still being careful about a possible retaliation from his opponent.


    That was when she laughed.


    The boy felt a shiver run down his spine. He tried to dash back, but it was too late. ¡®Narcha¡¯ sprung up with unprecedented speed, recovering from her injury out of nowhere, and struck him in the stomach with a punch. The boy was sent flying, not unlike the ghost before him, coming to a crash in the middle of the opening.


    ¡°Red!¡± Eiwin dashed forward, even in her weakened state.


    She sought to strike Narcha again, but her blows were too slow. The ghost dodged without an issue and hit her with a whip-like kick against her midsection. Eiwin grunted and was sent sprawling to the ground a few meters away.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ ignored her, however, and turned to look at Red with a curious expression. ¡°So that¡¯s what I felt¡­ Interesting.¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t respond, trying to recover his breath and fight through the pain to get up again. Still, even in his dizzy state, he heard the approaching steps of the ghost.


    ¡°To think a mortal like you would know an exorcising technique¡­¡± the possessed Narcha said. ¡°Yet, what is that you¡¯re holding in your hand? A monster core? This color, though¡­ This energy. I have never felt such a thing before.¡±


    Red looked up and saw that the ghost was just a few meters away, almost upon him.


    The ghost smiled. ¡°I dare say, I have found something even more interesting this time around.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡±


    A scream came from beside her, and Allen dashed forward with his sword at the possessed Narcha. The ghost frowned and looked over.


    The young master tried to stab at her, but it was obvious there was still some hesitation behind his blows. He was still fighting against one of his companions, after all.


    Unfortunately for him, pulling his blows back or not, it made no difference in the outcome. ¡®Narcha¡¯ dodged his attack with ease and grabbed onto his sword hand. Then she threw him against a nearby tree like a rag doll.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The young master grunted in pain as he fell down.


    Allen struggled to get up, but by then, ¡®Narcha¡¯ was already paying attention to Red again.


    The ghost continued to smile. ¡°You know, I always felt like you had quite a few secrets to your name. Yet, compared to getting a proper body, it seemed hardly relevant to me. Now, however, I¡¯m certainly more curious¡­ Perhaps before I hop over to the other woman, I should take a look at that mind of yours.¡±


    Red frowned, and his mind started to come up with a way out. He had dropped the crystal and his sword down from the impact of the blow, and now he had nothing to defend himself with.Now, he also understood where the feeling of familiarity he felt between Viran and the ghost came from.


    Utter helplessness. The feeling you were outclassed and outmatched in every way, and no matter what you did, there was no way out. It was what the boy felt every time he sparred against Viran in the underground, and it was what he felt now as he fought against the possessed Narcha.


    He didn¡¯t have a chance in a straightforward battle. Yet, since those days, Red had acquired more than a few tricks up his sleeve.


    The boy started to roll away from the woman, seemingly trying to increase the distance between them.


    The ghost saw this and laughed. ¡°Do you really think you can run?¡±


    She quickened her steps ever so slightly, closing in even further to the boy. Still, she didn¡¯t immediately strike, as if finding the whole situation amusing.


    And that was more than enough time for Red to reach his objective.


    He approached the corpse of the Curse Breaker knight in the center of the clearing.


    The possessed Narcha continued to laugh. ¡°Do you think he has anything to help you? I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but¡­¡±


    She trailed off with a puzzled expression.


    Red didn¡¯t look for any weapons to defend himself with. Instead, he shoved his hand right into the bleeding flesh of the corpse. Immediately, a burning pain came from his hand, as a familiar feeling of strength and power began to curse through his body.


    The ghost¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Red didn¡¯t even deign to listen to her reply. Instead, he got up in a flash and dashed towards his weapon and core.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ too, was quick to recover from her shock. She tried to stop him, but under his surge of strength, the boy had already used her moment of surprise to reach his objective.


    He picked up his sword and core again, and faced off against a bewildered Narcha.


    Demonic strength was cursing through his veins for the first time in six months.

 Chapter 249 - Seize and Retrieve

    Red was not eager to act, though, and for a moment he and the ghost stared at each other in silence. ¡®Narcha¡¯ too, seemed hesitant.


    She frowned. ¡°You know blood magic too?¡±


    ¡®Is that what it¡¯s called?¡¯


    Red never heard his powers referred to as such, but he supposed the term was fitting.


    The ghost shook their head. ¡°Truly, you are a melting pot of corrupting powers. It is a wonder you haven¡¯t exploded or gone insane yet.¡±


    The boy said nothing, examining ¡®Narcha¡¯ in silence. He was trying to come up with a plan, but the truth was that even under this boost in energy, Red wasn¡¯t too confident in defeating the ghost.


    ¡®I need to try to exorcize her.¡¯


    The technique was indeed effective as he found out, but the problem was that now that the ghost knew about it, would they allow Red the opportunity to try it again?


    In any case, the boy needed to hurry. This boost in energy wouldn¡¯t last forever.


    With no other choice, Red stopped hesitating and charged at the woman. His plan was simple: keep within at least two meters of her and chant the incantations while trying not to get killed. He didn¡¯t know how easy this would be, but after six months of training, Red was more confident than ever in his footwork.


    To his surprise, the possessed Narcha chose to retreat, keeping her distance from him. The boy thought she was about to flee the scene, but he noticed her running towards her saber that she had dropped on the ground.


    Red frowned. He tried to push his legs to the limit, but he was a step too slow. The ghost grabbed the saber, and without hesitation, swung it around in a wide arc towards the boy.


    He was forced to slow down and dodge out of the way. ¡®Narcha¡¯ didn¡¯t follow up on her attack, though, so the boy tried to approach her again.


    It was no use, however. The ghost seemed to be able to guess his intentions and kept him at a maximum distance with the large reach of her saber, and the boy was forced to stop his advance time and time again.


    Her blows didn¡¯t seem to be aimed at striking him directly, but rather to keep Red away. It was working too, as the boy couldn¡¯t get any closer than two meters from the woman unless he intended to be cut in half by her saber.


    Still, the ghost seemed to be content in their defensive position.


    ¡®They¡¯re buying themselves time.¡¯


    Red frowned and redoubled his efforts, to no avail. The ghost seemed to be able to foresee his every move and was more than quick enough to react.


    The possessed Narcha saw his urgent actions and smiled. ¡°Like I thought, these types of boost in power never last too long.¡±


    Red frowned. Indeed, even now, he could feel this rush of power surging through his veins weakening bit by bit. The boost offered to him by using the blood of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was nowhere near as strong as the one he had gained from a monster.


    It wouldn¡¯t last him for too long.


    ¡®I need more. Or perhaps¡­¡¯


    Red suddenly had an idea.


    He looked over at the knight¡¯s corpse out of the corner of his eyes. There was still plenty of blood pooling, a veritable font of power to him.


    He made to disengage from his opponent and charge towards it. His actions didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the ghost, however, who chose to strike with full commitment at this moment, swinging her saber at his back. How could they allow Red to recharge his powers?


    Of course, this was exactly the reaction the boy was counting on. He suddenly dropped down, letting the saber pass right over his head as if he was expecting it.


    The woman¡¯s expression changed.


    Without hesitation, the boy charged towards her, closing the distance within a second. The ghost tried to retreat, but by that point Red was already chanting his incantation.


    Visible struggle appeared on Narcha¡¯s face as her steps faltered and some gray smoke started leaving her body. Still, the ghost kept trying to retreat.


    Red, however, wasn¡¯t about to let this opportunity pass.


    He stabbed the possessed woman¡¯s right thigh, his sword finding deep purchase. Her steps faltered even further, and more gray smoke left Narcha¡¯s body into the crystal core.


    The ghost, however, was quick to notice they wouldn¡¯t be able to retreat in this state, so instead they punched Red with their free hand. The boy tried to dodge, but this close to his opponent, the task was almost impossible.


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    Narcha¡¯s fist connected with the side of his head, and Red felt his world darken for a moment. Still, the boy held on to consciousness with the help of his improved resiliency and continued to shout the incantations through gritted teeth.


    Then another punch came. This time, Red couldn¡¯t hold on and fell down to his knees, on the verge of losing his consciousness. His words also faltered, and that gave ¡®Narcha¡¯ the opportunity to recover.


    She didn¡¯t retreat, though, instead pulling back just a few steps back so she could swing her saber.


    ¡°Forget about possessing you.¡± the ghost said. ¡°You¡¯re too dangerous to be left alive.¡±


    Her saber was just about to swing down when suddenly someone charged at her from the side. A short sword stabbed into her other leg, causing ¡®Narcha¡¯ to falter again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Allen glared at the woman, holding onto his weapon.


    All the response he received was a slap that sent him flying to the side. Still, the ghost, now possessing a body with two swords stabbed into its legs, was struggling to remain standing.


    Red, using whatever strength remained in him at that moment, continued to chant the incantation. Still, his words came out weakly and slowly, and the effect they seemed to have on the ghost was limited as barely a trickle of gray mist came out of their body.


    ¡®Narcha¡¯ looked back at him, displaying anger in her expression for the first time. She resumed her attack, hoping to cut him down, when her arm was grabbed from behind.


    Allen wrapped himself around her arm and did his best to weight the limb down. ¡°I said¡­ I won¡¯t let you!¡±


    Blood was trickling down the side of the young master¡¯s face, but he still held on. ¡®Narcha¡¯ gritted her teeth and tried to grab at Allen.


    However, from the other side, someone also grabbed onto her left arm. A ragged Eiwin held her companion¡¯s limb back with a steely grip.


    Her countenance was weak, with no signs of the silver light emanating from her skin. Still, the young woman seemed to have recovered enough to act again, possibly with the help of the medicine Goulth had provided them.


    Eiwin kicked the back of her companion¡¯s knees, forcing ¡®Narcha¡¯ to kneel on the ground. Now with all limbs either injured or restrained, the ghost found themselves immobilized. However, it continued to struggle, and it was clear by Eiwin and Allen¡¯s expression that they were hanging by a thread.


    ¡°Red, quickly!¡± Eiwin called out to the boy.


    Red, who was barely conscious, didn¡¯t even understand her words clearly. Still, he knew what had to be done.


    He continued to recite the incantations. The last bit of the blood power seemed to give him strength to go on, and so the boy did.


    More and more of the gray smoke came out of Narcha¡¯s forehead, entering the core in his hand. There was far more of the substance this time around compared to the ghost that possessed Allen, and yet it was coming out with increasing speed.


    The possessed Narcha¡¯s struggles weakened, and ten seconds later, the woman barely seemed to have the strength to keep her head up. Her gaze, however, continued to be trained on Red.


    She smiled.


    ¡°He was right.¡± the ghost said with an almost inaudible whisper. ¡°I doubted him, but he was right¡­ You still won in the end.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t pay attention to those words. He focused on the incantation, until the gray smoke coming out of Narcha¡¯s body diminished and eventually fizzled out completely. The woman¡¯s struggle completely stopped, and she seemed to fall unconscious.


    Red still continued chanting until he was certain nothing else was going to come out of her body. Only then was he satisfied.


    He sighed in relief and fell to the ground on his back.


    ¡°Red!¡± Allen called out to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± Red struggled to get the words out. ¡°Narcha should be¡­ fine too.¡±


    He saw Eiwin approach him through his darkening vision, examining the side of his head.


    She exclaimed in worry. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡±


    ¡®I am?¡¯


    Red barely felt it. Then again, he supposed a few punches to the side of the head by someone as strong as Narcha was bound to leave its mark. He only hoped there was no brain damage.


    His strength continued to slip him. Then, he suddenly felt someone shove a small round object into his mouth.


    Without hesitation, the boy tried to swallow it, a task that proved harder than he was expecting this time around. Still, he eventually succeeded.


    A few seconds later, he felt an energy blossom at the pit of his stomach before spreading through the rest of his body. Strength returned to him bit by bit, and his senses started to stabilize.


    Red didn¡¯t know how much time passed, but he eventually didn¡¯t feel like he was on the verge of passing out any longer. He struggled to get up, before feeling a wave of dizziness hit him and falling back down again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up!¡± He heard Eiwin¡¯s voice say. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if you¡¯re fully healed yet!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Red waved her off. ¡°I just need to be a bit slower. Help me here¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll help you!¡± Allen said, supporting his back as the boy tried to sit up.


    Red still felt dizzy and a terrible headache pulsed through his skull. He grunted in pain.


    ¡°You¡¯re not well!¡± Eiwin stared at him in worry. ¡°A blow to the head can have many kinds of side-effects! Things that aren¡¯t easily healed by any pill.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t afford to lose time here¡­ How is Narcha?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still unconscious. I considered giving her some medicine, but¡­¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk it.¡±


    The boy appreciated Eiwin¡¯s rational thinking. She might have been eager to heal and wake up her companion, but they needed to confirm the ghost wasn¡¯t playing a trick on them and was still hiding inside her body.


    ¡°Let me see her.¡± Red said.


    With Allen¡¯s support, the boy got up and walked over to Narcha¡¯s body. Eiwin had taken out the swords from her legs and wrapped them in some cloth to stop the bleeding. Still, this was all the treatment she gave the woman, and she was still in a quite ragged state.


    Red picked up his insectoid core and sat down by her side. He repeated the incantations, checking as many times as he could to make sure nothing of the ghost remained inside Narcha¡¯s body. Still, even after a few minutes, nothing else came out.


    If the ghost was still there, then there was nothing Red could do to dig it out.


    ¡°It should be fine.¡± He nodded at Eiwin. ¡°Let¡¯s wake her up to make sure she is still the same.¡±


    The woman seemed relieved to hear this. She took out another pill from her pouch before forcing it into Narcha¡¯s mouth and making sure she swallowed it.


    Thirty seconds passed by before the woman¡¯s body began to stir. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes. Her gaze changed as she met with Eiwin¡¯s eyes, looking over her.


    ¡°Eiwin¡­ What happened?¡±

 Chapter 250 - Hiding Evidence

    Eiwin frowned, struggling to come up with a response. This only left Narcha more confused as she sat up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened¡­¡± She massaged her temples. ¡°There was only darkness at first, but then¡­ but then¡­¡±


    Narcha trailed off as she looked at her surroundings. The destruction around the area was evident, but her gaze lingered on the dead knight a few meters away from her.


    ¡°Did we kill him¡­ No, wait!¡± She shook her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us, it was¡­ It was.¡±


    ¡°It was you.¡± Red completed her sentence. ¡°Your body, that is. A ghost possessed you while we were fighting the floating head and we needed to take it out of you.¡±


    ¡°A ghost?¡± Narcha paled. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re all bleeding¡­ Does that mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to linger on this,¡± the boy cut her off. ¡°We need to cover our tracks and get out of this place as soon as we can before more Curse Breakers appear.¡±


    Narcha nodded with a dazed expression. Uncertainty and fear lingered in her eyes, and Red had never seen the headstrong woman so dismayed as she was right now. Her fluctuation told the same story, stirring into an emotional turmoil stronger than when the ghost was possessing her body.


    Eiwin noticed this too and seemed eager to console her friend.


    ¡°Eiwin,¡± Red called out to her before she could say anything. ¡°I need your help.¡±


    Eiwin looked over at him with a frown but was only met by the boy¡¯s impassive expression. She seemed reluctant, but still nodded.


    Eiwin looked over at Allen. ¡°Look after her while we deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Allen looked surprised. ¡°Sure, I guess.¡±


    The woman seemed satisfied with his response. She walked over to Red, who was standing over the knight¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Do they have some kind of technique to keep track of their companions?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Most likely.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s standard practice for large factions. It¡¯s very likely they also have trackers on their equipment, so looters can¡¯t profit off of their companion¡¯s deaths.¡±


    ¡®So they know where he died¡­¡¯


    Red frowned. ¡°We need to wipe our traces from the scene. If they find out one of us was involved in killing this knight, then I can¡¯t imagine we will survive this.¡±


    Eiwin also seemed worried. ¡°It will be nearly impossible to hide his body, and even if we did, they would still act under the pretense their companion was dead when they can¡¯t find him.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t need to hide the body, we just need to make sure no one can discern the cause of death.¡±


    The woman seemed hesitant. ¡°¡­ What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°Use one of our talismans and burn everything.¡± Red said. ¡°Including the trees and the corpse. It¡¯s the only way we will be able to hide the saber slashes.¡±


    Of course, this was all under the assumption the Curse Breakers didn¡¯t have a way of discerning the truth even after all that, which was entirely possible in the cultivation world. However, Red couldn¡¯t prepare for things outside of his realm of understanding, so he could only opt to be as thorough as possible within his capabilities.


    For a second, he thought Eiwin was about to protest the act of desecrating this corpse. Yet, the woman¡¯s gaze turned towards Narcha, who still seemed to be in a state of denial.


    Eiwin gritted her teeth before a look of resignation appeared on her face.


    She looked back at Red and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    The boy was relieved Eiwin didn¡¯t argue with him. He looked around the area. ¡°I will lay some lantern oil around. We will need something to set a strong fire, though.¡±


    ¡°We can use a fireball talisman.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°It¡¯s the only way we will be able to get a fire strong enough to burn everything away.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s set about it.¡±


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    It didn¡¯t take long for them to set everything up. Red spread oil around the tree stumps, while Eiwin took care of the corpse. She took off their armor, which probably wouldn¡¯t melt in the fire, and made sure to smash the area where Narcha¡¯s saber cut into so no one could recognize what happened.


    Upon seeing the two of them do this, Allen looked confused. ¡°What are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°Hiding the evidence.¡± Red said. ¡°We can¡¯t let the Curse Breakers know what happened here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± The young master looked over at Narcha with an expression of realization.


    Narcha seemed to snap out of her daze as she heard these words. ¡°¡­ What can I do to help?¡±


    ¡°Nothing for now.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°We are almost done.¡±


    Indeed, the task wasn¡¯t particularly hard. Once Red made sure that everything was covered with as much oil as he could muster, he walked back to Eiwin, who was looking over at the corpse with a pale expression.


    The weight of what they were about to do only hit her now.


    ¡°Take Narcha and Allen away.¡± Red said. ¡°I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    Eiwin nodded and turned around to look at Narcha. ¡°Let¡¯s wait some distance away.¡±


    Narcha frowned once she saw the young woman¡¯s expression, but she still just nodded.


    Both she and Allen followed Eiwin after collecting their equipment, leaving Red alone with the knight¡¯s corpse. In truth, the boy didn¡¯t tell the extent of his plans to Eiwin, even if the woman might have an inkling about it.


    Red doubted they could hide the body from the Curse Breakers. However, he needed to make sure any kind of investigation of the scene was made as difficult as possible, and for that, they needed to do more than just burn the body.


    Red picked up his short sword and looked over the corpse. He sighed.


    Even for the boy, what he was about to do wasn¡¯t very pleasant. Even if this wasn¡¯t his first time doing it.


    ¡®It¡¯s for the good of the sect.¡¯


    He no longer hesitated and set about doing his butcher¡¯s work.


    ¡­


    It took him no longer than five minutes to be done with his task. After that, he used a fireball talisman to hit the center of the battlefield.


    A huge explosion happened, throwing wood and body parts every which way. The fire was quick to spread, much more so with so much oil and under this dry season. Soon enough, a raging inferno was in front of Red, which was likely to spread even further beyond the areas of the battlefield.


    Satisfied, the boy turned around and walked in the direction Eiwin and the others had run off to. He found them waiting for him a few hundred meters away.


    ¡°¡­ Is it done?¡± Eiwin asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°I did all I could. I can only hope it works.¡±


    On the side, Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°Can you tell me what happened now?¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this discussion. We need to run away from this place and also find Rog and Rimold. They might also be possessed.¡±


    The woman grimaced but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°We have no idea where Rog and Rimold could have gone to.¡± Red said, staring at Narcha. ¡°Do you remember anything before you fell unconscious? Maybe you saw them run in a certain direction.¡±


    Narcha hesitated. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t remember much. However, before everything¡­ happened, I¡¯m sure all of us stood our ground to the very end, including Rog and Rimold.¡±


    ¡°So we have no idea where they could have gone?¡± Red frowned.


    The woman nodded with a crestfallen expression.


    Red sighed. ¡°This makes looking for them even harder than it was looking for you. We can only look in the general directions we haven¡¯t searched yet and hope we stumble on them.¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°Maybe they weren¡¯t possessed. In which case, they might also be looking for us.¡±


    ¡®Or maybe they already stumbled upon the Curse Breakers.¡¯


    Red left that last part unsaid. This wasn¡¯t the kind of guesswork that would help their shaken spirits.


    ¡°We¡¯ll continue heading east.¡± Red said. ¡°Maybe a soldier along the road could have spotted them.¡±


    The entire group agreed with his assessment.


    They set about their return trip towards the eastward towards the road, a journey that took them a few more hours. By then, night had fallen and the Moon gaze set its focus upon Red.


    The boy had gotten used to this pressure, but this time, he felt something different about it. This time he felt as the gaze was conveying its emotions onto him. Red could feel it.


    The creature was angered and the boy could make a good guess as to why.


    The result of this anger was that its hateful gaze pressured the boy like never before, and he found himself slowing down as they walked through the forest. He still felt a lingering soreness where Narcha had punched him, and adding this pressure on top of it, Red felt as if he was on the verge of collapsing.


    ¡°Red!¡± Allen was the first to notice it. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The boy waved him off while massaging his temples. ¡°We need to move.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling the aftereffects of your injuries?¡± Eiwin asked in a worried tone. ¡°We need to address it before it¡¯s too late!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Narcha gritted her teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. Just trust me, there¡¯s nothing medicine or treatment can do to help.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hop on my back.¡± Narcha said with a serious expression.


    Red hesitated.


    The woman glared at him. ¡°You said it yourself, didn¡¯t you? We need to hurry, and you¡¯re in no condition to walk.¡±


    Red nodded with a sigh. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    Without hesitation, the boy hopped onto the woman¡¯s back, holding onto her armor and backpack straps for support. Narcha barely seemed to feel the added weight on her back.


    ¡°Point the direction and I¡¯ll head in it.¡± She said.


    Red did as much.


    Eventually, the group made it back onto the road, but they saw no signs of anyone around.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be more than a few hours away from the river.¡± The boy said.


    ¡°There''re no soldiers around.¡± Allen frowned in worry. ¡°Does that mean the horde¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°But if the guards lost at the river line, I assume there would be far more chaos even this far from the river.¡±


    Allen nodded in relief.


    It seemed, however, that they had spoken too soon.


    As they walked for ten minutes further, they heard the sounds of combat not too far from them.


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°We need to-¡±


    She was interrupted by a deafening howl. Red felt a shiver run down his spine.


    He felt like he recognized this howl. Or at least, the creature it belonged to.

 Chapter 251 - Unexpected Developments

    Allen also looked shocked. ¡°Is that a wolf?¡±


    Eiwin nodded with a frown.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the wolves supposed to only arrive a few days later?¡± The young master seemed confused.


    There were no native wolf monsters in this forest, so it was clear that whatever this monster was, it had to have come with the horde. This was not all either.


    ¡°We are still a ways away from the river, too.¡± Red said. ¡°For a monster to appear this far west near the road, it can only mean the guards weren¡¯t able to hold all the horde back.¡±


    Eiwin nodded again. ¡°Something must have happened. Come on, let¡¯s hurry and see what is going on.¡±


    Red climbed down from Narcha¡¯s back so the woman could join the fighting. The increased pressure of the Moon gaze was still affecting him, but at the very least, he didn¡¯t feel like he was about to collapse any longer.


    They rushed forward, and after turning around a bend in the road, they saw the scene of battle. Sure enough, a large white wolf was in the process of fighting against six town guards. Wounds littered the monster¡¯s body, but there was also a casualty among the guards as they saw a corpse laying on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the Lesser Ring Realm.¡± Red warned his companions. ¡°It¡¯s wounded, though¡­ and exhausted.¡±


    Narcha nodded and took out her saber from her back with eagerness. ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to hear!¡±


    She, Eiwin, and Allen rushed ahead, while Red observed their fight from afar. He still wasn¡¯t in much of a condition to fight. The guards noticed the group¡¯s approach, and their expression lit up.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Water Dragon Guild!¡±


    ¡°Out of the way!¡± Narcha waved them off.


    The guards were more than happy to obey her orders. They stepped back, leaving a clear path to the wolf, which also seemed to notice the arrival of the humans.


    It turned around to face this strong human, releasing a low humming growl. Narcha didn¡¯t stop charging, though, her anger and eagerness to fight clear in both her mannerisms and her fluctuation to Red.


    The wolf leaped at her once she was within a few meters, but just like Red had predicted, the monster seemed too slow for a beast of its power. Narcha sidestepped the blow with little issue and brought her saber against the monster¡¯s side.


    The wolf howled in pain and stumbled. Before it could recover, though, Eiwin charge in from behind Narcha and struck the beast with a well place kick on its snout. The beast faltered, the blow confusing its senses.


    This moment of distraction was more than enough for Narcha to follow up on. She circled around the wolf and cut its hind leg clean off with a single slash of her saber. This time, the monster finally fell down, and it seemed too wounded and daze to even notice what was happening.


    It didn¡¯t take more than a ten seconds for the duo to dispatch it. Narcha finished it off with a stab on its chest, after which the beast¡¯s injuries were finally too much for it to handle. It fell quiet a few seconds later, unmoving.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Allen, who didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to act, nodded at his companions. ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Is it really dead?¡± One of the soldiers asked, afraid to approach the monster¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°It is.¡± Narcha nodded. ¡°Is this the only one around?¡±


    ¡°You sure took your damn time!¡± Another soldier glared at the group. ¡°We were waiting for you at the border the entire day! We even sent people to go looking after your sect! If you had been there sooner, then they wouldn¡¯t¡­ My friends would still be alive.¡±


    None of the soldiers joined in with their companion, but from their expression, it was clear they also shared some of his sentiments. Narcha frowned, glaring back at each and every one of them. Before she could say anything, though, Eiwin spoke up.


    ¡°I am sorry for your loss, but trust me, if we had been able to, we would have been there.¡± She said. ¡°Unfortunately, we were ambushed along the way and were kept from our path.¡±


    The soldiers looked surprised.


    ¡°Ambushed? Who ambushed you? A monster?¡± One of them asked.


    Eiwin hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, but as you can see, even now, we have yet to find all of our sect members because of that.¡±


    For the first time, the soldiers seemed to notice the state the group found themselves in. Punctured and lacerated armors, traces of blood - all signs of hard-fought battles. Upon seeing that, their previously angered expressions disappeared.


    The soldier who first had an outburst bowed towards them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Eiwin shook her head. ¡°You have lost some of your companions today. It would be strange instead if you were in a calm state of mind.¡±


    Narcha looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead, she just sighed. ¡°With that out of the way, then, would you mind explaining what happened? I thought the Skycrown wolves were only meant to appear on the second wave of the horde.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The soldier nodded. ¡°They weren¡¯t meant to appear until a few days later, but¡­ Our scouts reported something happened to spur them on.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know for certain, but they told us that a lot of the wolves were suddenly driven into a maddened frenzy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a horde! Of course, they were in a frenzy!¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± The soldier shook his head. ¡°This was different. Although they were part of a horde, they were still under the control of their alpha. But something changed, and all of a sudden they just started to break off from their pack formation and charge west in a frenzy. We received this news just a few hours before the first wave hit, so we didn¡¯t have time to prepare¡­¡±


    Eiwin looked worried. ¡°Did you receive news of our elder?¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± The soldier nodded. ¡°Our scouts saw Master Hector fighting against the Alpha and leading it away from the pack. They weren¡¯t able to keep up with them, though, and lost track of them earlier today.¡±


    ¡°You mean the change in the pack happened after the Alpha was gone?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It happened much later than that. Our scouts told us the wolves fell into a small panic after their alpha was led away, but they still kept heading west. That strange change only happened after that, so we don¡¯t know the cause for certain¡­¡±


    Eiwin frowned in thought. ¡°And the line at the river? How did you fare?¡±


    The soldier grimaced. ¡°We lost a lot of men, but still held on in the end. However, a lot of monsters slipped past us, all heading towards town.¡±


    ¡°So you were hunting for them here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ It didn¡¯t go as well as we planned.¡± The soldier¡¯s gaze lingered on the corpse of his companion on the ground.


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. However, I must ask you something else.¡±


    The soldier nodded. ¡°You saved our lives. You have the right to.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen the rest of our companions?¡± She asked. ¡°Two men, Rog and Rimold. One is a hunter, and the other is a¡­ knife-wielder.¡±


    ¡°I know who they are. We haven¡¯t seen any of them, though. We could pass the word around to our men to see if they have seen them, but¡­ If they had, we probably would have known. Captain Orvin told us to let him know as soon as we found any of you.¡±


    Eiwin seemed troubled by this.


    The soldier hesitated. ¡°¡­ I know your companions are missing but¡­ The fighting is still going on near the river. Our men are trying to contain and exterminate whatever monsters we can, but a lot of these beasts are beyond our capabilities¡­ A lot of my friends have died already. We could use your help.¡±


    This made the group fall silent. Evidently, the soldier¡¯s words moved them, but the fact of the matter was that Rog and Rimold were still very likely under life-threatening risk. If one of them was possessed and they didn¡¯t cure them soon enough, they would be lost forever.


    This wasn¡¯t an easy decision to make, and the responsibility of this all fell onto the shoulder of their appointed leader. Eiwin, however, was also under visible distress as she considered their options.


    ¡®¡­ She¡¯s still too soft for her own good.¡¯


    ¡°You can go.¡± Red said. ¡°I will look for Rimold and Rog.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°In your state? You¡¯re more likely to fall dead on the way over!¡±


    ¡°I already feel better.¡± The boy said. ¡°Besides, if it really comes down to it, I will just avoid a fight and stick to the shadows. I¡¯m much better at that than all of you.¡±


    The woman gritted her teeth, but she couldn¡¯t find a rebuttal.


    ¡°But what about the¡­ thing that attacked us?¡± Allen asked with a worried expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t it still around?¡±


    Red frowned and shook his head. ¡°I have a feeling it won¡¯t trouble us for now.¡±


    He was being sincere. The head was targeting him, most likely, and he doubted the necromancer would allow the boy to die or be controlled by it. Or so he hoped. In any case, if the head was going to attack them, it would already have done it by now or when they were almost killed by the possessed Narcha.


    Besides, there were still the Curse Breakers around the forest.


    Allen seemed to be convinced by his words, yet Eiwin, on the other hand, seemed hesitant about his suggestion.


    ¡°How are you going to find them?¡± She asked.


    This was, indeed, the biggest problem.


    ¡°We could send some of our scouts to help you look for them.¡± The soldier offered his help.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Just keep an eye out if they do turn up.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re likely to get killed if they try to find them.¡¯


    The boy turned around to look at Eiwin. ¡°I will try scouting the area where they disappeared.¡°


    The woman frowned. ¡°Is that wise? I thought you said it was very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It is, but it¡¯s our only choice. With my skills, I should be able to at least assess if anyone is waiting for us back there.¡±


    Red actually was still afraid people like the Curse Breaker could have a means of detecting him too, but he still believed that going by himself would yield them the best chances of finding the rest of their companions.


    Eiwin seemed to relent. ¡°Fine, but take this.¡±


    She handed him two talismans - an omnidirectional barrier and a swift escape talisman - all precious survival items. The soldiers who saw this all seemed surprised, but they didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I have my own talismans.¡± Red frowned once he saw this.


    ¡°You do, but you can never be too safe.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°With these, you should at least have more of a chance if something happens¡­ And don¡¯t think to protest. I am your leader, and this is an order!¡±


    The boy sighed and nodded. ¡°Fine.¡±


    The leading soldier looked over at the boy, still surprised they would entrust someone so young for a task like this. However, he didn¡¯t voice his opinions. ¡°If you do find them, come look for us near the Crossing Village, where Captain Orvin is located. Do you know where that is?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    The boy checked over his equipment before looking towards the rest of the group.


    Narcha gritted her teeth and nodded at him.


    Allen, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to be as worried, showing his absolute trust in Red. ¡°Bring them back quickly, Red!¡±


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°Most important of all, be safe.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and nodded. Then, no longer hesitating, he turned around and walked away. Soon enough, he couldn¡¯t sense the fluctuation of his companions any longer, and neither could he see them as he walked around a bend in the road.


    The boy was ready to dive into the woods before he felt another human fluctuation close by. He froze.


    Red looked over towards his left, but he didn¡¯t see anyone. Yet, he was certain that there was a fluctuation there, no more than ten meters away from him.


    An invisible individual.


    His heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Your companions are due south of here.¡± An ephemeral voice spoke to him, sounding almost as if it was right next to his ear.


    Red shivered, but didn¡¯t respond.


    A few seconds later, the fluctuation completely disappeared, leaving a confused Red behind.

 Chapter 252 - Hunting for a Thief

    Red didn¡¯t move for what felt like an eternity, fearful of a potential attack by this invisible individual. Yet, he eventually noticed how futile his caution was.


    ¡®If they wanted to kill me, there is nothing I can do.¡¯


    Only now did the weight of the situation seem to dawn on the boy. This invisible person knew they were discovered, probably from the very first time Red felt them inside that meeting room. In retrospect, he should have expected as much.


    No matter how cautious and smart you thought you were, in front of a true cultivator, you would be nothing more than an ant. Yet Red didn¡¯t blame himself too much. He learned the unfortunate reality that in this world, being in the wrong place at the wrong time was more than enough to seal your fate, and no skills or clever plans could save you from that.


    Of course, he was being rather dramatic. This invisible individual didn¡¯t seem to be an enemy, and they even chose to help Red. However, how could the boy not be wary? A strange cultivator he never met, offering him unsolicited yet helpful information about a matter they could only have knowledge about through spying.


    If Red didn¡¯t suspect anything, then he would deserve a grisly end. Still, this only raised another question.


    Why help Red?


    Could their information even be trusted?


    Red tried to think of a few possibilities, but all of them were mere conjecture. What mattered right now was whether the boy should follow this individual¡¯s advice.


    ¡®If they wanted to kill me, there was no need to go through such trouble¡­¡¯


    Not to mention, Red was planning on searching the forest randomly for his companions. A possible direction, even if it was a false one in the end, was much better than running around such a large place blindly.


    Red took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing much of the tension in his body. He focused on his crimson sense, looking for any signs of this individual in his surroundings, but he found nothing.


    Another matter the boy failed to consider was how this individual disappeared from the range of his Crimson Sense. They didn¡¯t move at all. They simply disappeared. Red wondered how that was possible, but he focused on the more immediate implications.


    His crimson sense couldn¡¯t be completely trusted. This much the boy was already expecting in the past, but it still shocked him when the moment of truth finally came. Could that invisible person still be spying on him?


    He didn¡¯t dwell on this matter for long.


    His companions needed his help, after all.


    Red headed south without hesitation, moving through the trees with light steps and enveloped by complete darkness, focusing on his surroundings for any clues.


    ¡­


    Two hours passed.


    Red kept heading due south the entire time, but he had yet to find any signs of his companions, or of anyone else for that matter. At some point, the boy started to doubt the veracity of the information he had been given.


    After all, how could that invisible person know the location of his companions? Not to mention, they told him to head straight south, but would Rog and Rimold stay in that exact position the entire time? That seemed unlikely.


    Then again, Red failed to see how lying to him would benefit someone seemingly as strong as that invisible individual. So he kept to this path and continued to head south.


    His insistence was rewarded, as Red spotted something strange in his way. He froze, using his dark vision to examine the details.


    ¡®¡­ It¡¯s a hole?¡¯


    Not just a small hole, either. It was a large hole, enough for an adult to fit into, with the displaced earth piled right by the side.


    Red frowned and focused on his crimson sense. He couldn¡¯t feel anyone around, but his previous experience made him more hesitant to rely on this power for scouting.


    He examined his surroundings, and only when he was completely sure there were no other signs of monsters or humans nearby did he approach the hole. Red neared the pit and peered over the edge with some caution.


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    The hole was a few meters deep, yet as far as Red could tell, there was nothing else inside of it, and neither did it seem like anything was removed. This left the boy confused. Who was digging holes in the middle of the forest, and what were they looking for?


    After finding nothing else, Red continued to head south. He was surprised when, along the way, he found even more of these holes.


    At first, these pits were spread out. Yet the longer Red moved along, the more frequent and closer together these holes became. Ten minutes later, the boy counted at least 20 of them, and he didn¡¯t even bother examining them any more.


    Despite all that, though, Red had yet to find any tracks. Whoever was digging these holes was doing their utmost not to leave their footprints behind, and yet, what was the point of that when instead they left behind a trail of holes instead?


    In preparation, Red grabbed the insectoid core in one hand and the barrier talisman in the other. Yet as he walked forward, he noticed something else amidst the trees with his dark vision.


    It was a set of cuts on a specific tree, resembling claw marks. One might look at it and think this was the work of an animal or monster, but Red knew better. The parallel lines, the length of each cut - this wasn¡¯t natural.


    It was a sign.


    ¡®Rog is nearby.¡¯


    This was how the hunter and Red agreed to indicate their presence in case they ever got split up. In the end, this meant two things: Rog wasn¡¯t the one being possessed and the invisible cultivator hadn¡¯t lied to him.


    ¡®So it¡¯s Rimold, then?¡¯


    Red kept walking forward, searching for more of these marks. These cuts not only served as a sign, but they also indicated the direction Rog was heading in. Sure enough, moving forward, the boy found a few more of them, along with a sudden increase in the number of holes.


    Finally, a few minutes later, Red sensed a fluctuation enter his detection range. It was Rog.


    The boy froze and tried to spot the man amidst the trees, to no avail. Whatever he was doing, it seemed important to him to keep out of sight.


    Red hesitated, but seeing as he had no choice, he decided to use the signal they agreed on beforehand. He cupped his hands around his mouth and made a sound with his mouth, resembling that of a bird call.


    Of course, this was another method of communication they agreed on beforehand. Rog was a hunter, and he knew the calls of actual birds compared to fake ones, not to mention he was also aware about the species of birds in this region.


    Sure enough, as soon as Red let out this sign, he felt the man¡¯s fluctuation start moving towards him. The boy waited until he saw the hunter sneaking past the trees, looking for him.


    Red made the call again, and this time Rog seemed to spot him. The man nodded and walked right over to his side.


    ¡°Rimold is nearby, but he¡¯s acting strange. Been digging holes everywhere. Probably possessed by something.¡± The hunter didn¡¯t even offer his greetings before diving into the matter at hand.


    Red frowned. ¡°A ghost, most likely. Why haven¡¯t you acted?¡±


    Rog shook his head. ¡°I tried a few times, but he can feel my arrows and always dodges beforehand before running away. What about you? Have you met the others?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± The boy nodded. ¡°They¡¯re all safe right now, but some of them were also possessed by ghosts. I have a way to take it out of them, but I¡¯ll need them to be immobilized.¡±


    Rog hummed in agreement, looking at the glowing core in Red¡¯s hand. ¡°Take my bow and shoot at him on my signal. He will try to run away, and I¡¯ll charge at him and try to immobilize him.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ He might be stronger than what you are expecting.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you don¡¯t need to worry. I have my ways.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    Just like that, they had a plan.


    Red grabbed Rog¡¯s bow and a few of his arrows. The boy had never used such a large bow before, but he didn¡¯t need to be accurate with it.


    ¡°He¡¯s over that way.¡± Rog pointed out a direction.


    Red nodded and nocked an arrow into his bow. After they were ready, the two split ways and walked towards ¡®Rimold¡¯.


    Rog took the long way around, but Red could still feel him with his crimson sense. A few seconds later, he was also able to sense Rimold¡¯s fluctuation.


    He looked through the trees and spotted the rogue digging his way at the earth with his bare hands. Red could feel through his crimson sense that the man was under great distress, but this was made evident by his loud ramblings too.


    ¡°Where is it?!¡± The rogue gritted his teeth. ¡°Where did this bastard hide it?!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t pay much attention to his words. Instead, he focused on Rog¡¯s fluctuation and waited for the signal with his bow at the ready.


    It came a few seconds later in the form of a bird call, this one much better than Red¡¯s poor attempts. The boy didn¡¯t hesitate and let an arrow loose towards Rimold.


    The rogue¡¯s reaction was almost immediate. He dove back, dodging the arrow with ease, and ran away.


    ¡°Just leave me alone, you bastard!¡± The ghost said in an angered voice.


    ¡®Rimold¡¯ moved with surprising speed, but this time there was someone expecting him on the other side. Rog jumped out from behind a tree line, taking the rogue by surprise.


    ¡®Rimold¡¯ looked like he wanted to jump away in fright, but that was when something in Rog¡¯s hand began to glow. A familiar scene ensued, where a purplish mist blew towards the rogue¡¯s direction, covering him in an instant.


    ¡®Rimold¡¯ faltered, but didn¡¯t fall unconscious immediately. However, his moment of weakness was enough for Rog, who jumped forth and knocked him down.


    ¡°Help me here, kid!¡± the hunter called out to him. ¡°We need to bind him!¡±


    Red frowned. That certainly went far more smoothly than with the other two.

 Chapter 253 - Treasure Hunter

    Red approached them and helped Rog tie up Rimold. The rogue struggled beneath them like a mad bull, despite his half-unconscious state, and they needed to tie his body multiple times before they were certain he wasn¡¯t about to break through. Even then, Rog stayed on top of the possessed man.


    He nodded at Red. ¡°This should be enough for now.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that talisman?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°Rimold gave it to me.¡±


    That made sense. The last time Red saw it was in the rogue¡¯s hand, and he was quite certain there was no such talisman in the sect¡¯s coffers.


    Still, Red remembered when he had first used it against the merchant and his bodyguards. It knocked them completely unconscious, while the rogue still was awake, and was already recovering from his groggy state.


    ¡®Rimold¡¯ contorted himself, trying to escape. ¡°You bastards! You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with! When I get free, I¡¯m going to kill you lot!¡±


    Rog frowned in annoyance and looked over at Red. ¡°Can you shut him up?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Gladly.¡±


    The boy took out his insectoid core again, upon which the rogue¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°What is that you have there?¡± The ghost asked in a fearful tone.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, focusing on the crystal while getting ready to repeat the necromantic words. At last, the situation he found himself in seemed to dawn on the possessed Rimold.


    ¡°W-Wait! Don¡¯t do anything rash! We can talk!¡± He looked at Red with pleading eyes.


    The boy continued to ignore him.


    The ghost insisted. ¡°Listen, don¡¯t you want to know why I was digging around in the forest?¡±


    Red paused. He looked over at Rog, but the hunter just shrugged.


    ¡°Why were you digging around in the forest?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I was looking for a treasure!¡± The ghost said.


    Rog frowned. ¡°Treasure? In this forest? Whatever treasure worth discovering here was taken by sects hundreds of years ago.¡±


    The ghost laughed. ¡°That¡¯s what they want you to think! Of course, all the ruins in this place are empty by now, but it¡¯s exactly because of this that this is a good spot to hide treasures! They would never think to look for it.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Before we proceed any further, I need to know something. Do you know about the Empire?¡±


    The rogue scoffed. ¡°Of course I know about the Empire! They¡¯ve been threatening to invade our kingdom for the whole time I was alive!¡±


    The boy was surprised. This was a question meant to gauge the ghost¡¯s age, but not only did he seem to be aware of the Empire, he seemed to be a local to their kingdom, of all things.


    Rog also seemed curious. ¡°You¡¯re a native?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± The ghost nodded. ¡°I used to live in the capital, but I¡¯ve done more than my fair share of wandering around the kingdom!¡±


    ¡°Who was the king while you were still alive?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°King Thomas the III, of course!¡±


    The boy frowned. This was the current king, which could only mean one thing - this ghost was probably no more than a few decades old, which lent some credence to his claims.


    ¡°What is this treasure you¡¯re talking about?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dagger!¡± The ghost said with fervor. ¡°A very special dagger! They say it was carved by the bones of a cultivator who died on the verge of ascending! Even if that¡¯s not true, it¡¯s still an incredibly powerful weapon! It¡¯s a work of art!¡±


    Red now had a good idea about what this ghost¡¯s obsession was.


    Rog frowned in thought. ¡°You say this dagger is right here?¡±


    ¡°It should be!¡± The possessed Rimold nodded. ¡°I was carrying it around this part of the forest when I was attacked back then, and I ended up hiding the dagger in a deep hole!¡°


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Red shook his head. ¡°And what makes you think the dagger is still there after all this time?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The ghost hesitated. ¡°It is here, you have to trust me! Just help me find it and we can split the profits from it!¡±


    The boy sighed. If the ghost was so certain about the dagger¡¯s location, why would they need to dig up dozens of holes in an attempt to find it? If this weapon was indeed real, they clearly had no idea of where it was.


    Red looked at Rog, and the hunter also shook his head. They were of the same mind.


    The possessed Rimold seemed to notice what they were about to do, and he immediately went into a frenzy. ¡°You bastards! You¡¯re trying to cheat me! I won¡¯t let you! I won¡¯t let you keep her for yourself!¡±


    The ghost struggled with renewed strength, and Rog had to do his utmost to keep him down. He looked at Red with an urging gaze.


    The boy needed no more prompting. He started to recite the necromantic incantations, and soon enough, the exorcizing process started.


    The insectoid crystal glowed with a flaring green brightness, and specks of grey smoke started to exit Rimold¡¯s body and enter the core. The ghost seemed to be completely unaware of this, struggling to get free and spewing nonsense about this dagger.


    A few seconds later, though, his fight began to wane, until it eventually had completely disappeared. Rimold''s head fell down on the ground, as the rogue blacked out.


    Red still continued to recite the incantation until he couldn¡¯t see the slightest trace of gray smoke. Only then did he relax.


    He looked over at Rog and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    The hunter grunted back and got off Rimold¡¯s unconscious body.


    He looked at Red with a raised eyebrow. ¡°What kind of technique was that?¡±


    ¡°A necromantic technique to extract ghosts.¡± Red said without hesitation.


    Rog didn¡¯t display shock, instead only frowning slightly. ¡°Really? Was the whole demon thing a few days ago not enough?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, if I had a choice, I never would have interacted with either of these things.¡± Red said. ¡°Right now, though, I need to continue juggling these problems to keep them from falling on my head, at least until I¡¯m strong enough to eliminate them.¡±


    The hunter grunted. ¡°Seems like a good approach. Just make sure you don¡¯t turn into a demon or something, will you? Would hate to have to kill you.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°If I turned into a demon, you definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to kill me.¡±


    This boy always had the feeling that if he truly let go of all his inhibitions of absorbing blood, then he could become stronger very quickly, even faster than the demon lizard back then. Yet, of course, these kinds of shortcuts never came without their consequences, and Red would rather not lose his mind and self-control in the process.


    Rog ignored his words and looked over at Rimold. ¡°Is he going to be fine?¡±


    ¡°Should be.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Unless you broke one of his ribs in the process of immobilizing him.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡± The rogue didn¡¯t seem confident.


    The boy sighed. ¡°I would rather not use any more healing pills for this. We should wake him up and let him speak for his own state. Oh, but be careful. I¡¯m not familiar with this technique yet, so maybe the ghost is still hiding in his body.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t think that was the case, but it was always better to be safe.


    Rog seemed to agree with him and nodded.


    The boy then picked some medicinal powder off of his pouch and opened right below Rimold¡¯s nose. The reaction was almost instantaneous as the rogue drew in breath and began to stir.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A groan came from Rimold as his eyes slowly opened. ¡°What is that terrible smell?¡±


    The man looked around in confusion, spotting Red standing right in front of him.


    ¡°Red?¡± The rogue frowned. ¡°What are you¡­¡± He trailed off as he tried moving. ¡°Wait, why can¡¯t I move? What is going on?¡±


    ¡°You were possessed by a ghost.¡± Red said. ¡°We took it out of you, but we needed to make sure it was truly gone.¡±


    ¡°A ghost?¡± Rimold seemed confused. ¡°Wait, the head! What happened?! Where are the others?! And untie me, goddamnit!¡±


    They did as much after double checking the ghost was truly gone, to Rimold¡¯s dismay. After the rogue was done collecting himself, Red gave a rough explanation of what had happened since he encountered Allen.


    ¡°Y-You mean Narcha killed a Curse Breaker knight?¡± Rimold shivered in fright. ¡°Do you have any idea of what that means for us?!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I can take a guess. Still, I did what I could to hide her involvement.¡±


    ¡°Even if you hide our involvement, they will never let this go!¡± The rogue shook his head. ¡°When one of their own is killed, their order will go to any lengths necessary to find the culprit! Sometimes they even kill every potential suspect just to make sure the true killer doesn¡¯t get away!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t harp on the kid, it¡¯s not his fault.¡± Rog cut him off. ¡°We can figure this out after we reunite with Hector. The old man has plenty of connections to call upon if need be.¡±


    Rimold gritted his teeth and nodded. ¡°I can only hope it is enough when an army of inquisitor knights comes knocking at our door.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something else I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you too.¡± Red said. ¡°The others all claimed to have had strange dreams while they were possessed, possibly of the ghosts¡¯ previous lives. What about you? Did you see anything?¡±


    Rimold frowned. ¡°I do remember some strange dreams¡­ They seemed really fuzzy, though, and yet I can tell you they were definitely no normal dream.¡±


    ¡°And do you recall anything about a dagger?¡± Red asked.


    He was still curious about what the ghost said, and even if he thought the story was far-fetched, it was still worth looking into.


    ¡°A dagger?¡± Rimold frowned. ¡°There was something like that, but when I think about it¡­ I can¡¯t really help but feel like it was way more than just a dagger.¡± The man had an uncertain expression.


    ¡°Like it was an individual?¡±


    Red still remembered how the ghost referred to the dagger as ¡°her¡±.


    Rimold nodded. ¡°Something like that. I just felt like it was really important. Even now, I can¡¯t help but feel a craving to just go around and search for it.¡±


    Rog grunted. ¡°Is it another haunted item? I mean, I can¡¯t imagine something made of bones would be anything good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite possible, in which case it¡¯s probably for the better that we just leave this place as soon as possible.¡± Red said.


    The boy¡¯s experience with these types of items was already very poor. Then again, there was probably never a positive interaction with a cursed treasure.


    The others seemed to agree with his suggestion, and they all set out back the way they came, without further ado. Red still felt the gaze of the Moon, now seemingly having somewhat calmed down.


    Yet beyond just that, the boy couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was being observed by something beyond the reach of his senses. What bothered him the most, though, was how many potential candidates could fill the role of his stalker.

 Chapter 254 - Roars of War

    Rog, with his sharp senses, was quick to notice Red¡¯s restlessness, no matter how well the boy disguised it.


    The hunter looked at him with a frown. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but even if there was, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±


    Rimold frowned in concern. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking.¡± Rog cut him off. ¡°If the kid says we can¡¯t do anything about it, I¡¯m willing to trust his words.¡±


    The rogue hesitated, but still nodded in the end. It seems at the very least Red¡¯s recent actions had earned Rimold¡¯s trust.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way back to where we came from, but I¡¯m not too confident in my power to detect everything.¡± Red said. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice the head back then, so there¡¯s no guarantee I will see it coming again. That¡¯s why I need the help of both of you.¡±


    Out of their group, Rog and Rimold had both the sharpest senses and experience navigating the forest. He didn¡¯t know how much that would avail them against a teleporting, floating head, but it was better than nothing.


    Rimold nodded. ¡°Do you need to even ask? Of course I¡¯ll be keeping an eye out!¡±


    Rog also nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    After getting their agreement, Red didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. He turned around and led the way back from where they came.


    Upon seeing all the dug up holes in their path, Rimold frowned. ¡°Was I the one that did all this?¡±


    ¡°Your possessed body, yes.¡± Red nodded.


    The rogue shook his head in disbelief. ¡°This seems absurd. Besides, why was the ghost digging his way around looking for that dagger? I don¡¯t remember where he put it, but I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t just hide it beneath the earth! No, he left it somewhere else¡­¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°So the ghost was misremembering?¡±


    This certainly wouldn¡¯t be far-fetched for an evil spirit who just awakened from the dead, but somehow Red didn¡¯t believe that was the case.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m quite certain the dagger is not here, but¡­ There was something else. Something he buried here¡­¡± The rogue frowned in thought before shaking his head in frustration. ¡°Agh, I can¡¯t remember it! Just thinking about these dreams gives me a headache!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t try to dwell on it.¡± Red said. ¡°We can look into this after we have dealt with the horde.¡±


    The boy was, of course, curious about this supposed buried treasure, but he knew better than to get his priorities twisted at the moment. The rogue also nodded, but Red felt that there was a glimmer of hesitation behind his eyes.


    Was this an after-effect of being possessed, or was it just Rimold¡¯s greed speaking? The boy couldn¡¯t tell, but he decided to keep a close eye on the man nonetheless.


    ¡­


    The journey back was lengthy. They couldn¡¯t break out in a full sprint, since that would only lower their perception of their surroundings and leave them more susceptible to ambushes. Instead, they opted for a brisk pace, or at least as fast as they could go while still being completely aware of their surroundings.


    This made the journey back to the road take a few hours.


    They were all eager to reunite with their companions, but safety came first. It was in these types of situations where many lesser warriors threw caution to the wind in their impatience and ended up being killed by an unseen enemy. Not the trio, though.


    Out of everyone in the sect, Red, Rog, and Rimold were the best survivalists. They knew better than to commit such fundamental mistakes in this kind of hostile environment.


    Thankfully, they encountered no monsters or enemy ambushes on their way over. Eventually, they found themselves back on the road.


    ¡°Is this where you met the guards?¡± Rimold asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°It should be further along. I imagine the wolf''s body is still there.¡±


    The rogue nodded. They were just about to continue along when they noticed Rog was lagging behind.


    The hunter had a pondering expression as he looked around.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Rimold frowned when he saw this. ¡°What is it, Rog? Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°There''re no monsters.¡± The hunter said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The rogue seemed confused. ¡°The bulk of the horde is still being held at the river line, so that is not surprising.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve yet to come across any native monsters.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ We were pretty deep in the forest, weren¡¯t we?¡±


    Red understood where this was going.


    Rog nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, but that¡¯s not all. Hordes can cause a lot of chaos and destruction, and this affects native monsters too. They should be distressed, wounded, afraid, angered¡­ They shouldn¡¯t be hiding from our eyes.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This¡­ What do you think happened?¡±


    Rog scratched his beard in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there¡¯s something else going on around here¡­ Then again, I suppose we already knew that, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Red was also considering some possibilities, but the group was lacking any kind of definite evidence to point them towards one way or another. Was that head somehow responsible for this? What about what happened to the wolf pack earlier? Was it all connected?


    They didn¡¯t know what they were dealing with, and this lack of information could be fatal in this kind of environment, as Red had come to learn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet with the others.¡± The boy said. ¡°Maybe the guards also have more information about this.¡±


    Both Rog and Rimold agreed.


    They walked a few minutes down the road before coming across the place where the Skycrown wolf¡¯s body should have been. Instead, what they found was just a large pool of blood, with no signs of the corpse.


    Red frowned. ¡°It was right here¡­¡±


    Rog shrugged. ¡°Maybe they moved the body.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°It was too big, and they were in too much of a hurry.¡±


    Rimold snorted. ¡°Then what? Did the dead wolf just get up and walk away?¡±


    A heavy silence settled around them once the rogue said that.


    The man¡¯s expression changed as he seemed to notice the implications. ¡°Wait, do you think¡­¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there was necromancy involved.¡± Red nodded.


    The rogue gritted his teeth. ¡°Was it that head or was it that damn necromancer?¡±


    The boy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to tell.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Rog called out to them. ¡°There are some tracks going deeper into the forest from the pool of blood.¡±


    Red approached the hunter and examined the ground. The footprints were faint, but sure enough, the unmistakable mark of the paw of a monster heavier than two adults put together was there.


    ¡°It went down south.¡± Rog said. ¡°The same direction we just came from.¡±


    Red frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything. He was already considering some possibilities in his mind.


    ¡°We should ignore it for now.¡± Rimold said. ¡°Our companions need us right now, not to mention those damn Curse Breakers are still around the forest. Let them deal with it!¡±


    Rog grunted and looked over at Red. ¡°Did you agree to meet anyone here?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°They told me to meet them at their camp near the river.¡±


    The hunter frowned. ¡°Hmm, even then, I find it hard to imagine they wouldn¡¯t leave at least one scout around the area to speak with us once we appeared.¡±


    ¡°Maybe an emergency then, or maybe¡­¡± Rimold gulped as he stared at the pool of blood. ¡°Our undead wolf got whoever was still around.¡±


    Rog shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s search further ahead before making any conclusions.¡±


    They did as much. Yet, even after almost half an hour of walking down the road, the group had yet to find the presence of any scouts along the way. In fact, they couldn¡¯t find anyone or anything at all on their way over.


    The whole forest was eerily quiet the further along they got on the road. They could barely even hear any insects or bird sounds.


    It was a heavy, suffocating silence.


    ¡°This is all so¡­ wrong.¡± Rog massaged his forehead. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m having a bad dream.¡±


    Rimold, who also seemed bothered by their surroundings, shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve come too far already. Even if something bad is going on, we still need to reunite with the rest of our companions.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Rog nodded. ¡°I just feel like I can¡¯t think very well with this silence.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t share the hunter¡¯s difficulties in concentrating, but that was because he lived most of his life in a network of tunnels. He had gotten used to hearing nothing but the sound of his own breathing in there.


    They walked along the road for another hour until their arrival on the river line was imminent. Still, they failed to find any evidence to point out what was going on.


    That was when they heard it. At least, it was Rog who heard it first.


    ¡°There¡¯s a distant noise.¡± the hunter said with a frown. ¡°Sounds like a battle.¡±


    Rimold¡¯s expression paled. ¡°Are they fighting the horde again?¡±


    Rog didn¡¯t say anything, and instead just waved them on so they could get closer. Both Red and Rimold started to hear it at the same time, a feat the boy accomplished thanks to his open Five Senses Vein.


    Indeed, it sounded like a battle. In fact, the closer they got, the louder the sounds became, until they notice this wasn¡¯t just the sound of a single, small fight.


    Instead, it was the cacophony of metal clashing, explosions, screaming voices, and the roars of raging monsters. It was the sound of war.


    ¡°We should hurry.¡± Red said.


    The others all agreed with him. They no longer maintained a brisk pace, instead breaking out into a full-blown sprint to cover the final distance of their journey. The sounds of combat only got louder until it was almost deafening.


    Too many voices and noises to discern.


    From above the trees, the group even saw the flash of lights of different colors, a sign of Spiritual Energy being used. Then, finally, a few seconds later, they laid their eyes on the battlefield.


    An improvised fort stood at the center of it all. Barracks and a wall made of wood trunks should have been there, but now all that remained was debris in every direction they looked. A consequence of the battle that still raged on.


    Dozens of monsters surrounded this half-destroyed fortification, roaring in absolute rage and bloodlust and almost climbing over each other to reach forward. Red almost failed to notice the human figures behind this unceasing pile of monsters, who were doing their best to keep the beasts at bay.


    ¡°Is this¡­ The horde?¡± Rimold stood agape as he looked at the scene.


    Red understood where his shock came from. For in the middle of it all, weren¡¯t just creatures from the mountains. Instead, native monsters acted in their midst, seeking to kill every human life in their way.


    The very creatures that should have opposed the horde with every instinct of their body, were now helping them kill and destroy everything in front of them.

 Chapter 255 - Entering Combat

    The group was frozen in shock for a few seconds, but their eyes didn¡¯t lie to them. Amidst the attacking monster stood creatures they were so used to seeing in the forest. Tree-bark bears, fireleaf deers, and even the giant horned owls.


    They joined the monstrous goats, wolves, and lions in attacking the camp. It was a chaotic scene, but Red was quick to recover.


    He looked around for signs of his companions, but the smoke of isolated fires and the creatures blocked most of his vision. He could only see the shining armor of the town¡¯s guard, as well as whom he thought were Gustav¡¯s bodyguards fighting by their side.


    ¡°Do you see the others?¡± He asked Rog.


    He was still two hundred meters away from the fort, so he couldn¡¯t identify their fluctuations.


    The hunter squinted his eyes as he examined the scene. ¡°On the back of the fort. I see them.¡±


    The man pointed them out. Red needed a few seconds to identify them, but sure enough, he saw the figures of their companions. Not only that, but they seemed to be engaged with a familiar monster.


    ¡®A tree-bark bear.¡¯


    This one, however, looked bigger than most as it stood on its two feet. Red didn¡¯t need to sense its fluctuation to be able to tell it was in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Rimold gritted his teeth. ¡°We need to go help them!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s assess the situation first. There¡¯s obviously something strange going on here.¡±


    This much didn¡¯t need to be said. For one, why were the native monsters acting alongside the horde that came to invade their home? Then there was also the fact that these beasts seemed too well coordinated in their attack.


    They were spread out evenly around the fort, assaulting from all directions and forcing the humans to spread their forces thin. Was this just a coincidence, or did the monsters do this on purpose? If it was the latter, then it had deep implications for their current situation.


    ¡°Someone might be controlling the monsters.¡± Rog gave voice to his thoughts.


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Who could even do something like that?¡±


    Rog shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the one thing I can tell you is that everything these monsters are doing goes against their natural instinct.¡±


    The rogue grunted and looked around. ¡°Maybe we should look for whoever is controlling them. Do you see anyone?¡±


    ¡°I do not. Even if we did, though, we would never be able to kill someone that strong.¡±


    Rimold looked impatient. ¡°Then why are we hesitating?! Our companions are in trouble and we won¡¯t find anything else by sitting here!¡±


    It seemed at this point, Rimold¡¯s survival instincts were shut down by the worry for his companions¡¯ lives. Of course, Red and Rog knew the man was right, but which of them would be eager to charge headfirst into that violent melee?


    ¡°We can try to strike the bear they¡¯re fighting from behind.¡± Rog said. ¡°Once we reunite with our companions, we can consider our next step.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll use a talisman. We need to finish the monster off as soon as we can, in case things get worse.¡±


    There were five monsters that stood out amidst the horde due to their size, which made Red assume they were in the Lesser Ring Realm. Three of them were kept at bay by Gustav¡¯s bodyguards, while the other two were fighting against the guards and their companions.


    It was a sizeable force, yet the true danger lay in what they couldn¡¯t see.


    Rog and Rimold agreed to his plan, and the group set about circling the fortification. Red used his crimson sense to scout the outskirts of the battle, expecting to find more monsters waiting for them, or even the cultivator responsible for controlling them.


    Thankfully, that didn¡¯t happen. The way was clear, and at the very least, the monsters didn¡¯t think to put scouts to watch their flanks while they were fighting.


    Soon enough, they found themselves near the area where their companions were engaged against the giant, five meter tall bear. It was the first time Red was seeing a tree-bark bear in the Lesser Ring realm, and its size and pure power that its body emanated awed him. It was a force of nature, and clearly the humans fighting it felt as much.


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    Already several bodies of guards stood at its feet, ripped apart and with their organs hanging out of their bodies. Their steel armors availed them naught against the bear¡¯s vicious claws.


    Still, even more combatants stood near the beast, keeping it at bay, and this included their companions. Narcha seemed to occupy the beast¡¯s attention, while Eiwin, Allen, and a handful of guards armed with spears, struck at the monster¡¯s flanks while it was distracted.


    Unfortunately, the monster seemed to have earned its name. Its bark-like skin was extremely thick, and their blows and steel weapons were not enough to pierce deep enough to wound it. In fact, the monster completely ignored it, focusing its attention on Narcha and her large saber instead.


    When Red saw this, he frowned.


    ¡®The way she¡¯s fighting¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t look like how Narcha usually fought. Instead, it somewhat resembled the style of the ghost that had been possessing her body earlier. Red suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.


    Had the ghost remained behind in her body? Had the boy failed to exorcize it?


    ¡®Maybe this is just the side-effects of the possession¡­¡¯


    It would make some sense, since Rimold also seemed to be deeply affected by the emotions of the ghost that possessed his body earlier. Yet, no matter how Red tried to justify it, the lingering feeling of fear remained in the back of his mind.


    ¡°What is it, Red?¡± Rimold looked at him with a frown. ¡°We need to act quickly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Their plan was fairly simple. Red would use a talisman to strike the beast, hopefully splintering its skin deep enough to allow Rog to fire an arrow deep into its body.


    Without further delay, Red took out a talisman from his pouch before scratching at one of its lines and chanting the magical worlds. Rimold rushed at the battlefield, calling everyone to attention.


    ¡°Stand clear, all of you!¡±


    The guards and his companions both looked surprised, but they all moved away under Eiwin¡¯s prompting. A few seconds later, the glow in Red¡¯s hand intensified, and he waved it forward.


    A green, soft glow of Spiritual Energy formed in front of him. This shape changed in an instant, transforming into a blade of pure, condensed air before shooting toward¡¯s the bear¡¯s back. The monster obviously noticed something was wrong, but the blade of air was too quick, and tree-bark bears weren¡¯t particularly known for their quickness.


    It turned around just in time to be struck in the chest by the blade. Its skin splintered into hundreds of tiny pieces, and the bear stumbled backwards as blood started to flow from its chest. Still, the creature remained standing on two feet, and it looked at Red from afar with hate in its eyes.


    It let out a deafening roar.


    ¡®Even a talisman isn¡¯t enough to kill something like that.¡¯


    They were already prepared for this, though. Almost as soon as the bear let out a roar, an arrow shot deep into its splintered chest. This time, the bear quivered, and it couldn¡¯t help but fall down onto its four paws.


    Rog was the one that shot it, of course. The hunter was a specialist in the monsters of this forest, and he knew what their weaknesses were, as well as where most of their vital organs were located. Suffice it to say, once the bear¡¯s thick armor was blown apart by the talisman, it revealed to the hunter the path towards its inner organs.


    Even then, the bear didn¡¯t die immediately, letting out a grunt of pain.


    ¡°Go, attack it now!¡± Rimold called out to his companions.


    Narcha, who was the closest to the bear, was the first to strike. She jumped on the beast¡¯s back, and before the monster could even react, stabbed down at its spine. Her saber met with strong resistance from its skin, but the woman kept forcing it down until it penetrated the beast with a crunch.


    The bear roared in pain again. It tried to shake the woman off, but before it could do anything else, the others also attacked it.


    Dozens of punches, stabs and slashing attacks came at the bear from all sides. Most of them did nothing by themselves, but like the bites of ants, they eventually were numerous enough to injure the beast.


    The bear twirled around, hoping to catch one of them with its claws, but its movements already weakened. Narcha, too, pulled her saber out and stabbed down again, this time right at its neck.


    The bear shuddered and fell prone on the ground. Breath still came from its body, but its strength was already long gone. Even so, the soldiers continued to stab at the monster with hateful gazes, until they were sure it was dead.


    Indeed, Red felt the bear¡¯s fluctuation disappear. The boy didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to join the battle before it was done, and just like that, a Lesser Ring Realm monster was dead.


    ¡®Was it always just this easy?¡¯


    Red remembered when he first fought against that Fireleaf Deer. Rog almost died back then, and they needed to struggle and use almost everything they had to kill yet. However, now, using the element of surprise and coordinating with their comrades, a Lesser Ring Realm beast fell to them in less than a minute.


    This was the difference preparation made.


    ¡°Rog, Rimold! You¡¯re fine!¡± Allen approached them with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Aye, thanks to Red.¡± Rimold nodded.


    The young master looked over at Red. ¡°Did you get the gh-¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡± Eiwin cut him off.


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened, realizing what he was about to say. There were still guards around them, but thankfully, they seemed too occupied to pay attention to their conversation.


    Red didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he examined Narcha and her fluctuation.


    The woman pulled out her saber from the bear¡¯s back and jumped off its body. She was quick to notice the intense stare the boy was giving her, and her expression changed in realization.


    ¡°This¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°I can explain it later. You don¡¯t need to worry, though. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Red nodded with some skepticism. At the very least, her fluctuation seemed to be back to normal.


    One of the guards approached the group with a severe expression.. ¡°Captain Orvin is calling for your help near the gate of the fort. You can leave the rest over here to us.¡±


    Eiwin hesitated, looking over at her companions. All she received were resolved expressions and nods of approval.


    She looked back at the soldier and nodded. ¡°Point us in his direction.¡±

 Chapter 256 - Displaying Progress

    The guard did as much. ¡°The way through the tents should be clear of monsters, but it¡¯s possible some of them got through. We can barely keep them at bay.¡±


    They had been fighting the tree-bark bear fairly deep into the fort, while most of the battle was still happening on the outskirts and walls. Hence why they were afforded this moment of reprieve and a safe path to move through the battlefield.


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Why do you think we would take the safest way? We are here to help, so help we shall!¡±


    The soldier frowned. ¡°But the captain said you should-¡±


    ¡°Screw your captain!¡± She cut him off. ¡°We can meet him in battle, isn¡¯t that right, Eiwin?¡±


    The warrior looked at her companion with an eager gaze.


    The younger woman sighed and nodded. She looked over at the guard. ¡°We¡¯ll make our way through the outskirts and deal with the monsters as we move towards your captain. We can clear the battlefield of other threats too, this way.¡±


    The soldier looked hesitant, but just nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try to inform him of this.¡±


    He walked away and started to give orders to the surrounding men. Although they had cleared the battlefield of a large threat, there were still dozens of monsters around that the soldiers still needed to deal with.


    After the man was gone, Eiwin looked back at her companions. ¡°We will take the same usual approach. Miss Valt and I will take the vanguard and Master Rog and Mister Rimold will offer us ranged support. As for Young Master Allen and Red, you will offer your help as a pair where needed, whether to keep monster away from our ranged companions or to reinforce both me and Miss Valt.¡± She looked at Allen. ¡°Young Master Allen, you are to listen to Red¡¯s decisions in these matters. Is that clear?¡±


    Allen nodded without hesitation. ¡°I will do whatever he says!¡±


    Eiwin smiled. ¡°Good. Then we are settled. Believe it when I tell you this, but Master Hector put a lot of thought into the kind of training he provided to each and every one of you for moments like these. We can all cover each other¡¯s weaknesses and reinforce our strengths, and if we can work together as a proper squad, then not even Lesser Ring Realm monsters can stand in our way.¡±


    ¡®Is that really the case?¡¯


    Red was skeptical, but the truth was that they indeed managed to kill that bear in a series of quick blows. Although they had the help of a talisman, the wordless coordination the group showed at that moment was indeed impressive.


    She looked over at Narcha. ¡°With that being said, I will let you take the lead, Miss Valt.¡±


    Narcha nodded with an eager expression. Without hesitation, she charged in the direction where the sounds of battle were more intense.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to come face to face with another skirmish. This section of the wooden wall was completely collapsed, and the fighting here had been turned into a chaotic melee as the guards found themselves unable to keep formation.


    Dozens of soldiers did their best to hold their own against these monsters, but under their inhuman strength, they continued to fall one by one. One kind of these beasts in particular seemed stronger and more vicious than the rest.


    ¡®Skycrown wolves.¡¯


    Even amidst the diverse horde of monsters, they were still a majority. Red could feel at least twenty monsters spread through this section of the fort¡¯s walls, while the guards numbered in the forties.


    ¡°Take out the wolves first!¡± Narcha called out to them without looking back.


    Their wordless agreement came in the form of them taking out their weapons. Narcha and Eiwin charged ahead, while Rog and Rimold prepared to shoot or throw their weapons at the monsters.


    Red looked over at Allen. ¡°Stay close. We need to watch each other¡¯s back.¡±


    The young master nodded with a nervous but still resolute expression.


    Their aim seemed to be two white Skycrown wolves and a large brown ibex with spiked vicious horns. Rog¡¯s arrow and Rimold¡¯s dagger arrived before Narcha and Eiwin, striking at one of the wolves.


    The creature growled in pain as the projectiles stuck into its side, and turned around to look in the direction where it came from. As soon as it turned around, though, it was met with an uppercut from Eiwin at its muzzle that made it stagger backwards.


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    Before it could even notice what was happening, Narcha followed up Eiwin¡¯s attack with a slash of her saber at the wolf¡¯s neck. The weapon cut straight through, and the monster was decapitated in a swift one-two combo.


    At this point, the other monsters noticed their presence, and immediately turned away from the guards to face this new threat. The ibex charged at Narcha with its spiked horns, while the wolf jumped at Eiwin with its claws.


    Narcha put her saber in front of herself to block the head-on charge, being pushed back almost three meters, but still holding her ground as she managed to drag the ibex to a pause.


    As soon as the monster stopped moving, an arrow and a dagger shot into its side, making it wail in pain. Still, the beast didn¡¯t fall with just that, and continued to attack Narcha, this time striking at her with its hooves.


    Eiwin, in the meantime, was dodging the wolves¡¯ claws and bites, being put into the defensive. Red was considering going over to help them, when he felt another fluctuation approaching their location from the flanks.


    He looked over and saw another wolf charging towards Rog and Rimold from afar, having finished up with a guard. The two of them had not even noticed it yet, but Red wasn¡¯t about to let the beast get this close to them.


    He looked over at Allen. ¡°With me!¡±


    The young master nodded without hesitation.


    Red led him over to the side in a sprint towards the wolf.


    This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Rimold and Rog.


    ¡°What are you-¡± The rogue was about to protest when he looked in the direction they were running towards and saw the large vicious wolf charging at them.


    ¡°Let them handle it!¡± Rog said, still shooting at the Ibex.


    This was all Red heard from their conversation as he continued to approach the wolf. He stopped midway through his charge, causing Allen to be caught by surprise.


    ¡°Get ready and stay by the side!¡± Red said.


    The young master nodded and walked over to the side.


    The wolf was quick to spot these two small humans who dared get in its way, and it didn¡¯t stop its charge at all. There was no more than thirty meters between it and the two boys right now, and the final distance would be closed in a matter of instants.


    This scene reminded him of the trial when he first met these wolves. Back then, the boy was slogged down by the snow and got battered away like it was nothing. Now, however, nothing was slowing down his steps, and the boy had learned a lot under Domeron¡¯s guidance.


    His Tranquil Beak Weapon Art was mainly used for assassination, but the tricks and techniques it taught him could be used in combat or in any other kind of situation, too. So it was that the boy planned to deal with the wolf.


    He stood in a ramrod straight stance, laying his new dark sword flat against his forearm by the side of his body. Red looked like he was an official paying his respects at court, and not like someone who was in the middle of a war.


    He even felt some uncertainty from Allen, who stood by his side, but the boy remained still. Although nothing much seemed to be happening on the surface, Red knew better.


    His muscles were tensing, being awakened and prepared to deliver his attack. Like a heron, the boy stood at the ready to strike, to finish this fight with one fatal blow.


    Even if the enemy was aware of his presence and trying to kill him, his assassination arts would still prevail.


    The wolf leapt forward, crossing the final distance with a large jump. Its vicious maw opened midair, ready to close around Red¡¯s entire body with a single bite.


    That was when the boy moved.


    Like the string of a bow when released, all the potential energy the boy was building inside his own body exploded. He shot forward, diving under the monster¡¯s maw and raising his sword up in a single fluid movement, keeping low to the ground.


    The wolf¡¯s jaws closed just inches above him. Then there was the sound of something ripping apart. Red¡¯s sword found purchase on the beast¡¯s underside, using the monster¡¯s own charging momentum to carve a vertical line from its neck to its belly.


    Then, the beast¡¯s back legs crashed into Red, causing both wolf and boy to tumble away to the dirt. They crashed down about five meters away from each other.


    ¡°Red!¡± Allen hurried towards him.


    ¡°Finish it off!¡± Red waved his hand at the young master as he got on one knee with no apparent wounds and still holding onto his now bloodied sword.


    Allen looked over and saw that the wolf was lying on its side, struggling to get up. A bloody cut travelled all the way from its underside, making the crimson fluid pool at its feet.


    The young master hesitated for just a second before charging at the wolf. The beast did its best to strike Allen down, but it was too slow.


    The young master circled around the half-collapsed wolf and stabbed its neck, causing the wolf to spasm in pain again. Allen then pulled his sword back and retreat before being caught up in its death throes.


    It turned out, however, that the young master didn¡¯t need to worry. The wolf only struggled for a few more seconds before falling completely still.


    ¡°It¡¯s dead¡­¡± Allen said with an expression of shock.


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded, approaching him from the side.


    ¡°How did you-¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°Let¡¯s rejoin our companions. There are still many monsters around and we don¡¯t know when-¡±


    The boy himself was interrupted by a howl of pain. He looked over, noticing the ibex was just collapsing on the floor with a large bloody gash on its side and several arrows and daggers stuck into its body.


    The wolf himself wasn¡¯t faring much better, limping on its front leg as Eiwin continued to circle and strike it with her punches and kicks. Before long, the wolf too collapsed as Narcha cut halfway through its body from behind.


    Just like that, four monsters were dead.


    As soon as their immediate battle was finished, Eiwin looked back in confusion at Rog and Rimold, and noticed the absence of Red and Allen.


    Some panic came to her expression. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    The hunter pointed to the side, where both Red and Allen stood by the corpse of another snow white wolf. What had taken the rest of them a minute to accomplish, the boys had done in less than thirty seconds.


    None of Red¡¯s companions seemed to believe it.


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Maybe we should have put the two of them on the vanguard.¡±

 Chapter 257 - At the Gates

    Eiwin shook her head, recovering from her surprise. ¡°Focus on the task at hand. There are still enemies for us to dispatch.¡±


    The group nodded at her, getting ready to reenter the fray. Off to the side, the guards they had just saved were looking at them with grateful gazes.


    Eiwin nodded at them. ¡°Go help your other companions! We will clear a path towards the entrance of the fort.¡±


    The guards nodded, not hesitating to follow her orders. Most of these soldiers had only opened a handful of veins, and they were nowhere near as strong as Red and his sect members. Still, when they worked together and used coordination, they were more than capable of dealing with a few monsters.


    It was why the fort was yet to collapse.


    While the guards wandered off, Eiwin already looked for their next target. The group began moving towards the heart of the melee, where bodies of both monsters and soldiers littered the ground, and the fight was still raging on.


    Bears, deers, goats, wolves, even a handful of birds made up their enemy numbers. The boy saw many creatures for the first time, but he didn¡¯t have time to admire them.


    Like a well-oiled machine, Red and his companions carved a path through the battlefield, just as they promised. Narcha charged into the middle of combat with her saber, throwing monsters away and giving the guards more space to breath.


    Then Eiwin dove in with lightning quick and precise strikes that broke bones and threw the monsters off balance for her companions to finish. Rimold used his daggers to target weak areas of the beasts, while Rog was the most deadly in combat with his arrows that buried themselves deep into the monsters¡¯ flesh.


    Red and Allen also helped by flanking and stabbing monsters, but they knew better than to engage against the creatures head on. What the boy accomplish against that wolf was, at the end of the day, a matter of both opportunity and luck. It wouldn¡¯t work for every situation, and Red knew better than to delude himself as such.


    Still, in less than a minute, the group had already left their mark on the battlefield. Almost ten monsters fell to their hands, and the tides of battle in this area changed.


    The guards managed to regroup, but at the same time, the remaining monsters¡¯ attentions were placed on Red and his companions. In the blink of an eye, the group found themselves surrounded by ravenous creatures clawing and biting at them.


    Narcha and Eiwin still managed to hold the front line, but more of them slipped through and started to reach for Rog and Rimold. Red and Allen were forced to help, but there were too many monsters for them to deal with at once.


    Then, just as they thought they would be forced to retreat, their allies joined the battle.


    One of the leading guards started barking orders at his men. ¡°Go! Reform the line! Push them back!¡±


    His soldiers did as much. They started to cover the group¡¯s flanks with their spears and long weapons, relieving the pressure off of the back line.


    Allen smiled when he saw this. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s push them back!¡±


    Surprisingly, the soldiers all roared in support of the young master¡¯s words. With Narcha and Eiwin at the tip of this spear, slowly but surely, they started to push back the monsters to the outer walls.


    At that point, it seemed like the threat of death started to overshadow their crazed thirst for blood, as some of the monsters started to retreat out of nowhere. Red frowned when he saw this, but this still benefited them in the end.


    The monsters that remained behind were quickly dispatched, and suddenly the group found themselves without enemies to fight. Once the soldiers saw this, they roared in celebration.


    ¡°We did it! We beat them back!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you morons!¡± Narcha cut them off. ¡°The battle is still not over! There are other monsters around the camp!¡±


    The soldiers stopped celebrating and nodded at the woman with solemn expressions. Allen, too, who seemed just about to join their celebration, lowered his sword back down.


    The leading guard that had regrouped these soldiers looked at Narcha. ¡°You¡¯re right! We will follow you and help you clear the rest of the camp!¡±


    Narcha shook her head. ¡°No, you idiots! We want to be fast, and you would only slow us down! Go back the way we came from and help the rest of your colleagues!¡±


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    The soldier looked disappointed at her refusal before hearing the last part of her words.


    He looked back at his men with a resolute expression. ¡°You heard her! Let¡¯s move back and reinforce our brethren!¡±


    Soon enough, the soldiers were off, and Red¡¯s group once again resumed their journey towards the front of the fort, where the battle was the fiercest.


    Some lone monsters sought to stop them, but they were quickly dispatched by both Narcha and Rog before they could even approach them. Finally, as they circled around large barracks, they laid eyes on the fort entrance.


    Or what remained of it, at least.


    The scene was complete chaos. Destroyed barracks, fires, splintered wood logs. Not much remained of the so-called fort they had built in such a hurry.


    Yet in the middle of it all, the battle still raged on.


    Red saw Captain Orvin commanding his men as they fought against the monster horde. The guards here seemed more organized, forming a line and using their long-reach weapons to keep the monsters at bay. Yet, this formation already showed signs of collapse.


    Here, most of the monsters were Skycrown Wolves, probably almost fifty of them. Their snow white coats were smeared in blood, both from their wounds and their victims, yet the beasts continued to fight without a hint of reluctance or reason in their eyes.


    There were easily over a hundred guards trying to keep these monsters at bay, yet even then, they were suffering constant casualties.


    It was a fearsome sight, yet what caught Red¡¯s attention the most wasn¡¯t that. Instead, it was the battle being fought not too far away from there.


    Red recognized Gustav¡¯s two bodyguards, the large man and the woman, fighting against two particularly large white wolves. They both were wearing their wooden masks and still sporting their leather armor from the meeting. The man was wielding a large saber, while the woman seemed to be using a greatsword.


    Yellowish Spiritual Energy that the boy couldn¡¯t identify emanated from these weapons, as with every strike, bright blade energy would fly forth from them to strike at the wolves. Yet, these bodyguards weren¡¯t the only ones using spiritual energy.


    The two wolves seemed to be emanating a white mist from their body, and every step they took seemed to freeze the surrounding ground. Red saw one of their claws clash against the man¡¯s saber, causing a sheet of ice to form around the weapon and causing its yellow glow to wane ever so slightly.


    Still, the large bodyguard seemed to be emanating pure physical might as he simply pushed the enormous wolf away with its saber, before pushing his offense again. The woman, too, seemed to use large and strong strikes to keep the other creature at bay, and for the moment, it didn¡¯t seem like either side had an advantage.


    Narcha gritted her teeth and looked over at Eiwin. ¡°What do we do? Do we help the guards first or the bodyguards?¡±


    This was a pertinent question. The guards were losing, and they could use the help, but if Gustav¡¯s bodyguards were free of their enemies, then they could clean up the weaker monsters without much issue. Not to mention, the group did indeed have a handful of talismans that could help with the occasion.


    Eiwin hesitated for a moment, before coming to a decision. ¡°We will help the guards first. I can¡¯t bear to see any more of them die.¡±


    No one in the group protested. They had a few issues with the town guards in the past, but their relationship was mostly amicable when it came down to it. As for Gustav¡¯s bodyguards, that was another matter, not to mention it didn¡¯t seem like they needed the help, anyway.


    Just as they were about to go and reinforce the guards, though, Red felt another strong fluctuation enter his detection range. What surprised him, though, was the direction it was coming from.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He called out to his group. ¡°There¡¯s something above us!¡±


    His companions all froze and looked up.


    Rog squinted his eyes and frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    Red, too, started to examine the night sky space above their heads, but even with his dark vision, he failed to spot anything at first. A few seconds later, though, he saw a silhouette against the starry night sky.


    It was approaching the ground at a tremendous speed.


    It didn¡¯t seem to be targeting the group, though. Instead, it was flying straight at Gustav¡¯s bodyguards.


    Before Red could say anything, a shape seemed to materialize out of the dark night sky, diving towards the large man. The bodyguard noticed its approach, but before he could do anything, the creature was already upon him.


    A pair of talons ripped into the man¡¯s shoulder, dragging pieces of armor and flesh with it. Then, before the bodyguard could even react, the bird flew up and disappeared into the night sky again.


    The man stumbled, and the wolf he was fighting with took this opportunity to attack. He barely managed to put his saber up in defense, but he was unable to muster his brute strength from earlier to throw the wolf back. Instead, it was the man that was pushed back a few meters, and a wave of ice spread from his sword to his arms.


    After seeing this, his companion tried to go help him, but the wolf she was fighting with seemed to notice her eagerness and chose that exact moment to press his offense, forcing the woman away. The man was thus left to his own devices to deal with the wolf, and it didn¡¯t seem like he would last for long.


    Just like that, the tides of their battle had turned.


    ¡°What was that thing?¡± Allen asked in a fearful tone.


    ¡°Not native.¡± Rog frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is¡­ I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Gods damn it!¡± Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°We need to help them before they get killed!¡±


    Eiwin hesitated and looked back at the guards fighting against the wolf horde. They, too, seemed on the brink of collapse.


    It took a few seconds for her to make a decision.


    ¡°Allen, Mister Rimold, with me. We¡¯ll go help the guards.¡± She looked at the rest of her companions. ¡°Red, Master Rog, and Miss Valt, go help Gustav¡¯s bodyguards. If they die, the battle may already be lost.¡± Her gaze lingered on Red. ¡°Only you can spot that bird, so make sure to keep an eye open!¡±


    ¡®That much doesn¡¯t need to be said.¡¯


    Although the members of the group showed some signs of hesitation, they knew better than to protest their leader¡¯s orders at such a critical moment. Red looked over at the sky.


    The bird had flown out of the range of detection and not even his dark vision could spot it in the sky. Yet, somehow Red knew this flying beast was there, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

 Chapter 258 - Stealthy Bird

    There was not much time for discussion. As soon as Eiwin split up the groups, they all went their separate ways.


    As Red¡¯s group approached Gustav¡¯s bodyguards, they noticed their situation was getting worse. Whatever wounds were inflicted on the large man, they seemed to have done more damage than was readily apparent, as his movement started to slow down.


    Rog frowned. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe poison.¡± Red suggested.


    ¡°Quite possible.¡± The hunter nodded. ¡°All the more reason not to get scratched by that bird.¡±


    Narcha grunted. ¡°That¡¯s our priority, then.¡±


    The woman took a bottle of pills from her pouch before swallowing one of them. Red recognized it as one of the remaining empowerment pills they acquired from the imperials in the trial.


    Narcha looked over at Red and Rog. ¡°Deal with the bird. I¡¯ll help that buffoon out so he doesn¡¯t get killed.¡±


    Red hesitated, but before he could say anything, Narcha was already running to the battlefield. Her approach didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the combatants.


    The wolf she was charging towards in particular growled at having its fight interrupted. It didn¡¯t dare to underestimate Narcha, though, even if she wasn¡¯t in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    It swiped one of its sharp claws at the woman, his paw emitting a faint, white mist. It looked as if the attack was about to connect, but suddenly Narcha spun on her feet, twirling out of the way with incredible speed and dodging the attack. Then, using the motion of her spin, she brought her saber around to slash against the wolf¡¯s body.


    The creature didn¡¯t have the time to dodge, or perhaps it didn¡¯t care to. The saber clashed against the monster¡¯s white fur, causing an explosion of snow mist and ice shards. Still, the wolf barely stumbled on its feet, and the woman¡¯s attack was shrugged off with no visible injuries.


    The wolf turned around and tried to snap its jaws closed around Narcha, but the woman had already twirled away.


    ¡°It has a protective ice sheet around its body!¡± The large body guard warned Narcha.


    The woman gritted her teeth in annoyance and focused on dodging the wolf¡¯s attacks. She was pressed into the defensive very quickly, as this wolf seemed both faster and smarted than the bear from earlier, but under the effects of the pill, she managed to hold her own.


    This allowed the large man some room to breathe as he swallowed something under his wooden mask. Red felt his fluctuation stabilize somewhat, and soon enough, the man was charging back towards the wolf.


    The monster growled in annoyance at this two pronged attack, but a wounded Lesser Ring Realm cultivator and a powerful mortal were barely enough to keep the creature at bay. Upon seeing this, the female bodyguard focused back on her own target.


    Red was relieved, as the situation seemed to be stabilized. Yet he knew Narcha¡¯s empowerment wouldn¡¯t last for long, and there was still another creature on the battlefield they had to deal with.


    The pressure on him increased when his companion was simply staring at him, awaiting orders.


    He looked over at Rog in confusion. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you shot the wolves?¡±


    Rog shook his head. ¡°I feel confident in piercing the wolf if I try, but I¡¯m storing that one shot for the target that really matters.¡±


    Red remembered the technique the hunter used against the bandits six months ago in the forest.


    The boy was willing to believe Rog in this matter. He looked up at the sky. ¡°Do you feel confident in shooting the bird?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Rog shook his head again. ¡°It¡¯s too fast. By the time I can spot it, aim, and shoot it, it will already be gone.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do you have any more talismans?¡±


    The hunter nodded. ¡°Only a shield, but even if I had something else, it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    The boy knew he was speaking the truth. One of the downsides of a talisman was that they needed at least a few seconds to be activated. How could he aim that effectively when their target appeared and disappeared from sight in a split second?


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    This was not to mention that they were running out of offensive talismans. Red himself only had one of them remaining, and he would rather save it for when it could be most useful.


    Such being the case, what other venues were available to them to deal with this bird?


    ¡®I need to think quickly. I don¡¯t know when it¡¯s going to strike again.¡¯


    ¡°If you knew when it was going to appear, could you hit it?¡± Red asked.


    Rog hesitated. ¡°If I knew when it was going to appear and where it was going to appear¡­ Then yes, I could hit it.¡±


    The boy frowned. He could figure out when the bird was going to appear by his crimson sense, but as for where it would appear? It moved too quickly for Red to make these calculations and assumptions on the fly.


    ¡°Who do you think the bird is going to strike next?¡± Red asked.


    Rog frowned in thought. ¡°If it was a common monster, it would probably try to finish off its first weakened target¡­¡±


    ¡°Yet, you seem skeptical.¡± Red noticed the man¡¯s expression.


    ¡°What is happening here goes against my knowledge of monsters. I can¡¯t guarantee anything.¡±


    Indeed, it was hard to predict the behavior of these animals. If they were indeed being controlled by someone, could that someone give them very specific orders? Could they make it so this monster went against its natural instincts?


    Red didn¡¯t know, but an idea started to form in his head.


    ¡°We can force it to attack someone.¡± Red looked over at Rog.


    ¡°How?¡± The hunter looked skeptical.


    The boy hesitated. ¡°¡­ Get away from me.¡±


    Rog raised his eyebrows in surprise, catching onto Red¡¯s plan. ¡°This seems a bit risky.¡±


    Red stared at him. ¡°You said you could hit it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The hunter nodded. ¡°I suppose I did.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to worry.¡± Red waved him off. ¡°Go stand by the side and make sure you don¡¯t miss.¡±


    Rog gave him a deep look but offered no protest. He hurried off to the side, positioning himself almost fifty meters away from the boy with his bow at the ready.


    Red looked over at Narcha and the wolves. He noticed the woman was having more trouble keeping up with the monster as a sheet of ice formed around her armor and the large bodyguard was having trouble dealing any damage to the creature. They didn¡¯t have much longer, and this was certainly the best time to attack.


    Red grabbed onto a talisman inside his pouch, his last offensive spell. What he was about to do was risky, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    The boy took his talisman out and pointed it at the wolves in the middle of combat.


    Then, in a very deliberate manner, Red started to chant the incantations and scratch at the activation line in the talisman. The slip began to glow, as strong Spiritual Energy emanated from the boy¡¯s hands.


    This, of course, caught the attention of everyone in his vicinity, wolves and bodyguards included. Such was the nature of such talismans and spells, in general, conflagrations of energy that would have a hard time to go by unnoticed at such a distance.


    For a moment, the combatants stared at Red in wonder and surprise. The wolves were quick to notice the talisman seemed to be pointed at them and growled in wariness.


    Then, just as the talisman seemed about to go off, Red felt it. A fluctuation suddenly appeared above him, diving towards the boy at an incredible speed.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    This was the only word Red managed to get out before the bird was almost upon him. He heard the sound of an arrow being released before the creature even appeared.


    It whooshed over his head.


    ¡®Too early.¡¯


    The next instant, the figure of the bird materialized out of the darkness above his head, its talons reaching for the boy. Yet, he didn¡¯t panic.


    Another sound, fainter this time.


    Something hit the creature in midair, throwing its body off course. It crashed in the ground just by Red¡¯s side, its momentum making it slide almost ten meters across the floor before coming to a stop.


    It wasn¡¯t dead, though, and it struggled to get up. Only now did the boy manage to lay eyes on its true appearance.


    This bird monster resembled an owl, its dark feathers making its figure hard to discern even with the boy¡¯s night vision. Even its beak was completely pitch black. It wasn¡¯t big for a monster in the Lesser Ring Realm, roughly the size of an adult man, but its wingspan reached well over five meters. The only thing that broke the monotonous dark colors of the creature was its glowing silver eyes and the arrow the stuck out of its side.


    Indeed, Rog hadn¡¯t disappointed. If one arrow wasn¡¯t enough, the hunter would shoot as many as he needed in quick succession so that one of them would hit.


    It was something the boy had only seen Rog use a handful of times and which exhausted his body very quickly. Yet, in this situation, it had worked perfectly to their advantage.


    Red wasn¡¯t about to take any chances either.


    He turned around and pointed his talisman at the monster, trying to finish his incantation. The bird seemed to notice what was about to happen, and it let out a screeching sound.


    Suddenly, a wave of darkness flew out of its body, covering Red in an instant. The boy¡¯s vision was covered by absolute darkness and he found himself unable to see anything.


    Whatever kind of monster this was, it seemed capable of manipulating darkness as if it was a tangible element. It was a wondrous and terrifying ability.


    However, Red didn¡¯t panic. This wasn¡¯t the first time the boy had to act completely blind.


    Through his crimson sense, he felt the creature move around, trying to flank him. Yet, before it could get close to him, the boy turned around in a hurry and pointed his talisman at the monster¡¯s fluctuation, finishing his incantation.


    He felt a wave of energy explode in front of him, pushing his body back slightly. Then, a few seconds later, Red felt the darkness surrounding him retreat as he recovered his vision.


    What greeted his eyes was the dying owl monster, impaled to the ground by a large rock spear conjured out of Earth Spiritual Energy. The creature struggled, trying to get itself free, to no avail.


    A few seconds later, its movements started to weaken. Red felt the monster¡¯s fluctuation disappear as it finally died.


    The boy sighed in relief. In the end, his plan had worked perfectly.


    ¡°Red, watch out!¡±


    Narcha¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Red turned around in a hurry, only to see two enormous wolves charging at him with maddened gazes.

 Chapter 259 - Enemy Retreats

    Red cursed to himself and tried to retreat. However, he barely took a few steps before he felt the wolves catching up to him and the wave of cold air hitting his back.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I can outrun them.¡¯


    Before the boy could think much further, though, he hear the sound of another arrow whistling through the air. One of the wolves growled in pain and slowed its chase for a second, giving Red more time to think.


    ¡®The escape talisman!¡¯


    He recalled the talisman Eiwin had given him, and his hand went to his pouch to grab it. However, at the same time, he could feel the other wolf catching up to him and its wounded companion was also ignoring Rog¡¯s arrows to give chase.


    He began chanting the incantation in a hurry. However, he knew this wouldn¡¯t work.


    It would be a matter of seconds before they caught him, and Red wouldn¡¯t have the time to activate the talisman. The boy saw his life flash before his eyes, and just as he was considering doing something dire, he felt another fluctuation approach him with extreme speed.


    More accurately, it was approaching his pursuers.


    One of the wolves howled in pain, far louder this time. Red took a glance behind himself and saw the female bodyguard had her sword stuck on the creature¡¯s side. Her entire body was surrounded by a fierce, pulsing yellow light, and even bits and pieces of what looked like rocks were floating around her. This increase in strength was reflected in her fluctuation, as the boy was quick to notice.


    The other wolf was frightened by this, and its charge instinctively slowed down. Red saw his opportunity.


    He continued running and finished his incantation. By the time the other wolf noticed this, Red¡¯s body was already glowing with a faint green light.


    The boy¡¯s speed suddenly increased several times, and he ran in a straight line away from the wolf. This swift escape talisman was also based on Wind Spiritual Energy, like the one he used on the trial, but unlike that one, Red didn¡¯t feel in control over this energy or of his own momentum.


    He felt like if he tried to do abrupt change in directions, he would probably crash and slide to a halt. Instead, Red ran in a straight line away from the wolves and towards the forest.


    He didn¡¯t feel the monsters give chase any longer, but he didn¡¯t stop. Only when the effect of the talisman ran out twenty seconds later did he finally grind to a halt.


    Red felt a tightness in his chest and tried to catch his breath. An after-effect of the talisman, most likely.


    The boy then looked around himself, noticing he was now back at the tree line. The glowing fort was over five hundred meters away, and Red couldn¡¯t feel any fluctuations around him - neither wolf nor his companions.


    ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have ran so much.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t blame himself, though. When you are so close to dying, there was no time for precise calculations.


    The battle was still raging on in the distance, though, as he saw Gustav¡¯s female bodyguard reengage with the wolves. He didn¡¯t know what kind of ability that woman had used to save him, and neither did he know why she waited so long to use it, but right now that seemed to give her an edge against the monsters.


    The creatures continuously suffered wounds over the next few exchanges before they decided to retreat. Their withdrawal caused a sudden reaction on the battlefield.


    The rest of the monster horde, which seemed to have come to a standstill against the guards after Eiwin and the other reinforced them, all started to run away, the rage disappearing from their eyes. The horde was retreating.


    ¡®Wait¡­ The horde is retreating?¡¯


    Only now did the situation seem to dawn on Red. Horde monsters often fought to the death, and only when a scant few of them were remaining and they were faced against truly overwhelming odds would their rage shrivel and they would retreat. However, this wasn¡¯t what was happening.


    They had barely lost any of their number at this front, so why would they choose to retreat? Sure, looking at the fight of the stronger wolves and the bodyguards, one could see how the situation would probably turn against the horde soon enough, but was this something monsters could discern?


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    The possibility that someone was controlling them became more likely by the second.


    Many guards, including a few of his own companions, started to give chase to the monsters. Gustav¡¯s bodyguards, though, made no attempt to stop the wolves from retreating, and Red didn¡¯t fancy his chance at stopping these monsters either, so he stood aside as he watched dozens of creatures pass him by.


    A loud voice called out over the battlefield. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t give chase!¡±


    Red recognized this voice. It came from Captain Orvin, who stood on top of a large crate as he addressed his men.


    His order had an immediate effect on the battlefield. The guards all slowed and let the monsters escape back into the forest, although more than a few of these soldiers had reluctant expressions.


    Soon enough, no more creatures could be seen inside the ruined fort, and all that remained was the destruction and corpses they left behind.


    Red made his way back to the battlefield once the path was safe. He was greeted by Rog and Narcha, who both seemed exhausted from their endeavor, but luckily didn¡¯t sustain any wounds. They had different expressions as they stared at the boy.


    The hunter scratched his beard. ¡°I thought you were going to run back to town at that rate.¡±


    Narcha grunted. ¡°What did you even do to anger those wolves, anyway?¡±


    ¡°He killed the bird, of course.¡± Rog said.


    The woman looked confused. ¡°Why would that anger them?¡±


    ¡°The wolves? That wouldn¡¯t anger them.¡± the hunter shook his head. ¡°It would anger the one that is controlling them. The kid probably killed his pet, after all.¡±


    Both Narcha and Red frowned. They wanted to call Rog out on this conjecture, but right now, this really seemed like the most reasonable explanation for everything that was happening.


    Before they could continue their conversation, though, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching them.


    Red turned around and saw Gustav¡¯s bodyguards walking towards them. There were no signs of injuries in their outer appearance, but the boy could tell from their fluctuation that they were likewise exhausted.


    The atmosphere suddenly changed, as Red¡¯s companions were reminded that these people were their enemies outside of these times of crisis. Narcha¡¯s hand remained tight around her saber as she glared at the two of them.


    The large bodyguard stared at Red and the others through the eyeholes in his mask.


    ¡°We¡¯re even now.¡± The man spoke in his rough voice.


    ¡°Even?¡± Narcha looked confused.


    ¡°Yes, even.¡± He nodded. ¡°You saved me and my companion saved the kid. We¡¯re even now.¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°Is this even worth speaking about in this kind of situation?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± the man nodded. ¡°This way, if we need to kill you in the future, there won¡¯t be anything to hold us back and you won¡¯t feel betrayed.¡±


    Narcha was speechless.


    The man didn¡¯t say anything else and turned around to walk away. His companion¡¯s gaze, however, seemed to linger on Red.


    The boy felt the woman¡¯s eyes boring into him, as if trying to look through his secrets. Red, however, wasn¡¯t shaken by it, and simply met her gaze with his usual cold eyes.


    The woman said nothing and turned around to join her companion.


    Red¡¯s group was left behind to digest this conversation. Only now did Narcha¡¯s expression seem to twist in anger.


    She gritted her teeth. ¡°Bunch of fucking bastards¡­¡±


    Rog scratched his beard. ¡°Well, they kind of have a point¡­¡±


    A glare from Narcha was enough to silence the hunter.


    ¡°Narcha, Rog, Red!¡± Allen¡¯s voice came from behind them. ¡°Are you alright?!¡±


    Red turned around and saw the young master running towards them. Not too far behind, he saw Eiwin and Rimold¡¯s figures too. They also seemed to be in reasonably healthy conditions, albeit likewise tired from combat. Some blood could be seen splashed in Eiwin¡¯s uniform, but whether it came from her or her enemies was impossible to tell.


    ¡°What did those two say to you?¡± Allen asked as he noticed Narcha¡¯s angry expression.


    ¡°Nothing that matters.¡± The woman shook her head.


    Rimold stared at the group up and down. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see much of what happened, but I saw a lot of flashing lights from this direction.¡± The rogue looked at the dark owl¡¯s corpse. ¡°It seems you had everything under control, though.¡±


    ¡°It was way closer than it looks like.¡± Rog said.


    ¡°What matters is that everyone came out of this safe.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°When you feel you are ready, Captain Orvin invited us to a meeting at his tent¡­ Or what remains of it, at least.¡±


    Allen frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried the monsters are going to come back?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°Of course I am, but given the present circumstances, I have a hunch it will be a while before they try anything again.¡±


    The young master seemed skeptical, but he didn¡¯t protest.


    As they made their way over to the main tent at the center of the fort, they were able to see the results of the confrontation. Bodies of guards and monsters littered the battlefield, and a lot of guards were busy putting out fires and gathering the corpses of their companions.


    An air of solemnity seemed to fill the fort, which seemed to reach even Red and his companions. They were used to fighting and killing, but it was rare for them to partake in these matters on such a large scale.


    Allen, in particular, seemed more affected than most by the surrounding atmosphere, as he looked around in sadness and horror. However, he said nothing and kept walking forward, displaying his emotional growth since the trial.


    Grisly sights were common in the cultivation world, and one needed to get used to them if they wanted to make their way up in the ladder. Mortal lives were worth almost nothing to a lot of cultivators, and they could be extinguished as easily as blowing out a candle.


    It was the truth Red had to come to terms with during his time in the underground, and something that Allen was now paying witness to first hand. The lesson each individual took out of this was essential to decide the kind of cultivator they would become one day.


    Red had arrived at his truth very early on. As for Allen? Only time would tell if his surrounding influences paid out for the better or for the worse.

 Chapter 260 - War Council

    Eventually, the group arrived at the central tent. The pavilion had many charred markings on its surface, yet amidst the destroyed fort it was the one structure that remained standing.


    The majority of the surviving soldiers gathered around it, either tending to their wounds or moving to and fro while gathering equipment or attending to other tasks. Even after such a catastrophic battle with dozens of deaths on their side, the guards still acted with the coordination befitting a proper army.


    It impressed Red to a certain degree. The Baron made good work of training these men, it seemed.


    As soon as Red¡¯s group came into view of the central tent, a soldier approached them.


    ¡°Captain Orvin is waiting for you inside, if you would follow me.¡± The guard pointed the way.


    Eiwin nodded and led the group forward. The soldier raised the flap of the tent, allowing them to enter.


    Inside, they were greeted by a well-lit and organized environment. White-light lanterns lined up the tent¡¯s wall, alongside a handful of maps of the region and written reports. In the center of the room was a large, round table, upon which a detailed map of the lands surrounding the river could be seen, as well as many markers and wooden pins displaying the location settlements and the monster horde.


    The whole environment seemed untouched by the destruction from outside, which surprised Red. Already inside the tent were Captain Orvin, a few of his men, and Gustav¡¯s two bodyguards, all standing around the table.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± The Captain nodded. ¡°Then we can start our debriefing.¡±


    Red had only met this captain a handful of times before, but the man had always given him a distinct and powerful impression. Professional, serious, and, most important of all, strong.


    He wasn¡¯t in the Lesser Ring Realm, yet still was confident enough back then to provoke Narcha and face her head-on. Few people in town below the Lesser Ring Realm could claim to be stronger than the woman, yet Red came to understand that this Captain Orvin was definitely one of them.


    The man waited until Red¡¯s group gathered around the table. The atmosphere inside the tent was tense, and no one seemed in the mood to speak up, looking over at Orvin for his commands.


    The boy, on the other hand, used his crimson sense to find any invisible presences. None of these seemed to be in the tent at this moment, though.


    The man continued. ¡°First order of matters is to report casualties. We lost 98 men. That¡¯s about a quarter of our forces gathered in this fort.¡±


    The mood around the room got heavier.


    ¡°This is itself isn¡¯t too much of a surprise.¡± Orvin said. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean to be cold, but we were expecting to lose at least that much during our confrontation with the horde. These men were more than willing to put their lives on the line to defend their town and families, so that it came to it isn¡¯t much of a shock to them, as you can see. However, the issue is that this is what we expected to lose in total against the hordes, and not just from a single battle.¡±


    The middle-aged man picked up another document, reading through it.


    ¡°Our first confrontation yesterday against the horde already saw its fair share of surprises.¡± he said. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect the Skycrown wolves to be amidst the first wave, and we already lost a lot of men because of that. Overall, the casualties have already mounted to 158 deaths.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Allen¡¯s face paled.


    Orvin looked over at everyone in the room. ¡°Suffice it to say, with the second wave of the horde arriving soon and with the fact that we now need to worry about native monsters attacking us too, it¡¯s entirely reasonable to expect the number of casualties to be much higher in the coming days. That is, if we survive at all. This isn¡¯t even the last of our bad news either¡­¡± He looked over at the second-in-command at his side.


    Red recognized this man as the one that came looking for them in the middle of the battle earlier, saying Orvin was asking for their help.


    The man nodded at his captain before looking back at the guests. ¡°We have lost a large amount of our supplies in the fire that consumed our fort. Right now, we have no more than a few days¡¯ worth of food for the remaining soldiers, not to mention that our medicinal supplies were also mostly destroyed¡­ We can¡¯t treat our wounded soldiers properly.¡±


    Narcha frowned at this. ¡°How did the fire start exactly? By the time we were fighting with the horde, there was already smoke rising everywhere, but we didn¡¯t find any fire Lesser Ring Realm monsters in combat.¡±


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    Indeed, although there were a few Fireleaf Deers amidst the horde, none of them had opened their Spiritual Sea, and thus couldn¡¯t control any flames or cause a fire. So how exactly would such a matter come to pass?


    Orvin shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell. It might have been a soldier who dropped a torch during the confrontation and cause a chain reaction¡­ Or maybe something else happened.¡±


    There were some heavy implications behind the man¡¯s words.


    Eiwin seemed surprised at this. ¡°Do you suspect foul play?¡±


    ¡°After what happened today, I wouldn¡¯t doubt it.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Still, I would rather not throw around accusations until we can be sure about what happened. I put some men to investigate this matter, but suffice it to say, I hold little hope they will find anything.¡±


    Eiwin hesitated. ¡°¡­ What do you intend to do?¡±


    Orvin smiled. ¡°Jumping straight to the hear of the matter, are we? It¡¯s probably for the best, though. I have decided to keep my men here and wait for the second wave of the horde to arrive.¡±


    The younger woman frowned. ¡°Is that wise?¡±


    ¡°Wise?¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°Not really, but it¡¯s the only choice we have. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve arrived at the same conclusion yourselves, but it is clear that there is someone or something controlling this horde, not to mention that this control seems to extent even to native monsters. If I decided to retreat to town, it is very likely these monsters would ambush us midway through. Right now, we still have the protection of what remains of our fort and the river at our backs, and it would be remiss of me to leave them behind.¡±


    Narcha snorted. ¡°That isn¡¯t any better! We are still just sitting ducks here, and they can still just continue sending monsters to attack us until we¡¯re all dead. Even if the monsters from the mountain horde die, whoever is controlling them will still have a whole forest¡¯s worth of native monsters to use against us.¡±


    Orvin sighed. ¡°What you say is true, but as long as we can hold on for long enough, then the Baron will be able to act and send someone to rescue us. It is the option with the highest chance of success?¡±


    The warrior looked skeptical. ¡°What do you by that? Who would the Baron even be capable of sending to turn this situation around?¡±


    The Captain shook his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t say, but the answer should be self-evident.¡±


    Red¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help but wander to the invisible figure he met in the forest earlier. Was that the reinforcement the Baron had promised? Even if that was the case, the boy couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of danger he felt every time he thought back on it.


    ¡°Are you really planning on relying on the possibility a stranger will help us survive?¡± Narcha asked with a frown. ¡°How can you be comfortable with that?¡±


    Orvin glared at her. ¡°I am not putting my trust in any stranger. I am putting my trust in the Baron. I believe he will come through for us when it matters¡­ Still, as you put it, it wouldn¡¯t behoove us to just sit by and wait for our salvation. We need to be proactive and try to find the root of our problems.¡±


    Eiwin raised her eyebrows in curiosity. ¡°Do you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Orvin shook his head. ¡°I merely sent scouts to track the path of the retreating monsters, but I sincerely doubt whoever is controlling them would make it this easy to find them¡­ This is why I need your help.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°You want us to hunt for them?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest and most specialized individuals I have in this fort. Not even those two can compare to your knowledge of this forest.¡± Orving looked at Gustav¡¯s bodyguards.


    Neither of them showed any reactions beneath their wooden masks, remaining completely silent as they had been for the entire meeting.


    Rimold snorted. ¡°Is this a joke? We don¡¯t even know who is behind this whole thing, but I can tell you for certain it¡¯s not going to be a weak cultivator! What makes you think we have any chance against them?¡±


    Orvin frowned. ¡°The bodyguards would accompany you and assist you in this matter. For all we know of cultivation in general, there has to be a certain limited range one can control these monsters from, so when the horde attacks again, their master will be close by.¡±


    Once again, the two masked individuals said nothing.


    These words gave Rimold and the others some pause. Perhaps if they had the help of two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, then this could be achievable.


    However, that was when Rog spoke up. ¡°This is not a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Eiwin looked at the hunter with surprise.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°Whoever is controlling the horde is not someone anyone here can deal with.¡±


    Orvin looked at the hunter in disbelief. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before, a long time ago.¡± The hunter scratched his beard. ¡°Beast taming arts, that is. Requires a strong mind, powerful beyond normal understanding. Only Greater Ring Realm cultivators can do it, and even then, to control this many monsters¡­ Whoever is doing it is either way stronger than that or has some special treasure. Either case means trouble for us. If we can even find them, that is.¡±


    Narcha seemed confused. ¡°If they are that strong, why would they need to use those monsters to attack us? Couldn¡¯t they just walk over and kill us directly?¡±


    Rog shrugged. ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t want to kill us, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they just want to draw someone out.¡± Red completed his sentence.


    The atmosphere around the room changed. Their mind evidently went to a single possibility. There was one person inside that town who not only ruled over the entire region, but who also commanded the powerful formations surrounding the temple ruins where his regional capital was built.


    His death would be a huge blow to both kingdom and region, and it would leave the town completely unguarded, so of course, in times like these, he should remain still within the confines of his town. Yet, would that man be able to remain sitting idly and watch all his guards die against the horde? It was hard to tell.


    Before they could continue their discussion any further, a guard came barging into the tent.


    ¡°C-Captain Orvin!¡± The soldier greeted his superior, trying to catch his breath.


    The captain frowned in annoyance. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°W-We¡­ We receive a report from our scouts past the river!¡± The man held a scroll up towards the captain.


    Orvin took the piece of paper and unfurled it, reading over its contents. A few seconds later, his expression changed, and his gaze wandered to Red and his companions.


    Eiwin¡¯s expression paled. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°My scouts reported your elder got wounded in his battle against the Alpha¡­¡± Orvin said. ¡°We don¡¯t know his current status, and now the wolf is heading straight towards the river again.¡±


    The expression of the sect members fell.

 Chapter 261 - Important Decision

    Eiwin tried to maintain her composure as she stared at the Captain. ¡°How do your men know Master Hector was wounded?¡±


    ¡°We sent some of our best scouts equipped with talismans to keep track of the horde¡¯s progress.¡± Orvin said. ¡°They witnessed most of your elder¡¯s fight against the alpha, or at least as much as they could see from a distance. He seemed to be doing fine in keeping the creature distracted, but earlier today, my scouts saw him fall down from the sky after being struck by a bolt of light. He didn¡¯t resurface after that.¡±


    The young woman¡¯s expression continued to worsen. ¡°Your men haven¡¯t found him?¡±


    The captain shook his head. ¡°They didn¡¯t have the privilege of searching. After your elder disappeared, the wolf and what remains of his horde immediately started heading west again. Some of our scouts were even caught in its path and ended up dying. Those that were lucky enough to survive didn¡¯t stay around the place to investigate.¡±


    ¡°This is all wrong!¡± Narcha slammed her fist on the table in anger. ¡°Hector said he was confident in keeping the wolf occupied! What changed so suddenly for him to get wounded in their exchange?!¡±


    Orvin sighed. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. However, considering what we already know has been happening here, it¡¯s not impossible to discard the involvement of a third party. Our scouts were incapable of discerning the presence of such a person, though.¡±


    Red and the rest of his companions were still digesting the information. Hector, the person who most of them held in the highest esteem, lost to a monster and now was possibly dead? It was too large of a shock to absorb all at once.


    One person didn¡¯t seem too affected by the information, though.


    ¡°Relax, you lot.¡± Rog said with a relaxed expression. ¡°Hector is definitely not dead. I can guarantee you that.¡±


    His words seemed to grab the attention of everyone in the room, including Gustav¡¯s bodyguards.


    Allen looked at the hunter eagerly. ¡°How do you know that, Rog?¡±


    Rog shrugged. ¡°I just know he has survived much worse.¡±


    They didn¡¯t know how to react to his response. There was no logical reasoning behind his words, yet the confidence with which Rog said them made it seem like it was the most reasonable and evident explanation.


    Even Red felt compelled to believe the hunter¡¯s words.


    Eiwin, too, seemed to regain some of her composure upon this.


    She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, Rog. There is no way Master Hector would die in that kind of situation.¡± She looked back at the Captain. ¡°You need not concern yourself. He will show up again sooner or later.¡±


    Orvin frowned, but just nodded. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe you, but that still doesn¡¯t solve our root problem. We now have a Greater Ring Realm rushing straight at our fort who could be here within the next day, and our strongest cultivator is now no longer available to deal with it.¡±


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°I wish I could offer you our help, but the truth is self-evident. Without Master Hector¡¯s help, there is no one in this camp who can keep that wolf at bay.¡±


    The reality of the situation seemed to dawn on those gathered in the tent.


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°Does that mean we need to retreat?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°It is the most reasonable option. Even if we risk getting ambushed on our return trip, at the very least we will have a chance against these monster, while against the alpha wolf¡­ I need not tell you that it would be a one-sided massacre.¡±


    Captain Orvin hesitated. ¡°¡­ I need to consult the Baron in this matter.¡±


    The man took out a talisman from his side pouch.


    Eiwin raised her eyebrows when she saw this. ¡°Your communication talisman is working?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Orvin nodded. ¡°Why? Is there a problem with yours?¡±


    Eiwin exchanged a glance with her sect members. ¡°We have been unable to activate any of our communication talismans.¡±


    The captain frowned. ¡°That is indeed strange. However, I can¡¯t imagine the reason as to why.¡±


    Red¡¯s companions seemed to share the man¡¯s bewilderment. The boy, however, was already thinking of a possibility.


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    They had gotten these talismans from the imperials, so maybe these same imperials had a way to deactivate them remotely. However, the sect had gotten the talismans six months ago when Red stole it from them, and the imperials were completely aware of that, as the boy had come to know.


    So why wait until right now to do this? It didn¡¯t make much sense to Red.


    While Red was thinking, Captain Orvin walked outside the tent and into a private area to communicate through the talisman. It took ten minutes of almost complete silence inside the tent before the man came back.


    His expression upon his return, however, seemed a bit conflicted.


    ¡°What did the Baron say?¡± Narcha asked with impatience.


    ¡°We are to keep our ground.¡± Orvin said. ¡°He is coming over as soon as he can with a means to deal with the wolf.¡±


    The woman looked shocked. ¡°The Baron himself is coming over?¡±


    The captain nodded with a troubled expression.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what his enemies want?¡± Narcha asked. ¡°What about the town? Is he leaving it unprotected?¡±


    ¡°You waste your breath asking me these questions.¡± Orvin shook his head. ¡±I raised the same concerns to him, but he told me everything will be taken care of and that I should only do as he says.¡±


    Those around the room seemed at a loss for words.


    The captain continued, looking at Red and the others. ¡°Of course, his orders only extend to his men. It does not involve your sect. We would appreciate your help in the battle to come, but he told me that if you wish to retreat, then we shouldn¡¯t get in your way.¡± He looked over at Gustav¡¯s bodyguards. ¡°This includes you two.¡±


    The large masked man hesitated. ¡°¡­ We will need to consult with our patron.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Orvin nodded before turning to look back at Eiwin. ¡°What about you? I understand if you would like to retreat to town or go looking for your master. That being said, your help in the coming battles could prove invaluable, and we all would most certainly be grateful for your assistance.¡±


    This question gave Eiwin some pause. It was clear she was conflicted by the choice presented to her. On one hand, Hector had given her the responsibility and orders to keep all of their sect members safe and retreat as soon as the situation became out of control. On the other hand, their Grand Elder was now missing and the lives of all the soldiers and townsfolk might very well be in their hands.


    As much as Hector wanted Eiwin to be cold and calculating in her leadership position, when it came down to it, how could the woman just ignore the plight of others? Such a conflict was visible in her expression, but she didn¡¯t make the decision for the group.


    Instead, she looked at her companions one by one.


    Narcha and Allen looked back at her with resolute expressions. Their opinion on the matter was clear. Rimold looked more hesitant, but he simply nodded at her, as if to indicate he would go along with whatever Eiwin thought best. As for Rog, the hunter seemed as indifferent as ever.


    Her gaze finally came to rest on Red. The boy, more than anyone, could tell that there were large undercurrents running below this conflict that could very well blow in their face before they knew it. He shared Hector¡¯s opinion on this matter, that they all should retreat as soon as they could.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Greater Ring Realm monster.¡± Red said as Eiwin stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea.¡±


    He made his feelings clear. Even if the Baron had a plan, was it wise to rely on it?


    ¡°It might be,¡± Eiwin nodded with a smile. ¡°But we could still use your help¡­ They could use your help.¡±


    Red sighed. If his companions were going to stay, what choice did he have?


    He simply nodded at Eiwin.


    The woman seemed reassured to see this and looked back at Orvin. ¡°We will stay and help you.¡±


    Orvin looked relieved at these words. ¡°You have my most genuine thanks, Miss Eiwin. The men will all be happy to know they can count on your help tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That is good.¡± Eiwin nodded. ¡°However, I hope you understand that none of us have any intention of dying here. If the situation is beyond saving, we will retreat and I would advise you and your men to do the same.¡±


    ¡°That goes without saying.¡± The captain nodded. ¡°Our scouts are keeping us apace of the horde¡¯s progression, so we can have a planning meeting when the time of battle is night. For now, you may focus on resting and recovering.¡± He looked over at his second-in-command. ¡°Arrange a tent for the Water Dragon Sect. They will need their rest and a space to prepare for the battle tomorrow.¡±


    The soldier nodded. ¡°If you would follow me, please.¡±


    Red and the others followed the man. They were led through the still chaotic camp towards a tent not too far from the center of the fort. This tent was fortunate enough not to be touched by the fire, too.


    ¡°This is the tent of another of our officers¡­¡± The soldier said in a somber tone. ¡°He won¡¯t be needing it any longer, though.¡±


    Eiwin frowned at this but didn¡¯t say anything.


    The man continued. ¡°It is not very big, but it¡¯s the biggest we have available. I will make sure our men bring you more beds and any supplies you may need.¡±


    ¡°Just the beds will do.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    The soldiers nodded before walking away again. The sect group was finally left alone at the tent¡¯s entrance.


    Allen looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Did you mean what you said about retreating?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°I did. We all want to help, but it¡¯s pointless if we lose our lives because of it. It¡¯s also my responsibility to keep all of you safe, after all.¡±


    The young master seemed conflicted at this, but just nodded.


    The group started to walk into the tent. Red was at the back, and just as he was about to enter the tent, he felt a familiar fluctuation appear not too far away from him.


    The boy felt a pair of eyes boring into his back.


    He froze.


    ¡°Are you not coming in, Red?¡± Eiwin asked upon seeing the boy¡¯s frozen figure at the entrance of the tent.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I need to do something first.¡±


    His companions gave him strange gazes.


    Eiwin looked at him with a frown. ¡°Make sure not to wander too far.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Red shook his head before walking away.


    He wandered towards an empty area of the fort, while this familiar fluctuation kept a constant distance from him. The boy could still feel their gaze staring at his back.


    Only when Red was sure there was no one close by did he stop and turn around. He looked at an empty spot not too far from him.


    There was no one there as far as his eyes could see, but Red knew better. His crimson sense felt it, as clear as day.


    That invisible individual.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Red asked.

 Chapter 262 - Secret Burden

    ¡°Which sect do you belong to?¡± The invisible individual responded with a question of their own.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the Water Dragon Sect.¡± Red said.


    There was a prolonged silence after that.


    The boy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not from any large organization, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    ¡°And your necromancer skills? Where did you learn them?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡®So they were indeed watching me.¡¯


    Red hesitated. He didn¡¯t know what faction this person belonged to, but having learned about the boy¡¯s special skills couldn¡¯t mean anything good to him. Yet, now that it was revealed, what was Red supposed to say?


    ¡°Someone taught me it.¡± The boy said. ¡°However, I¡¯m not a necromancer and I have no plans to become one.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if this invisible individual would buy his explanation, but it was indeed the truth.


    Another long silence followed it, during which Red tried to examine this invisible individual¡¯s fluctuation. The boy could usually tell many things about a person using his crimson sense, but this wasn¡¯t the case for this person. It was like there was something blocking his powers, and Red could not discern their gender, age, general emotions, or power level. Not even their voice seemed to give any of that away, as their words seemed to be transmitted directly into the boy¡¯s ears and changed in tone every second.


    The only thing he knew for certain was their general position.


    Another prolonged silence happened before the voice spoke again.


    ¡°I need you to repay the favor for my help.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I was not aware I was going to owe you anything.¡±


    ¡°Yet without my help, you definitely would not have found your companions in time.¡± the voice said. ¡°It stands to reason you would owe me a favor in return.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t bother arguing against their reasoning. ¡°What do you need help with?¡±


    ¡°I need you to use your special power.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Which one?¡±


    ¡°You have more than one?¡±


    The boy sighed. There was only one power they could possibly be referring to.


    ¡°You need my help to detect something?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Not something, but someone.¡± The voice said.


    ¡°¡­ You mean the person who is controlling the horde?¡± The boy started to connect the dots.


    There was a pause. ¡°¡­ ¡®Controlling¡¯ is a generous term. This individual is using a treasure to spur the horde and native monsters into a frenzy, but they can only give them simple orders. The number of monster they directly control is limited to a handful at a time, but through these combined methods they can create a coordinated and dangerous force of monsters.¡±


    Red frowned, recalling how the wolves had all targeted the boy in a bid for revenge. ¡°You¡¯re saying that if we kill this person, the horde will fall apart?¡±


    ¡°More or less. The monsters won¡¯t simply disappear, but their threat will significantly decrease.¡±


    The boy pondered their words. ¡°If you can¡¯t find this person yourself, what makes you think I can do it?¡±


    ¡°I am not privy to the limits of your power, but I¡¯m certain that if you can spot me, then you can spot this individual, too.¡±


    Red was still skeptical. ¡°I am not so certain about that. I felt nothing strange on the battlefield earlier, even after travelling through the whole fort.¡±


    He was already searching the battlefield earlier on for this possible controller of the horde. Yet, even after scouring through the entire battlefield, he found no strange fluctuations to speak of.


    ¡°What is the range of your power?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°¡­ Two hundred meters or so.¡± Red was hesitant to divulge such information, but considering this individual already knew about his necromantic inclinations, then things couldn¡¯t get much more compromising.


    ¡°Then it is reasonable you wouldn¡¯t spot them. They should be able to control those Lesser Ring Realm monsters from a few kilometers away.¡±


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    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what makes you think I will be able to spot them at all?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because there¡¯s a certain range to these powers, too.¡± The voice explained. ¡°The farther they are from the monster and the stronger the monster is, the harder it is to control them. For Lesser Ring Realm monsters, then a few kilometers is still doable, but for a Greater Ring Realm monster? Then I am certain they will be no farther than a hundred meters from them.¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You mean they are controlling the alpha wolf, too?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. They most certainly have already grafted a slavery rune into the wolf¡¯s mind to control them. It is partially why they are able to control the horde so well.¡±


    The boy was suddenly enlightened to another possibility. ¡°Our elder Hector¡­ Was he attacked by this individual?¡±


    There was a silence. ¡°¡­ Most likely, but I was not there to confirm this happening.¡±


    The situation kept getting worse.


    The voice continued. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry if I were you, though. If half the stories I was told about your elder are true, then not even a Greater Ring Realm cultivator would have an easy time killing him.¡±


    This was scant comfort, but Red was willing to believe them. The elder was over a hundred years of age, with countless connections to important surviving members of their destroyed sect. How could the old man not have a few live-saving measures in case things like this happened?


    Still, all these revelations brought another question to Red¡¯s mind.


    ¡°How do you know so much about this individual?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It is not my first time fighting one of them.¡± the voice said. ¡°Every horde always has a few of these opportunistic beast tamers hoping to create chaos and benefit from it. This tamer in particular, though, seems to be equipped with far better techniques than my sect led me to expect.¡±


    ¡°You are from one of the sects?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The voice didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°¡­ Which one?¡±


    ¡°The Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    ¡®Only the oldest and most powerful sect in the world.¡±


    Red was suddenly even more worried about his future.


    ¡°You need not fret, though.¡± the voice said. ¡±I can give you my word that I won¡¯t tell anyone about your peculiar powers.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°How can I trust you about that?¡±


    ¡°My parents are demonic cultivators.¡± the voice said. ¡°Now we both know something compromising about each other.¡±


    Red was stunned. ¡°¡­ Why are you telling me this?¡±


    The boy had a hard time believing this individual would tell such a secretive information about themselves.


    ¡°Because for this mission to succeed, I need your help, and to make sure you help me, I need you to trust me and my intentions fully.¡± the voice said. ¡°Above all else, though, I am not unsympathetic nor unfamiliar to the situation you find yourself in. That is to say, I do not believe you are a bad person from observing your actions, despite your questionable powers.¡±


    Red was still a bit skeptic about their words. How could they trust the boy like this even after all they saw? Yet, he was convinced that they truly needed his help to go this far.


    So, for now, Red knew he had no choice but to help them.


    ¡®I can make preparations for later in case these are all lies and they intend to eliminate me after the fact.¡¯


    ¡°You want me to get close to the alpha wolf and try to spot this individual, then?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The voice confirmed his plan.


    ¡°How do you suppose I should do that without dying?¡±


    The boy just didn¡¯t see a way this would work. A Lesser Ring Realm monster was more than enough to kill Red in a single blow if he was careless, not to mention a Greater Ring Realm one. It was possible he could die simply because of the aftershocks of its blows.


    ¡°I will be guarding you from afar. As long as you can spot that individual, I will save you from the ensuing battle.¡± the voice said. ¡°However, I can¡¯t reveal myself too soon, though, so you will need to make your way closer to the wolf by yourself.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I doubt it will be as simple as you put it. Doesn¡¯t he have the rest of the horde guarding him? How should I make my way past them?¡±


    The voice didn¡¯t respond immediately. Then, a few seconds later, Red suddenly saw something materialize in the air in front of him.


    It was a slip of paper. A talisman.


    The boy grabbed it and inspected its runes. He recognized the type of talisman this was.


    ¡°It is a Spiritual Bestowment Talisman.¡± the voice explained. ¡°A Wind Bestowment Talisman, to be more precise. If you plaster it against your skin, you will be covered by rich Wind Spiritual Energy and not only will your movements become much faster, but you will also be able to weave safely through the horde to get close to the alpha. It will last no more than fifteen seconds, though, so you should use it wisely.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t actually need the explanation. He was familiar with its effects from the time he fought the lizard demon inside the trial. This was as valuable of a talisman as one could possibly get at his level.


    ¡°What if I fail to spot this individual?¡± Red asked another important question. ¡°Will you still save me?¡±


    There was a pause. ¡°¡­ If it comes down to it, then yes, I will save you even if you do fail. However, it is imperative that you succeed, or else even your companion¡¯s lives might be in danger against that beast tamer.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know whether they were telling the truth, but he had his own plans to save himself or to force their hand if it came down to it.


    ¡°I have no more question.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I will do as you say.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± the voice said. ¡°I will be relying on you. Do not disappoint me.¡±


    The boy felt the invisible individual¡¯s fluctuation fade away. Soon enough, he stood alone amidst pieces of the destroyed fort.


    He sighed to himself, wondering how he was supposed to explain this to his companions. Or better yet, if he should explain this to them at all.


    Red made his way back to his camp, passing through a few soldiers sifting through the destruction or still gathering corpses. They gave him weird looks, surprised at having a child wander alone in the middle of such a grisly battlefield, but they said nothing.


    Just as Red was about to arrive back at his tent, he saw someone waiting in his path for him. It was Narcha.


    The woman seemed to spot him at the same time as he did her.


    She approached him and stared at him with a suspicious gaze.


    ¡°So,¡± she spoke. ¡°What kind of secret and reckless plans have you cooked up now?¡±

 Chapter 263 - Scheming

    Red hesitated and looked around. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t speak about this here.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like anyone was paying attention to their conversation, but the boy would rather not risk it.


    Narcha grunted. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the tent, then.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡±


    The woman frowned in suspicion. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want the others to hear our conversation.¡±


    Narcha looked taken aback by his sincere response. Still, this only made her gaze more wary.


    Red, however, stared back at her with his impassive and cold gaze, giving nothing away. A few seconds later, the woman nodded with some reluctance.


    ¡°Fine.¡± she said. ¡°But this better be worth keeping from the others.¡±


    Red nodded and led her away from the working soldiers. Only when he was at a rather isolated part of the fort and was sure no one was spying on them did the boy stop walking and look back at Narcha.


    ¡°So, what is it you wanted to tell me?¡± The woman asked with impatience.


    ¡°I met someone.¡± Red said.


    The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. ¡°Met who?¡±


    ¡°Our invisible guest from the meeting with the Baron.¡±


    Red felt the woman¡¯s fluctuation stir, although her emotional reaction was evident in her expression.


    She paused for a moment, as if considering her words. ¡°¡­ Who is it, then?¡±


    ¡°A cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect.¡± Red said.


    Another wave of surprised passed by Narcha¡¯s face, stronger this time. ¡°Are they here to help us with the horde?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°More or less. However, they also need my help.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Narcha seemed confused. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°They confirmed there is someone behind this horde, like we theorized earlier.¡± the boy said. ¡°However, that person is using some special methods to hide themselves from this cultivator¡¯s senses. That is where they need my help.¡±


    The woman had an expression of realization. ¡°They know about your powers?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°They know more than just about my powers. I can¡¯t tell how long they¡¯ve been spying on me, but they saw the technique I used to get rid of your ghosts.¡±


    Narcha¡¯s face fell. ¡°That¡­ Are you aware of how much danger you might be in because of that?¡±


    ¡°I am completely aware.¡± the boy nodded. ¡°Yet they told me they wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about it and I find myself with no choice but to help them with this task, for all our sakes.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust their words?¡± The woman seemed skeptical.


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± he shook his head. ¡°However, they also told me some compromising information about them as a way to make me trust them, or so they claimed. I know not whether to trust them with it, but even if they were lying about it, this could still be a huge scandal to their sect¡¯s image if it was to be revealed.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°Are you not worried they will silence us after the fact to keep that information hidden?¡±


    ¡°That would be even worse for them, as the only way they would be able to keep their actions a secret was if they killed everyone in the fort.¡± Red said. ¡°Not to mention, Hector is still out there, and even without him, we have someone in our midst with deep connections to the survivors of the Ocean Bearer¡¯s Sect.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°Allen.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Indeed. We know his parents were important people in their sect, and I can¡¯t imagine the death of their child or their master would be ignored by the survivors... Still, this is all just speculation. At the end of the day, this invisible individual can kill us all on a whim, which is why no matter how many assurances they give us, we can never truly trust them.¡±


    Narcha looked extremely conflicted at this revelation. ¡°Why are you telling me this? Why not let the others know as well?¡±


    ¡°Did you come here at Eiwin¡¯s prompting?¡± Red responded with a question of his own.


    The woman hesitated, but nodded. ¡°She suspects you¡¯re going to do something reckless and sent me to investigate. I couldn¡¯t find you, though, so I just decided to wait by the tent.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Then I need you to convince her otherwise, so I may act without issues tomorrow.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡±


    ¡°Something reckless.¡±


    She glared at him. ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to just go along with that and lie to her? Why can¡¯t we help?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to help even if you wanted to.¡± Red said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll have my own personal protection. They won¡¯t let me die as long as I have a use for them - that much I know for certain.¡±


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    ¡°This is still too risky!¡± Narcha seemed unconvinced. ¡°You¡¯re still just playing with your life right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± the boy didn¡¯t deny her claims. ¡°Which is why we need to inform the people back in town about what¡¯s happening, too. That way, this information won¡¯t die here with us, and we¡¯ll have a guarantee for our safety.¡±


    ¡°That is a good idea, but our talismans¡­ Wait!¡± her eyes widened in realization. ¡°We can ask Orvin for his talismans!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Red nodded. ¡°That¡¯s where you come in. I imagine Eiwin is going to suggest sending someone to speak to Orvin about this exact matter, but I presume she¡¯s going to do it herself. You need to insist on going in her stead and convince Orvin about this yourself.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Narcha had a troubled expression. ¡°You want me to convince both of them?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem to convince Orvin. You have more than enough justification in Hector¡¯s disappearance to speak with our sect members still in town. The hard part will be to convince Eiwin, but even if you make her suspicious, it¡¯s fine as long as you can accomplish what I asked of you.¡±


    ¡°This all seems¡­ So elaborate.¡± she hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not even that good at lying! Eiwin will see through me easily! What if she insists on it?!¡±


    Red paused in thought. ¡°You¡¯re still feeling the effects of your possession, right?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Narcha looked reluctant to speak about it.


    ¡°We do not need to talk about this right now if you¡¯re up to it.¡± Red cut her off. ¡°All that matters is that you can use it as an excuse. Here is what you should say¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Ten minutes later, Red and Narcha returned to the tent.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Rimold threw his hands up in relief. ¡°I thought we would be waiting here all night for you two!¡±


    Narcha glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me! It was the kid who was taking his time!¡±


    The rogue snorted and looked over at Red. ¡°What were you even doing out there?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°Just taking care of some matters.¡±


    Rimold frowned in suspicion, but seeing that no one else seemed to mind Red¡¯s behavior, he decided to let it go. He had learned over the past six months that the boy was full of mysteries and it was pointless to go digging into them.


    The rogue looked over at Eiwin. ¡°Can we start now?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Eiwin nodded after giving a deep look at Red and Narcha. ¡°We can discuss our strategies for tomorrow¡¯s battle.¡±


    The soldiers had brought along a few bed rolls and chairs to the tent, so the group sat around the room in various positions as they discussed their course of action. Unfortunately, there was not much to discuss about their battle plans that was not already said in the meeting with Captain Orvin.


    They already knew their formations and each other¡¯s combat style, but they didn¡¯t really know what to expect from their enemy any longer. Red and his companions presumed the Baron would be the one to deal with the wolf tomorrow, and some of them even hoped for their elder¡¯s return before then. However, before the time of battle came, the preparations they could arrange would be kept to a minimum.


    Then the only thing they could plan for was their possible retreat and as the topic went in that direction, it was only a matter of time before someone raised the subject Red and Narcha were waiting for.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we use Orvin¡¯s talismans to communicate with our sect?¡± Rimold asked. ¡°Ours might not be working, but we already saw he has a straight communication channel to the Baron.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about that myself, but I thought it was better to approach the Captain about it at another time, when Gustav¡¯s bodyguards were not in the room, more specifically.¡± Eiwin said. ¡°We need to inform Master Domeron and Master Goulth about the developments out here. They need to be prepared for the worst.¡±


    ¡°Let me go talk to Captain Orvin about it.¡± Narcha suddenly interjected.


    ¡°You want to go talk to him about it?¡± Eiwin seemed shocked.


    ¡°What of it?¡± The warrior frowned.


    Rimold snorted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Orvin almost come to blows countless times back in town? If we send you to speak to him, we will probably be denied!¡±


    Narcha didn¡¯t respond, instead looking away with a troubled expression, as if she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do it.


    Red held his breath in expectation. Now was the moment of truth.


    Eiwin, of course, immediately picked up on Narcha¡¯s expression. She frowned. ¡°Why do you wish to speak with Captain Orvin?¡±


    The warrior hesitated. Red thought that her gaze was about to wander to him and give it all away, but she held herself back in the end.


    Narcha gritted her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak with that damn old man! I just want to speak to Domeron and Goulth!¡±


    ¡°Speak about what?¡± Allen asked with genuine curiosity.


    The warrior didn¡¯t respond, looking away again an irritated expression.


    Eiwin sighed. ¡°You can go and report back to our sect if you want to, Miss Valt. Who does the talking doesn¡¯t matter and if you want to ask something personal to the masters, then you may feel free to do so. That being said, are you certain you can convince Captain Orvin about this?¡±


    ¡°The old man might hate her guts, but he¡¯s not one to put personal feeling in front of doing his job.¡± Rog said, scratching his beard. ¡°She should be fine.¡±


    The younger woman nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. In which case, there is truly nothing for us to concern ourselves about¡­ However, are you sure everything is fine, Miss Valt?¡±


    Eiwin tried to probe her companion in a tactful way.


    Narcha looked irritated. ¡°I said it¡¯s fine! I just need to ask them something!¡±


    Eiwin seemed surprised at her outburst, but she just nodded. ¡°Fine. Then go ahead - we will be waiting for you.¡±


    Narcha left the tent with hurried steps, her anger being genuine as far as Red could tell. The woman didn¡¯t like being interrogated or probed in front of everyone, so it stood to reason something like this would anger her. It all played to the benefit of the boy¡¯s plans.


    Rimold shook his head as he watched her leave. ¡°This is a horrible idea.¡±


    No one responded, and the group waited in silence for her return.


    ¡­


    It came half an hour later.


    Narcha flipped the tent¡¯s flap up and entered their room. The woman looked far more relaxed than she was when she first left, but that was not saying much.


    Immediately, everyone¡¯s gazes turned to her.


    ¡°Did you speak with them?¡± Allen asked in eagerness. ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°I did speak with them, but¡­¡± Narcha hesitated.


    Red¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Did something go wrong with their plan?


    ¡°But what?¡± Allen urged her on.


    ¡°Domeron just said that Hector is definitely not dead, and there¡¯s no way a monster or cultivator below the Spirit Core Realm could kill him.¡± Narcha said.


    There was silence in the room.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Rimold frowned. ¡°If he¡¯s still alive, why hasn¡¯t he come back to us or even attempted communication?¡±


    ¡°It means he is either wounded or just biding his time.¡± Red suggested, looking over at Narcha with a meaningful gaze. ¡°In which case, we should do the same and wait, right?¡±


    The warrior nodded back. ¡°That is what Domeron said.¡±


    Red felt relieved. With that, the boy¡¯s plan succeeded without issues and he had another guarantee that the cultivator wouldn¡¯t kill him after everything was said and done.


    This, however, was the simple part. Now came the part where Red was supposed to approach a Greater Ring Realm monster without dying.

 Chapter 264 - The Pack Arrives

    The group decided to sleep after going over their plans once more. However, considering they were under the threat of a horde attack at any time, no one was too keen to close their eyes, Red included.


    Thankfully, morning arrived with no overnight attacks. Yet, none of them got more than a few hours of sleep. As they got out of their tent, it was clear that others in the ruined fort shared their restless night.


    Soldiers were still busy moving items and bodies everywhere, and there was an atmosphere of anxiety and fear permeating the camp. The usual feeling before a life or death battle, or so Red presumed.


    His group had barely taken a step outside their tent when they spotted a soldier waiting for them. He approached the group.


    ¡°Captain Orvin requests your urgent presence in his tent.¡± The man said, looking at Eiwin.


    The woman nodded. ¡°We were just going there.¡±


    Red and his companions made their way to the command tent. However, the boy noticed something peculiar around the fort on their way over.


    ¡°They¡¯re not repairing the walls.¡± Red said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°You saw how much those log walls helped them yesterday. They can barely be used as a weak first line of defense, but against those wolves, I doubt they will be much use.¡±


    The boy remained skeptical. Just after the battle, he saw the soldiers scrambling to rebuild the walls at Orvin¡¯s orders, so what had changed? He decided to let the matter go for now.


    As they got closer, Red felt a few familiar fluctuations inside the tent. Captain Orvin and Gustav¡¯s bodyguards were there, and yet what caught his attention was another strong fluctuation belonging to someone he had met less than a week ago.


    Red looked at his companions. ¡°The Baron is here.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Narcha seemed surprised. ¡°Did he travel nonstop through the night?¡±


    Rimold grunted. ¡°That¡¯s still two days of travel for us. Even a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator would take some time to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Let us go inside.¡± Eiwin cut their discussion short. ¡°The Baron himself can give details on what happened when we meet him.¡±


    The younger woman led the way in. Sure enough, as soon as they entered the tent, they were met with the Baron¡¯s figure at the head of the table, occupied as he read something in his hands.


    ¡°Lord Baron, you¡¯re already here?¡± Eiwin was smart enough to feign some surprise.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Eiwin.¡± the man put the paper down. ¡°I arrived at the crack of dawn. I had to make my way here in a hurry, though, so most of the camp is still unaware of my presence.¡±


    ¡°You came here alone?¡± The woman looked genuinely surprised this time.


    The Baron smiled. ¡°Of course. In as much of a hurry as I was, how could I bring anyone else with me and still arrive in time?¡±


    Red still had a hard time imagining the graceful Baron doing any kind of physical activity, but the proof of his might was right there in his fluctuation.


    The boy also gauged the reactions of others inside the room. Gustav¡¯s bodyguards still betrayed no emotion either behind their masks or their fluctuations. As for Captain Orvin, he had a badly disguised expression of irritation on his face.


    The Baron continued. ¡°There are some matters I need to discuss with you, but first we need to make you aware of our latest reports.¡± he looked over at Orvin. ¡°Captain, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± the Captain looked over at the group. ¡°It seems like the surrounding native monsters and the surviving creatures of the first wave have returned to their usual behavior. Some of them are still fighting and vying for territory right now, as it should have happened in the first place.¡±


    Narcha frowned. ¡°You mean we don¡¯t need to worry about them attacking right now?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be the case, yes.¡± Orvin nodded. ¡°However, if they do end up attacking us, I can guarantee we will not be caught off-guard again.¡±


    The group looked relieved at this revelation.


    Rog, however, had a pondering expression. ¡°I wonder what prompted this sudden change in behavior.¡±


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    The Captain shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know for certain, but we still have to assume that whoever was behind this is still around, biding their time.¡±


    Red could warrant a guess as to why the native monster went back to normal. As that invisible cultivator told him, the beast tamer¡¯s control over those creatures was limited by distance. If he was intent on controlling the alpha wolf for the next battle, then obviously he couldn¡¯t go about gathering an army of lesser monsters.


    ¡°What about the wolves?¡± Narcha asked. ¡°How long until they arrive?¡±


    ¡°Between three to four hours.¡± Captain Orvin said. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to get the fort back in proper shape before then, so we have decided to forego its shelter and meet them right at the river line.¡±


    The warrior grunted. ¡°And the alpha? What will you do about it?¡±


    The Captain¡¯s expression worsened, and he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I will deal with it.¡± The Baron interjected. ¡°Or at the very least, delay it for now.¡±


    ¡°A most terrible idea.¡± Orvin said with a frown. ¡°You are no Hector, and to presume you can achieve the same as him is foolish.¡±


    The Baron sighed. ¡°I know my own limitations, yet what other choice do we have? I¡¯m the only one that can keep the wolf from massacring our men, even if only for a few minutes.¡±


    The Captain remained unconvinced. ¡°What will a few minutes afford us? The wolf will still just beat you senseless in the end, and we won¡¯t even be through with half the horde. We should have retreated while we still had the time.¡±


    The Baron hesitated. ¡°¡­ That is not a choice we had the luxury of making.¡±


    His mysterious words left Red and the others puzzled. Before anyone could ask about it, though, the Baron moved on.


    He looked over at Red¡¯s group. ¡°Do you think Hector is still alive?¡±


    The question caught them off guard.


    Eiwin, however, simply nodded. ¡°We do.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he will be here tomorrow?¡± The Baron asked.


    ¡°That¡­¡± she hesitated. ¡±I can¡¯t say it for certain, but if he¡¯s still alive, then he most definitely will be making his way over in a hurry. As for whether or not he will arrive in time, that I cannot promise you.¡±


    The Baron frowned at this. ¡°I made a promise to him that I would look after his sect if something happened to him, and I intend to keep it. If something goes wrong or it seems like the tides of battle are going against us, I give you my permission to retreat without question. In fact, I want you to retreat without question. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Eiwin seemed stumped at these words. ¡°We will do as you say.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± the man nodded. ¡°I have left plans on how to proceed with my trusted subordinates who remained behind, in case we can¡¯t stop the horde here. You would do well to approach them if it comes down to it.¡±


    No one said offered any protests to his plans.


    Once more, they went over their strategy for the upcoming battle. The Baron would deal with the alpha wolf, Gustav¡¯s bodyguards would deal with the Lesser Ring Realm monsters, while Red and his companions would act as a free force to reinforce their allies where it was needed.


    Earlier estimates spoke of at least six Lesser Ring wolves in the next wave of the horde, which was more than Gustav¡¯s bodyguards could deal with on their own at once. This meant that Red¡¯s sect would be required to fight a few of them, at least. They still had a few talismans at their disposal, but it was questionable whether it would be enough for the upcoming battle.


    Of course, the boy himself had his own plans, which were probably more risky than anything the group had in mind. He could feel Narcha throwing him some meaningful gazes now and then, but thankfully for him, no one seemed to notice.


    Once their meeting was over, the group left the tent under a heavy atmosphere.


    Now, all they could do was wait until the moment of truth.


    ¡­


    A few hours later, their forces gathered at the river line.


    The army was a hubbub of discussion once they noticed their Baron was in their midst. Still, knowing that their lord was going to fight alongside them for the upcoming battle served as a much needed morale booster for the soldiers.


    Their formation was composed of a line of a few hundred soldiers, with a few dozen archers to offer them support in the back line. These types of formations were merely a formality, though, strategies meant for battle against other human armies. Against monsters and their enormous strength, it was likely they would be unable to keep any kind of semblance of formation once the first clash was done and the ensuing battle would devolve into a chaotic melee. Still, the soldiers knew they needed to do their best to act in tandem as much as they could if they were to have any chances of winning this battle.


    The Baron himself stood at the very front of the army, flanked by Gustav¡¯s two bodyguards, who seemed to be in fine health as far as Red could tell. As for the sect, they stood amidst the soldier¡¯s vanguard alongside Captain Orvin.


    It didn¡¯t matter how strong they were, the first clash against a horde would always be the worst one. The Lesser Ring Realm cultivators and monsters would generally take the charge at the front, and no one beneath that level could survive such an initial impact.


    Other than the sounds of the flowing river, there was almost absolute silence amidst the army. Red and his companions were focused too, with steely expressions and their weapons at the ready. At least, most of them were.


    Allen, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous, a fact that was made apparent by his trembling hands and expression both. Red thought this was a reasonable reaction. It didn¡¯t matter how much stronger the young master was than the average soldier, he was still just a child. This kind of atmosphere was too much to handle even for most adults.


    Eiwin put a hand on Allen¡¯s back in an attempt to comfort him. ¡°Just stay close to us and everything will be fine.¡±


    The young master nodded, and his worries seemed to be partially assuaged.


    They waited for ten minutes in their formation, but there were still no signs of the horde who was supposed to be arriving right around this time. Sounds of hushed conversation started to spread amidst the soldiers when all of a sudden they heard it.


    A howl.


    The sound lasted for almost ten seconds. It was so deep and penetrating that it sent a shiver down everyone¡¯s spines. It seemed to pierce into their soul and mind alike, and even after the sound was gone, Red swore he could still hear it echoing in his mind.


    No words needed to be said between them to recognize what beast that howl belonged to.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± Orvin shouted as he raised his sword in preparation.


    The time of truth was upon them.

 Chapter 265 - First Clash

    The sounds of howling and footsteps against the dirt became louder and louder. Then, a few seconds later, they were able to spot the first sight of movements amidst the trees on the other side of the river.


    The wolves¡¯ white furs stood out amidst the brown and green forest colors, and soon enough, it was all they could see in front of them. One by one, the canine monsters wandered ahead, revealing their figures as they approached the river line.


    The tension in the army reached a crescendo.


    ¡°Steady now!¡± Orvin called out to them.


    His words had a limited effect, but at least no guards seemed intent on deserting.


    The wolves didn¡¯t seem eager to charge ahead either, waiting and staring at the humans on the other side of the wide river with bloodthirsty gazes. At the front of this monster army, there were six larger white wolves which seemed to lead the charge.


    Red¡¯s crimson sense couldn¡¯t reach them from this side, but he had enough experience to tell these were all Lesser Ring Realm monsters. It took the beasts a minute to gather outside the tree line, upon which the boy counted about sixty wolves.


    Less than half the human¡¯s number, yet quantity meant little when fighting monsters. There was, however, the absence of one wolf in particular, which left them confused.


    Rimold asked in confusion. ¡°Where is the alpha wolf?¡±


    His question was answered a few seconds later. They heard the sounds of trees toppling behind the wolf army, and from behind them, they finally saw it. A gigantic monster stepped out of the foliage, breaking trees like it was nothing to make its way through.


    Everyone held their breathes. This wolf was easily twice the size of even its Lesser Ring Realm counterparts, standing well over three meters tall. Its fur glimmered with an ice mist, and its eyes seemed to glow with a strange light as it stared at the humans across the river. There was no rage or madness in its gaze, and instead the creature seemed to carry an intelligence unbefitting a monster.


    It sat there, watching them, as if examining its enemies and making plans. No one made the first move, and for a second, there was an eerie silence in the area.


    Then the alpha raised its head and let out another deep howl. Red and everyone around him covered their ears with pained expressions until the sound was gone.


    However, that seemed to be the signal for the battle to start.


    The six leading Lesser Ring Realm monsters charged ahead towards the river, the other wolves all following behind them. For a second, Red thought they would just wade through the rushing waters, something that would work to the humans¡¯ advantage.


    However, as soon as the leading wolves stepped in the water, the river surface seemed to freeze beneath them, forming a solid path through they could walk.


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°They can do that?¡±


    Not only did they seem capable of doing that, but the path they created seemed to last long enough for its brethren who couldn¡¯t use Spiritual Energy to run through too. Suddenly, there were dozens of wolves making their way over the river.


    Orvin saw this and raised his hand. ¡°Shoot the ice beneath their feet!¡±


    The archers did as much. Volleys of arrows rained down on the monsters, yet most of them either ended up stuck on the creature¡¯s backs to limited effect. Those that did manage to hit the ice found themselves unable to crack the solid surface. Well, all except for one arrow in particular.


    Rog let out a shot of his own. The arrow whistled through the air with incredible force before hitting the ice surface and breaking it apart. A Lesser Ring Realm wolf and a lot of its smaller brethren fell into the river all at once, struggling against the flow.


    Yet there were five other paths that continued unabated and before Rog could shoot any more of them, they were already more than halfway through the river. Orvin raised his sword up and looked at his men.


    ¡°Brace for impact!¡±


    On the other side of the river, the alpha wolf finally seemed to stir into movement. As soon as that happened, though, the Baron also charged.


    He suddenly jumped with incredible speed towards the other side of the river. His initial impulse seemed to be able to carry him to the other side in a single movement, and both the wolves and the humans watched in wonder and shock as the Baron flew over their heads.


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    The alpha wolf, of course, noticed this too. It stopped moving, growling at the approaching human before opening its mouth wide. A huge gout of white mist shot out of its throat at incredible speed towards the flying Baron, freezing the air where it passed through.


    It looked as if there was no way the man would be able to dodge it, and he didn¡¯t try to do it either. Instead, the white mist crashed against by an invisible round barrier and was deflected to the sides without touching the Baron¡¯s body.


    Red stared at this in wonder. He was certain the man never used a barrier talisman, so was it something conjured out of his own Spiritual Energy? The boy didn¡¯t have the time to think too much about it as he watched the Baron charging through the air towards his target.


    The wolf didn¡¯t seem affected by the fact its initial attack didn¡¯t work. It raised one of its paws in the air, seeking to rip the man apart with its sword sized claws. The Baron still kept flying in his straight path, unable to change directions, and it seemed as if he was about to dash straight into his own death.


    Everyone held their breaths.


    Then, all of a sudden, Red saw something flash out of the Baron¡¯s figure. A green light made a straight line towards the claw, clashing into it and making it change directions from the impact. This allowed the man to charge straight past the wolf and towards his back.


    The wolf growled in annoyance. Whatever clashed against its paw didn¡¯t seem to have hurt it, though, so the monster just turned around and tried to bite the Baron, who had just landed on the ground.


    Another green flash of light. This time it hit the wolf¡¯s snout, making it flinch and allowing the Baron to dodge out of the way. The wolf seemed to be increasingly angered, and it tried to chase after the man in a bout of frenzied strikes. Yet, every time this green line appeared out of nowhere and distracted the wolf long enough for the Baron to avoid being hit.


    Trees around the monster were destroyed, and the very ground seemed to freeze over from the savagery and strength of its attacks. However, it was unable to hit the Baron no matter how hard it tried.


    Red squinted his eyes and for the first time he was able to catch a glimpse of the true appearance of this flying green light.


    ¡®It¡¯s¡­ a flying dagger?¡¯


    The boy was extremely confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be distracted!¡± Orvin called them all to attention. ¡°They¡¯re charging again!¡±


    The wolves, too, had their attention diverted by the fight happening behind them. Yet, now they seemed to have regained their focus, charging through the river towards the humans. In a few seconds, there was no more than a few dozen meters between them.


    Gustav¡¯s bodyguards took out their weapons, and both of them suddenly started to glow with a bright yellow light, which Red recognized from their fight yesterday. Their fluctuation suddenly began to strengthen in his crimson sense and they brace themselves for the clash.


    Then the moment finally came. Four of the leading wolves charged at the bodyguards with surprising coordination, hoping to overwhelm them in a single attack. Yet they were met with the two¡¯s steel-like defense and strength, as they blocked their bites and scratches with their weapons without losing any ground.


    Red wasn¡¯t able to see what happened, though, as one of the disengaged Lesser Ring Realm wolves made their way around the fight and charged at him and his companions.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Narcha raised her saber and charge ahead to put herself in front of them.


    The claw hit against her saber and sent her flying backwards. She crashed against the soldier¡¯s line, making them stumble, yet the wolf was momentarily stopped in its tracks. It tried to follow up, before an arrow and a dagger clashed into its side, sliding off its icy fur.


    It howled in anger, looking over at Rog and Rimold, but Eiwin then took this opportunity to flank it and strike at its front leg with a well-placed kick. The wolf stumbled, and Rog suddenly shot another arrow into it, this time managing to pierce into its fur. The monster howled in pain.


    Narcha recovered from the impact and got up, seemingly eager to rejoin the fight. They were about to press their advantage and kill the monster before the rest of its brethren arrived. A tide of dozens of wolves suddenly clashed into the human army, a lot of them jumping to the rescue of one of their leaders.


    Eiwin had no choice but to step back as the monsters tried to surround her.


    A wave of impact roiled through the soldier¡¯s line. The men in the vanguard lost their balance, crashing back into the companions as the wolves struck with their entire weight against their shields. Sounds of splintered wood, ripping flesh, and screams of pain resounded through the battlefield all at once.


    Red could barely see what was happening, and he only felt multiple fluctuations being snuffed out in an instant. He stood behind Narcha and Eiwin as the women held against the initial charge of the horde, ravenous creatures reaching and attacking with their claws and vicious bites, hoping to find purchase in anything at all. Still, his companions lost no ground and pushed the wolves back.


    Red¡¯s vision suddenly cleared, and he looked around, assessing the battlefield.The line barely held against the charge, but now the wolves had lost the momentum behind their initial charge. He did notice something strange, though.


    ¡®There¡¯s not as many wolves attacking us.¡¯


    Perhaps they were deliberately avoiding the strongest section of the army. And it seemed like this strategy was paying off as they focused on the weaker guards.


    They threw themselves again and again against the soldier¡¯s shields without regards for their lives, and eventually their sacrifices paid off. The humans couldn¡¯t hold against such vicious attacks, and their line soon collapsed as the monster flooded through and forcefully split the army into multiple parts as the fight descended into a chaotic melee. However, his companions, who were all located at the center of the army, couldn¡¯t focus on that as the Lesser Ring Realm wolf charged forward again, keeping their attention.


    Red had a bad feeling about the situation and his suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later.


    The wolves all around the battlefield suddenly disengaged from their immediate opponents and collapsed inwards, pushing towards the center of the army in unison. Towards the boy and his companions.


    Red shivered. ¡°They¡¯re trying to surround us!¡±


    It seemed the wolves had a definite target in mind.

 Chapter 266 - Soaring Over the Enemy

    His companions noticed as much on their own, but before they could do anything, the wolves in front of them took this as their cue. They started to push forward, giving Red¡¯s group less and less space to act.


    At this point, there were already wolves reaching around Narcha and Eiwin, who were busy fighting the Lesser Ring Realm monster. If they were surrounded, then there was no question they would fall.


    Rog and Rimold, who were a bit farther behind them, were already doing their best to keep them off the women, but in so doing, they were kept from attacking the stronger wolf. This only caused Narcha''s and Eiwin¡¯s situation to get worse, as they could barely keep the wolf at bay by themselves.


    They needed help.


    Red frowned. ¡°Allen, with me!¡±


    The young master nodded with a fearful expression. They charged forward towards Narcha¡¯s left, coming face to face with a charging wolf. It jumped forward with a growl, hoping to bite the boy¡¯s head off in a single motion. Red, however, managed to sidestep it and slash one of its legs off with his sword.


    Allen, who was waiting behind him, took the opportunity to finish off the wolf with a stab on its throat. Their cooperation and movements were fluid, and neither of them took any time to ponder upon their dead enemy before moving onto the next.


    Some soldiers were also fighting by their side, allowing the boys to focus on one wolf at a time. Red still had enough space to dodge and do his work, but it was getting harder and harder as the rest of the army was pushed in by soldiers from other directions.


    In a matter of less than a minute, his greatest advantage would be gone, and it didn¡¯t seem like the wolves were dying as quickly as they needed to. Red frowned and looked over beyond the river.


    The situation with the Baron and the alpha had suddenly changed. There was now a thick white mist surrounding the wolf¡¯s immediate vicinity, and the green light seemed to slow down whenever it passed through it. The image of the flying dagger became more distinct, and the boy could see it was starting to get covered in a layer of ice.


    It was weakened, slower.


    No longer inhibited by the annoyance of the magic weapon, the wolf could focus wholly on the Baron. The man was finding it harder and harder to dodge and keep himself alive.


    Just as Red was considering what to do, he felt a strong fluctuation suddenly move across the battlefield towards them. He shivered.


    ¡°Narcha, Eiwin, look out!¡±


    His voice reached them even over the chaotic battlefield. An enormous wolf suddenly soared over the rest of the combatants, reaching towards Eiwin with its extended claws. The younger woman didn¡¯t have enough time to react, but Narcha jumped in front of her with her saber at the last second.


    This time, the warrior wasn¡¯t so lucky. One of the wolf¡¯s claws dug into her shoulder, cutting through her leather armor like it was paper and piercing into her skin. Narcha flew back from the impact of the blow, crashing into Rog almost ten meters behind her.


    Both of them were sent sprawling to the ground.


    ¡°Narcha!¡± Eiwin looked back in horror.


    At that moment, though, the other Lesser Ring Realm wolf chose to attack. It lifted its claw, hoping to cut Eiwin apart, before it suddenly felt two stabbing pangs at its back.


    It looked back in pain and anger, noticing Red and Allen stabbing their swords into its hind legs, to limited effect. The boy felt the temperature around him drop even further, and a sudden white mist blew outwards from its skin.


    Red and Allen were sent flying back a few meters as their bodies were covered with a thin layer of ice. The boy shivered with his sudden drop in temperature, but his sect uniform did its work to keep his body from freezing over.


    Then, all of a sudden, he felt another strong fluctuation appear around him. This one, however, he recognized.


    He looked up, noticing Eiwin¡¯s skin glowing with a silver light as she blocked the attacks of both Lesser Ring Realm wolves.


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t privy to all the details of Eiwin¡¯s powers, but he knew for certain that she couldn¡¯t use it again before both a long rest and using Goulth¡¯s medicine to keep herself from dying. She had just used it yesterday against Narcha¡¯s ghost, so how could she do it again so soon?


    Red¡¯s worries were proven correct, as he felt Eiwin¡¯s fluctuation peak at a far lower level than he was used to. Her power-up this time was far weaker, and this showed itself against the wolves.


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    The woman barely had enough strength to keep the creatures at bay. The wolves left her no quarter either, pressing forward with their claws and teeth without hesitation.


    Red frowned and looked around, assessing the battlefield.


    Narcha seemed to be struggling to get up with her bleeding shoulder, while Rog was trying to reach for his bow again, separated in their clash. Rimold continued to throw his dagger at the approaching wolves, but even he was forced to stop attacking and use a barrier talisman as the monsters finally reached him.


    The wolves were closing in from all sides, barely giving them enough space to breathe. Red couldn¡¯t tell how the rest of the army fared, but even if they could kill the focused wolves, it might be too late for him and his companions by them.


    Allen was also trying to recover from the white mist by Red¡¯s side. For a second, the two boys seemed to be forgotten by the monsters as they stood laying at the back of the two Lesser Ring Realm wolves.


    Red frowned, and he finally made a decision. ¡°You have talismans, right?¡±


    Allen seemed surprised. ¡°T-Two, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Here, take it.¡± The boy handed over his omnidirectional shield to the young master. ¡°I need you to help Eiwin. Use everything you have at your disposal.¡±


    Allen seemed hesitant. ¡°B-but what are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Just do as I say!¡± Red cut him off. ¡°Our lives might depend on it!¡±


    The young master put on a resolute expression and nodded.


    Now that Red thought back at it, perhaps they were too na?ve to think they would be able to retreat with no issues. Still, the boy didn¡¯t expect the wolves to show such focus towards killing him and his sect members, but considering they were controlled by a cultivator, perhaps they should have expected it.


    The smarter choice would have been not to fight at all, but now that they were here, there was no other way out.


    Red didn¡¯t pay attention to Allen any longer. He needed to trust the young master to do his part, or they would all die, anyway.


    The boy picked up the Wind Bestowment talisman from his pouch before plastering it against his own arm and chanting. The talisman took a few seconds to activate, during which it emitted a lot of Spiritual Energy which caught the attention of both wolves and humans around the battlefield.


    The two Lesser Ring Realm wolves looked back in a hurry, seemingly having learnt their lesson from yesterday. When they saw the energy flowing in Red¡¯s hands, they didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately charged at the boy.


    Red frowned, unsure on whether he had enough time for the talisman to activate before moving. Thankfully, however, his companions were quick to react.


    Eiwin jumped forward and grabbed one of the wolves by their tail, pulling it back. This still left one, however, which jumped at the boy with its open maw.


    Red tried to dodge to the side, but he didn¡¯t know if he would have enough time for it. Suddenly, Allen¡¯s figure came charging from his side against the wolf¡¯s head with his sword, altering its trajectory just enough for Red to get out of the way.


    The boy didn¡¯t look back and started to run. Every wolf in his vicinity started to charge at him, drawn by this beacon of sudden Spiritual Energy. By this point, however, the talisman had enough time to activate, and Red felt a sudden surge of familiar Spiritual Energy surround his body.


    The boy pushed against the ground with his leg, soaring over the attacking wolves. They tried to jump and reach him in the air, but Red managed to weave past their attacks with the help of the wind surrounding his body.


    He landed on the ground again behind the wolf¡¯s forces and right in front of the river line. The river was at least five hundred meters in width, and Red doubted he could make his way over in a single jump like the Baron.


    However, there was no hesitation on his steps as he jumped forward, led by pure instincts. He made his way over the river as far as he could, but just as he expected, it was barely one fourth of the way through. It looked as if he was about to crash down onto the water, but just as his feet were touching the river¡¯s surface, he felt himself step onto something solid.


    Red pushed against it, and he was once more soaring through the air. The same scene repeated another three times, as the boy seemed to step on something invisible that offered him support and impulse. Two second later, he was nearing the alpha and the Baron.


    From seeing this wolf fight, he learned a fundamental difference between monster in the Lesser Ring Realm and those in the Greater Ring Realm. Those at the Lesser Ring Realm could use Spiritual Energy to a certain degree, but they resembled children trying to familiarize themselves with a complex tool. They didn¡¯t have the expertise to do more than rough and simple tricks with it.


    This wolf, however, was the opposite. It weaved Spiritual Energy around its body like a protective barrier, a mist of ice that slowed down anything that entered in range. Every single one of its steps and attacks seemed to be filled with Ice Spiritual Energy, evident by the layer of thick ice everywhere its claws pass through.


    Only now did Red recognize how dangerous what he was about to do was. Still, he didn¡¯t stop.


    He finally reached the two hundred meter range of the wolf and felt its overwhelming fluctuation. Yet, he didn¡¯t feel the signs of anyone else around it. He needed to get closer.


    Red landed on the other side of the river and charged towards the wolf. His approach was not unnoticed by the monster. It turned around and let out a growl at Red before sending out a breath of white mist through his gullet in the boy¡¯s direction.


    The spout moved at such incredible speeds that Red knew he couldn¡¯t dodge it, even under his improved state, and it seemed so strong that he knew no talisman in his possession could block it. Such a casual motion from this creature was more than enough to kill a mortal like him.


    ¡°It¡¯s your time to pull through!¡± Red shouted.


    These words of his were but a gamble, yet if that person cared so much about their mission, then they would save him. It was their only choice. It was the boy¡¯s only choice too.


    Suddenly, a bright orange barrier appeared in front of Red, blocking the mist in front of him. This allowed Red to continue approaching the wolf, and a few seconds later, he felt it.


    A fluctuation behind the wolf, near the tree line, so faint the boy could miss it if he wasn¡¯t looking for it. Yet he knew it, this was his target.


    He pulled back his arm in a single motion and threw his sword in the direction of that fluctuation.


    ¡°Follow my sword!¡± Red called out again.


    His attention, of course, was never to hit this other invisible fluctuation.


    As soon as Red¡¯s sword left his arm, a tornado of fire struck the very location he was looking at.

 Chapter 267 - The Beast Master

    The explosion of fire resounded through the entire battlefield. All the fighting seemed to stop for a brief moment, and everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to this enormous tower of flames that reached for the sky.


    Red himself froze on the spot as the heat waves hit his body. He stared at the fire in horror and awe, but a few seconds later, the flames started to dissipate and died down. The boy didn¡¯t forget his current assignment, either. He focused on his crimson sense, searching for the fluctuation he felt in that spot mere moments ago.


    It was no longer there.


    ¡®Did they miss?¡¯


    Just as Red was questioning himself, he felt another fluctuation suddenly appear in his crimson sense right above the alpha wolf. This presence was strong, even stronger than the Greater Ring Realm monster, and it seemed to stir in rage.


    Red looked over at the wolf. Then he saw it.


    A human figure, floating in the air above the monster. Its body seemed to be half consumed by flames, which seemed to be quickly dying down. As the fire disappeared, Red was offered a glimpse of this person¡¯s appearance.


    It was a bald, middle-aged man of a diminutive stature. He was wearing patched up clothing made up of various furs and animal hides, resembling a savage in appearance, and his facial features did him no favors either. His face seemed weathered and full of scars, one of which included a missing left ear, with sharp features and eyes set apart a bit too far apart to look natural.


    Red was immediately able to guess his identity.


    The beast master.


    The man¡¯s expression was twisted in rage and his eyes searched around the battlefield in a hurry, before settling down on Red. Killing intent flared in his expression, and the boy shivered.


    The beast master roared in a hoarse voice. ¡°Little bastard!¡±


    The wolf the man was floating over seemed to share its anger and opened its mouth wide. Red didn¡¯t hesitate and turned around to run. He heard another bout of ice mist coming in his direction and knew he had no chance to dodge it.


    Then, a moment later, he felt another fluctuation on par with the beast master appear behind him. There was a sudden explosion of Spiritual Energy and the death Red was expecting didn¡¯t arrive.


    He stopped running and turned around. He finally saw the figure of his savior.


    A tall woman stood in front of him with a raised hand glowing with an orange energy that seemed to deflect the ice mist away. Her black hair was tied in a long braid that reached her very waist, and she seemed to be wearing a dark blue martial robe embroidered with fine golden lines. There were no pouches or items in her person other than a silvery ring located in her lifted hand.


    Red was unable to see her face from his position, but he could tell from her fluctuation that the woman was as calm and serene as the most experienced experts the boy had seen before.


    Eventually, the white mist dissipated in front of her, and she looked back at Red. The woman had noble and elegant facial features, unbefitting the coldness she seemed to display with her expression, and with piercing dark brown eyes that seemed to look past any pretenses the boy could put up.


    ¡°Take him away.¡± She said in a cold tone.


    Red was confused by her words, before he felt another strong fluctuation approach him from behind. He looked over in a hurry, noticing the Baron standing right behind him.


    The man bowed slightly towards the woman before looking at Red. ¡°We need to go, child.¡±


    The boy was still bewildered, but he just nodded. He didn¡¯t want to be in the vicinity of the battle between these two powerful individuals.


    The Baron unceremoniously grabbed him by the collar of his uniform before dashing away, towards the other side of the river. Red looked behind them, noticing the two experts still had yet to do their first move, assessing each other.


    When they finally landed on the other side of the river, the Baron put him down.


    ¡°The beast master can¡¯t keep his focus on the horde anymore.¡± the man said. ¡°The wolves are in disarray.¡±


    Red looked over at the battlefield. Indeed, it was as the Baron said. No longer were the wolves acting as a cohesive unit, and now they were simply attacking anyone closest to them. This seemed to relieve the pressure on the center of the army, and in turn on his companions.


    Still, from here, Red could still see Eiwin''s figure struggling against the two Lesser Ring Realm wolves on her own, with Allen shielded by an omnidirectional barrier as he tried and failed to distract the monsters.


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    The boy frowned and looked over at the Baron. ¡°You need to help my sect.¡±


    The Baron smiled and nodded. ¡°I was already planning to.¡±


    The man dashed away without hesitation, and before he even got close to his targets, a green light flashed from his body. Immediately, wolves around him began to fall without even noticing what was happening, and the Baron cleared a path for himself towards Red¡¯s companions.


    The two Lesser Ring Realm wolves seemed to notice his approach and turned around before letting out weary growls. Yet, they didn¡¯t seem to notice the light flashing above their head.


    The line of green light shot down into one of the wolves¡¯ spine, making it howl in pain and stumble on its feet. The dagger bust through the other side, and before its companion could even notice what was happening, the flying weapon shot into its neck, piercing through to the other side in an explosion of blood.


    The wolves didn¡¯t have time to collect themselves or mount a defense. The dagger continued to pierce and slash at their bodies and in a matter of seconds, life was quickly leaving them.


    Just like that, two Lesser Ring Realm beasts were killed by the Baron and his magical treasure. As soon as that happened, the whole human army roared in celebration while the wolves now looked fearfully at the Baron¡¯s figure.


    Red was relieved and impressed at the same time. He wasn¡¯t certain whether the Baron¡¯s power came from his flying dagger or from his cultivation at the Later Lesser Ring Realm, but it was clear that not even common Lesser Ring Realm monster could measure up to him. This made the boy curious.


    If the Baron was this strong already, how strong would Hector and that invisible cultivator be?


    As if to answer his question, an explosion echoed on the other side of the river. Red looked over and he saw the light of Spiritual Energy flashing. The female cultivator seemed to be on the move, while the alpha wolf and the beast master acted in tandem to keep her away.


    What seemed to be dozens of fine strings of fire shot out from the woman¡¯s sleeves as she flanked her opponents. These strings then grew into thick ropes of flames that weaved their way through the air like snakes before flying towards the beast master.


    The man landed on the wolf¡¯s back in a hurry before putting its hand down onto its fur. A white light flashed from the alpha¡¯s body as it seemed to grow ever so stronger. It howled and a white mist of ice and snow exploded from its fur, covering its surroundings even farther than before.


    The fire snakes seemed to lose its power as soon as they entered this domain, but even then they persisted long enough to clash against the wolf¡¯s body. There were dozens of explosions as the flames hit the monster, and the beast howled in pain.


    ¡°You sect bitch! I will kill you even if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡± The beast master seemed to lose his mind as he saw his pet being hurt.


    His body began to glow and, in turn, the alpha¡¯s body too became ever so brighter with the white light. Suddenly, solid ice began to grow from the monster¡¯s fur, covering its entire body in a matter of a few seconds.


    No, the alpha seemed to be covered by a layered ice armor enclosing all of its body but its face. The woman paid no attention to this and simply continued to conjure those fire snakes while flanking around the wolf.


    This time, however, when these fire lines clashed against its body, all they caused was a mere shattering of ice, which seemed to reform in just a few seconds. The wolf was mostly unharmed.


    The beast master howled in laughter at this. ¡°Now go! Kill her!¡±


    The wolf did as much, charging towards the woman with maddened eyes. She didn¡¯t seem bothered by this, and simply retreated while still conjuring the fire snakes with increased frequency.


    Still, the wolf was faster than her and was quick to gain ground on the woman, while her attacks didn¡¯t seem to be having as much of an effect any longer.


    The beast master continued to laugh hysterically. ¡°You can¡¯t run! You can¡¯t escape!¡±


    Red frowned. Was this the extent of her capabilities?


    As if to answer his question, the boy notice something happening above them. The majority of the fire snakes no longer were aiming towards the wolf, instead gathering a few hundred meters above the creature into a large fire orb. This orb was growing by the second as more and more fire lines gathered into it.


    Eventually, the energy gathered in that orb seemed to be strong enough to catch the self-absorbed beast master.


    His expression changed once he looked up. ¡°Shit!¡±


    As soon as he noticed that, though, the female cultivator made a downward motion with her hand. Suddenly, an enormous fire snake materialized from the fire orb, flying down towards the wolf.


    The creature didn¡¯t even have time to react. A giant fire explosion happened upon impact, and the impact and heatwave seemed to reach even Red on the other side of the river. He covered his face slightly and squinted his eyes, hoping to spot what had happened as soon as the dust and smoke dissipated.


    His reply came soon enough. The alpha wolf was sprawled on the ground, its ice armor completely shattered as the fire of the snake burned its way down onto its very spine. The monster was stirring weakly, but it was clear that life was quickly leaving its body.


    Just like that, their biggest threat was dead. There was, however, no sign of the beast master anywhere.


    Red frowned and looked around, before spotting a figure shoot out from the cloud of smoke towards the air. It was so fast that the boy had a hard time keeping up with it. Whatever the case, it seemed like the beast master was intent on retreating.


    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this! All of you will face your reckoning!¡± His words echoed through the battlefield.


    The woman made no motion to chase after him, putting her hands behind her back as she stared at his escaping figure. This left Red confused, but suddenly something seemed to change.


    The beast master slowed down mid-air, as if his movements were going through a quagmire. Soon enough, he was frozen in the air, looking around in horror and confusion.


    Then, around the man, something materialized before Red¡¯s very eyes. It was a simple watery surface at first, before becoming something more distinct, more consistent. More real.


    It was a river flowing through the air, surrounding the beast master, and above this river stood a floating purple sword that Red recognized.


    The Deep Sea Sword.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve finally caught the cockroach, haven¡¯t we?¡± A familiar voice echoed through the battlefield.


    Their elder had finally returned.

 Chapter 268 - The Elder Returns

    Red looked over in the voice¡¯s direction. There he saw him, walking out of the tree line, looking none the worse for wear - their great elder Hector.


    The old man was looking up at the floating beast master, surrounded by the flying river. His opponent tried to struggle and free himself, but all his movements seemed to be in slow motion and he couldn¡¯t muster any Spiritual Energy to resist. There was an expression of terror on his face.


    Hector snorted and looked over at the female cultivator. ¡°Do you need him alive?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    This was all Hector needed to hear. He lifted his hand before bringing it down in a swift motion. The Deep Sea Sword, which was suspended above the beast master¡¯s head, suddenly pointed down and began to spin.


    The flying river followed the same motion and started to revolve around itself, extending towards the ground. The floating beast master was helplessly dragged by the current and was pushed down bit by bit.


    Then, all of a sudden, the downward force reached a crescendo, and the flying river became a waterfall. The man was sent crashing to the ground as the overwhelming power squished him against the forest floor.


    The surrounding trees were all toppled by the overwhelming waterfall¡¯s force, and Red felt sprinkles of water reach him even from the other side of the river. This lasted for almost ten seconds before the conjured water seemed to dissipate into nothingness again.


    When his vision was cleared up, all that Red saw was a large crater where the waterfall had crashed down. There were no signs of the beast master¡¯s body other than what seemed to be the remains of his clothing and other items he carried on himself.


    Just like that, a Greater Ring Realm cultivator was killed.


    The purple sword floated down, falling right into Hector¡¯s grip. The whole battlefield stopped fighting, looking towards the other side of the river in shock and awe.


    One of the surviving Lesser Ring Realm wolves let out a howl. It was filled with grief and fear. Their leader was dead, and no longer was the beast master compelling them to fight, either.


    Their enemy was too strong, and their battle was lost.


    One by one, the wolves turned tail and ran in fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away!¡± Orvin called out over the battlefield.


    His soldiers did as much, letting out roars of victory as they stabbed and chased after the surviving monster. Red, however, didn¡¯t bother joining the chase, still looking at Hector and the female cultivator on the other side of the river.


    The elder was looking at her with an unfriendly gaze. Red was barely able to hear their conversation with his improved hearing.


    ¡°I need his belongings.¡± The woman said in a neutral tone. ¡°¡­ The core too.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°After all of this, you suppose I should just give everything to you?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°These are my superior¡¯s orders.¡±


    The elder waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Take it, but I¡¯ll expect compensation.¡±


    Hector walked away towards the river, ice forming under his feet as he crossed the water surface. Red watched the man approaching with some trepidation, when from behind him he heard the sound of footsteps.


    ¡°Hector!¡±


    Allen wandered over to Red¡¯s side and waved his hand at the elder with an anxious expression. The young master didn¡¯t get wounded from his confrontation with the wolves thanks to his defensive talisman, but it was clear the battle had taken its toll on his psyche.


    Red looked back and saw Rimold approaching them, too. Eiwin and Rog, however, seemed busy attending to a wounded Narcha who was sitting on the ground with her wound frozen over. Now that the wolves had left the battlefield and the soldiers were giving chase, the boy could also see the bodies littering the river ground.


    The confrontation hadn¡¯t lasted more than ten minutes, and yet there were dozens of human and monster bodies piled up every way he looked. The smell of blood rose to his nostrils, something he was used to, but Allen still had a hard time adapting to it, judging by his trembling figure.


    A few seconds later, Hector reached the other side of the river.


    ¡°Hector, I need to speak to you about something.¡± Rimold said with an anxious expression.


    The elder waved him away. ¡°Whatever it is, it can wait.¡±


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    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I said my part. We can speak once we are done here.¡± Hector cut him off. He then looked towards Allen. ¡°You¡¯re not wounded. Good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Allen seemed at a loss for words.


    Hector looked over at Red. ¡°You also did a good job helping that woman.¡±


    ¡°You were watching?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°I arrived around the time you crossed the river.¡± the old man nodded. ¡°I was waiting for my time to strike, too. We can have this conversation later, though.¡±


    The elder walked past them towards Narcha and the others.


    Rimold stared at Red with a frown. ¡°Is that why you suddenly disappeared?¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°She asked for help and I needed to provide it if we wanted to live.¡±


    The rogue seemed conflicted when he heard that, but he let the matter go. They followed behind Hector, who was looking over Narcha while Eiwin and Rog were doing their best to dress her wounds.


    Eiwin looked towards the elder with a troubled glance. ¡°I gave her a healing pill, but the ice covering her wounds is stopping it from closing up.¡±


    Indeed, Red saw the large gash from her right shoulder down to her chest was covered in a thick sheet of ice. Any normal human would have already died from such a wound, and even Narcha seemed to be struggling to maintain her consciousness, as much as she tried putting on a brave expression.


    ¡°Let me see it.¡± Hector said.


    Eiwin and Rog stepped away from the woman, letting the elder approach. The old man put a hand on her shoulder, and the ice covering her wounds started to melt away and disappear. As the obstacle to her flesh closing faded, the effects of the healing pill started to act on her body and began to repair her ripped muscles.


    Narcha gritted her teeth in pain but made no noises to betray her suffering.


    Once this process was done, Hector didn¡¯t spare the woman a second glance before getting up and turning around. His coldness and indifference didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the other sect members, whom all frowned at the elder¡¯s actions.


    Eiwin crouched down and examined Narcha. ¡°Miss Valt, are you alright now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Narcha waved her off. ¡°I just need¡­ Some rest.¡±


    Right around this time, the female cultivator from the other side of the river was also walking over to them. Her steps seemed to find solid ground over the river¡¯s surface as she approached them, carrying herself with an air of elegance and a neutral expression.


    Hector frowned at this, giving the woman an unfriendly gaze. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    The woman put her hands together and bowed slightly towards the elder. ¡°I wanted to apologize to this senior.¡±


    The old man sneered. ¡°For which offense? For using me as bait, or for going behind my back to coerce one of my sect members to help you?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t seem affected by his words. ¡°For both of them. I was given orders to avoid interacting with this senior as much as possible during this mission, so I couldn¡¯t reveal my presence to you at first.¡±


    Hector seemed surprised. ¡°Why do the people of your sect want you to avoid me?¡±


    She seemed hesitant to reply. ¡°¡­ My elders have decided to cut relations with the survivors of the Ocean Bearers Sect.¡±


    ¡°These bastards!¡± Hector gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°Do they have no shame?! No pride as cultivators?!¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°It is not my place to question their decisions, senior. Still, given the circumstances and the peculiarities of our enemy, I had no choice but to solicit the help of one of your sect members. If I hadn¡¯t done it, then I imagine things might have turned out much worse.¡±


    She gave Red a meaningful gaze.


    The elder¡¯s anger seemed to abate at these words, but he still stared at the woman with some suspicion. ¡°What is your name and the name of your master?¡±


    ¡°My name is Keira. I¡¯m an inner disciple of the Crystal Sky Sect under the tutelage of Master Xandyr.¡± She bowed slightly to Hector.


    ¡°Xandyr?¡± Hector frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t he sympathetic to our cause?¡±


    The woman had a troubled expression. ¡°He is not the one behind these decisions, I¡¯m afraid. He has no choice but to respect them.¡±


    Hector snorted in contempt. ¡°What about compensation? Will that be denied to us, too?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Our sect will never leave contributions unrewarded. I will report how you and your sect helped me slay this beast master, and I¡¯m certain they will be willing to reward your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± the old man nodded. ¡°There is one more thing we need to speak about, though.¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ Indeed, it is best we speak about the peculiarities of this child.¡±


    Red¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    Hector frowned with a cautious expression. ¡°Do you mean to report to your superiors about it?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°I made him a promise, and in exchange for his help, I even revealed compromising information about myself. However, this is not what worries me.¡±


    The elder shook his head. ¡°As long as you keep your word, you need not worry about anything else. I assure we have his issues quite handled ourselves.¡±


    ¡°So you say, senior, but the truth is that he got lucky. Had it been someone else from my sect here, then I¡¯m not sure his¡­ secret techniques would have remained a secret.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of things we can¡¯t control in this world. Even if someone else was intent on revealing this matter, I have my own ways to keep that from happening.¡± Hector stared at the woman with an intense gaze. ¡°After all, the connections I¡¯ve made in my life will eventually need to serve for something.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Regardless of what this senior might like to believe, many people in our sect have not given up on helping you or your companions.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Do not bother with empty words, girl. The time when we most needed your help was long ago, and any support you offer us now is nothing more than an insult. I only pray that you and your sect do not find yourselves in our position, for the sake of the whole cultivation world.¡±


    The woman frowned and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Hector asked in an unfriendly tone.


    The woman shook her head and bowed slightly to the elder. ¡°That will be all, senior.¡±


    She turned around and walked away, approaching the Baron, who was waiting farther away to speak to her.


    Hector turned around and looked at Red. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, kid. Whatever happens, I have more than a few plans to deal with it.¡±


    These words offered scant comfort to Red.

 Chapter 269 - Betrayal of Trust

    Hector gathered all of his sect members and brought them back towards the fort. The place was completely empty, as most of the army was still out there dealing with the horde¡¯s surviving monsters and gathering corpses, yet the elder did not seem to care about these matters.


    He urged them on, and under Eiwin¡¯s guidance, they arrived back at the tent the Baron arranged for them. When they were inside, Hector weighed all of them with a weary expression.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± he asked. ¡°The communication talismans we arranged were not working, so I couldn¡¯t make you aware of my condition.¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°We were attacked by something on our journey over¡­¡±


    The woman proceeded to explain their encounter with the floating head, as well as their efforts to free their companions of their possession. By the time she was done, Hector was frowning in worry.


    ¡°I thought once I threw that head away everything would be dealt with, and yet¡­¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°This is not your fault, old man.¡± Rimold tried to assuage his worries. ¡°No one could have predicted things would have developed in this manner.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I should have still tried to be more thorough in getting rid of it, at the very least. The being said, it seems we have more immediate worries.¡± Hector looked over at Narcha with a frown. ¡°You killed a member of the Curse Breakers?¡±


    The woman gritted her teeth and look down.


    ¡°This was not her fault, Master Hector.¡± Eiwin jumped to the defense of her companion. ¡°She was being possessed.¡±


    ¡°Weak minds make for perfect hosts for ghosts.¡± Hector said. ¡°You might think this was not your fault, but I have always made it clear in our teachings about how the state of mind of a cultivator is important. It seems, however, that I was not clear enough.¡±


    He directed stern a gaze at Allen, Narcha, and Rimold, who all looked away in embarrassment.


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°Be that as it may, that is not our main concern.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± the elder nodded, looking over at Red. ¡°You say you got rid of the body?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°As thoroughly as I could.¡±


    Hector sighed. ¡°I will have to take your word for it, then. At this point, the Curse Breakers have probably already arrived and investigated the scene.¡±


    ¡°Could this come back to us?¡± The boy asked with a frown.


    ¡°Hard to tell.¡± the elder shook his head. ¡°It depends on how much importance they put on this matter. It is not unusual for Curse Breaker knights to die while on missions, but their retaliation depends on how important that mission was in the first place. In any case, this is something we will need to wait and see, but I will do my preparations.¡±


    Eiwin and Narcha still looked conflicted, even with his reassurances, but they kept silent.


    There was a pause as Hector seemed to consider his words.


    He looked back at Red. ¡°Where did you learn that exorcizing technique?¡±


    ¡®Straight to the point, it seems.¡¯


    ¡°Someone taught me it.¡± Red was brief with his reply.


    Hector frowned at his words, and he wasn¡¯t the only one. At this point, even if Red¡¯s companions weren¡¯t aware of what was going on between the boy and the necromancer, they could still make some guesses as to the necromantic origin of this technique. Not to mention, he had already told the truth to Rog, either way.


    Hector, however, seemed hesitant to discuss the matter. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll just ask you one question. Is there anything we need to worry about?¡±


    Red frowned, pondering the elder¡¯s question. ¡°¡­ I do not know. I was forced by circumstance to make some choices, and while I¡¯d like to think they won¡¯t affect our sect, it would be remiss of me to guarantee you anything.¡±


    There was a silence following his words as his companions digested his words with conflicted expressions. Rog, on the other hand, was sitting down while looking over his equipment, barely paying attention to the conversation.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Narcha spoke up. ¡°He did what he needed to do to save us, and this is not the first time either. Whatever consequences come from it, I am more than willing to deal with them¡­ Isn¡¯t that what you taught us, old man?¡±


    The woman stared at Hector with an intense gaze.


    The elder sighed and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. It would be hypocritical of me to punish or press you when you¡¯re the reason they are still alive¡­ That being said, I would like to be made aware if something changes. Is that clear?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°You will be the first to know.¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t comfortable having these delicate secrets of his be revealed to others, but now that it was done, it would benefit all of them if he let Hector know when something changed.


    ¡°What about you, old man?¡± Rog asked. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be distracting the wolf? We also almost died because of you.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t presume that I failed at my job. I was doing my part in distracting the wolf, but I never expected to be attacked by a cultivator, too.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Allen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°That guy attacked you too?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°Luckily, I was already prepared to escape if need be, so I managed to keep my life. Regardless, I couldn¡¯t risk getting close to the wolf again after that.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You seemed to have an easy time killing him with that sword. Why didn¡¯t you use it before?¡±


    The old man glared at him. ¡°What do you know about these treasures? You think a weapon that allows you to kill someone at a higher realm than you can be used at will?¡±


    ¡°I know nothing about treasures, actually.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Hector looked at a loss for words. ¡°Treasures need Spiritual Energy to power them, and let¡¯s just say a treasure as powerful as that Deep Sea Sword can¡¯t be powered by any common type of Spiritual Energy.¡±


    ¡°You mean it has limited uses?¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°Indeed, and I can¡¯t charge it again at my realm either. I was still hesitant about using it during the battle, but I couldn¡¯t let that beast master flee. Not to mention, by helping that woman, I also earned us an invaluable favor from her Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    Red sighed in admiration of Hector. Even in those situations, the elder thought about how he could turn a crisis to his own benefit, like a true cultivator. A lot of his companions weren¡¯t comfortable with this side of Hector that seemed indifferent to the suffering of people outside of his own sect, yet no one complained since the old man always did it for their benefit at the end of the day.


    Or better yet, they couldn¡¯t really complain when his attitude was what saved their lives in the past.


    Allen¡¯s interest was piqued at the old man¡¯s words. ¡°You mean we could ask the Crystal Sky Sect for anything?¡±


    Hector gave the young master a sly smile. ¡°As long as it¡¯s worth the transgressions committed against me and the price on the head of a Greater Ring Realm cultivator, then yes, we can ask for anything.¡±


    Allen beamed. ¡°Then can we ask for a Parting Sea Pill for Narcha?¡±


    Hector¡¯s smile disappeared, and everyone looked over at the young master in shock. Red felt Narcha¡¯s fluctuation stir, but the woman remained silent, observing Hector¡¯s reactions.


    The old man frowned. ¡°I will think about it.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    This had clearly caught the elder off guard, but his response seemed enough to satisfy Allen for now. Red caught Narcha¡¯s conflicted expression, which she did her best to hide before anyone else noticed.


    The boy didn¡¯t linger on the matter, though, as he had other questions to ask Hector. In fact, he was still curious most of all about the beast master they had just confronted.


    ¡°Was that man a demonic cultivator?¡± He asked.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°Not necessarily. Beast taming is an unorthodox method, but not a demonic one. If I had to guess, that was just another displaced cultivator from the barbarian lands acting as a mercenary.¡±


    Rimold frowned. ¡°If he is not a demonic cultivator, why did he attack us?


    ¡°Mercenaries work for the highest paying client.¡± Hector explained. ¡°Sometimes, those happen to be demonic cultivators, too.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You mean even powerful cultivators would stoop so low as that?¡±


    ¡°They would do that and much worse, kid.¡± The elder said. ¡°It is not only demonic cultivators you need to worry about in this world.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, there¡¯s also those cursed beast people and the undead folk.¡± Rog said with a shrug.


    Red was about to question the hunter about what he meant when he felt a fluctuation enter his detection range. He paused.


    Hector noticed his change in expression. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°The Baron is coming.¡± Red said.


    The elder snorted. ¡°He sure took his time. Let¡¯s go outside and speak to him.¡±


    They followed the elder out of the tent. Ahead of them they saw the Baron, flanked by a few of his soldiers.


    The man seemed surprised once he saw Hector walk outside.


    He nodded at the elder with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting. I had some matters to attend to.¡±


    Hector glared at the Baron. ¡°What, were you planning another scheme behind my back again?¡±


    The Baron smiled helplessly. ¡°¡­ I did not have a choice in this matter, Hector. I was merely following orders.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The elder asked with an irritated voice.


    ¡°I have my soldiers gathering the corpses of the monsters. We have killed a total of twelve Lesser Ring Realm monsters over the course of these two days. It has been decided five of their cores and materials will go to you and your sect.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Is that your way of apologizing?¡±


    The Baron shook his head. ¡°No, this is merely your rewards earned. Without your help, things could have gone much worse for me and my men.¡±


    ¡°Very well then, but don¡¯t expect a thank you.¡± The old man nodded. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    The Baron hesitated. ¡°¡­ No, that is not all. I have come to ask you for you and your sect¡¯s help in hunting down the remaining wolves. Although the main horde is defeated, there are still dozens of wolves and other foreign monsters wandering the forest. Some of them are even in the Lesser Ring Realm, and your expertise would prove invaluable to me and my men.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the elder seemed to consider the Baron¡¯s request with a frown.


    A few seconds later, though, he looked up with a resolved expression. ¡°The answer is no.¡±


    The Baron seemed shocked at his reply, and he wasn¡¯t the only one. Behind the elder, Red and his companions were staring at Hector¡¯s back with astonished expression. Even Rog was no exception.


    Eiwin made to speak up. ¡°Master Hector, are you certain that we-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Hector held his hand up, which was enough for Eiwin¡¯s sentence to stop midway through.


    The Baron also had a troubled expression. ¡°Hector, if this is about compensation, we can-¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with compensation.¡± Hector cut him off. ¡°You made a promise to me, and regardless of whether you willed it or not, you still put me and my sect in danger through your omission of vital information. This is not the kind of transgression that can easily be reconciled by any offering of gifts. It is a fundamental betrayal of trust.¡±


    ¡°I did what was necessary for the safety of all of our people.¡± The Baron frowned. ¡°Whatever offense I may have caused you, I will take personal responsibility. However, by refusing to help us in this hunt, you do not only affect me, but you affect all the people in this region that will die should the horde survivors be allowed to run free.¡±


    ¡°I have said my part.¡± The elder seemed resolved. ¡°We will offer you our help after we are back in town and completely recovered, and only when proper compensation is presented.¡±


    The Baron stared at Hector, his expression betraying anger for the first time since Red had seen him. ¡°¡­ Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°I have been far too kind to you and this town for these last few years. Perhaps this has made you and others think they may take advantage of my good-nature and sympathy, but I have had enough. It is time to show again that my trust is not something easily abused, much less easily recovered.¡± Hector looked at his sect members. ¡°Follow me. We are leaving.¡±


    The elder turned around and began to walk away. Red and his companions were left baffled at his actions, but all of them knew that no words of protest would change Hector¡¯s mind.


    This time, he was truly resolved.

 Chapter 270 - Declaration of War

    Of course, even though Hector planned to depart at that moment, Red and his companions still needed to gather their belongings before joining him. Red himself was able to recover his sword he tossed away during battle, a habit that was becoming worryingly commonplace for the boy.


    None of his group seemed eager to speak of the matter, and the Baron decided against trying to request their help behind Hector¡¯s back. Some of his soldiers, however, still seemed to be under the impression they were going to help them clear the wolves and they all greeted the sect members in high spirits. Eiwin and the others didn¡¯t have the heart to reveal the truth to them.


    So it was that, after gathering their belongings in almost complete silence, Red and his group joined Hector on the road.


    The elder was waiting with his arms crossed behind his back.


    He looked over at the group. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Eiwin nodded. ¡°We have gathered everything.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hector seemed satisfied. He stared at Rimold. ¡°You said you had something urgent to speak to me about.¡±


    The rogue hesitated. ¡°¡­ It can wait.¡±


    The elder was suspicious of this change of attitude, but he let the matter go. ¡°Fine. Then let us be on our way with utmost haste. I do not intend to camp outside on our way to town.¡±


    Hector led them down the road, and the group followed behind him in an orderly line.


    The atmosphere on the trip was still very awkward, and even after hours had gone by, the group did not engage in any conversation or discussions. This was, of course, because they knew Hector very well. The old man was probably ready to rebuke any protests to his decision, and trying to convince him otherwise would not only be useless, but it would also only make their day-long trip even more awkward.


    Of course, even though they all knew that, Hector was not the only person in this group with a short fuse. After two hours of maintaining a conflicted and irritated expression, Narcha finally seemed to have had enough.


    She looked over at Hector. ¡°You are not a good person.¡±


    The elder froze in his steps, and the expression of the entire group changed. They braced themselves, knowing what came next.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right.¡± To their surprise, Hector responded with a calm voice without even looking back at Narcha.


    He resumed his walk, falling quiet again.


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Is that it? No other argument? Is your arrogance and cold-blood something you pride yourself in?¡±


    Hector froze again. ¡°It is what kept me alive and relevant in the cultivation world for over a hundred years, despite me being the weakest cultivator of my generation. So yes, this is something I pride myself on, and I¡¯m not ashamed to admit it.¡±


    The woman glared at the elder. ¡°Not everyone is like you. Not all of us are willing to turn our backs on our friends and allies when they need us most.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°Miss Valt¡­¡±


    Hector held his hand up, cutting Eiwin off. ¡°If you want to go there and help them, feel free. However, if you do so, you need not bother to return to the sect.¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth, her face twisting in anger.


    The elder didn¡¯t avert his gaze from her. ¡°Is this not what you want? To be free of the burden of rules and to do as you please? Then you might as well go ahead. I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be much of a sacrifice to you since you have already opened all your veins and don¡¯t need our support. After all, what else can we offer you?¡±


    ¡°Master Hector, is there a need for this?¡± Eiwin looked lost on how to react.


    ¡°Of course there is.¡± Hector remained steadfast. ¡°I have been too tolerant of this brat¡¯s offenses over the last few years. She forgets herself and the kind of organization she joined.¡± He looked over Red and his companions. ¡°Whatever notions you have about what this group and organization is, never be misled about our true identity. We are a sect, first and foremost, and we look for each other¡¯s interests and safety above all else. Never forget this.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The elder started walking again, leaving the group to reflect on these words.


    Red expected Narcha to explode then and there, but to his surprise, she seemed to calm down. Of course, this only went for her outer appearance.


    From her fluctuation, the boy could tell she was as angry as he had ever seen her, but there was some other emotion that seemed to keep her ire contained. Pure resolve.


    The woman seemed to have made her mind up about something, and Red wasn¡¯t the only one that noticed it.


    Eiwin looked over at Narcha with a troubled expression. ¡°Miss Narcha, let us return to the sect. I¡¯m sure we can change Master Hector¡¯s mind later.¡±


    Although Eiwin said that, she didn¡¯t sound too confident in her own words.


    Narcha just nodded at the woman and followed behind her.


    ¡­


    They continued walking for the entire day and deep into the night, having a few pauses in between. Along the way, they met with quite a few soldiers making their way over as reinforcements towards the river. By that point, it seemed like the news of their victory had already made its way to town.


    When morning arrived again, the group was very exhausted, since they weren¡¯t able to rest after that huge battle. However, they were already very close to town, and it was just a matter of a few hours before they arrived.


    It was at that point, however, that a group of mounted soldiers coming from the town¡¯s direction made their way over to them in a hurry. Red would have thought they were here simply to greet Hector and his sect out of respect, like all the other guards they met along the road, but he saw their expressions were tinged with apprehension.


    Hector paused and frowned.


    ¡°Master Hector!¡± The leading soldier stopped right in front of the group, dismounting his horse in a hurry and bowing to the elder.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hector asked.


    The soldier tried to catch his breath as he spoke. ¡°We¡­ We have received urgent news from the capital! The Empire has declared war on our kingdom!¡±


    The expressions of everyone changed, and even Red couldn¡¯t contain his shock.


    ¡°This- This can¡¯t be right!¡± Rimold looked at the soldier in concern. ¡°The negotiations were supposed to still be happening! What changed since then?!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m not privy to the details.¡± The soldier shook his head.


    Hector frowned with a troubled expression. ¡°Have they attacked us yet?¡±


    ¡°N-No, not yet. They have just made their formal declaration of war earlier today and spoke of their intention to invade our lands in the following months.¡±


    Narcha gritted her teeth in pure anger. ¡°The sheer arrogance of these fucking bastards!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance, it¡¯s confidence.¡± Rog shook his head.


    ¡°If they were so confident, why would they need to be such cowards and attack us right after a monster horde?!¡±


    Hector still seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°Do you have any more information we should know?¡± he asked the soldier.


    ¡°We do not know much yet, however¡­¡± The soldier hesitated. ¡°Sir Bernard has apparently made his intentions known in the meeting with our King. He will be leading the Imperial armies himself.¡±


    Red¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He wasn¡¯t the only one to have a reaction of fear and concern at this news.


    Bernard, the target of Red¡¯s revenge, and one of the most talented individuals in human history. A young cultivator in the fourth realm, or the equivalent for the Imperial¡¯s self-denominated system, and responsible for exterminating the cultivator community in the northern part of the continent. Among his victims stood Viran, of course, a man who had been crippled at the hands of this rising hero of the Empire.


    From Red¡¯s knowledge, he knew the Empire had stronger and more experienced generals to lead this invasion. Yet, in the whole cultivation world, there was no one on a faster ascension path than Bernard. By sending him, it was likely the Empire wanted this entire kingdom to be but a simple step on the ladder towards his growth.


    ¡°Has the King passed along any orders?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± The soldier shook his head. ¡°But his advisors and subordinates have already reached out to the Baron for an emergency meeting. We were sent to escort him back to town.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Then we won¡¯t hold you any longer.¡± Hector nodded and waved the soldiers off.


    The man bowed towards the elder and remounted his horse, heading east towards the river.


    Hector looked back at his sect members. ¡°We will have an emergency meeting once we are back in our sect.¡±


    No one protested his orders.


    After a few more hours of travel, they finally arrived back in town. The settlement was already abuzz with the recent news of war.


    The town was already full of refugees, and by the looks of it, these people who were eager to return to their villages once the horde was dealt with were instead making plans to settle down for longer. As Red had come to learn, there was the Great Serpent Canyon separating this region of their Kingdom and the Empire, which meant that it was unlikely they would see combat during the initial phases of the war.


    Still, this didn¡¯t mean that the town and region would be peaceful. Instead, it was likely that even more refugees from other parts of the kingdom would migrate south in search of sanctuary, or so Rimold claimed. This meant that the town would only grow more and more chaotic over the following months, and the Baron would have a whole different problem in his hands. Yet, this was a better position to be in compared to directly having to face the Empire¡¯s armies.


    The group made their way up the hill, and for the most part they went by unnoticed as the town was in a turmoil at the recent news. They arrived at their sect without much issue, and soon enough found themselves at the gates.


    Hector turned around to look at them. ¡°To the meeting room, now!¡±


    He swung open the gates, finding Domeron sitting in his swinging chair on the front lawn while sipping from his steaming mug. The swordsman raised his eyebrows and was about to speak before Hector walked past him and into the main building without sparing him a glance.


    Domeron frowned and looked over at Red and the others. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into him now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at war.¡± Red said.


    ¡°We¡¯re what?!¡±


    It seemed like the sect¡¯s isolated position didn¡¯t always serve to their benefit.

 Chapter 271 - Escape Plan

    Over the next couple of minutes, the entire sect gathered in the meeting hall. Goulth too was surprised by the news, and he even forgot to ask Red about how the sword fared in combat. Once everyone was gathered, Hector raised his hand to ask for silence.


    He started to speak. ¡°Since you all are already aware, I won¡¯t go into much detail. The reason for this meeting is to decide our course of action in this upcoming war against the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Can our kingdom win against them?¡± Allen asked in an uncertain tone.


    ¡°Normally? There is simply no way.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°However, the Empire will probably not be sending its strongest cultivators either, possibly in fear of the Crystal Sky Sect intervening. It is an unspoken agreement between them when it came to matters of war - they won¡¯t send cultivators above the fourth realm and the Crystal Sky Sect won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we have a chance?¡± The young master looked hopeful.


    Domeron gave him a helpless smile. ¡°Do not get too hopeful, kid. Despite this agreement, the truth is that the Empire has yet to lose any wars they have fought in. This speaks to not only their strength at all realms of cultivation but also to their absolute mastery over warfare.¡±


    Allen¡¯s face fell. ¡°This¡­ Do we even have any hope, then?¡±


    ¡°It depends. The Crystal Sky Sect is not the only sect out there, and the King might seek out the help of a sect willing to interfere directly with this war.¡±


    Rimold frowned. ¡°You mean the warmongering bastards from the White Sun Sect?¡±


    ¡°You insult them unfairly.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re the only sect out there willing to take the fight directly against the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Whatever their virtues, it doesn¡¯t change their nature.¡± The rogue was unconvinced. ¡°Besides, would our King Thomas really be willing to break the alliance we have had with the Crystal Sky Sect for a hundred years already?¡±


    The swordsman laughed. ¡°For the good of his kingdom, he might do that and much more. However, this is merely one of the paths for survival I can see our King choosing, and not necessarily the best one either. If the White Sun Sect interferes, this will give the Empire justification for attacking with all their strength, and even if the kingdom survives, the destruction to its territory will be absolute in the war''s aftermath and the result will not be much different from being conquered. If the situation is truly dire, then I can see the Crystal Sky Sect stepping in to negotiate with the Empire, but in any case, it doesn¡¯t change one thing - the kingdom will need to strive to survive this on its own for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°But how can we do that if the Empire is so strong?¡± Allen frowned in worry.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°A miracle, maybe?¡±


    ¡°How is that a plan?!¡± The young master¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Look, the kingdom doesn¡¯t need to win this war, it just needs to make the Empire¡¯s efforts as costly and as challenging as possible so that when the time comes, they will consider a truce that will allow us to survive.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So there is no victory in this? Only minimizing our losses?¡±


    ¡°It is the unfortunate reality.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°No Kingdom in the world is able to measure up to the Empire¡¯s strength, and the only way they can survive is with the sects¡¯ direct interference. Until such a time where the sects¡¯ stances change, then the best these kingdoms and other territories can do is to endure.¡±


    ¡°How likely do you think the battle is to reach this province, then?¡± Rimold asked.


    ¡°Very unlikely.¡± the swordsman said. ¡°We have the benefit of being flanked by the Great Serpent Canyon, so unless the Imperials want to risk it and send their troops through that hellish landscape, we should be fine. If the fight ever reaches this place, then the capital and the war will already be lost and we will be long gone from here.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Are you so sure about this?¡± Red was skeptical. ¡°The imperials have already sent people here for the inheritance land. What if they try to do it again in search of traces of it?¡±


    The boy was asking this, of course, for his own sake. Since six months ago, he had yet to notice any presences of imperials in the region, but if the hawk spirit was being truthful, Red simply did not believe they would give up on such a powerful inheritance so easily.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t discount the possibility. However, this would hardly require an army to execute, and they will probably just search about with their spies. Chances are, they are already in town, but we just don¡¯t know about them.¡±


    ¡°The boy¡¯s point still stands.¡± Hector finally spoke up. ¡°We don¡¯t know how important that inheritance was to them and what they would do to get their hands on it. Not to mention that even if they don¡¯t have any clues, it is evident they will suspect and investigate our sect. The possibility of us being caught in the cross-fire of this war is very real and we can¡¯t let our guards down because of our relatively safe position.¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to leave town then, Master Hector?¡± Eiwin asked.


    Hector hesitated. ¡°¡­ It would be the wisest choice if we had a safer place to stay, but as Domeron said, this province will probably be relatively safe from the war, and there¡¯s no guarantee we will be able to settle down anywhere else in time. This doesn¡¯t mean, however, that we can¡¯t prepare escape plans in case anything does happen.¡±


    ¡°Where were you planning to escape when the horde attacked?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°The capital. We would be forced to give up a lot of our influence to the factions in that city, but it would have been the safest choice. However, this was before this whole war was declared, and now the capital is not necessarily the safest place for us.¡±


    The boy frowned. ¡°Then where else?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Hector shook his head.


    These words surprised Red. He always thought that the elder was prepared for any eventuality, but it was clear that there were some things even he was unprepared for.


    ¡°Do you mean to ask for help from your old sect?¡± Domeron asked with a curious gaze.


    ¡°And give up the modicum of independence I conquered after leaving them?¡± Hector shook his head with a resolved expression. ¡°Never.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°Then what do you intend for us to do if we need to escape? Do you want us to wander around from town to town like nomads?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No, I have a better idea. Someone who can actually help us.¡±


    Red frowned as he suddenly thought of a possibility in his mind. His gaze wandered over to Narcha, and judging by her expression, the woman seemed to have realized it, too.


    Domeron stared with curiosity at Hector. ¡°Does someone owe you a favor I don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°The Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    The swordsman¡¯s eyes widened in surprise before an expression of realization came to him. He looked over at Red, and the boy just nodded.


    ¡°I helped them kill the Beast Master, and they also offended me by using me as bait.¡± Hector explained. ¡°They owe me a favor, and I plan to use it should the need arise.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Allen interjected with a look of consternation. ¡°What about Narcha¡¯s pill that you promised?!¡±


    ¡°I promised no such thing.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°I said I was going to think about it, but that was also before I knew the Empire declared war against us and that we might need all the help we can in case something bad was to happen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± The young master slammed his fist on the table in anger. ¡°Narcha needs the pill, and if she breaks through, we will have one more Lesser Ring Realm cultivator to help us!¡±


    Red was expecting Hector to blow up at Allen¡¯s outburst, but instead, the elder remained quite calm.


    ¡°A Lesser Ring Realm cultivator more will not change our fate if the Empire decides to attack us.¡± Hector said. ¡°Unless she is able to breakthrough to the Spirit Core Realm, then no increase in power will make a difference for us.¡±


    Allen looked at a loss. ¡°B-But Narcha, this is her only chance! She needs the-¡±


    ¡°Allen!¡± Narcha interjected.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡± The young master looked at her with a confused expression.


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± she said in a calm tone. ¡°My strength won¡¯t make a difference in this war, and I would not be so arrogant to think otherwise. What matters is the sect¡¯s survival at the end of the day.¡±


    Allen seemed on the verge of tears. ¡°B-But Narcha, your time is running out!¡±


    Narcha smiled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±


    After she said that, the woman got up and walked out of the meeting room. Nobody tried to stop her, including Eiwin, who seemed conflicted at her reaction.


    Red, on the other hand, could feel through her fluctuation that the woman wasn¡¯t angry, or at least not any more angry than usual. Instead, there was the same serenity of resolve dominating her emotions he felt on the trip over.


    There was an extended silence after she left the room, and no one spoke up for a while.


    Domeron was the one to break the silence. ¡°I will try to speak with my contacts around the kingdom. Perhaps we can arrange something suitable for us without having to rely on the Crystal Sky Sect for help.¡±


    Although the swordsman said that, he didn¡¯t sound very confident. Of course, if he felt confident in his plan, he would have mentioned it earlier. Still, no one called him out on it.


    ¡°You do that.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°There is nothing more to discuss for now, so this meeting is over.¡±


    The elder unceremoniously got up from his chair and walked upstairs, leaving behind a room full of conflicted and pondering people.


    Red looked over at the door Narcha had just left from. He was afraid that the woman was about to do something reckless.

 Chapter 272 - All Changes

    The meeting didn¡¯t last much longer. Soon enough, everyone was walking out of the meeting hall, and Red looked around the courtyard for Narcha. He couldn¡¯t sense her any longer with his crimson sense.


    ¡°Is she not in the sect?¡± Eiwin approached him and asked with a frown.


    Red shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t sense her.¡±


    The young woman sighed. ¡°She will return eventually. When she does, I will talk to her about what happened and see if I can calm her down.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think that will work.¡±


    Eiwin frowned. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    The boy thought about his following words. ¡°Narcha is past getting angry at these matters. I think she has made up her mind to do something reckless.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too familiar with the inner-workings of the human mind, but he spent long enough with Narcha to understand how the woman worked and how she processed her emotions. The manner with which she was acting now went against almost everything he knew about her, so Red was certain she made up her mind about something.


    Of course, he could also warrant a guess as to what it was.


    Eiwin was silent for a long while before nodding. ¡°I will speak to her when she returns. Just make sure to let me know when you sense her.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t wait for his response and walked away. Red could also feel that beneath Eiwin¡¯s calm exterior, her fluctuation was in a storm, trying to hold back emotions of worry and anxiety.


    Red sighed. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to how things were about to develop over these next few days.


    ¡­


    After visiting his Master Goulth and letting the man know about how the sword performed, Red excused himself back to his room. Although the boy enjoyed putting his skills to the test, the moments he prized the most in his cultivation journey were the quiet meditation sessions where he could think and absorb information about what he had gone through.


    He reflected upon his battles. He thought back to that female cultivator¡¯s wondrous fire spells, as well as his elder¡¯s power using the Deep Sea Sword. Such skills and method of fighting were beyond anything Red understood, and the boy felt a strong sense of anticipation to a day where he could wield Spiritual Energy in such a manner too.


    Night arrived quickly.


    Red was cultivating and meditating deep into the night when he felt it. A fluctuation entering the sect.


    It was Narcha.


    The boy made to get up before he felt the woman walk straight towards his room.


    ¡®Of course she knows.¡¯


    Red walked up to the door and opened it, finding the woman waiting for him with her arms crossed.


    She nodded once she saw him. ¡°I need to talk to you.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Eiwin told me to tell her when you came back.¡±


    Narcha shook her head. ¡°I will speak with her later. Just follow me.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t wait for his response and walked away. Red sighed and closed the door behind himself before following her.


    She led them towards the training grounds, the same place where Red had once asked her for help in secret for recovering his treasures in the forest. Narcha crossed her arms and leaned back into the fence, looking up at the night sky in thought.


    There was a prolonged silence.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re leaving.¡± Red said.


    ¡°I am.¡± Narcha nodded with a calm expression.


    The boy frowned. ¡°Do the others know?¡±


    ¡°I think they suspect my intentions, but maybe they think that they can still change my mind.¡± She looked at Red. ¡°What about you? Do you think you can change my mind?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No, and I have no intentions to. If I was in your position, I probably wouldn¡¯t have stayed for this long.¡±


    Narcha smiled. ¡°This is why I wanted to speak with you first, kid. I knew you would understand me. I care for this sect and the people in it, but at the end of the day, I¡¯m still a cultivator.¡± She closed her eyes with a sigh. ¡°I have things I have to do, things I want to accomplish in my life, and I won¡¯t be able to see them done as long as I remain here. I won¡¯t let myself turn into another old man of this sect.¡±


    Red was reminded of a conversation he had with the different people in the sect. People like Rog, Goulth, and Domeron, who had mastery over their domains but still lamented the fact they couldn¡¯t progress in the path of cultivation due to their talent. They spoke of how they wanted Red and the young members of their sect to achieve more than them and not to be stuck in the same position for their entire lives.


    Red had no doubt that if they learned of Narcha¡¯s intentions, they would approve. The same didn¡¯t go for their other companions, however.


    ¡°They won¡¯t be happy.¡± Red said.


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t I know? Still, I made up my mind and nothing will convince me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Where do you intend to go?¡± he asked.


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ To join the war efforts up north.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That seems dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It is extremely dangerous.¡± Narcha nodded. ¡°However, I have asked around, and the kingdom is willing to offer rewards for contributions earned in the war. One of the rewards is a Parting Sea Pill, reserved especially for cultivators who have yet to open their Spiritual Sea.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s what she was doing earlier.¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it will be easy to earn something like that.¡± Red was skeptical.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I would basically need to earn enough contributions equivalent to killing a dozen Lesser Ring Realm cultivators.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That sounds impossible.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but over a couple years, you would be surprised at what you can achieve during a war. It would be cutting close for me, but it¡¯s still achievable.¡±


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    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re probably going to die.¡±


    Narcha smiled. ¡°Maybe, but that¡¯s par for the course. Besides, you know better than anyone that to earn something you need to be willing to take on the risks, and I have been too passive for too long.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I just felt like talking to someone about it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be going back-¡±


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Narcha put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°¡­ I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡®Here it comes.¡¯


    Red turned around and stared at her. ¡°What is it?¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°¡­ You see, part of the reason why I feel comfortable going away is because of you, Red. I don¡¯t know where you came from, or what kind of fucked up secrets you are hiding, but I know what you¡¯re capable of and what you¡¯re willing to do to help this sect.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not as altruistic as you think I am.¡±


    Narcha scoffed. ¡°Altruistic? You¡¯re probably the most selfish person I know, but what matters is that you have never gone back on your word since you joined this sect. You risked your life to help my friends, and that is all that matters.¡±


    Red had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I want you to make me a promise.¡± Narcha said with an intense gaze.


    Red sighed and looked up at the waxing moon. ¡°I have made too many promises already.¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°Then what¡¯s one more on top of it?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Red repeated his question.


    ¡°I want you to promise me you¡¯ll protect the people of this sect after I¡¯m gone.¡± Narcha said.


    The boy frowned. ¡°They don¡¯t need my protection.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°You know that¡¯s a lie. If it wasn¡¯t for you, how many times would they have died already? You¡¯re the most resourceful and cunning person in this sect, and I know that at the end of the day, you will always find a way to save us.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re giving me too much credit. I got lucky a lot of times, too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it doesn¡¯t change what I said. If someone can pull through for us, I know it is you.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t protect them from everything out there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do the impossible. I¡¯m asking you to do your best.¡±


    ¡°I was already going to do that even if you didn¡¯t ask me.¡±


    Narcha snorted. ¡°Then just think of it as a way to give me peace of mind.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I promise I will do my best to protect them.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Good. I feel more at ease now to do what I have to do.¡±


    With these words, the woman began to walk away.


    Red frowned. ¡°Are you going to tell the others?¡±


    ¡°Maybe tomorrow.¡± the woman said as she returned to her room.


    Red was left there alone, feeling the burden of this renewed responsibility the woman had dropped on his back. It was never the difficulty of accomplishing a certain promise that weighed heavy on the boy¡¯s mind. Instead, it was the expectation and trust placed on him that gave him something to worry about.


    However, if it was to give Narcha her peace of mind, then this was a burden Red was more than willing to take.


    ¡­


    Red was woken up by the faint sounds of screaming from the courtyard.


    ¡®She did leave it for the morning.¡¯


    He got up with a frown and just as he was about to open his door, someone knocked on it.


    ¡°Red!¡± Allen¡¯s voice came through the other side. ¡°You need to come out quickly!¡±


    Red opened the door and was met with an Allen that seemed on the verge of tears.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s Narcha!¡± The young master stumbled over his words. ¡°She said she¡¯s leaving!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Take me to them.¡±


    Allen did as much, but it was not like the boy needed his help to find out where the argument was happening. They walked up to the meeting hall¡¯s entrance, where Eiwin, Rimold, Rog, Domeron, and Goulth were gathered.


    They all were carrying different expressions of shock and solemness, but the one that seemed the most stricken of them all was Eiwin. The young woman was looking at the ground with a pale and dazed expression.


    The sounds of discussion were ongoing inside the hall.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?! You¡¯re going to leave us when we need you the most?!¡± Hector¡¯s voice seemed full of rage as he spoke.


    ¡°You need me?! You said it yourself! No one below the Spirit Core Realm will be able to make a difference, so what¡¯s the point of me remaining here?!¡± Narcha was also holding nothing back.


    ¡°This is your responsibility! You took an oath! You can¡¯t just leave our sect!¡±


    ¡°That is why I didn¡¯t disappear and instead came to ask for permission!¡± Narcha said. ¡°Let me go and do what I must! Once I have broken through, I will return!¡±


    There was a silence following these words.


    ¡°¡­ Go, then.¡± Hector said, his anger receding. ¡°But don¡¯t bother returning.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­¡± Narcha sounded shocked.


    ¡°If you decide to go, then you will no longer be part of our sect.¡± the elder said.


    Eiwin shuddered once she heard this.


    Silence suddenly settled on the courtyard, before the sounds of hurried footsteps came from inside. Narcha opened the door and walked out, being met by the gaze of her companions waiting outside.


    The faintest trace of hesitation appeared in her face as she looked over them, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. She began to walk towards the gate.


    ¡°Miss Valt!¡± Eiwin ran after her.


    Narcha paused, but didn¡¯t look back. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Eiwin. I will write to all of you, but as long as that old man is still alive, then I suppose I have no place here anymore.¡±


    ¡°Narcha, you¡­¡± Eiwin''s voice quivered.


    The warrior continued, her voice full of resolve. ¡°I¡¯m not one for goodbyes, so instead, I will say this: take care all of you. We will meet again some day.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything else and walked out of the courtyard, carrying only a pouch and the saber in her back.


    ¡°Narcha!¡± Allen went running after her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, kid.¡± Domeron interjected. ¡°She made up her mind.¡±


    Allen looked back at them with an angry gaze. ¡°Are none of you going to say anything?! Are you just going to let our friend go?!¡±


    None of them responded, and Eiwin seemed too dazed to even absorb his words.


    The young master looked over at Red with a pleading gaze. ¡°What about you, Red?! You need to convince her!¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°There is no convincing her. All you can do now is respect her decision.¡±


    ¡°Screw that!¡± Allen ran back into the meeting hall. ¡°Hector, you-¡±


    A sudden gust of wind closed all doors and windows of the building before the young master could even step a foot inside. This didn¡¯t stop him, however, as he started to bang on the door with his fists.


    ¡°Hector, you coward!¡± Allen said between his tears. ¡°You can¡¯t just do this! This sect doesn¡¯t belong just to you!¡±


    There was no response from inside.


    That day, Allen continued to cry and bang at the door until he almost collapsed from exhaustion. The others all dispersed eventually, too, leaving behind a dazed Eiwin and a grieving Allen to recover.


    They all knew that no words could bring those two out of their sorrow other than time.


    ¡­


    Over the next couple of months, Narcha did as she promised.


    She wrote back to the sect, informing them of the developments in the war and how she was adapting. The first clash with the Empire¡¯s armies came almost three months after their formal declaration of war.


    The kingdom¡¯s armies did their best to hold on, but they continued to lose ground and suffer defeat after defeat. It all came to a head when Sir Bernard finally took the field, killing all the kingdom¡¯s generals and causing them to suffer a crushing defeat that sent their main army into a rout.


    After that, the sect didn¡¯t receive any more news from Narcha, and they didn¡¯t know whether she was dead or alive.


    Without hesitation, Eiwin set off in search of her companion, much to Allen¡¯s dismay. Hector didn¡¯t offer any protest to her request, instead giving her the same ultimatum as he gave Narcha.


    This wasn¡¯t enough to stop Eiwin.


    She set off, and over the next half year kept them informed about her search through letters. This eventually led her to the Great Serpent Canyon, where a lot of the survivors from the battle had fled to escape the Empire¡¯s pursuit.


    This was the last letter they received from Eiwin too, as the woman dove into this forbidden land in search of her friend.


    After their departure, the sect was never the same again.


    Just like that, Red grew and cultivated in peace and quiet on this once bustling courtyard for the next six years.

 Chapter 273 - Time Passes

    ¡°This should be the last one.¡± Red said.


    He places down an ornate iron plate on the forest floor, turning around to look at his work.


    A rough voice came from behind him. ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡±


    Red turned around to look at Rog. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of anything, but if it goes badly, we can just kill it.¡±


    The hunter, who had barely changed in appearance over the last six years, frowned with skepticism. ¡°You seem confident. We¡¯re talking about a Lesser Ring Realm monster here, and there¡¯s only the two of us.¡±


    Rog was leaning against a tree with his bow slung over his right shoulder and a faint lantern in his hand to illuminate their night surroundings. At least for himself, that is.


    Red shook his head. ¡°We have wounded it enough over the past week. If worse comes to worst, we can put in some effort and kill it.¡±


    Rog grunted. ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just run.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡±


    The youth hoped not. He walked back and took out his short-sword from his sheathe, the same one his master had crafted him six years ago. The blade saw enough action since then, losing some of its luster, but its edge remained just as sharp as the day when Red first crafted.


    Although the weapon remained the same, the wielder had changed substantially.


    Red was now seventeen years of age, or something close enough since he never knew his real year of birth, and his appearance changed substantially since then. He was taller, of course, standing slightly above average for a man nearing 180 centimeters, but that wasn¡¯t the most significant transformation his body saw.


    Instead, those belonged to his features.


    Age and a good upbringing as a free individual seemed to have brought about a monumental change to his features. No longer was Red the sallow and emaciated child - now he had grown into an elegant young man with sharp features that complemented his cold demeanor. This came as a surprise to himself and those around him. If his crimson hair wasn¡¯t a giveaway back then, his developing features seemed to indicate he came from a finer and more distinguished bloodline.


    This didn¡¯t fit with the image of a slave and peasant upbringing his companions associated him to. Red was confused about this too, but rather than worrying about his origin, his concerns were more practical.


    Having a distinguished appearance wasn¡¯t something desirable for someone with Red¡¯s set of skills, and his messy crimson hair that reached around his shoulders didn¡¯t make his task any easier, either. This was why Red made up his mind to walk everywhere with a hood covering most of his hair and showing his facial features a few years ago, a fashion he now adhered to using even in the middle of the night in the forest.


    Allen now often teased him about how he was starting to dress like Rimold - something Red assured was just a coincidence. Of course, this choice of garb brought more than a few suspicious looks thrown his way, but it wasn¡¯t too uncommon in large towns for people to hide their identities, and no one bothered him about it too often.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s this supposed to work?¡± Rog asked as he looked over Red¡¯s work.


    In front of them, a circle of iron plates was placed on the forest floor. Each of these plates had a set of complex drawings on their surface made by some kind of golden paint that reflected the light emitted by the lantern.


    ¡°We need to power it first. Like this.¡± Red took out a Spirit Stone from his pouch and placed it on top of the central plate of the circle.


    The reaction was almost immediate as the plate and stone began to glow. Red got out of the way in a hurry and watched the reaction from a safe distance.


    The glow of Spiritual Energy from the central plate seemed to be transmitted to the other plates, which all began to glow in turn. Then, a few seconds later, the glow from both the plates and the stone disappeared, and the Spirit Stone turned into dust.


    Nothing else happened.


    Rog frowned. ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°It should have.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Now we need the bait.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Rog walked away.


    A few moments later, the hunter came back, dragging the large carcass of a boar. It looked like he was about to throw it inside the circle of iron plates.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Red held the man back. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    Rog frowned. ¡°Is that a threat or a genuine question?¡±


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    Red sighed. ¡°Just place it near the circle, but don¡¯t touch the plates.¡±


    The hunter looked confused, but just shrugged. He did as Red told him and placed the recently killed boar a meter behind the circle against a tree. This way, their prey would need to walk over Red¡¯s trap to get its food.


    Red nodded in satisfaction once he saw this. ¡°Now let¡¯s wait and hope the bear is feeling hungry.¡±


    They did as much.


    Rog led them behind a tree a few dozen meters away, and they sat in wait for their prey.


    An hour passed by with no changes in the environment, but neither of them lost their patience. This was the boring part of hunting, the wait and focus required to act at a moment¡¯s notice, all of which was more important when your prey was a Lesser Ring Realm beast.


    Red used this time to meditate, while Rog was in the process of looking through his equipment. Both of them appreciated the peace, but this time around, it seemed the hunter had something to say.


    ¡°Hector asked me about Allen again.¡± Rog broke the silence.


    Red opened his eyes and frowned. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Same usual stuff.¡± The hunter shrugged. ¡°I just told him he was out hunting with us again, but Hector¡¯s not stupid. He definitely already suspects something is up.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Hector suspects everything he hears - it¡¯s in his nature.¡±


    Rog stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not one to speak.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Be that as it may, as long as Hector refuses to press you further, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Is this really that big of a deal? When I was Allen¡¯s age, I also did my fair share of stupid things. Hector might scold him, but it shouldn¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I would do anything to avoid conflict these days. We can¡¯t afford the distractions.¡±


    Rog scratched his beard with a thoughtful expression. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    They fell silent again, waiting for their prey.


    Another hour passed by before Red felt a fluctuation enter his detection range.


    He opened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    These last six years were a rather peaceful time for Red, and even though he still saw his fair share of conflicts, none of them were as dangerous as the challenges he faced in his first year on the surface. This also meant that he wasn¡¯t forced to consume any blood, human or animal, and his crimson powers hadn¡¯t developed much.


    Of course, the catch was that they had still developed on their own to a certain extent. Red¡¯s crimson sense now reached just about 300 meters. At first, the youth was worried that this would come with a development in his demonification, but such a matter didn¡¯t come to pass.


    His scales and lizard-like eyes were still there, hidden by the magical bracelet, but they hadn¡¯t developed further. The same couldn¡¯t be said for his other problem, though.


    At Red¡¯s words, Rog dropped what he was doing and picked up his bow, looking around for the monster. They were in complete darkness, and although the hunter couldn¡¯t see as well in that environment as Red, it wasn¡¯t hard to spot the large shadowy figure of the treebark bear amidst the trees.


    Red put his arm in front of Rog. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot it.¡±


    The hunter looked hesitant, but he followed the youth¡¯s instructions. As the monster approached, Red saw the large gash on the side of its body. It was no longer bleeding, but judging by the way the monster was moving so gingerly, it still had an effect on it.


    The bear was walking straight towards the boar carcass, but it was still looking around in caution. Red held his breath, watching as the monster got ever so close to the circle without turning back.


    Then, finally, a few seconds later, the beast put its front paw inside the iron-plate circle.


    All of a sudden, the plaques glowed.


    A spark rose beneath its feet, and a split second later, an explosion of flames happened. Dust and smoke rose up, the heat from the fire reaching even Red and Rog dozens of meters away.


    The whole forest seemed to have been woken up by this sound.


    Rog whistled in awe. ¡°It really worked.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. The bear is still alive.¡±


    When the dust settled, they saw the bear slumped to the ground. Its front left paw was completely blown off from the explosion, and its underside bark-skin was shattered in multiple places. The creature could barely move and it looked as if it was in extreme pain.


    Red frowned at the sight. It hadn¡¯t killed the beast in one blow, and the youth wasn¡¯t particularly fond of making prey suffer, even the most dangerous ones.


    Rog stared at the beast and put his bow down. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the honors, kid.¡±


    Red sighed and walked over to the bear with his sword. The monster growled threateningly at the human, but it didn¡¯t have the strength to react.


    Red walked towards its side and stabbed his sword down right behind its front shoulder. His weapon bit deep into its flesh, reaching its vital organs, and the bear let out a growl of pain before its fight died down a few seconds later.


    It stopped moving.


    Rog approached him. ¡°You really outdid yourself this time, kid.¡±


    Of course, what Red used was a formation. A primitive one that worked as a trap, but even so, its powers couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    ¡°The plates look ruined, though.¡± the hunter said as he looked at the remains of the iron plates.


    Indeed, they were scorched and bent from the explosion, the arcane drawings on their surface completely ruined.


    ¡°This is a one-time use formation.¡± Red said. ¡°Not much different from a talisman, but it¡¯s the best I could do right now.¡±


    Rog raised his eyebrows. ¡°Can you make another one?¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°This took me almost a week to produce, and it¡¯s an inferior product at best. I just wanted to test if my own skills are up to standard.¡±


    The hunter looked around at the scorched area. ¡°Well, I¡¯d say you passed the test.¡±


    Red had to agree.


    Now that he had taken this small but very important step, he felt more confident in his next objective. He was getting close to being capable of building the Parting Storm Formation, and then he would finally be able to breakthrough.


    Indeed, over the last six years, Red had completely opened eleven of his veins, and now a single vein remained to be opened - the third eye vein. The youth was getting close to the bottleneck, and judging by the increasing strength of the Moon Gaze over the last couple of years, it was best if he hurried.

 Chapter 274 - Drunken Tirade

    Rog went about extracting the bear¡¯s core while Red gathered his ruined iron plates. He didn¡¯t want to leave evidence of his formation lying around in the forest.


    When the hunter was done with the bear, he approached Red with a curious gaze.


    ¡°Do you think you could sell this to other people?¡± Rog asked.


    Red frowned. ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s wise. There would not be many people capable of buying it in town, and it would bring me unnecessary attention.¡±


    In fact, the only people with enough resources to buy his formations would likely be Gustav and the Baron. There weren¡¯t enough clients to justify Red¡¯s effort, not to mention half of them were the sect¡¯s direct rivals, which limited the youth¡¯s choice to a single person.


    There was also the matter of the attention he would receive. Arcane scripture was almost exclusively learnt by people in organizations with the means and knowledge to teach it. Red, on the other hand, was learning on his own with a manual, and if people were to learn about his expertise, it wasn¡¯t far-fetched for some people to connect the dots.


    This could spell his doom, much more so when he was still trying to hide his involvement with the inheritance seven years ago.


    Rog scratched his beard at Red¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. You could make a fortune this way.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re telling me.¡¯


    Unfortunately, until Red could find a safe channel to sell these kinds of products, he didn¡¯t dare tempt fate.


    They quickly gathered their belongings and started to make their way back to town. This trip hadn¡¯t taken them too far into the forest. In fact, the proximity of the bear to town was part of the reason Red and Rog had been sent to hunt and kill it, a matter that had taken less than a day.


    It took them just a few hours before they saw the lights of the town in the distance. Compared to six years ago, the settlement had grown substantially.


    Just like his companions had predicted back then, many refugees decided against moving back to their villages during these times of war. Instead, these people had settled on the outer edges of town, using abandoned ruins and building their own shacks to inhabit. This had substantially increased the reaches of the town proper, not to mention it had added to its chaotic atmosphere even further.


    The Baron did his best to keep order in his town, but there was only so much he could do without simply barring refugees in the first place. Suffice it to say, the Baron was too kindhearted for that.


    This was made evident by the increasing hubbub as Red and Rog neared the place. Even at the dead of the night, there was still a lot of activity in the slums. People drinking, laughing, and no small amount of fights too. The amount of ruffians and petty crimes also increased with the influx of people, but the Baron managed to keep a semblance of peace in his town, however fickle it was.


    Still, no matter how one looked at it, the peace they enjoyed under the Baron¡¯s governance was a privilege in times of war, and everyone living under his protection appreciated the man¡¯s efforts. The rest of the kingdom, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t in a very peaceful state.


    Red and Rog walked through the streets, not bothering to hide themselves. The town was so overpopulated that their previous hidden routes were useless now. Thankfully, no one paid attention to or recognized the two of them, or if they did, they thought better than to mess with them.


    They walked up the hill, passing a handful of guard patrols and drunken revelries on the way to their sect. Their property was still isolated from the rest of the town, even if over the years some newcomers were foolish enough to try to settle in their street. They were quick to learn their lesson when Hector acted, though.


    Once Red got close to the sect, he felt a fluctuation waiting for them behind the gate.


    He stopped walking and frowned.


    Rog noticed his change in expression. ¡°Someone waiting for us?¡±


    Red nodded and continued to walk forward. He opened the gate and was met with Domeron sitting on his reclining chair as he waited for them.


    The man had likewise not changed much in appearance over the past six years.


    ¡°You took your time.¡± the swordsman said as he took a sip from his mug.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red went straight to the point.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s Allen.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Rog slipped away as soon as he heard these words.


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    Red sighed and massaged his temple.


    He looked back at Domeron. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s out drinking again.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°¡­ Where?¡±


    ¡°In the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡®Gustav¡¯s place.¡¯


    Red frowned. ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°He told me before he left.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why didn¡¯t you stop him?¡±


    ¡°It is not my duty to do so.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°You said you would take care of it.¡±


    Red stared at the man, trying to look through his impassive expression. The youth couldn¡¯t discern what kind of game he was playing at, though, so he just nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring him back.¡± Red said and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Do try not to make too big of a mess, please.¡± Domeron said as the youth walked away.


    Red would obviously try to heed his advice, but if Allen was already inside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, then the mess was already made.


    Red pulled his hood up and wandered down the streets towards the Guild. This was another place that had seen a substantial increase in visitors, as adventurers from all around the kingdom sought some refuge from the war. This, of course, only benefitted Gustav, whose business was booming and was as rich and powerful as he had ever been.


    His subordinates often found excuses to make trouble for the Water Dragon Sect, and although Red and his companions responded with equivalent force, it had made their lives in town much more difficult these past few years. Not to mention that with Narcha and Eiwin gone, the sect had lost a substantial amount of power, while Gustav continued to grow stronger.


    This didn¡¯t mean they took their harassment passively, though. In fact, Red could imagine Allen had gone to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild with revenge in mind.


    The youth pulled his hood tighter over his head as he approached the guild. He didn¡¯t hear sounds of combat, which was a good sign as far as he was concerned. However, as he got closer, he noticed how silent the guild, which was supposed to be bustling at this time of night, was.


    There was only one loud voice that could be heard coming from inside the building.


    ¡°Come on, bring me another drink!¡±


    ¡®Moron¡­¡¯


    Red could already tell it was Allen with his crimson sense. He was able to enter the building without any issues, and inside he witnessed the awkward atmosphere around the place.


    There were dozens of patrons sitting around the place, in the process of drinking and eating deep into the night. However, they weren¡¯t talking like Red was used to, and they were instead staring at a certain individual sitting at a table in the center of the room.


    A blond, tall young master was in the process of downing a big mug of ale. Unlike Red, this individual was wearing fancy clothes, befitting his status and appearance. His facial features were dignified and graceful, fitting for a heroic youth - that would be the case, of course, if it wasn¡¯t for the drunken red flush that tinged his cheeks.


    This was none other than Allen.


    Like Red, the years had seen him become a fine young man. Unlike Red, the years had also seen him change for the worse, judging by the empty mugs on his table.


    ¡°Come on! I need another mug!¡± Allen called out to a waitress not too far from him.


    The woman frowned. ¡°You still haven¡¯t paid for the first ten.¡±


    Allen glared at her. ¡°Are you doubting the word of the Water Dragon Sect¡¯s young master?! I will pay when I¡¯m done drinking! Just bring me another one!¡±


    The waitress didn¡¯t say anything and walked away to the bar.


    Allen seemed completely unaffected by the unfriendly gazes people were throwing his way, and he continue to sip at what remained in his empty mugs. No one approached the young master, but Red saw a few individuals talking in whispers behind the bar¡¯s counter as they threw glances at Allen.


    He couldn¡¯t imagine the peaceful situation would last much longer, so he needed to get his companion out of here quickly.


    Red approached the young man, drawing quite a few glances himself.


    ¡°Allen, we need to leave.¡± he said as he got to the young master¡¯s side.


    ¡°Huh? What are you-¡± Allen¡¯s expression changed as he looked at the face beneath the hood. ¡°Red, you¡¯re here!¡±


    His loud announcement made the entire room stir in surprise, and now Red was drawing the same unfriendly gazes to himself. He sighed.


    ¡®There goes my last hope of remaining anonymous.¡¯


    ¡°Come on, join me for a drink!¡± Allen pointed at a seat by his side.


    Red frowned. ¡°You know I don¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! We can just get you some water!¡± The young master looked towards the bar counter with a drunken gaze. ¡°Waitress, bring a large mug of your finest water to my friend here!¡±


    Allen got no response from the woman as she looked at the duo with a frown.


    Allen grunted. ¡°Ugh, the service in this place is horrible!¡±


    ¡°Allen, we need to leave.¡± Red repeated his words.


    ¡°Why?!¡± The young master frowned. ¡°I¡¯m just getting started!¡±


    Almost on cue, Red noticed heavily armored men walk down from upstairs, carrying all kinds of weapons on their person. They looked at the sect duo, and then spread around the room, surrounding the two of them ever so slowly.


    Red frowned. ¡°Allen, we are leaving right now.¡±


    Allen also noticed the hostile men getting ready to act, and he sighed in annoyance. ¡°I wanted to stay a bit more, but I guess we have no choice.¡± The young master got up from his chair and looked at the waitress. ¡°Your service is horrible! You won¡¯t be getting a tip!¡±


    Allen fetched a few coins from his pouch and tossed them on the table. Then, without ceremony, he started to walk towards the exit with an unsteady gait.


    Red followed behind him, relieved that things didn¡¯t break down into a fight.


    And that was when he heard one of the armored guild guards snort as they passed him.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± the man said with a sneer. ¡°At least those two bitches weren¡¯t cowards like you who fled at the first sign of trouble.¡±


    The only response the man got was Allen¡¯s fist to his face. He went flying, crashing against a table.


    At that moment, all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 275 - Street Fight

    Shouts of anger and indignation echoed through the room as the closest patrons charged straight at the two of them. Red didn¡¯t bother reasoning with them.


    A large man charged at him from behind, hoping to tackle the youth. Red sidestepped his lunge and used the man¡¯s momentum to push him with a single kick against the crowd, sending them sprawling to the ground. It was a fluid and powerful attack, something the youth would have struggled to do six years ago, but now he could measure up against any adult when it came to pure strength. He didn¡¯t want to fight, however, so he didn¡¯t bother following up on his attack, only buying himself enough time.


    His companion, though, seemed to be of a different mind.


    Allen was in the middle of punching another armored guard, and already a handful of unconscious patrons were at his feet. Someone approached the drunken young master from behind, though, and shattered a glass mug against his head.


    Allen didn¡¯t even stumble, looking behind him with a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±


    He threw a lightning fast roundhouse kick, hitting his attacker on the side of the head and sending him flying against the tables. However, this gave his attackers an opening to surround him.


    One of the armored bodyguards took out his sword to stab Allen from the back. Before he could do anything, though, Red appeared at his side and threw a jab at his extended forearm, causing an audible cracking noise.


    The bodyguard dropped his weapon and screamed in pain.


    Allen looked over at Red in surprise and smiled. ¡°Thank for the help! I don¡¯t know what I would have-¡±


    The young master didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence as Red dragged him down.


    "Hey, what are you-¡±


    An arrow hit the place where Allen was just standing. He widened his eyes in surprise and looked over at the other side of the bar. One of the armored guards had a bow in his hand and seemed ready to shoot at the duo again.


    ¡°Get them!¡± The guard¡¯s scream echoed through the room.


    The rest of the patrons, who were at first hesitant, roared in anger as they charge at Red and Allen.


    The young master¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a lot of people!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and charge towards the exit with Allen following behind him. Some unfortunate few patrons tried to block their path, but Red was quick to dispatch of them with a few well-placed blows that knocked them unconscious. Their path outside was uninhibited, but behind them dozens of people were chasing after them with murder in their eye.


    Red frowned.


    ¡®If only I could use my sword.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of taking on dozens of drunken and barely equipped adventurer, but without being able to kill them, Red knew he would eventually be overwhelmed by their numbers. So instead, he chose to run.


    Allen laughed as he followed behind him. ¡°Haha, look! They want to kill us!¡±


    Red ignored his companion¡¯s drunken rambles. ¡°We¡¯ll lose them downhill!¡±


    ¡°Lose them?! Let¡¯s just tunnel them in an alley and punch them all to death!¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and just follow me!¡±


    Allen did as much. The duo continued to run through the streets with a trail of bloodthirsty adventurers at their back. The commotion attracted the attention of the entire town, and soon enough, the town guards gathered to see what it was about.


    ¡°H-Hey, stop right there at this moment!¡± A guard pointed at Red and Allen.


    The duo obviously didn¡¯t listen to him and continued to run. The guard was angry, but before he could say anything else, he noticed the dozens of people chasing trailing after them.


    The guard paled and looked at one of his companions. ¡°Call the captain, quickly!¡±


    In the meantime, Red and Allen continued to run downhill.


    The young master looked behind himself, examining the angry crowd. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to lose them?! Why are we still running in a straight line?!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone else following us.¡± Red said with a frown.


    ¡°What?!¡± Allen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°It¡¯s one of those two.¡±


    Red had noticed it since he left the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. There was a fluctuation of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator following them from atop the surrounding buildings. He tried to look around for their image, but he had yet to spot them, which left him feeling weary.


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    The young master seemed to lose much of his bravado. ¡°We should run to the sect, then!¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°And let Hector know about what you were doing?¡±


    Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°So, what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Bide our time and wait for the guards to interject.¡± Red said.


    It wouldn¡¯t be much problem, considering they were faster than most of their pursuers. It was at that moment, however, that he felt another fluctuation appear ahead of them.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Red froze in his steps, and Allen followed his lead.


    The youth didn¡¯t need to say anything as they saw a figure waiting for them ahead in the road. A large bald man, wearing a wooden mask and with a strapped saber to his back.


    Gustav¡¯s bodyguard.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Allen cursed to himself as he stared at the man.


    Their pause allowed their pursuer to catch up to them, but Red and Allen didn¡¯t dare to move under the bodyguard¡¯s hawkish gaze. The adventurers looked eager to tear the duo apart, but they also all stopped moving as soon as they spotted the giant down the road.


    ¡°Mister Saber!¡± One of the adventurers called out to the man reverentially.


    ¡°He¡¯s got them!¡±


    ¡°Now they can¡¯t escape!¡±


    The adventurers continued to jeer at the duo¡¯s misfortune.


    The bodyguard, however, made no moves yet and continued to stare at them.


    ¡°You have made quite a mess, haven¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re the ones who attacked first!¡± Allen glared at the man.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! You punched us first!¡± A voice came from the crowd behind them.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you insulted my friends!¡± The young master didn¡¯t relent. ¡°And I would do it all over again!¡±


    ¡°So you admitted you struck first?¡± the bodyguard asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Allen looked at a loss for words.


    ¡°None of this matters.¡± Red interjected. ¡°Just tell us how you want to resolve this.¡±


    His interactions with the bodyguards over the years were very limited, but he knew above all else they were professionals and weren¡¯t emotionally invested in anything they needed to do. As such, he knew they could always be reasoned with.


    Not to mention, he also sought to buy themselves enough time.


    The bodyguard seemed to be deep in thought beneath his mask. ¡°¡­ You know we can¡¯t do anything to you inside this town.¡±


    Red frowned. Although these words seemed reconciliatory, the youth didn¡¯t like the undertone behind them.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll let us go?¡± Allen asked in a guarded tone.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The man nodded. ¡°However, Gustav gave me some instructions in case something like this was to happen again¡­¡±


    The bodyguard took his saber out of his back, making the youths take a step back. Red¡¯s hand wandered towards his weapon and Allen entered a combat stance, but none of them made any moves yet, examining the man¡¯s movements through narrowed eyes.


    To their surprise, the bodyguard stabbed his saber into the street pavement and looked back at the duo.


    ¡°It is customary in the cultivation community for seniors to test the capabilities of the new generations.¡± the man said.


    Allen frowned in confusion. ¡°What do you-¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, the bodyguard charged forward. With a single push of his feet, he was already upon them, throwing a punch at Allen.


    The young master put his arms up to block it, but it was a futile effort. He was sent flying, crashing against the side of a building with a thud from the sheer force of the blow.


    Red didn¡¯t have the time to check on his companion¡¯s condition as the bodyguard¡¯s attention was placed on him, throwing a punch. The sheer pressure of the man¡¯s gaze made it difficult for the youth to breathe, and as his opponent¡¯s fist approached him, it looked as if he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it.


    However, all of a sudden, Red felt a wave of energy wash over his body, clearing him of this accumulated tension and shocking his muscles into action. The fist was almost crashing against his chest when the youth crouched down, making the blow miss him by a small margin.


    The air pressure gathered by the man¡¯s blow still had its effect on Red¡¯s body, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him from counterattacking. He drew his sword from its sheathe in a lightning quick motion, drawing an arc up against his opponent¡¯s wrist.


    There was the sound of metal clashing against metal and a shower of sparks came from the man¡¯s arm. Red saw the glint of steel from beneath the bodyguard¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡®Armor.¡¯


    Before Red could do anything else, a wave of yellowish energy exploded from the bodyguard¡¯s body, pushing him back much in the same way as it did to Allen. Still, the youth at least managed to hold himself back before he crashed onto the side of a building.


    He stared at his opponent, feeling a tightness in his chest as he tried to recover from the blow.


    The man clenched his fist a few times, looking at the area where Red¡¯s sword slashed against his armor.


    He looked over at the youth. ¡°You make it difficult for me to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Allen, who had recovered from the initial impact, charged at the man with a flying kick. The bodyguard raised his arm, grabbing the young master¡¯s leg midair and throwing him against Red.


    Allen screamed in midair as he was sent flying. ¡°Red, catch me!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t stay still and sidestepped his companion¡¯s body, letting him crash against the ground. It was the right decision, seeing as in the next second the large bodyguard was already upon him, throwing another punch towards the youth¡¯s chest.


    Red didn¡¯t have the time to dodge this time around, so he simply put his sword in front of the blow to block it. It did little to diminish the force of the punch as both weapon and its wielder were sent flying down the street.


    The bodyguard had done his best to hold back, using strength just shy of breaking his bones. Still, it was a painful impact, and Red found himself unable to gather enough breath for a few seconds as he tried to get up.


    Once again, the youth was forced to come to terms with the sheer difference in strength between a mortal and a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. Even after all these years of training, he was still short of being able to contend with one in a straightforward battle.


    The fight wasn¡¯t over yet, though, as he felt the bodyguard¡¯s fluctuation charging towards him. He looked up, seeing the man¡¯s fist in a trajectory to crash against his face.


    ¡°Enough of this madness!¡±


    A familiar voice echoed through the streets and the bodyguard¡¯s fist froze just shy of hitting Red¡¯s nose. The youth looked over, spotting Captain Orvin¡¯s figure running towards them while flanked by a handful of guards.


    Never was Red so glad to see the man¡¯s figure before.

 Chapter 276 - Attitude Issues

    The Captain glared at the gathered crowd. ¡°What in blazes is going on here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to kill us, captain!¡± Allen said as he held his abdomen with a pained expression.


    A barrage of insults and jeers came from the crowd at the young master¡¯s words.


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    ¡°Bastard! You¡¯re the one who attacked us first!¡±


    ¡°He was the one looking for trouble!¡±


    Orvin frowned as he heard these words. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Allen looked away in embarrassment and shook his head. ¡°I was just throwing punches! They¡¯re the one that pulled out weapons!¡±


    The Captain gritted his teeth in anger, but he didn¡¯t seem interested in wasting more of his breath on the young master.


    Instead, he looked over at the large bodyguard. ¡°And you? What in the hell is a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator doing punching a bunch of brats around?¡±


    ¡°We were just exchanging a few pointers.¡± the bodyguard said.


    Orvin glared at the man with an angered expression. ¡°Have you no shame?! Have you no respect for the Baron¡¯s laws?! What did he settle with Gustav about Lesser Ring Realms disputes inside of town?!¡±


    The bodyguard didn¡¯t respond, just staring at the captain from beneath his wooden mask with impassive eyes. The atmosphere underwent a sudden change, and the whole crowd fell silent in both fear and anticipation of what was about to happen.


    The Captain, however, didn¡¯t relent. ¡°You think I¡¯m scared of you, bastard? You¡¯re not the first Lesser Ring Realm cultivator who thought they could as they pleased in our town. How about you go ask your boss what ended up happening to them?¡±


    There was another prolonged silence before the bodyguard spoke up. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t mean any offense to the baron. Please, accept my deepest apologies.¡±


    The man bowed towards the Captain and made to walk away.


    Before he did that, though, his gaze lingered on Red and Allen, who were still recovering from their beating. ¡°I hope our sparring session has been enlightening to you both.¡±


    ¡°Bastard¡­¡± Allen cursed at the man beneath his breath.


    The bodyguard then grabbed his saber and started to walk uphill under Orvin¡¯s scrutiny. Only after he disappeared behind a bend did the Captain seem satisfied.


    He stared at the crowd. ¡°What are you waiting around for?! Scram before I lose my patience!¡±


    The adventurers didn¡¯t dare tempt the man¡¯s anger and started to walk back towards their guild. Red also noticed the female bodyguard¡¯s fluctuation disappear from his range as the crowd dispersed, and he let out a sigh of relief.


    Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°One day I¡¯m going to put that guy into his place¡­¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Just be quiet.¡±


    Thankfully, the young master was still smart enough to follow his lead in these matters. Once the adventurers and other spectators were completely gone, Captain Orvin approached them.


    The years were getting to the man, and he had even more grey hairs on his head. Still, the Captain of the Guard did not lose his edge and temper, it seemed.


    He glared at Allen. ¡°I thought you promised me you were done causing problems.¡±


    Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°They insulted my friends!¡±


    ¡°What were you going there in the first place, you moron?!¡±


    ¡°What, am I not allowed to go get a drink?!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Orvin seemed at a loss for words. ¡°Is this how you want this to be?! In that case, I guess I don¡¯t need to keep your escapades a secret from Hector anymore, do I?!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Allen¡¯s eyes widened in fear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Look, I don¡¯t know what got into me¡­¡±


    The captain snorted. ¡°I know what got into you. You¡¯re a stupid teenager with tendencies to do stupid things. It wouldn¡¯t matter if it was anyone else, but you are the young master and successor for the most powerful man in town, so you should know better!¡±


    Allen looked away with a reluctant expression.


    Orvin shook his head and looked over at Red. ¡°And you? Why were you here too? I thought you knew better.¡±


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    ¡°I came to take him away before anything else happens.¡± Red said.


    The man sighed. ¡°Well, you were too late, it seems. I know it¡¯s not your responsibility to look after him, but you know that any wrong move of his part could throw this whole town into a bloody war!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t I know it¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to look after me!¡± Allen interjected.


    Orvin frowned. ¡°I find that hard to believe. I swear, I thought thing would be easier on me after Narcha left, but it seems like you are doing a good job to fill in her shoes.¡±


    At the mention of Narcha, Allen trembled and Red saw faint traces of anger appear in his expression.


    ¡°Can you keep quiet about this?¡± Red asked before things could develop in a bad direction.


    Orvin hesitated. ¡°¡­ I will keep my promise, kid, as long as you can keep yours. That being said, if you keep doing stuff like this in the middle of town, then Hector will find out sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Red looked at Allen with a meaningful gaze.


    The young master looked away in embarrassment.


    ¡°I hope that is the case.¡± Orvin nodded. ¡°Now scram out of here and go back to your sect!¡±


    Red and Allen did as much. They walked up the hill through the dark streets, and they took a roundabout way until Red was sure that no one was following them.


    ¡°We can go back now.¡± he said.


    Allen hesitated to follow. ¡°¡­ Red, I¡¯m sorry about what happened.¡±


    ¡°I do not care.¡± Red interjected. ¡°I am not your master, nor your father, Allen. I can¡¯t force you to follow my advice, and I don¡¯t think I would even if I could.¡±


    Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°You heard it too! How they insulted Narcha and Eiwin! Why aren¡¯t you angry?!¡±


    Red frowned and looked back at the young master. ¡°Are you seriously asking me that question?¡±


    Allen seemed at a loss before he gave him a helpless smile. ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s stupid¡­ I¡¯m just tired of being forced to take a beating without being able to fight back.¡±


    Red, of course, knew what he was referring to. Without Narcha and Eiwin around, it was evident that the sect¡¯s influence over the town had diminished over the years. Even if both he and Allen were just as capable of rising to the occasion in replacing them, the truth was that Gustav himself had gotten much stronger over the last six years, possibly due to the amount of profit he and his faction were earning over the war.


    It was already a large concern for Hector and his sect, since there was a distinct possibility the merchant might be able to afford another Lesser Ring Realm bodyguard before long. While their Elder wasn¡¯t really worried about his own safety, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his sect members who made frequent trips to the forest.


    Red sighed. ¡°Just be patient and wait until we have broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm. By then, no common mercenary will be able to contend with us.¡±


    Allen seemed reluctant. ¡°Are you really okay with waiting that long for it? What if we don¡¯t have time to do it?¡±


    ¡°Hector can afford us the protection we need. All you need to do is train in peace and not go out of your way to look for trouble, and it will be just a matter of time before you break through.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t trying to motivate Allen, he was just being sincere. The young master was the most talented person in their sect, and he didn¡¯t need a pill to break through to the Lesser Ring Realm. All he needed was time and dedication, and it would be a simple matter of time before their sect gained another powerhouse.


    Allen hesitated, but he ended up nodding. ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    Red obviously didn¡¯t believe him. They had had this discussion many times before over the last few months, and Allen always ended up getting himself into trouble again. It was honestly a miracle they had managed to keep it from Hector, although the youth wasn¡¯t sure whether the elder was actually aware of what was happening and just chose not to act.


    Still, the youth didn¡¯t bother extending this discussion any further. They walked back towards the sect without any issues, and, to no one¡¯s surprise, they found Domeron waiting for them at the entrance.


    The swordsman frowned once he saw the two of them. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Allen seemed surprised. ¡°How do you know something happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re having trouble breathing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­¡± the young master hesitated. ¡°We got punched a few times.¡±


    Domeron¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Did those masked oafs attack you?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°He was holding back, but I was very surprised, too. This is the first time they have done anything like this¡­ I¡¯m afraid there must be a reason behind it.¡±


    The youth¡¯s implication was clear. Gustav and the bodyguards were always reluctant to act against the sect members in the past because they were afraid of Hector¡¯s retaliation. For them to do such a bold action against the young master of the sect of all people, it could mean they had gained some kind of confidence in their own strength.


    This couldn¡¯t be good news for the sect, and judging by Domeron¡¯s troubled expression, he thought the same.


    ¡°I will look into it.¡± the swordsman said. ¡°In the meantime, I would rather none of you leave town for the time being.¡±


    Allen frowned. ¡°Are you going to talk to Hector about it?¡±


    ¡°It depends on what I find.¡±


    The young master hesitated but didn¡¯t protest. He knew keeping his escapades secret was not as important compared to the safety of his sect.


    ¡°Go to sleep now, before Hector notices you were gone.¡± Domeron waved Allen away.


    Allen hesitated, but he still nodded and walked off towards his own room.


    The swordsman stared at the young master¡¯s back until he saw him disappear inside a building.


    He shook his head. ¡°That kid is trouble.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Red asked.


    Domeron looked at him with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t need any of your attitude right now.¡±


    ¡°If you start doing more than just sitting in your chair all day, then maybe you wouldn¡¯t need to listen to my complaints.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I also get up to train you both!¡± The swordsman glared at him.


    Red sighed. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°Is it really that obvious?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I have spent enough time with you to understand how you work.¡±


    The swordsman laughed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s only fair. This time, though, the favor is not for me¡­ We have a mission for you.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What mission?¡±


    ¡°We found them¡­¡± Domeron said. ¡°The remaining imperial agent.¡±

 Chapter 277 - A Plan to Kill

    Red¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°¡­ So there really was someone else?¡±


    Domeron nodded with a serious expression. ¡°I had my doubts at first too, but if you have spent enough time dealing with their methods, you will understand the Empire is always very thorough.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How did you find this out?¡±


    The youth was aware that Domeron had a very wide network of contacts within the town, whom he paid in exchange for sensitive information. That being said, these weren¡¯t professional spies, so Red found it hard to believe they would be able to locate this imperial agent that had gone undetected for the last six years.


    The swordsman hesitated. ¡°¡­ This time around, it wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    Red suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡°Was it Gustav?¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone else in the town who would be capable of acquiring this kind of info, but the source as of now remains anonymous. The information was just contained in a letter.¡±


    ¡°Why would Gustav lose the opportunity to claim credit for such a discovery?¡± Red was skeptical.


    The swordsman shrugged. ¡°Perhaps because the agent is another merchant under him.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that implicate him even more?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Gustav might have known about this imperial agent for far longer than it may seem, and probably only decided to tell us about it because this spy is planning something that could implicate him. If he attaches his name to this discovery, it might sour his relationship with his imperial contacts, which was likely the reason as to why he hid this agent¡¯s identity in the first place. Not to mention, now he can use someone else¡¯s sword to eliminate this loose end.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°The Empire will definitely still suspect him.¡±


    ¡°They will, but it¡¯s not like they can approach us and ask where this information came from.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Either way, this is a sensible theory, but it¡¯s all just conjecture at the end of the day. Perhaps there¡¯s a third party we do not know about that found out about this, but in any case, this is not of much consequence at the moment.¡±


    Red still felt that this information could be relevant eventually, but he had to agree with the man.


    ¡°Who else knows about it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The Baron and Hector.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Well, technically, the Baron was the one that received the letter, and he immediately informed Hector about it and no one else, or so he claims.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do we have any reason to doubt him?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course not.¡± The swordsman shook his head. ¡°If we can¡¯t trust the Baron, then we might as well just flee the town.¡±


    Although Domeron said this, Red could still feel he was hiding something.


    Before he could ask what that was, though, the man continued. ¡°Anyway, I bet you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m telling you this.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ You want me to kill this agent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°How soon?¡±


    ¡°Before the sun is up, preferably.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You want me to assassinate an imperial agent with just a few hours of preparation?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°Hector is the one who gave the order.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he go do it himself if it¡¯s so important?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s being watched.¡±


    There was a silence after these words as Red waited for Domeron to laugh and tell him that this was all a joke. This didn¡¯t happen, though.


    ¡°Who is watching him?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°But he¡¯s sure he¡¯s being watched over the last few weeks, and if he can¡¯t find out where his stalker is, then it¡¯s probably someone strong.¡±


    Red pondered to himself. ¡°I have felt no presences around the sect.¡±


    The swordsman smiled with a troubled expression. ¡°We are well aware, but I do not think Hector is lying. In which case, what does that tell you?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Either they can completely hide from my powers or they are aware of my detection range and are keeping their distance. In either case, they probably know about my powers.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Can you imagine from where this information about your power might have leaked?¡±


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    The youth closed his eyes in thought. ¡°The only ones plainly aware of my powers outside of our sect is that woman from the Crystal Sky Sect, and¡­¡± Red opened his eyes with a frown. ¡°Reinhart.¡±


    The man had disappeared for six years already, but Red didn¡¯t think he was dead. The possibility he had leaked information about the youth¡¯s powers was very real.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to believe that woman would have revealed that about you, and in any case, the Crystal Sky Sect does not often rely on subterfuge when acting.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Reinhart, on the other hand¡­ He has always been a huge concern.¡±


    ¡°If Hector is being watched, wouldn¡¯t this stalker also be paying attention to me?¡± Red asked. ¡°How would I find the opportunity to act?¡±


    ¡°Hector doesn¡¯t know who is watching him, but he knows he¡¯s being watched.¡± Domeron explained. ¡°If that person stopped watching him, he would definitely warn you.¡±


    The youth remained skeptical. ¡°This still seems very risky.¡±


    ¡°It is, but we need to get rid of this imperial agent as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°Because they are still looking into what happened at the trial.¡±


    This gave Red pause. After all this time, the imperials still hadn¡¯t given up on discovering what happened at the trial.


    Domeron continued. ¡°This was all tipped off to us through that anonymous letter. They mentioned that the merchant was hiring people to look into the forest, including the tunnels from where the native monsters reappeared seven years ago. This was apparently one of this agent¡¯s chief concerns and pretty much confirms to us that the imperials probably did not get their hands on the inheritance as we once suspected.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Have they made any progress in linking anything to our sect?¡±


    ¡°Impossible to say, but our names, amidst a few others in town, were mentioned. It¡¯s likely they would consider every single individual in this place a suspect until they found out who was a part of that inheritance trial.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Killing them won¡¯t stop their investigation.¡±


    ¡°No, but it will inhibit their efforts.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Suffice it to say, that is the best we can afford right now.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°That covers the why, but it still doesn¡¯t cover the how. I might not have a strong cultivator watching my movements, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can kill an imperial agent unnoticed without preparation.¡±


    Domeron snorted. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. I trained you perfectly over these past six years and have seen your growth with my own two eyes. No one below the Lesser Ring Realm can survive when you strike from the shadows.¡±


    The swordsman had apparently more confidence in Red than Red had in himself, but he wouldn¡¯t complain.


    ¡°The issue is not if I can do it, it is if I can do it unnoticed.¡± the youth said. ¡°The imperial might have something that can warn him or protect him against those kinds of assassination attempts.¡±


    Red still remembered back in the trial when that Imperial Knight managed to discover Narcha''s and Eiwin¡¯s approach with the help of a talisman. The youth was stealthy, but he couldn¡¯t hide from magic.


    Domeron obviously knew what he was referring to. ¡°These life-saving talismans that can activate on their own are useful, but at the most basic level, they have a fatal flaw. They only activate once they detect killing intent.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Human emotions can alter certain aspects of the surrounding Spiritual Energy as you know, and the stronger this emotion is, the more widespread this transformation is. These talismans can detect the smallest changes in this property of Spiritual Energy and activate on their own once a certain criterion is fulfilled. However, if this change in property does not happen, then the talisman will obviously not activate.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows. ¡°So you want me to kill him without mustering any killing intent or change in emotion?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    Red hesitated, but in the end he nodded. ¡°I think I can.¡±


    If this really worked as Domeron explained, then the youth had the perfect plan.


    ¡°Great. Then go and kill him.¡± The swordsman waved him off.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell me where he is?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint. It¡¯s the place where you committed your first crime in this town.¡±


    Red knew the exact location he was referring to.


    ¡­


    Although Red didn¡¯t have the time to come up with a proper plan, he was still going to equip himself properly before diving into this endeavor. He took a few pills and talismans with himself, which he hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to use.


    Then, armed with his trusted sword and with his pitch black uniform, he sneaked off into the night of the town streets. This time around, though, Red stuck to the shadows.


    He crossed dark alleys, scaled buildings, avoided patrols, everything done with an expertise he had acquired over the last six years, and no one seemed to notice his passage. This wasn¡¯t the first assassination mission Hector and Domeron sent him on, which was why Red didn¡¯t feel very apprehensive.


    Of course, this was by far his most important and difficult mission. Most of his previous assignments involved killing criminals or idiots that acted against their sect too much. Red had done all that with flying colors, but this was the first time he was given a mission with such gravitas.


    If he failed here, the consequences could be dire. Which was why he would not leave anything to chance.


    He approached the building Domeron mentioned. It was the merchant¡¯s store from which Red had stolen a False Parting Sea Pill from seven years ago, after he had barely arrived in town.


    The youth scouted it from across the streets on top of another building. With his crimson sense, he detected the presence of seven people inside the store, all awaken by the looks of it. He couldn¡¯t tell which one was his target using only his powers, though, so he moved around to the roof of a different building.


    Red still distinctively remembered there was a window on the back of the store, which he used to escape next time. Sure enough, as he examined the building from a different side, he was greeted by a closed window from which bright white light was coming from.


    Inside, a middle-aged, well-dressed man sat, seemingly writing something at his desk. Red compared the description with what he heard from Domeron, and he was able to confirm this was his target. There was no one else inside the room, so the youth didn¡¯t need to worry about someone interfering.


    Now, however, came the important part.


    Red sat down cross-legged on the rooftop and began to meditate with the technique Eiwin had taught him. His awareness over his own body expanded, and the youth reached out for the mist inhabiting his body, his constant companion.


    The youth heard a faint voice speak inside his mind.


    ¡°What¡­ do you want?¡±

 Chapter 278 - A Single Strike

    Instead of using his voice, Red used his expanded awareness to communicate with the mist. ¡°Hide my killing intent.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Difficult.¡± The voice resounded again inside his mind.


    ¡°I only need five seconds.¡±


    The mist didn¡¯t respond. A few seconds later, Red felt this strange being pulsating inside of his body, reaching towards his head for a few seconds before retreating.


    ¡°¡­ Done.¡± the faint voice said.


    The youth didn¡¯t feel any different, but he knew better than to doubt this being.


    The voice that was speaking to him was none other than the crimson mist, the very source of his demonification and detection powers. Of course, speaking was a generous term.


    It was more akin to Red¡¯s mind translating the meaning and feelings of this mist into comprehensible words for him. This was something the youth found himself capable of doing as his expertise with the Radiant Current meditation technique grew. He felt his awareness grow stronger inside his body, being able to examine parts of his own being in ways he had never seen before.


    This included the crimson mist inhabiting his body.


    Red was mortified when he heard this strange voice in his head while meditating one day. Yet, he soon found out its origin - the crimson mist. At first, the youth was reluctant to communicate with it, afraid that this demonic being would corrupt his mind.


    No such thing happened, though, and eventually he felt assured of his own safety. Red could ask whatever he wanted, but the being¡¯s responses would never be very complex or thorough, and most of the time, it would be uninterested in his questions. This meant holding a conversation was pretty much impossible, and Red was unable to gleam any additional information from the mist.


    That being said, this line of communication was very useful for him, much more so when he needed to request the mist for help.


    After confirming there was nothing wrong with his body, Red opened his eyes. Barely a minute had passed, but now he was ready to act.


    The merchant was still inside the room, occupied with writing whatever letter. Red considered waiting for a better opportunity to strike - maybe when the merchant was back on his way home, or some such thing - but Domeron made it clear this was something that needed to be done as soon as possible. The youth didn¡¯t know when his target would be alone again, and as such, he couldn¡¯t waste this opportunity.


    He approached the ledge of the roof of a building neighboring the merchant¡¯s office, keeping over 20 meters of distance from the man in his room down below. This was the range any talisman alarms should activate, as Red recalled from experience and from his discussion with Domeron.


    Then, the youth took a deep breath and stepped forward.


    Nothing happened.


    No alarms went off, and neither did the merchant look up and notice his approach.


    Red was relieved, but now came the hard part.


    He considered sneaking up to the target¡¯s window and entering his room unnoticed, but the merchant positioned his desk in the room so he was facing the window at all times. This was probably a deliberate positioning of someone who didn¡¯t want to get stabbed in the back by an assassin, but unfortunately for the man, it wouldn¡¯t stop Red.


    He got as close to the ledge as possible, leaning down and measuring the distance to his target. Then, slowly, the boy took out his weapon from his sheathe, holding it in a tight grip with his right hand.


    Red took a deep breath, and then his entire body tensed in preparation. A feeling of serenity came over his mind, but this was just the calm before the storm.


    A few seconds later, Red exploded into movement. He pushed off the ledge of the ceiling, charging down towards the window in a blur. Glass and wood shattered as he crashed through the window, entering the room in a single step.


    The merchant looked up from his letter in horror, but before he could even react, Red charged forward. He crossed the rest of the room in a single movement, his blade stabbing forth like an arrow.


    His target seemed to be trying to reach for something below his desk, but he was too late. Red¡¯s sword reached him first, stabbing deep into his chest and piercing his ribs and heart. His weapon was so sharp that it found no resistance against the merchant¡¯s thorax, causing an almost certainly fatal wound.


    Still, Red was aware of the wonders of the cultivation world and how it could heal a person from almost certain death, so he wasn¡¯t about to take any chances. He twisted his sword, causing the merchant¡¯s body to seize, and pulled it across his thorax, slashing through bone, heart, and lungs like butter.


    Satisfied, Red pulled his sword back and allowed the man to crash on the floor, where he was quickly bleeding out. Then he reached down and grabbed the letter on the man¡¯s table before turning around and dashing out the window.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    From crashing through the window all the way to retreating took no more than four seconds for the youth.


    The next instant, white light was emitted from inside the room and he heard the door to the merchant¡¯s office crash open, followed by the screams of alarm from his bodyguards. By that time, though, Red had already left and disappeared into the night of the town.


    ¡­


    Of course, suffice it to say, the entire town went into high alert. In the past, when Red killed a target, he would do so in secret and then get rid of their body so there would be no cause for alarm in the town¡¯s guard.


    This time, he didn¡¯t have the privilege, though. This was an imperial agent that he was targeting, and he needed to do it as soon as possible before he was tipped off. It all worked out in the end with surprising ease, so much so that Red wondered if they had the right target.


    This doubt went away as soon as he read the letter in his hand.


    ¡®Cultivator Hector refuses to leave the sect. Likely noticed something strange.¡¯


    Red frowned. It turned out the elder was right to worry.


    The letter itself seemed to be a report on the people of interest inside of this town. This included Red himself.


    Unfortunately, it only reported on his recent activities and the merchant seemed to be deliberately vague in his writing, not spelling things out as the youth had been hoping. In the end, he couldn¡¯t tell what information the Imperials had on him, but it was still the confirmation he needed that he was being watched alongside his sect members.


    ¡®I need to deliver this back to Domeron.¡¯


    He was eager to do so, but he decided against doing it immediately. As a precaution, Red decided to wait amidst one of his hideouts in town before returning to the sect, just in case he was being followed, which didn¡¯t seem to be the case, judging by his crimson sense.


    Still, he played it safe. This was one of the good habits he had learned from Rimold over the years, and the rogue was kind enough to provide Red with access to his own hiding spots in town.


    The youth arrived in a dark alley near the edge of the slum. Here there was a tool lodge that looked mostly abandoned, and that was too small of a building for even the homeless refugees to take an interest in.


    Red opened the dilapidated door, wandering inside. There, at the corner of the small room, was a bunch of wood and other ruined materials. The youth moved them aside, revealing some slightly displaced floor tiles that didn¡¯t seem to belong.


    After making sure no one had fiddled with the spot while he was away, Red popped the stone tiles out of their spot, revealing a large trap door beneath him. He used a key to open it before swinging the door open and climbing down a set of stairs.


    He looked around the small room, which contained only a bed, a lantern, and a few boxes of supplies.


    ¡®Everything is in order.¡¯


    Satisfied, Red climbed up and closed both the stone tile and the trapdoor over his head. He jumped down into the pitch black room but didn¡¯t bother lighting up a lantern.


    With his dark vision, Red would never need light again, or so he hoped. In truth, he didn¡¯t think a power acquired while opening his veins was absolute in this world, but so far, it had yet to fail him.


    Red sat down cross-legged on his bed and assessed his performance in the assassination. Everything went according to plan, and none of the guards had even seen a glimpse of his features. He left no evidence behind, and even if they investigated the wounds made by his sword, all they could discern was that it was a very sharp short blade responsible for it. Suffice it to say, Red¡¯s sword was only one of a few dozen that fit the bill in this town.


    The agent was dead, and nothing connecting Red to the occurrence was going to be found. Still, the youth felt an inexplicable anxiety when he thought about the matter, as if something horrible could still come out of all of this.


    ¡®What is this sensation?¡¯


    Red frowned. He had never been one to believe in intuition, but over the years, he found himself having these pervasive thoughts more and more often. They came and went without explanation, and they seemed to be warning Red of incoming doom, even if there were no signs of it.


    He didn¡¯t understand it. In fact, he was quite annoyed at it. Still, he thought it better to warn Domeron of this once he had returned.


    With nothing else to do, Red focused on cultivating. He had opened all the special acupoints from the Storm¡¯s Blessing Vein Opening technique, and the power they had provided him was part of the reason why Red could execute such explosive movements with ease. These acupoints, located in his vital organs, could release an energy on command that could send his entire body into overdrive and force it to react far quicker than normal.


    It was how he dodged the bodyguard¡¯s first strike earlier, and also how he could kill the merchant and retreat in a matter of seconds. It was an extremely useful ability, which complemented Red¡¯s fighting style perfectly. He believed that under the right conditions, he could even wound a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator with his abilities.


    As for winning a fight against one, that was still far beyond him, but he wasn¡¯t disheartened. A mortal shouldn¡¯t be able to kill a cultivator through normal means. This was common knowledge.


    The reason why people like Viran and the ghost that possessed Narcha could do it was because they were once powerful cultivators, armed with the knowledge and experience needed to accomplish such a feat. Even then, Viran died in the process of defeating the insectoid, and Red was quite certain that woman was using Spiritual Energy to some degree to defeat the Curse Breaker knight.


    ¡®Maybe once I have opened all my acupoints, I will be able to do the same.¡¯


    Now, only two acupoints remained closed in his body, and they both belonged to the same vein.


    The Third Eye vein.


    This was the most difficult vein to open in cultivation, and it had a singular use for cultivators: they helped one detect and control Spiritual Energy to the minimum degree needed to open their Spiritual Sea. This was why it was called as such, the eye which would reveal the path towards cultivation.


    However, that was the only use this vein had as far as anyone knew. Once the Spiritual Sea was open, the acupoint in this vein became obsolete.


    In fact, during his research, Red learned that the Third Eye Vein only contained a single standard acupoint, and no one in human history had ever been able to find or open a special acupoint in that vein. Suffice it to say, this left the youth completely surprised.


    After all, according to Viran¡¯s technique, the very last acupoint he needed to open was a special Moonstone Energy acupoint contained in his Third Eye vein.


    As of yet, Red was unable to verify the existence of said acupoint.

 Chapter 279 - Assessing Progress

    This wasn¡¯t the only issue Red found out with Viran over the years. In fact, the more he thought about the circumstances of their meeting and how the old warrior came up with this technique, the more absurd the whole situation became in retrospect.


    Even Red¡¯s master, who might have ascended to another world, wasn¡¯t able to create a technique to overcome the curse of the Moon gaze. While Viran was also a strong cultivator, how could he come up with a solution to the problem that even his master, a once in a millennia cultivator, couldn¡¯t find over who knew how many decades? Not to mention, he apparently did it in a matter of months, and all inside that hellish underground landscape with no resources to help him.


    Suffice it so say, it was very unlikely. Someone must have passed on this technique to him, and Viran in turn passed it on to Red. Yet, this only raised more questions.


    Why would Viran lie? Who passed on this technique to him? Why did they do it? How was Red involved in all of this?


    Red sighed. Once upon a time, he hoped to leave behind all matters related to the underground. Yet, with every step he walked forward in his journey, he found himself more baffled and confused by the circumstances surrounding his curse.


    ¡®Viran¡¯s technique will only carry me so far. I will still need to find a way to store more Moonstone energy inside my body if I hope to survive.¡¯


    The only thing Red could think of was to absorb it inside of his Spiritual Sea. Still, that would require him to come up with a circulation technique, a task that was most daunting for someone with as little experience in cultivating as him. Not to mention, Red would also be cultivating the Storm¡¯s Blessing technique and he knew it was not wise to keep two kinds of energies stored inside one¡¯s Spiritual Sea. How that would be solved, he had no idea.


    Even more demotivating was the fact this wasn¡¯t a permanent solution. As long as the curse remained, the energy required to fight against it would continue to increase exponentially. What bothered Red wasn¡¯t necessarily the direness of this conundrum, but more so the fact this meant he would never be able to rest and cultivate in peace. He would need to hurry and find every single way possible to increase his strength and stop this curse, never to meet a moment of rest.


    It wasn¡¯t his ideal life as a cultivator, but Red would do what he needed to do to stay alive.


    He pulled a green crystal out of his pouch, staring at it. This was the insectoid core, yet compared to seven years ago, it had gone through some changes, seemingly being bigger and brighter. Not only that, but the Moonstone Energy it could contain seemed to increase too.


    Red didn¡¯t know how this happened. A monster¡¯s core didn¡¯t increase in strength after it was taken out of the beast¡¯s body. Or at the very least, it shouldn¡¯t.


    The youth imagined this might have been caused by absorbing the ghosts back then, but that was more than seven years ago, and the stone continued to grow stronger without any signs of stopping after every Full Moon. This transformation was a double-edged sword, though.


    On one hand, it meant Red had more Moonstone energy to absorb. On the other hand, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide its existence. In fact, Red was planning on crafting a container to hide its emissions with Goulth¡¯s help, but he was too occupied lately to give much attention to the matter.


    ¡®There are still no signs of the Curse Breakers.¡¯


    This was yet another reason why the core worried him. The undead-hunting organization was not seen in the region for seven years, which made Red suspicious. Did they not plan on investigating the death of one of their knights? What about the floating head? The necromancer?


    What could have prompted their sudden disappearance?


    Red couldn¡¯t even investigate it, afraid this might bring attention to himself. For all he knew, maybe they were just biding their time, waiting for the enemy to reveal itself. In which case, Red couldn¡¯t become careless.


    The youth sighed.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Even in these last half-decade of relative peace, his mind was constantly plagued by worry and caution. Red often found himself waiting for the worst, for his secrets to be revealed, or for his enemies to find him. The fact it never came didn¡¯t put him at ease. Instead, it only made him dread the uncertainty even more.


    ¡®I can¡¯t allow myself to be distracted.¡¯


    Red took a deep breath to calm himself down. Even if things were bound to turn for the worse eventually, it didn¡¯t mean he was unprepared.


    The youth had already gathered a substantial amount of the materials needed for the Parting Storm Formation. His hunting and forging efforts had earned him a large amount of money, which he used to exchange for the materials needed in bulk, more than he needed even taking into account the possibility of failure. Of course, this only accounted for common materials.


    The elemental-aspected Spiritual Stones still eluded him. Rimold asked around the capital while on a trip, but he was unable to find anything even in the black market, or so he claimed. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem like Red would be able to acquire those stones without a large amount of money and influence to back his search first.


    ¡®Maybe Rog was right¡­ I should try selling my formation.¡¯


    It was the easiest solution he could think of. Yet Red didn¡¯t feel compelled to think about these matters right now.


    He focused on cultivating, swallowing a Vein Opening Pill to assist him. Red still had a lot of those pills remaining that the Hawk gave him, and by the time he was done opening all his acupoints, he would probably have at least a few dozen remaining. He didn¡¯t mean to sell them, though, considering the fact he did not want to leave any possible evidence connecting him to his master behind.


    Halfway through his cultivation section, Red felt something suddenly pulling at his consciousness. He frowned.


    It was the mist, calling to him inside of his own body.


    Red didn¡¯t even need to enter his meditative state to understand what it wanted.


    ¡®It¡¯s that time again.¡¯


    The youth let the Spiritual Energy inside his veins dissipate with no hesitation and laid down on the bedroll. He closed his eyes, and a few minutes later, the darkness of unconsciousness had overtaken him.


    ¡­


    The next time Red opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar environment. An endless black-sand desert, a crimson sky, enormous bone mounds, and a dark sun that the youth didn¡¯t dare to look at, even for an instant.


    He was back in this hellish dimension.


    ¡®A pointless endeavor.¡¯


    Red sighed. Back then, the youth¡¯s visits to this place were rare and limited, mostly prompted by his consumption of blood. Yet, since he started to communicate with the mist more frequently, he found himself being pulled against his will to this place in his dreams.


    At first, Red resisted quite vehemently, and the crimson mist respected his wishes. However, he found that no matter what he did, whenever he went to sleep, he would always find himself here. The youth questioned the mist about it, to which he received only a single word as a response.


    Inevitable.


    Red was not happy, but he had yet to find a way to resist this pull. In any case, at the very least nothing of note seemed to happen to him during these visits, as long as he avoided staring towards the dark sun in the sky.


    Another thing that surprised him was the fact he was still just a child in this place. Age didn¡¯t seem to reach this dream of his, and the youth was still just as young as he had been on the first day he entered this place. He was also carrying the bone knife he had taken from that strange knight¡¯s skeleton, as well as the scar he had inflicted himself back then.


    This meant he could be hurt, but he was still unsure how that affected him in the real world.


    Red frowned and looked ahead, towards a giant bone mound. It was the same gigantic rib that the youth had been trying to reach since his very first night here. Still just as out of reach from him as it had always been.


    It was hard to discern the passage of time in this place, but Red assumed from all his accumulated time in this realm, he had been walking for months in a straight line towards this mound. He would have given up already if there was anything else for him to do in this place.


    Unsurprisingly, there was nothing he could find in their library to help him in this strange situation. Not even his experience in the infinite lands of the trial was of any help.


    So, with no choice, Red started to walk.


    And he walked for who knows how long.


    At some point, the youth started to feel his strength fade. This was a telltale sign that his time in this realm was coming to an end, with his collapse from exhaustion, that is.


    Just as Red was feeling his vision start to blur, he saw a slight change in scenery. He paused and blinked, completely baffled.


    Yet, no matter how many times he did it, the result was the same. He could swear the bone mound had gotten closer to him.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t wrap his head around what had happened, but this sudden discovery gave him a second wind to fight past his exhaustion. He continued to walk forward, and sure enough, the bone mound continued to get ever so close to him, until it was almost occupying his entire vision.


    It was enormous. Bigger than anything Red had ever seen, and the fact it might have once been a part of a living creature was impossible to wrap his head around.


    Yet beyond its unimaginable size, there was something else that caught the youth¡¯s ascension. Something seemed to be inscribed on the surface of this bone, too faint and distant for Red to discern, but he was certain of it.


    It was writing. Not to mention, it was writing he recognized.


    ¡®Arcane Scripture.¡¯

 Chapter 280 - Infernal Scripture

    This writing seemed to cover the entire surface of this bone. The closer Red got, the more details he was able to see, and what he saw left his head spinning.


    What he thought were large sigils before were actually composed of dozens of smaller symbols, drawn with such detail and precision that it left the youth aghast. Every step Red took, another detail he missed would be revealed, and the sheer complexity of this drawing would just increase.


    Red didn¡¯t know what these symbols meant. Anyone else in his place might have thought these were just natural patterns, but with the experience in Arcane Scripture the youth had, he could see some familiar patterns in how this drawing was organized. There was an order to this chaos, even if Red himself couldn¡¯t tell what it was for.


    ¡®Did someone really draw this?¡¯


    He found this hard to believe. Did demons know arcane scripture in the first place? Not to mention, why carve it on the surface of a bone?


    ¡®I need to see it closer.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know if this was wise, but what else was he supposed to do in this forsaken place?


    He continued to approach until he was finally face to face with this colossal rib bone. In width alone it was kilometers long, completely covering his vision, not to mention in length, stretching far above what Red could see, and that was only the part that stood above the dark sand.


    Red saw nothing else of interest at the foot of this bone mountain, so he directed his attention to the symbols on its surface. Only now, from a dozen meters away, could he spot the smallest details of this inscription.


    It was a continuous spiral pattern, twisting and turning every which way, with no order that Red could discern. At the tip of each spiral stood circles filled with symbols the youth had never seen inside of them. Every single one of these spirals and small symbols were organized in such a way that they connected and formed an even bigger array, and these bigger arrays, in turn, would combine and form an even bigger array.


    While Red didn¡¯t know the symbols, he was familiar with this method of inscribing. When one wanted to create a large or complex formation , this was the preferred method for most practitioners, where you etched smaller symbols and connected them to form a larger complex layer.


    This was called Layered Inscribing. Depending on how big or complex the formation you wanted to make was, you might need to repeat this method several times, adding a layer for each level of complexity. Suffice it to say, every new layer was increasingly hard to draw, as one needed to consider dozens of smaller runes and symbols and how they would connect, but it was a necessary skill for a formation master, or any scripture practitioner for that matter.


    Yet, the sheer scale of this inscription baffled Red. How many layers were there? Ten? Twelve? He couldn¡¯t even count it properly.


    It might not sound like much, but each new layer presented an exponential increase in complexity. Three layers were dozens of times harder to make than just two layers, for instance, and the difficulty couldn¡¯t even be regarded in the same realm. Red had never heard of anything higher than eight layers in history, so this formation was several steps above that.


    The youth couldn¡¯t help but wander about its use.


    ¡®I don¡¯t see any symbol I recognize.¡¯


    Red frowned. If it was just a handful of unfamiliar symbols, the youth wouldn¡¯t be bothered, but there were dozens of distinct and foreign sigils he had never seen, and not a single one he could recognize from the manual he received from the trial. How was it possible that there was another entirely different set of arcane sigils he knew nothing about?


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I am in another world.¡¯


    He recalled from the manual that arcane scripture was supposed to be the language of the world, a way to give form to nature and its laws. It was possible that a different world had a completely different language, and as such, a different set of fundamental symbols.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, though¡­ Isn¡¯t this useless to me?¡¯


    If this world and his world had a different language, would the symbols he learned in one of them work in the other? Red wasn¡¯t sure, and he couldn¡¯t help but curse at not having any inscribing material to test his theory.


    All he could do right now was memorize what he could and then test it once he woke up. When Red looked over the wall again, though, he frowned.


    ¡®Can I even memorize this without practice?¡¯


    The smallest sigils were just as complex as the ones he had already learned, and those took him a year to memorize with enough practice. Now, though, he didn¡¯t have the paper or the ink to practice them.


    ¡®I wonder¡­¡±


    Red looked down at the sharp bone in his hand. He got an idea.


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    He looked down at the dark sand floor. Red had tried in the past to move this sand, but he found that even one grain of this dark sand was impossibly heavy, so using it to draw was impossible. However, the youth didn¡¯t need to part the sand, he just needed to draw over it.


    Red used the bone in his hand and carefully scratched the dark sand. The soil didn¡¯t even shift, but over it, a slight white line of bone dust could be seen.


    ¡®I guess this can work.¡¯


    It obviously wasn¡¯t the best option. The sand, while mostly even, was grainy and not good for drawing, and it wasn¡¯t like the line of bone dust made for a clear depiction. However, Red wasn¡¯t hoping to replicate the symbol perfectly.


    He just wanted to memorize how it was drawn, and practice was the best way to do it.


    The youth then picked a few symbols that stood out to him as being easier to draw and set about his work.


    ¡­


    Red didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but eventually he felt his concentration wane. He was already exhausted by the time he reached the bone, and inscribing was a difficult practice in the first place.


    By the time Red felt he couldn¡¯t keep himself awake any longer, he memorized three symbols in total, and the bone in his hand was all but spent. Now, all that he could hope for was that these sigils would be of any use in his world.


    ¡®I should try asking the mist if there¡¯s a way I can bring ink and paper here the next time.¡¯


    This was Red¡¯s last thought as he fell unconscious.


    ¡­


    His eyes opened and were greeted by the ceiling of the underground compartment. Red sat up on his bed and sighed.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think I would find anything of interest in that place.¡¯


    He spent so long in that hellish nightmare with nothing to show for it that Red thought he would be forever sentenced to wander those planes. Yet, he finally reached the bone mountain.


    ¡®What prompted this change?¡¯


    Red felt compelled to ask the mist, but it had never been forthcoming with sharing information. Not to mention, the youth shouldn¡¯t dally around. It was probably already morning, and Domeron would be waiting for him back at the sect.


    He used his crimson sense to scout above him, and after confirming there was no one waiting for him, he got out of his hiding place. Red then walked out into the alley and joined the morning crowd in one of the main streets without any hiccup.


    Already, he heard the murmurs of conversation.


    ¡°Did you hear? Someone was killed last night in their office!¡±


    ¡°Really? Who?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember that merchant who sells herbs¡­¡±


    It seemed like this was still too small of a town for murder to be commonplace, and as Red expected, the matter from yesterday was being talked about at length in the streets. At the very least, the youth took solace in the fact that the merchant had truly died.


    Red made his way back to his sect without issue. No guards stopped him, and he wasn¡¯t suddenly attacked by any imperial spies.


    When he arrived back at the gate, he found Domeron waiting for him in his reclining chair.


    The swordsman nodded in satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Did you wait here all night?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Domeron frowned. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t sleep?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Now that you mention it, I have never seen you in your room.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± The swordsman coughed into his own hand and tried to change subjects. ¡°I trust everything went well?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It did. I wasn¡¯t spotted by anyone and I also got this.¡±


    He handed the letter to Domeron.


    The man grabbed it with his one hand and eyed through it.


    He hummed with interest. ¡°Pretty thorough surveillance, it seems. Not surprising, but it does seem like the Empire might have quite a few people working for them in town.¡±


    ¡°It could just be hired hands.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Maybe, but there are not many hired hands in this town who would dare spy on us.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°In any case, this tells nothing we didn¡¯t suspect already. Did you find anything else?¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t look. I just grabbed the first thing in front of me and got out as quickly as I could.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°Really? That¡¯s disappointing.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You told me to kill him, not to acquire intelligence.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°Either way, you¡¯ve done well. I¡¯m sure Hector will want to talk to you later about it, too.¡±


    ¡°Is he still being watched?¡± Red asked.


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°Seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Does he plan to do anything about it?¡±


    ¡°If he does, he hasn¡¯t told me anything about it yet.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Just don¡¯t worry about it, kid. Hector is resourceful, and if he needs your help, you can be sure he will ask for it.¡±


    Red nodded and decided to let the matter go.


    He parted ways with Domeron and went straight towards Goulth¡¯s house. He could already hear the sound of clanging hammer coming from inside, as well as the whistling of the large man as he sang a tune.


    Red entered the workshop and closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Huh? Kid, is that you?!¡± Goulth turned around and looked at him with a smile.


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Great, great! Come here! I need your help with something!¡±


    It seemed like the man was in a good mood.


    Over the years, Red expected his relationship with his master to change after their conversation, but to his surprise, no such thing happened. Instead, Goulth seemed to accept his disciple as he was and stopped trying to push his philosophy onto him.


    He still taught Red blacksmithing, but he also started urging the youth to study Arcane Scripture more, something that he did seem to have a greater talent in. Their relationship became even more harmonious than before, and Red entrusted even more of his secrets to this man who seemed to have nothing but his best interest in mind.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to speak to you about.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Goulth raised an eyebrow in suspicion. ¡°Is it important?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I discovered a new system of Arcane Sigils.¡±


    The blacksmith stared at the youth agape.

 Chapter 281 - Dangerous Experiments

    Goulth tried to rein his surprise in and looked at Red with a frown. ¡°Do you mean you came up with new arcane sigils?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No. I mean that I have discovered a completely foreign Arcane Scripture system.¡±


    The blacksmith¡¯s eyes widened again. ¡°This¡­ Do you even know what you are saying right now? How could there be two different arcane scriptures systems? It makes no sense!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ The system I discovered isn¡¯t from this world.¡±


    Goulth¡¯s expression changed in realization. ¡°Do you mean you learned them from that dream of yours?¡±


    Red nodded. This was one of the secrets he had told his master, mostly involving how he was sometimes pulled into this other world in his dream and was made to walk an endless desert with no purpose. Goulth didn¡¯t recognize his description, but he shared the same belief that the youth was probably transported to some kind of infernal hellscape.


    The blacksmith told him this wasn¡¯t unheard of. People who came in contact with powerful demonic forces might establish contact with the other side through their dreams, but Goulth¡¯s knowledge of the matter was limited. He only told Red that most of the time, these connections ended in disaster and should be cut off as soon as possible.


    His master wanted to enlist Hector¡¯s help, but Red convinced him not to. Since that infernal plane seemed to be uninhabited, there was probably no danger forthcoming to the youth. Not to mention, Red knew that as long as the mist remained inside of his body, there was no cutting off whatever connection he had with that place.


    The blacksmith was reluctant at first, but he agreed. After a few years passed with no other incidents, Goulth stopped bringing the matter up for the most past.


    Now, however, things changed.


    ¡°I thought you were only walking in an endless desert!¡± Goulth stared at Red with concern. ¡°Who taught you those things? Did you make a deal with a demon?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I did no such thing. It¡¯s just that when I was pulled into that dream yesterday, something changed¡­¡±


    The youth explained to his master how he managed to reach that bone yesterday for some reason, as well as the formations he saw carved on its surface. By the time he was done, Goulth had a contemplative look on his face.


    ¡°Do you know what prompted this change?¡± he asked.


    Red shook his head again. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary happened¡­ Or at least, nothing that hasn¡¯t happened before.¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°So you just¡­ reached the bone?¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    The blacksmith grunted in thought. ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t the case that nothing happened, but rather that something did happen, but you just didn¡¯t notice it. Next time you¡¯re in there, make sure to examine everything thoroughly. It might lend you a clue.¡±


    Red frowned. What his master said made sense, but the youth had been very thorough already, so he couldn¡¯t imagine what he was missing.


    ¡®Well, there is one thing I didn¡¯t check back then¡­¡¯


    The thing in the sky. Red didn¡¯t linger on this thought, though, and let it dissipate lest something bad happened.


    ¡°There sigils you found¡­ How many did you memorize?¡± Goulth asked.


    ¡°I committed three of them to memory.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Three?!¡± Goulth looked surprised. ¡°How much time did you spend there?¡±


    The blacksmith¡¯s surprise obviously came from the fact that memorizing even one sigil is something that could take days or even a week for a beginner.


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. However, I can¡¯t say with complete confidence that I remember them correctly. I didn¡¯t have the proper materials to draw them back there either.¡±


    In Arcane Scripture, a slight mistake in your drawing could make the sigil completely ineffective. It was why it was so important to practice them, so drawing their shapes would become as much a matter of muscle memory as it was a matter of visualization.


    This was not to mention that trying to recall information from his special dreams was rather difficult, even if Red was completely conscious. It was like there was a barrier which he needed to break through every time he tried to remember what happened in that hellscape - a rather arduous and tiring task.


    Goulth smiled. ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know until you try doing it, right?¡±


    The blacksmith got up and went to a side room, bringing back a stack of high-quality paper and ink before setting it on top of a table.


    ¡°Come here!¡± Goulth waved at him with an excited expression. ¡°We¡¯ll first check your drawing and see if you really remember how it looked!¡±


    The blacksmith looked even more eager to experiment than Red was, so the youth nodded and approached. He sat down on a chair and picked out his brush and ink before setting aside a paper to start drawing.


    Before he continued, though, he frowned and looked over at Goulth.


    The blacksmith was leaning over his shoulder, staring at the brush and paper with a fanatical expression. ¡°Come on, kid! What are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Give me space.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry!¡± Goulth scratched his head in embarrassment and stepped back.


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    Red still felt his intense gaze from a few meters away, but he didn¡¯t bother telling the man to go to another room. He sighed and focused on the task at hand, drawing from his foggy memories the image of one of the sigils.


    His hand began to move. The brush moved with fluid and elegant strokes, changing in speed every so often as Red moved to a more complex part of the drawing. There was no pause between any of the strokes and the youth didn¡¯t stop to breathe or blink for even a second, since one slight lapse in focus could mean the sigil was a failure.


    Finally, a few minutes later, he was done, and they were left with a rather peculiar drawing.


    ¡°¡­ Is this the symbol you saw?¡± Goulth asked in wonder.


    Red understood why he was surprised. This looked nothing like the Arcane Scripture they knew. There was an abundance of curved lines, criss-crossing and uniting to form a strange symbol. It was like a chaotic assortment of shapes that didn¡¯t make sense together at first glance, not as aesthetically pleasing or orderly as the Arcane Scripture of this world.


    ¡°I was confused at first, too, but once these symbols were put together, they formed an extremely complex formation.¡± Red said.


    Goulth nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you. Now, are you sure you got the symbol right?¡±


    The youth hesitated, examining the drawing. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°In that case, continue drawing it.¡± he said. ¡°Once we have enough samples, you can compare them and see where you might have made any mistakes.¡±


    Red nodded and set about doing this task.


    It was a repetitive and tiring ordeal, and the youth had to take a break a few times to maintain his focus. Goulth stood there watching him the entire time, enraptured by his practice and barely speaking throughout it. It was clear that the blacksmith was extremely interested in the prospect of discovering a new Arcane Scripture system, even if it was from a hellish landscape and possibly not even real.


    Red compared every single one of his sketches, concentrating on the sigil¡¯s image in his mind, and correcting mistakes whenever he saw them. Goulth offered him some limited help, as even though he wasn¡¯t an expert in Arcane Scripture, he still had a good eye to spot mistakes and discrepancies in the youth¡¯s drawings.


    It took Red two hours before he felt satisfied with his drawing.


    ¡°I think this is as good as it¡¯s going to be.¡± Red said. ¡°If there are any mistakes in it, I can¡¯t recall them from memory.¡±


    Goulth grunted in satisfaction. ¡°Great. Do you want to try inscribing it and seeing if it works?¡±


    This whole time, all that Red had done was practice the drawing. Generally, if one wanted to see the true effects of an Arcane Sigil, they would need to inscribe it into a high quality Spiritual Material, such as a monster skin or spiritual paper, and use the proper tools and ink.


    Red, however, hesitated. ¡°¡­ Are you not afraid of what its effects might be?¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°Well, of course I am! If that place you described is real, then these sigils are probably demonic in origin. However, we don¡¯t even know if it will work, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with just experimenting!¡±


    It seemed the blacksmith valued knowledge above everything else, regardless of what the origin of said knowledge was. Red was of the same mind, but he wanted to make sure the blacksmith approved of their heretical actions before continuing.


    ¡°I would like to try to etch this symbol on a bone. Do we have any suitable ones?¡± the youth asked.


    Goulth shook his head. ¡°We have bones, but even the bones of those giant monsters aren¡¯t big enough to etch on properly.¡±


    ¡®If only we managed to keep the bone of that wolf back then¡­¡¯


    Red sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s try a monster hide, then. It¡¯s the closest thing we have to a bone.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Goulth nodded and walked away to the storage.


    A few seconds later, he came back with a square-piece of treated monster leather.


    ¡°Here, this belonged to a Lesser Ring Realm fireleaf deer.¡± Goulth said as he laid the material on the table.


    Red nodded. ¡°And the ink?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± The blacksmith put a pot of dark blue ink on the table. ¡°Deep Blue Spiritual Ink. Made from Sky Howl¡¯s resin. I¡¯m not sure if any of this will work with these sigils, but it¡¯s the best we have with us right now.¡±


    ¡°This will hopefully suffice.¡± The youth was satisfied.


    ¡°Are you drawing it right here?¡± Goulth asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Please, make sure no one interrupts us.¡±


    The blacksmith nodded. ¡°I will be waiting in the other room.¡±


    Goulth then walked away, leaving Red to focus on the task at hand. He examined his final sketch of the symbol a final time before setting about drawing the sigil proper.


    Suffice it to say, doing the real thing was much more mentally taxing on Red than simple practice. One mistake here meant the material he used would go to waste, and this was something he obviously couldn¡¯t afford to do, so he took particular care to make sure all details were drawn to absolute perfection.


    Thankfully, the youth had six years of training to back him in this matter. This sigil took ten minutes to draw, but by the end of it, it was completed with success and with no signs of mistakes.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Red called out to his master.


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Goulth came running from the other room, looking over his student¡¯s shoulder at the symbol. A wide smile came to his face as he nodded. ¡°It looks perfect!¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°Now all we need is to power it.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Goulth took out a spirit stone from his pocket and handed it over to Red. ¡°Here, you do the honors!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this sigil does. What if it¡¯s dangerous?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who drew it! It¡¯s your responsibility to see this through!¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°Fine.¡±


    He grabbed the stone from his master¡¯s hand and brought it closer to the sigil. Red frowned as he heard Goulth distancing himself from him, but he didn¡¯t stop, and a few seconds later he laid the stone on top of the arcane symbol.


    The reaction was almost immediate. The stone glowed as the symbol seemed to absorb some of its Spiritual Energy. This glow, however, was quick to subside, and a few seconds later, nothing else happened.


    ¡°So?¡± Goulth asked, hiding from behind a table.


    Red sighed. ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The blacksmith sounded disappointed. He approached Red and examined the sigil. ¡°It absorbed Spiritual Energy, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The youth nodded. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a proper arcane sigil. Maybe my drawing was still flawed in some ways, or maybe whatever symbol this is only works in that place. Either way, it seems like this was a failure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened yet.¡± Goulth patted his shoulder. ¡°There are still plenty of experiments we can do before declaring this a complete failure. After all, this is probably some kind of demonic sigil. Maybe it only works with some type of demonic Spiritual Energy.¡±


    Red¡¯s eyes widened as he seemed to realize something. ¡°¡­ I have an idea.¡±


    Goulth frowned in suspicion. ¡°What idea?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he grabbed out a knife from his waist before slashing the palm of his hand.


    The blacksmith¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Just a test.¡± Red said as he put his bleeding palm over the sigil.


    His blood started to drip down onto both the spirit stone and the arcane symbol. Suddenly, to their surprise, the crimson fluid seemed to be absorbed by the sigil as its bluish lines started to glow.


    Some kind of reaction started to happen around the sigil as Red and Goulth felt the surrounding air change.


    The blacksmith smiled in delight. ¡°It worked! It really work-¡±


    Suddenly, the sigil exploded, and the entire workshop was thrown into chaos.

 Chapter 282 - Blood Magic

    Red and Goulth were both thrown backwards by the force of the explosion. Tools and other materials were sent flying, and the detonation echoed through their entire sect.


    Red laid on the ground, swiping his hand around as he tried to clear the dust in the air and see what was going on. He heard the blacksmith curse by his side.


    ¡°Fucking hells!¡± Goulth coughed into his own hand. ¡°What was th- Shit! There¡¯s a fire!¡±


    As the dust cleared, Red saw it too. The area where the explosion happened was caught in a blaze, and the papers and wooden appliances were all caught in flames.


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Goulth got up in a hurry. ¡°Get the inflammable stuff out of the room, kid!¡±


    Red nodded and did as his master told. Suffice it to say, his master¡¯s workshop had a fair amount of inflammable material, including alchemical ingredients which would also cause quite an explosion when exposed to open flames.


    While the youth was occupied with moving these materials, Goulth was trying to extinguish the fire using cool water. He was finding little success, though.


    ¡°What in the blazes is going on here?!¡± Hector¡¯s angered voice came from outside the workshop.


    ¡°Uh, we had an accident!¡± Goulth said. ¡°Help us put out the fire, elder!¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t respond, but Red could imagine him gritting his teeth outside the house. All of a sudden, the windows around the house swung open, and a small torrent of floating water flew towards the fire, crashing into it in a sizzling steam. The fire was extinguished in almost an instant, far faster than normal water should have been able to accomplish.


    Goulth let out a sigh of relief once he saw this. He looked out the window of his workshop and smiled. ¡°Thank the gods you were here, Hector!¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°Will you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, we were-¡±


    ¡°Come outside first!¡± Hector interjected. ¡°I won¡¯t have a conversation through a window!¡±


    Both Red and Goulth walked out, finding Domeron, Hector, and Allen waiting for them.


    ¡°What happened to your face?¡± Allen asked with a smile.


    ¡°There was an explosion.¡± Red said, wiping the soot off his face.


    ¡°We know that!¡± Hector glared at him. ¡°What caused the explosion?!¡±


    ¡°We were just experimenting with something new.¡± Goulth said.


    The elder frowned. ¡°Experimenting?! You¡¯ve been in this sect for more than ten years and I¡¯ve never seen an accident like this!¡±


    The blacksmith shrugged. ¡°Accidents happen when you¡¯re experimenting.¡±


    Hector still didn¡¯t look convinced, and he looked between Goulth and Red with a suspicious gaze. ¡°What the hell were you experimenting with to cause this?!¡±


    Before Red could respond, his master spoke up.


    ¡°We were trying to concoct a new medicine.¡± Goulth said with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I asked the kid for help, but I didn¡¯t expect him to mess up the ingredient mixing.¡±


    Red was taken by surprise by his master¡¯s lies, but none of it showed in his expression.


    Hector frowned and stared at Red. ¡°I thought you were the kind to be more careful about these things.¡±


    The youth shrugged. ¡°I was too tired.¡±


    The elder snorted and looked back at Goulth. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you were doing inside that workshop, but I just want to ask you one thing - are your experiments going to kill us all?¡±


    The blacksmith smiled and shook his head. ¡°They won¡¯t, but if something goes out of control, I¡¯m sure we can count on you to help us.¡±


    Hector grunted and turned around to leave. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll let your house burn down!¡±


    Domeron shook his head with a helpless expression and also left without speaking a word. This only left Allen, who was staring at the two of them with curiosity.


    ¡°What kind of experiments are you guys doing?¡± the young master asked.


    ¡°The dangerous, secret ones that are none of your concern! Now leave and stop being nosy!¡± Goulth glared at Allen with an angry expression.


    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± Allen turned around with a smile. ¡°Just make sure to show me what you have cooked up when you¡¯re done!¡±


    With those words, the young master left Goulth and Red alone.


    The blacksmith sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first.¡±


    Red nodded and followed his master into the workshop.


    Goulth stared at the chaos caused by the explosion with a resigned expression. ¡°Gods, what a mess! Help me clean this up, kid!¡±


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    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Why did you lie to-¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡± The blacksmith cut him off. ¡°Help me clean this place first and we can talk after!¡±


    Red sighed and did as his master asked. It took them a little over half an hour to get the place in order and assess the damage. A lot of the wooden appliances and furniture around the fire were completely ruined, but Goulth was not too worried about them. These were easily replaced.


    What made the blacksmith angry was the inscribing material that was right next to the explosion and was completely destroyed by the fire.


    ¡°Fuck, the Spiritual ink is gone!¡± Goulth stared at the ruined bottle with pain in his heart.


    Red frowned. ¡°Was that the only one you had?¡±


    The blacksmith shook his head. ¡°No, we have another bottle. It¡¯s just that these are expensive, and every bottle takes weeks to arrive from the capital.¡±


    ¡°I could help you with the costs.¡±


    Goulth snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t lack for money, kid! Besides, it¡¯s not like this is your fault. We were both too reckless to experiment with this inside the workshop.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is so, but there is no way we could have foreseen that kind of reaction from a single rune.¡± Red said.


    A single arcane rune alone had limited power and could only do the simplest of things. It was only when they were drawn into a formation or a talisman that they were able to display their true strength. As such, none of them were expecting such a violent reaction from this single sigil, which was why they got complacent about their safety amidst their great curiosity.


    Goulth shook his head. ¡°We are dealing with something completely foreign here. We should be prepared for everything the next time we try it.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a next time?¡±


    The blacksmith laughed. ¡°That depends on you!¡±


    ¡°Is that why you lied to Hector?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Well, he isn¡¯t stupid. He knows we are up to something, but he probably couldn¡¯t guess what we are researching, even in his wildest dreams.¡± Goulth said. ¡°Either way, don¡¯t you feel excited, kid?! Researching into a completely foreign practice, being the pioneer of a possible new field of Arcane Scripture! Doesn¡¯t that send your blood pumping?!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just copying some drawings.¡±


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t be modest! You still have to figure out what each sigil does and how to connect them on your own, right? That¡¯s already enough work on its own!¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°When you put it like that, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    Goulth smiled. ¡°Of course I am! In any case, let¡¯s sit down and think before we rush ahead. What have we learned from this experiment?¡±


    Red pondered to himself for a few seconds. ¡°These runes still work in our world, and it seems like blood is required to activate them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable conclusion to make considering what happened and its origins, even if we still have many more experiments to conduct. However, if blood is really the fuel for these runes, you know what that means, right?¡± Goulth¡¯s tone changed.


    ¡°¡­ Blood magic.¡±


    There was no such thing as an accepted demonic practice in the cultivation world, but amidst all these evil arts, there was one that stood above all others in term of wickedness. This was none other than blood magic.


    The practice had its roots at the very dawn of cultivation history when humans noticed that the deciding factor behind a monster¡¯s power was its bloodline. It would dictate how strong that creature would grow at maturity, and it was something that was passed to its descendents, permitting these beasts to grow stronger without ever cultivating.


    This process had its limitations, of course, such as providing the monsters with a ceiling in power that was almost impossible to surpass, but such downsides were insignificant compared to the benefit it provided to the beasts at the time. That being, absolute dominance over all other lifeforms in the world that didn¡¯t have such an ability.


    This bloodline power was something that humans sought to cultivate inside their own bodies, and they went about it in various ways. Some of them tried to infuse these monsters¡¯ bloodlines into their own body, while others tried to elevate the power of human blood itself. All of them had their drawbacks, and with time and development of cultivation, they mostly became obsolete.


    This was until thousands of years later, when the first contact between humans and the demons from the infernal realm happened. Humans were then enlightened to the true power, and horror, of blood magic, and these once antiquated methods came to light once more.


    To consume and assimilate. To kill and become stronger.


    These were the basic tenets of this demonic blood magic. It allowed the person that cultivated its methods to become stronger by killing other living beings and absorbing their blood essence. Such a method of increasing in strength was, and still is, unmatched in pure cultivation speed, and suffice it to say that when it came to light, an era of chaos and slaughter began as blood practitioners spread through the world.


    There were also enormous drawbacks to the method, of course, but the benefits outweighed the risk in the minds of many cultivators. It was why, even after the downfall of the demonic sects, this was still one of the most popular demonic practices in the world, and considered to be the most dangerous for human existence.


    Suffice it to say, this wasn¡¯t the first time Red came into contact with this kind of blood magic, and it was why he even thought to use it with the sigil in the first place.


    Goulth sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m a very open-minded individual. I believe demonic magic is incredibly dangerous and inherently evil, but in the hands of a strong-minded individual, this corruption can be resisted and be used for a better purpose. It¡¯s why I decided to not tell the truth to Hector, not only because I am curious, but because I also trust you and I think this kind of knowledge can benefit you a lot in the long run. That being said, there are other dangers to this than just corruption.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What dangers?¡±


    ¡°Kid, think about what you have here.¡± the blacksmith said. ¡°A completely new Arcane Scripture system powered entirely by blood magic. Not to mention that judging by that explosion from earlier, the sigils might be even more powerful than the basic Arcane Scripture! Can you imagine what would happen if this was spread to the world? Can you imagine if demonic cultivators got their hands into these sigils?¡±


    Red shuddered just thinking about it.


    Goulth continued. ¡°This is why you need to think about what could happen if you were to continue researching these. It¡¯s not just about you anymore, but humanity at large!¡±


    Red was silent for a long while, unsure of what to even think. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t expect this kind of responsibility to fall into my lap.¡±


    The blacksmith laughed. ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t! Still, you are the one who has to decide. That information will always be in your head, and even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t stop from researching it. To be honest, there¡¯s obviously a part of me that still wants to experiment and study these sigils, but to put the entire world at risk while doing it? That makes the decision a bit harder¡­¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°A bit?¡±


    Goulth smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not the one that has to make the final decision in the first place.¡±


    The youth went silent in thought.


    ¡°¡­ I need time to think.¡±


    On one hand, he had a completely new and exclusive scripture system that could benefit him immensely in the long run. On the other hand, there was always the possibility this system could leak and empower demonic cultivators like never before.


    Even if Red was never one to care about the prosperity of humans at large, this was still not the kind of decision he could make lightly. He needed to think.


    To think and consider what was most important to him.

 Chapter 283 - Blood Experiments

    Red excused himself to his room. When he arrived there and made sure no one was watching or eavesdropping on him, he sat down cross-legged on his bed and began to meditate.


    Soon enough, his awareness expanded, and he reached towards the mist.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Red went straight to the point.


    ¡°Her hold¡­ weakens.¡± A faint voice echoed in his mind.


    ¡®Her.¡¯


    Red immediately thought back to one name and a certain image that he avoided thinking about for a long time. Even now, he didn¡¯t dare to focus on it for more than a few seconds, but at least he confirmed his theory was right.


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re safe?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No¡­ Never safe.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The bone. Were you the one that helped me reach it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Useful¡­ for you.¡±


    ¡°Useful how?¡±


    ¡°Useful.¡±


    This was the only word the being used. Red was still left with a lot of questions on the matter, but he knew from experience that the voice never elaborated on its words.


    Perhaps there was another matter it would be willing to clarify, though.


    ¡°Were you the one who carved those symbols?¡± Red asked with his expanded awareness.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Who was it then?¡±


    There was a pause. ¡°¡­ I do not know.¡±


    ¡®Why did I expect anything different from this conversation?¡¯


    With a sigh, Red let his expanded awareness dissipate without hesitation and opened his eyes. The youth didn¡¯t gain much information from this conversation, other than the reinforcement of the fact the being inside his body had a vested interest in not only his safety but also in his growth.


    Red already knew this in the past, but he thought the being¡¯s assistance would be limited to his Crimson Sense and regenerative abilities. To introduce a completely new Arcane Scripture system to the youth, though, was already far beyond that realm.


    Still, none of this helped Red find the answer to the question he was looking for. That being - should he research these sigils?


    In a way, Red was a selfish person to anyone who wasn¡¯t his immediate companions. He didn¡¯t care that much about how his actions at large might affect those unrelated to him, and he knew that anyone seeking to advance in the cultivation world shouldn¡¯t be concerned with those matters. He would obviously do his best to avoid hurting unrelated people or affecting their livelihoods, but he knew there were bound to be bystanders getting caught up in these big matters, whether he wanted it or not.


    Still, it was one thing when his actions affected someone¡¯s career or injured them in a battle. It was another thing entirely when his actions might affect humanity as a whole.


    The entire world, possibly at the mercy of this teenage boy who had yet to open his Spiritual Sea.


    It was such a ridiculously heavy responsibility that Red couldn¡¯t help but ask himself multiple times whether it was all real. Of course, there was still the possibility the blacksmith wasn¡¯t right about his theory. Maybe there were some other limiting factors that wouldn¡¯t allow these sigils to be used in this world. After all, they only just started researching it.


    Yet Red didn¡¯t think he was wrong, much more so after the being¡¯s reply.


    ¡®What now?¡¯


    The youth had never been so conflicted about a decision before. Perhaps someone else would have tried to justify their actions one way or the other, such as doing their utmost to keep these sigils a secret while using them. However, Red never took these responsibilities lightly. He couldn¡¯t make this promise to himself and his master without weighing how hard it would be to keep it.


    ¡®I have already made plenty of impossible promises already.¡¯


    His thirst for knowledge and power pushed him one way, while the morality and humanity he possessed pushed him the other.


    ¡®Perhaps there is still a way to reach a compromise.¡¯


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    Red spent the rest of the night considering this question.


    When morning finally arrived, he made his decision.


    ¡­


    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± Goulth stared at him with a grave expression.


    Red was facing his master inside his workshop. From the look on the blacksmith¡¯s face, it seemed he didn¡¯t get any sleep either.


    ¡°I will research the runes.¡± Red said. ¡°However, I will put some limitations on myself.¡±


    Goulth raised his eyebrows in curiosity. ¡°What kind of limitations?¡±


    ¡°I will not use the runes unless my life is in absolute danger or until I find a reliable way to mask them in the future.¡± Red said.


    This was the compromise the youth reached. After a long night of thought, this came to him after a simple consideration: could he bring himself to care about the future of the world if he was just about to die? Red wasn¡¯t that altruistic, and he didn¡¯t think many people in his place would be either. As such, he would keep these sigils and their byproducts as his trump cards and his last line of defense.


    Goulth grunted. ¡°That seems like a good compromise. However, just because you aren¡¯t using the sigils doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be leaked. You never know when someone might be spying on you while you¡¯re researching or inscribing.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take. After all, that¡¯s not the only thing I have to hide.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not here to judge your decision, kid.¡± Goulth shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯ve thought about it, that¡¯s all that matters to me. I probably won¡¯t live long enough to see the full potential of these runes achieved, and as long as your safety is assured, then I can¡¯t really bring myself to care about what will happen after I die.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°If you don¡¯t care, why did you bring this issue up to me in the first place?¡±


    The blacksmith laughed. ¡°Hey, just because I don¡¯t care doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t! It¡¯s your future we¡¯re talking about here! Either way, now that you have decided, let¡¯s get to work. There¡¯s a lot I have been thinking about since yesterday¡¯s experiment¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Over the next few weeks, Red and Goulth dedicated themselves almost wholly to the research of these runes. The youth was afforded this deviation in his formation studies because what limited him now in building the Parting Storm Formation were resources and time.


    Others around his sect noticed the increasing amount of time Red and his master were spending inside the workshop, but since no further accidents happened, no one bothered them. Over this period, the youth made another visit to the hellscape, during which he memorized four more Infernal Sigils, as Goulth had decided to call them.


    They also made some important discoveries in their research.


    First of all, it was in regards to blood. The sigils weren¡¯t powered by blood necessarily and rather they still used Spiritual Energy. Blood served as a medium through which the power of these sigils could act through. This meant that every effect of these runes used blood to manifest.


    The first sigil they discovered, for instance, seemed to transform Red¡¯s blood into a fiery and explosive substance. Another rune they researched made it so his blood would lengthen into a sharp line, while another one still caused the fluid to harden into a thick substance. Their effects were all similar to normal Arcane Runes, except for the fact that they were more powerful at a base level, and seemingly far more difficult to control.


    Goulth attributed this to its demonic origins. Demonic power was a very attractive prospect for a lot of cultivators because it gave them a large upgrade in power compared to that which they acquired through normal cultivation. The downside, however, was that this power was much harder to control, not to mention that it was also a corrupting influence.


    In the end, pure power wasn¡¯t necessarily superior to technique, and this much was displayed through the fact that most devilish sects were destroyed and the orthodox sects emerged victorious from their war. It was hard to say how much this principle applied to these Infernal Sigils, though, considering their true capabilities would only be displayed once they were arranged in a formation or talisman.


    They also discovered that they could use any blood as a medium. Goulth tried to use his own blood as well as the blood of a few monsters to activate the runes, and all of them worked. However, to their surprise, the effects were not as strong as when Red used his own blood.


    The man attributed this to the strength of blood essence. This meant that the stronger the blood they used as a medium, the better the effects of these sigils would become. Monsters generally had stronger blood essences than humans, so his master suggested that if he needed to use these sigils in the future, he should stock up on some monster blood.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t comment on the strange fact that Red¡¯s blood essence seemed to be stronger than that of your average monster, and the youth was glad he didn¡¯t need to explain this. The youth wasn¡¯t about to use his own blood as fuel for these formations. Or at least, he didn¡¯t intend to until they made some calculations.


    ¡°It seems like the simplest of formations made with these sigils might require a gallon of blood to work.¡± Goulth said with a frown. ¡°I can only imagine this number will increase exponentially as the complexity and size of the formations increase.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can carry around gallons of blood on myself.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Could this be solved by using higher-quality blood?¡±


    Goulth grunted. ¡°It certainly seemed like we needed less of your blood to achieve the same effect with those runes. However, the difference didn¡¯t seem to be substantial enough. You would still need a gallon of it to make a basic formation work, even if it''s from a Lesser Ring Realm monster.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem sustainable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know the first thing about blood magic.¡± The blacksmith shook his head. ¡°I heard there were some cultivators out there who could refine the blood of a hundred people into a single bead. Quantity and space weren¡¯t really a problem for them.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that I should go out and learn some blood magic?¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°Well, not necessarily. Maybe you could make a formation that could do this same refining process for you. That way, you won¡¯t need to use demonic magic directly.¡±


    ¡®If only you knew¡­¡¯


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but it¡¯s still too far away from us right now. There was something else I have been thinking about, though¡­¡±


    Goulth stared at him with suspicion. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how I found these runes on a bone? There was no way to tell if those runes were carved in the bone before or after the¡­ thing it belonged to died.¡±


    Goulth¡¯s expression changed. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I wonder what will happen if we try to carve one of these runes on a living being.¡±

 Chapter 284 - Chicken Test

    Goulth frowned. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t you think this might be a step too far?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Not at all. Of course, I¡¯m not suggesting that we take innocent humans and experiment on them, but for the sake of knowledge, what¡¯s the harm in experimenting on monsters we would have killed anyway?¡±


    The blacksmith grunted. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no harm in it¡­ It¡¯s just that we might be taking this whole blood magic thing a bit too far. I have never experimented on any living beings myself, so I don¡¯t feel too comfortable with the practice, even if it¡¯s a monster.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I understand your hesitation. In which case, maybe I should use my own body as an experiment.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid?!¡± Goulth¡¯s eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what will happen when the sigil comes into contact with your skin! What if absorbs all the blood in your body?!¡±


    ¡°¡­ So we should use an animal to experiment?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Goulth glared at him. ¡°Look, we can try it on a monster, but it¡¯s not the first time a cultivator tried to inscribe arcane sigils into a living being.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°Did it work in the past?¡±


    Goulth shook his head. ¡°There were some evident limitations in the practice that made this a very inconvenient path. First of all, was the matter of energy conductivity. These runes carved into human skin still needed Spiritual Energy to work, meaning you needed to use Spirit Stones to power them one way or the other, something that made them very inconvenient to use in the middle of combat.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible to use the Spiritual Energy inside one¡¯s own body if they have opened their Spiritual Sea?¡±


    ¡°It is, but unless you¡¯re in the Spirit Core Realm and are able to condense your Spiritual Energy enough, it will almost always be less effective than just using a Spirit Stone, and even then it might not be worth it for cultivators at that level. This is not to mention the fact that having these runes in your body is likely to cause interference while you are using Spiritual Arts, as the sigil might absorb Spiritual Energy on its own. There are also other problems, such as your body rejecting the inscription inks and materials, or the fact you can¡¯t really cover your body with equipment if you want to use the runes¡­ This is just to name a few of them.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Well, this seems like a very impractical idea. I¡¯m surprised you know this much about it, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually not an uncommon subject in the crafting world.¡± Goulth said. ¡°Every now and then you will hear about a cultivator who has made advancements in the area, but it always ends up as a failure. In the end, Arcane Scripture is something that can only be carved in non-living and treated materials, and not on living skin and fur.¡±


    ¡°If the study is as fruitless as you are saying, then why do cultivators still insist on it?¡±


    Goulth sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because of the theoretical benefits. You see, for a cultivator to activate a Spiritual Art, they need to circulate the Spiritual Energy through their veins in a certain way, and sometimes even visualize some special visions in their mind. This takes a lot of both mental and physical effort, so it¡¯s obvious that a lot of cultivators would want to find ways to reduce that burden.¡±


    ¡°So they want these runes to do that work for them.¡± Red suddenly understood what the benefit of this idea was.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Goulth nodded. ¡°Imagine if you could delegate the hardest part of executing a Spiritual Art to a formation, with your only responsibility being to release this technique. It would change the way cultivators fight in this world.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is that wise? Although it might increase their combat capabilities, I thought it is important for your comprehension to execute these Spiritual Arts on your own.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed a valid concern. To your point, a cultivator might be able to execute a technique faster than a formation with enough practice, but a formation will always remain the same unless someone improves it.¡± The blacksmith shrugged. ¡°However, that¡¯s more of a concern for high-level cultivators. You think low-level cultivators would care about comprehension when they could increase their combat capabilities so much?¡±


    The answer was obviously no.


    Red sighed. ¡°So, do you think this is not a worthwhile pursuit?¡±


    The youth was starting to have doubts, so he asked his master for his opinion. When it came to matters of cultivation, Red¡¯s knowledge was still lacking comparing to someone as old and experienced as Goulth.


    Goulth hesitated. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s hard to say. We still don¡¯t know how much these infernal sigils differ from ordinary arcane sigils, so maybe they will be more suitable to inscribe in a human¡¯s body. Either way, as long as you temper your expectations, it¡¯s worth trying, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± Red nodded. ¡°So, do you have a testing subject in mind?¡±


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    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Goulth hesitated. ¡°I suppose I could get a chicken or something.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to steal one from Domeron¡¯s coop?¡±


    ¡°That depends. Do you think you could take it without getting found out by Domeron?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll leave it up to you then.¡±


    ¡­


    His master made good on his promise, and the next day he brought back a chicken from the market.


    ¡°Here.¡± Goulth handed the chicken over to Red with a disgusted expression. ¡°Do your thing now.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How am I supposed to inscribe it while it¡¯s still awake?¡±


    ¡°Just hit it on the side of the head and knock it unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Can you even do that without killing it?¡±


    ¡°Argh, just wait here for a second!¡±


    The blacksmith walked away before returning with some powdered substance in his palm. He brought it under the chicken¡¯s beak, and it pecked at it with interest. The next moment, its head hung limp, and it stopped struggling in Red¡¯s grip.


    Goulth stared at him. ¡°Great, now do your thing!¡±


    Red nodded and laid the chicken sideways on the table. He decided it would be best to inscribe the sigil directly onto the animal¡¯s skin, so he chose to pluck away at its chest feathers, careful not to awaken it. This revealed a patch of skin large enough to inscribe the sigil on, which, all things considered, was still smaller and rougher than the material Red was used to.


    ¡°You should have brought me a bigger animal.¡± Red said. ¡°A pig would have been better.¡±


    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Goulth glared at him.


    ¡°I might not be able to inscribe it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t mess it up, or else I¡¯m sending you to buy an animal from the market next time!¡±


    Red sighed and didn¡¯t say anything else before getting to work.


    He used the Spiritual Ink Goulth had recently ordered, and started to draw the sigil over the chicken¡¯s chest. The symbol they chose was the one that made blood harden into a thick shield - the safest of the batch Red and his master had researched.


    The task ended up being just as hard as Red was expecting, but after almost twenty minutes of extreme focus, the youth managed to complete the sigil. He took a step back, examining the drawing on the chicken¡¯s chest.


    ¡°It looks good to me.¡± Goulth nodded. ¡°Now we just need to power it.¡±


    ¡°You do it.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Why me?!¡±


    ¡°I already drew the sigil. You should at least do something.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Do you not have any respect for your master?!¡±


    Red stared at him in silence. Goulth just grunted in annoyance before grabbing a Spirit Stone from a nearby table. The man hesitated as he approached the animal, though.


    ¡°Should we wake it up before trying the sigil?¡± Goulth asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason to.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Right. Here we go then.¡±


    The blacksmith carefully neared the stone to the chicken¡¯s chest. The reaction was almost immediate as the sigil started to absorb the energy.


    Goulth smiled. ¡°The sigil is working!¡±


    His smile disappeared as the chicken suddenly woke up with a horrible noise.


    ¡°Ah, fuck!¡± The blacksmith dropped the stone and jumped back in fear.


    The chicken got up from its sleeping position, and unlike what the two of them were expecting, it just sat there on the table as the sigil in its chest continued to glow. Suddenly, blood began to seep out of its skin, before converging into this dark plaque that covered most of its chest.


    When the process was finally done, the chicken just stood there, looking around in confusion while examining this strange thing attached to its chest.


    Goulth smiled, recovering from his scare. ¡°It worked, it really did work!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It seems that way.¡±


    They had both been expecting the worst while doing this experiment, so the fact the chicken remained alive was a pleasant surprise for them.


    ¡°We still need to examine it, though.¡± Goulth said as he approached the chicken. ¡°Maybe something happened that we can¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Red held him back.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The blacksmith looked at him in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Something¡¯s happening to it.¡±


    He felt it through his crimson sense. The chicken¡¯s fluctuation seemed to be undergoing an increasingly fast transformation, even though nothing was happening to it on the surface. In fact, Red felt like he recognized what was happening to the animal.


    ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯


    It took just a few seconds for the transformation to manifest. The chicken¡¯s feathers started to fall off its body one by one, and what replaced them were crimson scales. The animal¡¯s eyes also changed in coloration, and it looked over at Red and Goulth with a murderous gaze.


    ¡°Demonification¡­¡± Goulth whispered in shock.


    A moment later, the chicken charged at them with a maddened cluck. It was far faster than a normal chicken, but nowhere near fast enough to take them by surprise. Red stepped forward and grabbed the creature by its neck, holding it in his hand as the demonic chicken continued to struggle to attack them.


    The youth suddenly felt something stir inside of his body.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, kid?! Kill it, before something else happens!¡± Goulth said.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead staring into the eyes of this animal with an intense expression. The chicken seemed to notice the youth¡¯s gaze, and suddenly its aggressiveness died down, and it instead began to tremble in his grip.


    Red was satisfied, and he cautiously set the chicken down. The animal didn¡¯t do anything else, and instead it just stood by the youth¡¯s feet like an obidient pet.


    ¡°W-What the fuck did you do to it?¡± Goulth asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I just did what felt natural.¡±


    He was being truthful. He didn¡¯t know what compelled him to do this, or how he had done it, but he had some ideas.


    ¡°Look, this doesn¡¯t matter right now!¡± Goulth shook his head with a shocked expression. ¡°Did you see what that sigil did?!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It seemed to induce a very quick demonification process.¡±


    This meant that these sigils¡¯ danger just increased tenfold.

 Chapter 285 - The Elusive Acupoint

    Goulth massaged his temples with a pained expression. ¡°Here I thought this couldn¡¯t get any more dangerous. A demon-making set of runes! Gods, just saying it out loud makes me think this is all just a dream¡­¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How is it possible for demonification to happen this fast? Even if it¡¯s just a chicken, it should have been able to resist the transformation for at least a few hours.¡±


    The process of demonification was very much dependent on the strength of the corruption. This was, in turn, tied to the strength of the demonic Spiritual Energy. At least, this was what Red learned.


    Now, they used a mere fraction of the energy of a Spirit Stone, and yet that seemed to be enough to transform this chicken into a demon. It went against everything the youth knew about demonification.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Goulth frowned in thought. ¡°Like I said, we still can¡¯t claim to understand these runes completely. We are thinking of them as a blood-magic version of the common Arcane Scripture, but there is probably way more to them than just that.¡±


    Red was compelled to agree. Until now, he had been doing his research with the same mentality for his other studies, but this wasn¡¯t a wise course of action. As many similarities as these sigils might have with what the youth already knew, they were still a foreign art from a place where only death and violence reigned.


    If nothing out of the ordinary happened in his experiments, Red would have been surprised instead.


    ¡°What are we doing with the chicken?¡± the youth asked.


    ¡°Ah, crap, I forgot!¡± Goulth slapped his forehead.


    They both looked over at the chicken, who seemed to be acting regularly after its initial outburst, walking around the room and pecking at the ground. It looked like a normal chicken, if it wasn¡¯t for the crimson scales growing all over its body.


    The blacksmith frowned. ¡°It sure isn¡¯t acting like a demon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m close to it.¡± Red said. ¡°If we got split up, it would probably go back to how it was.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Goulth raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we obviously can¡¯t afford to leave it alive.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    The youth picked up the chicken, which didn¡¯t resist his grip, and twisted its neck with a single motion. The animal didn¡¯t even let out a noise before it fell limp in his arms and its fluctuation disappeared from Red¡¯s crimson sense.


    They both examined the chicken¡¯s body for a few more minutes, confirming that the demonification it underwent was total, and there was no part of its body that remained unchanged. Even its organs were modified by the demonification to some extent.


    This left Red and Goulth baffled, as they wondered to themselves where the demonic energy the transformation needed to happen came from. They found no answers, though, and both of them were evidently reluctant to experiment with more animals.


    ¡°I think you should shelve this idea of carving these sigils in your skin for now.¡± Goulth said with a serious expression.


    Red nodded. ¡°That much is a given. I have no intention of becoming a demon.¡±


    ¡°You also should avoid transforming any other animals into demons.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ It might be a useful trump card at some point.¡±


    Goulth glared at him. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the kind of hopeless situation you would need to be in where transforming a monster into a demon would help you!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. It seems farfetched.¡±


    Although Red said that, he had other thoughts.


    The blacksmith was right in his ideas, but the youth was ever one to look towards the future. What if he managed to induce a demonic transformation into his opponent? That wouldn¡¯t necessarily win him the battle, but Red already proved he could exert some kind of influence over these scaled demons.


    It could make all the difference in the end.


    There were some obvious problems with this idea he would need to figure out, but the youth saw merit in it. After all, he didn¡¯t know how long it might take them both to organize and understand how this Infernal Scripture worked, so it made sense to use this sigil in a way they could be promptly useful.


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    Red didn¡¯t share his thoughts with his master, but judging from the man¡¯s expression, he seemed to have an inkling as to what the youth was thinking about.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you about this, kid.¡± Goulth stared at him with a serious gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t get too lost in these demonic arts. Not only could you attract unwanted attention from demonic cultivators, but you could also get noticed by real demons from the other side¡­ and we both know you already have a precedent for that.¡±


    Red frowned, recalling his encounter with a certain dark mirror pendant seven years ago. He knew his master was right.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Red nodded. ¡°But I can¡¯t give up on any advantage I can gain.¡±


    Goulth sighed. ¡°This is why I¡¯m here.¡± The blacksmith patted his shoulder. ¡°To guide and advise you. As long as I¡¯m alive, you don¡¯t need to tackle these challenges alone.¡±


    Red was unsure how to respond, but Goulth didn¡¯t wait for him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue our research.¡± He waved the youth over. ¡°We still have a few sigils to parse through.¡±


    Red nodded, and the two continued their work.


    ¡­


    Another week passed by.


    The two of them kept researching the runes, but unfortunately, their progress came to a standstill. This was due to the fact Red had yet to return to his dreamscape, and they had thoroughly researched all the sigils he had already memorized.


    Without new sigils, it was impossible to make progress.


    ¡°All the sigils we have seem to be primary sigils.¡± Goulth said. ¡°We can¡¯t even try to make a prototype of a formation with just what we have.¡±


    Arcane sigils had varied effects, but they were categorized into two different types: primary and secondary sigils.


    Primary sigils were the foundation of all formations and runes, as they provided the main effect of the transformation the Spiritual Energy would go through. This meant it could transform ordinary Spiritual Energy into fire, water, and countless other different aspects this energy could take. However, just transforming the energy wasn¡¯t enough to achieve the desired effect, and this was where secondary sigils came in.


    These were the sigils that shaped and transported this transformed energy to their desired form and position. They could lengthen an orb of water to form a shield over a cultivator, they could condense flames into a fireball that exploded upon contact. The process was, of course, a lot more complex than it might seem and involve dozens of secondary sigils, but at the root of it, secondary sigils were the sigils that gave shape and purpose to a formation.


    The fact Red still had yet to memorize a secondary Infernal Sigil even while he was picking at random was surprising, to say the least.


    ¡°How many different sigils did you see in the bone again?¡± Goulth asked.


    ¡°At least a few hundred and I was still discovering even more before I gave up and tried to memorize the ones closest to me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Gods¡­¡± Goulth scratched his head with a frown. ¡°At this pace it will take us years to complete this whole thing.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can try to visit the dream more often.¡±


    The blacksmith looked surprised. ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it before, but there might be a way.¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°Would that be safe?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t understand about it.¡± Red was being honest.


    ¡°Then you obviously shouldn¡¯t do it!¡± The blacksmith shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like the sigils will be going anywhere, and in the future, once you have broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm, you might be more well equipped to deal with them.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if things will be that simple.¡¯


    Red sought to change subjects. ¡°Since we can¡¯t do anything right now, I will go back to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°Have you opened your last acupoint?¡± Goulth asked with an eager expression.


    ¡°¡­ Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, then go cultivate!¡± The blacksmith waved him off. ¡°You are at such an important conjecture, so you should focus on it!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Then I will be going.¡±


    The youth excused himself and returned to his room.


    The thing he didn¡¯t tell Goulth was how he had already opened his last acupoint, at least as far as the ordinary acupoints were concerned. Red had officially opened all the necessary acupoints to attempt to open his Spiritual Sea, and he could feel the Spiritual Energy around him far more accurately than he had ever been able to in the past.


    However, he had yet to open his last special acupoint - the one in his third eye that would contain Moonstone Energy. In fact, Red hadn¡¯t even been able to locate it or verify its existence, no matter how hard he tried.


    Red felt completely stumped by this. He considered giving up on opening this acupoint and focus on his breakthrough, but he wasn¡¯t sure that was the right decision.


    Technically, even after you opened your Spiritual Sea, you could still open special acupoints in your body. This was what many cultivators did, since they might acquire superior techniques in the future that required the use of acupoints they didn¡¯t have open. However, this came with some large drawbacks.


    First was the fact that opening acupoints after opening your Spiritual Sea became substantially harder. Cultivators didn¡¯t really understand why this was the case, but most presumed it had to do with the perfect connection established between Spiritual Sea and Spiritual Vein once a cultivator broke into the Lesser Ring Realm.


    A perfect cycle and existence would form between these two organs, so much so that they almost became one. It was what allowed the seamless circulation of Spiritual Energy through a cultivator¡¯s body. As such, adding new components to this cycle in the form of new acupoints was like trying to shove an additional floor in the middle of a finished building.


    Well, technically, it was still possible in the world of cultivation, as most things tended to be, but it was an arduous and costly task. Even should one succeed, in most cases the opened acupoint would not be as effective compared to if one opened it before breaking into the Lesser Ring Realm.


    This was why Red was hesitating. For one, he needed the help of this acupoint to resist the curse, and he also was unsure how viable it would be to open it after he broke through.


    Yet, not all hope was lost. Red still had a few ideas to reveal this elusive acupoint.


    ¡®I can try it during a Full Moon.¡¯


    This was the night where the Moon would bathe the world in its bright light and fill Red¡¯s body with its energy. Perhaps the acupoint would reveal itself during that occasion.


    If even that didn¡¯t work, though, Red still had one last plan. However, he would prefer it didn¡¯t come to it.


    ¡®I would rather never meet them again.¡¯

 Chapter 286 - Finding a Hideout

    The night of the Full Moon was quick approaching, and Red needed to make preparations. First, he needed a proper, isolated place to cultivate.


    In the past, the youth went to the edge of the forest where the shining Moonstone Energy wouldn¡¯t catch anyone¡¯s attention. This was getting harder as the town expanded, and Red was forced to keep searching for places where he could cultivate in peace.


    He didn¡¯t want to go too deep into the forest, as that might catch the attention of the necromancer or the Curse Breakers. However, he didn¡¯t know what would happen next with this plan of his, and with so much happening in town, staying close to the settlement wasn¡¯t necessarily a safer option, either.


    ¡®I need a proper hideout.¡¯


    This was Red¡¯s first idea. However, this was more easily said than done.


    The problem wasn¡¯t finding an isolated place in the forest, but rather finding an isolated place where the convergence of Moonstone Energy wouldn¡¯t draw the attention of individuals from miles away. A cave, or something of the sort, was preferable, as the lunar gaze could still reach him even if he was dozens of meters beneath the earth.


    However, caves weren¡¯t too common in this forest.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s not necessarily true.¡¯


    There was still the underground cave network the hawk spirit had dug for the trial. It should still be there, even if the entrances were now collapsed. With some effort, Red could find it, but that brought about another question.


    Was it wise to wander that place by himself? What if there were still imperial agents down there? It was likely the necromancer was living there, too. It was too risky, much more so since Red wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to defend himself.


    ¡®Perhaps there¡¯s another place I don¡¯t know about.¡¯


    Red knew the forest very well, but there was still someone that knew the place better than him. A hunter who spent decades of his life exploring and hunting in this region.


    Red decided to ask for his help.


    ¡­


    ¡°Why do you want to hide?¡± Rog asked with a frown.


    The hunter was in the process of butchering a boar¡¯s carcass with his knife on a table in the courtyard, but he stopped what he was doing and looked over at Red.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be found.¡± Red said.


    Rog just stared at him in silence.


    Red sighed. ¡°I need to do something that might bring a lot of attention to me, so I need some place to hide.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it here? No one¡¯s going to bother you here.¡°


    ¡°Maybe a few years ago that would have been the case, but now¡­ We both know it¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    With someone spying Hector, how would Red dare to cause a big ruckus and draw attention to himself?


    Rog continued to frown. ¡°You know the forest well.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Not as well as you, though.¡±


    ¡°You should still be able to find a good hiding place.¡±


    ¡°In normal case, I might have been able to. However, what I¡¯m going to do will probably cause quite a commotion.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What kind of commotion?¡±


    ¡°Bright flashing lights against the night sky.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just find a dark cave for cover, then?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t help.¡±


    There was an extended silence as Rog seemed to consider his words.


    Rog grunted. ¡°If these lights can¡¯t be blocked, then there¡¯s no hiding it, is there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but there are ways to make my location harder to discern and to give me a better escape route if someone does try to find me through these lights.¡± Red said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for.¡±


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    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Rog scratched his beard. ¡°There is a place like that. A small valley nearly bordering the Great Serpent Canyon. People tend to avoid that area because some monsters from the Canyon may wander there sometimes, but other than that, it¡¯s very out of the way and isolated. A perfect place for hiding, if you don¡¯t mind the danger.¡±


    ¡°¡­ How far?¡±


    ¡°Three days travelling day and night.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you will lead me there, will you?¡±


    ¡°You think I can just up and disappear from the sect for an entire week?¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°I have responsibilities too.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like hunting and uh¡­ Other stuff.¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°Either way, if you really need my help, I can lead you there, I suppose. Hector won¡¯t be too happy about it, though.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Just point the area to me on a map. It¡¯s better if I do this alone, in any case.¡±


    Rog shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    The hunter did as he promised and drew the rough location of this valley on a map for Red. It was to the northeast of the town, probably no more than a few kilometers away from the Great Serpent Canyon.


    Generally, there was a hundred kilometer radius around the canyon where almost no human settlements existed. This was due to the fact there was not much of value in the area, and also because it wasn¡¯t rare for the canyon monsters to wander around the area.


    The town proper had some involvement in the mining operations at the borders of the canyon, but these were made in a joint operation with kingdom forces and other rogue cultivators. These people rarely visited their town, and mostly traveled directly to the kingdom¡¯s capital if they ever wanted to leave the Canyon.


    This meant that this strip of forest land right outside the canyon was almost uninhabited, and very few people wandered there. Red wondered how Rog had come across this valley he told him about, but the man just shrugged.


    ¡°I went exploring when I was younger and a lot stupider. I ended up getting chased by a giant albatross and found this valley I could hide in.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t press the hunter for any more details.


    Once he was done gathering the information, he decided to speak to Hector and Domeron.


    The three of them gathered in the meeting hall at night and sat around the table.


    Hector was staring at Red with a suspicious gaze, while Domeron too seemed surprised.


    ¡°What did you do this time, kid?¡± Hector asked. ¡°You never ask to speak with us unless you screwed something up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the case this time.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I want to ask for a week¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°Hm, a leave?¡± Hector seemed surprised. ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°I need to open one final acupoint.¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient to do this here in town.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°Is there a need to go that far away from town for it, though?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°If I want to be safe, then it¡¯s for the best.¡±


    There was a silence as the elder reflected on his words in silence.


    Domeron was the one to speak up. ¡°You know this is not a safe time to make lengthy trips out of town, Red.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not like I have a choice.¡± the youth said, before turning around to look at Hector. ¡°Is your friend still around?¡±


    Red¡¯s words had a deeper meaning, and judging by the elder¡¯s sudden worsening in expression, he caught onto it.


    Hector nodded with an ugly look. ¡°Seems so. They are very stubborn, and don¡¯t seem concerned at all about hiding their presence. Every time I walk outside, I can feel them staring at me.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You still can¡¯t find them?¡±


    The elder grunted. ¡°If I could, would we still be having these problems? They are taunting me, and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°At least they aren¡¯t making a move.¡±


    The presence of this stalker had been ongoing for a long while, but at the very least, they never attacked any members of the sect. Hector also told his sect members to not worry about being eavesdropped, as the elder had a way to stop anyone from listening to their conversations without his notice. Red wasn¡¯t sure how he could keep his watch up the entire day, but Hector never once complained about fatigue, so the youth let the matter go.


    ¡°Either way, this is all the more reason why it¡¯s a dumb idea to go out right now.¡± Hector said. ¡°I can keep an eye on you and provide assistance while you¡¯re in town, or even close by in the forest, but once you go too far, there¡¯s nothing I can do against assassins or spies.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I understand, but as I said, this is not something I have a choice on.¡±


    The youth was not a reckless individual, and his insistence on going ahead with this matter despite the risks obviously left Hector and Domeron troubled.


    ¡°You want to go alone?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s for the best.¡± Red nodded.


    This way, not only would he put only his own person at risk, but he would also be able to move about unnoticed. When it came to sneaking about, there was no one in the sect who was better than Red.


    Not to mention, he had his crimson sense to help him, too.


    Hector sighed. ¡°If someone can risk going out there and surviving, it¡¯s definitely you. However, you are not invincible. If you notice you¡¯re being followed or see anything out of the ordinary, then you need to return to town at once. Whatever it is you¡¯re doing is not worth more than your own life.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    The youth was pleasantly surprised that there was not more resistance on Hector¡¯s part, but then again, he had proven his capabilities in the past before. This trust placed in Red was earned over many years of effort and successful missions.


    He excused himself from the meeting room and returned to his room.


    Red made his preparations through the night, gathering a handful of talismans and his weapons. He planned to only carry a few items on his person, and as such, he had no plans to bring a travelling bag or any kind of supplies.


    Someone who had opened all their veins could definitely last a week without water or food, but even that was pushing the limits of their improved body. Red, however, had more than just his spiritual veins to help him through fasting, and as he had tested in the past, he should be able to last a week without eating or drinking and still maintain close to full strength.


    This was all thanks to the improved endurance he gained from the crimson mist, of course.


    It was good as well, because Red didn¡¯t plan to stop for even a second before he arrived at his destination. It was the only way he could assure no one would get on his trail while also shaking off any potential pursuers.


    With all his preparations done, Red wore his cloak and walked out of room, wandering off like a ghost into the night.

 Chapter 287 - Forest Pursuit

    His exit through the town went without any issues. Red was used to sneaking past the guards and crowds, and this time around, he didn¡¯t have any problems either.


    Once he was fully outside the town, though, the youth picked up the pace. He couldn¡¯t feel anyone trailing after him with his crimson sense, but its range was just two hundred meters, and his enemies were probably aware of that already.


    He only stopped after he ran for almost ten kilometers at a quick pace through the forest. Red then stopped and took a deep breath.


    ¡®Still no one.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t feel relaxed even with this discovery, though. The enemies he was dealing with here were resourceful and skilled, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Red couldn¡¯t discover a trace of them. He needed to be sure that no one was on his trail, or else he wouldn¡¯t be able to go through this trip with ease of mind.


    Thankfully, Red had another trick up his sleeve his enemies didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡®I should try it.¡¯


    Over the years, Red avoided consuming any blood so as to not worsen his demonification. This meant that his crimson sense didn¡¯t increase in power. However, it didn¡¯t mean Red hadn¡¯t been practicing and finding new ways to use this power.


    The youth closed his eyes and focused on his crimson sense. The range of his power began to diminish, something that made Red feel naked and blind in some ways. However, this was all intentional.


    As the omnidirectional range of his power diminished, Red focused his sense on a specific direction, that being west towards the town, from the area he just came from. His crimson sense stretched towards this limited area, reaching two hundred meters in a matter of seconds, before stretching even beyond that.


    This was the new trick Red discovered after a lot of practice. He could retract and shape the area of detection of his crimson sense as he wished, and as long as he gave up on its omnidirectional nature, he could stretch his power far beyond its normal range in a single direction.


    By the time he was done, his crimson sense reached around 800 meters of range in a wide line towards the west. And sure enough, Red¡¯s caution paid off.


    ¡®There¡¯s someone.¡¯


    A human fluctuation. Male, in his thirties. At least ten veins opened, probably all twelve, considering he could keep up with Red. Very calm and composed in nature.


    It wasn¡¯t someone he recognized.


    This was all information Red learned at a single ¡®glance¡¯ of his crimson sense.


    ¡®How is he following me?¡¯


    Red was confident in his own abilities. He was quicker and stronger than the average cultivator with twelve veins open, in part because of his training and special abilities. No ordinary person at this level could keep up with him.


    ¡®An imperial agent?¡¯


    It was the only thing that made sense. Imperial agents were indeed stronger than the average cultivator, and Red knew this from experience, not to mention that no one else had reason or the capabilities to stalk him in this region. However, this only answered why this person had the capabilities of keeping up with him, not how he could track Red through the forest.


    ¡®Perhaps they have some kind of treasure that allows them to track me.¡¯


    How that might be possible, Red had no idea. If that was the case, though, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to lose them, no matter how far and fast he ran.


    ¡®They leave me no choice.¡¯


    The youth wouldn¡¯t suffer himself to be stalked on this trip.


    ¡­


    Red didn¡¯t act immediately. Instead, he continued to run through the forest, checking behind him with his extended crimson sense now and then.


    He did this for another half-an-hour.


    The youth wanted to first check to see if there was no one else trailing him, or if perhaps the man had called other people to surround him. None of this happened, though, and for now it seemed as if his pursuer was alone.


    Red couldn¡¯t guarantee how long that would be the case, so once he made sure no one else was around, he decided to act.


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    ¡®That hill will do.¡¯


    His pursuer was always careful to maintain their distance from him. They wavered between 800 and 600 meters of distance, never more, never less. This was a considerable distance even for Red, and if he turned around and charged at this man, he might just end up escaping.


    As such, Red needed to give himself every advantage.


    The youth started to run up a rather steep hill, keeping tabs on his stalker¡¯s progress. Like Red had expected, the man didn¡¯t follow him up, as this would have probably exposed him once the youth had the higher ground and there was no cover of trees.


    Instead, the man stood at the foot of the hill under the heavy foliage, circling around and presumably being ready to give chase in whatever direction Red decided to go to.


    The youth continued to climb up, right to the very top. Then, without hesitation, he crested over the hill and went down the other side, using his downward momentum to push his speed to its limits.


    Right at that moment, his pursuer was circling around the hill, standing to the side without moving and ready to continue his pursuit. He wouldn¡¯t get the chance, though.


    ¡®Now!¡¯


    Red suddenly changed directions with a single pivot of his feet. The youth shot in the direction of his pursuer like an arrow, his speed increased by his downward momentum as he went downhill, dodging trees and other obstacles in his way with practiced ease.


    It took a second for his pursuer to realize what was happening. Red could feel their surprise through his crimson sense, as well as the fact they immediately turned around and ran. The youth had already almost halved the distance between them at that point, though, and now they were just over three hundred meters apart.


    Still, Red¡¯s momentum disappeared as he reached even ground, and although he was still gaining on his pursuer, there were still hundreds of meters between them. Who knew what the man could do before the youth reached him?


    ¡®I need to be quicker.¡¯


    Red focused on his two leg veins, contracting his muscles ever so slightly. Then he felt a shock run down his spine and through his lower limbs.


    All of a sudden, Red¡¯s speed increased substantially as his muscles seemed to explode into overdrive. This was yet another benefit he acquired from opening the special acupoints from the Storm¡¯s Blessing technique - being able to push his muscles beyond their limit with a strange electric energy.


    The boost was brief and took a toll on his body, but it would be enough for this situation. The distance between Red and his pursuer, now being pursued himself, diminished in a flash, allowing the youth to gleam a glimpse of their visage through the trees.


    Not that there was much to be seen. The man seemed to be wearing black clothes to camouflage in the night, not unlike what Red was using, and he also was equipped with a leather armor beneath his cloak. With his dark vision, the youth was able to spot the glint of a shortsword in his left hand, as well as something else gripped tight in his right hand.


    Red couldn¡¯t tell what this other item was, but he had an inkling.


    ¡®It¡¯s best to be careful.¡¯


    A few seconds later, Red was already within a hundred meters of the man, and he could feel his fluctuation becoming increasingly panicked. All of a sudden, the man turned around and raised his right hand, revealing a masked face as well as a glowing talisman that he pointed towards Red.


    The youth had already acted as soon as he made to turn around, though.


    Before the talisman could even go off, though, a swishing sound broke through the air. The man saw a shadow twirling in his direction, but he was too slow to act.


    Red¡¯s thrown short sword lopped his arm off around the weapon with almost no resistance. The man looked over in a panic, but before he could even register the pain and react, the youth was already upon him.


    Red¡¯s right arm reached around his opponent¡¯s neck, while his left one grabbed at the man¡¯s remaining wrist, preventing him from using his weapon. His opponent tried to put on a struggle, only to find himself at the mercy of the youth¡¯s surprising strength.


    Red was quick to put the man in a headlock, grasping his other hand around his body and locking his armed hand between their bodies where it couldn¡¯t move. Then, in a single motion, the youth applied force on his hold and made a twisting motion.


    A sickening cracking sound echoed through the forest. The man fell limp in Red¡¯s grasp, and the youth let his body fall down. The individual¡¯s neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his eyes were still open, even in death.


    Suffice it to say, Red had learned to kill with more than just his sword.


    He couldn¡¯t afford to admire his work, though.


    With no hesitation, Red looked through the man¡¯s body.


    There was just a small pouch on his person, on which Red found a handful of talismans and a green, glowing gem. As soon as the youth touched this gem, his mind was flooded with information.


    A mental map formed in his head, showing no information other than the direction and distance to a strange glowing light. This light, right now, was right where Red was standing, and it was glowing with a flaring intensity.


    ¡®So they can indeed track me.¡¯


    Red frowned. There was also a communication talisman amidst the other items, which meant that this person was probably in contact with someone inside of town.


    The youth wanted to take this gem and talismans along with him, but it was too risky. This wasn¡¯t the first time Red stole things from the bodies of imperials, so he imagine they must have learned their lesson and might have even planted some tracking spells on the items.


    Red chose to tear the talismans to shred, before cracking the green gem under his foot. Its glow disappeared as the tracking item was ruined.


    ¡®This is all I can do.¡¯


    Red was hardly at ease. Now that he knew these imperials could track him, the entire outlook on their situation in town changed. It wasn¡¯t farfetched that they could track his companions too, in which case none of them were safe anymore.


    Though, in some ways, they hadn¡¯t been fully safe for a long time.


    With such worries in mind, Red picked up his sword before continuing on his way. Even if they could still track him, at the very least, the youth hoped he had afforded himself enough time to get to his destination and achieve what he set out to do.

 Chapter 288 - Canyons Borders

    <div>


    Red continued his trip with no interruptions over the next few days. Soon enough, the youth was approaching the border between Great Serpent Canyon and the forest, and he was forced to slow down his pace in caution.


    ¡®There are almost no animals around.¡¯


    Red frowned. This was his first time this close to the canyon, so the youth didn¡¯t know what to expect. Still, this absence of animal noises or fluctuations was eerie to him, and it took him some time to get used to.


    It was said that monsters had an instinctual sense to stay away from dangerous places. The truth, of course, was that they had better senses than humans, and thus could smell the odor of stronger monsters and even feel strong gatherings of Spiritual Energy. As such, they chose to avoid such areas out of a sense of survival.


    The fact Red did not see any monsters around here, told him that he was already in a danger zone.


    ¡®I wonder if I can see the canyon from here.¡¯


    Despite the danger, Red was still curious. The Great Serpent Canyon was considered to be one of the forbidden lands of the continent, alongside the Skycrown Mountain and a handful of other dangerous places.


    These were areas where humans didn¡¯t have a strong foothold either due to monsters or extreme natural conditions, sometimes even both of them. In places like these, Lesser Ring Realm monsters were commonplace, and some of the strongest beasts known to man made their lair there.


    Red was reminded of the antlion and the snake he met in the trial back then.


    Of course, despite the danger, cultivators still were interested in those places. They held some of the rarest cultivation materials in the world, and sects often made forays deep into those territories in search of natural treasures.


    Red hoped to visit these places one day. As such, he wanted to have a glimpse of what might be waiting for him.


    ¡®There are no beasts around.¡¯


    Although this didn¡¯t mean he was safe, Red was willing to take the risk.


    He carefully sneaked through the trees, making his way west. A few minutes later, he saw it.


    There was no thinning of the vegetation to show the imminent arrival of the canyon land. Instead, the foliage was dense right up to the cliff edge that dropped straight down.


    Red couldn¡¯t help but stare in wonder. This was a long, sheer drop, and hundreds of meters down stood an uneven, semi-arid land that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was such a sudden change in environment that it left Red baffled.


    ¡®How can this be natural?¡¯


    It was as if a god flattened this land down below and dictated it was to be its own world. The height of the cliff surrounding this land seemed to be the same, no matter in which direction the youth looked, and at its lowest points the canyon might have been more than kilometer below him. Even the vegetation didn¡¯t seem to be similar to that of the forest, from what Red could see, and nothing could explain this sudden change from a temperate climate to this semi-arid terrain in front of him.


    Nothing he read informed him about this.


    ¡®I wonder if I could climb down there.¡¯


    Red squashed this sudden impulse. Although he couldn¡¯t see any monsters or animals on this place, he knew better. This canyon basin had too many caves and crevices where monsters could hide, and Red read that a lot of them even made their home on the holes of the canyon walls. If the youth tried to climb down, he would probably be snatched by something before his feet even touched the ground.


    Still, Red couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the peaceful image in front of him. No gigantic monster, no nightmarish phenomena. It made the youth question is this was really supposed to be a forbidden land for a second.


    This feeling only lasted for a second.


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    Red forced himself to look a way before making his way back between the trees. Who knew when a giant bird could fly by and snatch the youth from the ground in an instant?


    As soon as Red thought that, he felt the earth trembled beneath his feet. His whole body tensed and he stopped moving for a second. He considered running, but his crimson sense detected nothing, so he decided against it.


    A few seconds later, the rumbling ceased like it had never been there in the first place. Red sighed in relief.


    ¡®It¡¯s better I don¡¯t make any other stops.¡¯


    ¡­


    The spot Rog indicated to him wasn¡¯t that easy to find. The hunter told him that he had last visited the place over ten years ago, and its exact location wasn¡¯t fresh in his mind. This was not to mention that if this valley was as well hidden by hills as he said, then it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find.


    Indeed, over the course of the entire day and night, Red wandered the area in search of said valley. Over the course of this journey, he also found quite a few traces of monsters in the area, such as tracks, broken trees, and bones.


    Thankfully, though, he avoided these areas and managed to go by in his search without issue. It was only early the next day that Red finally spotted something of note.


    ¡®Is this it?¡¯


    The youth was examining a handful of contiguous hills that seemed to stretch for a large part of this area. They were completely covered by the thick vegetation, and as such, it was hard to see if there was a gap in the middle of them where a small valley might be. Still, they fit Rog¡¯s description very well, so Red decided to examine it.


    He approached the hill, and sure enough, he saw it. A gap between the tree line that seemed to indicate an empty space at the center of these hills. Red approached the place with some caution until he could fully see the area in front of him.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    A small valley revealed itself to the youth. It was barely a hundred meters across, and most of this area was still covered by thick vegetation, but sure enough, the place was completely obscured by the elevated hill terrain around it, such that if Red didn¡¯t know what he was looking for he could have easily missed it.


    It was an ideal hideout.


    It was, of course, also made slightly irrelevant by the fact people could directly track his location, but the imperials weren¡¯t the only people Red was trying to hide from. As such, he still needed a good hiding place to put his plan in action.


    ¡®I need to scout the area first.¡¯


    Red was about to go through a dangerous cultivation session. He needed to assess if any monsters were living in the area, even if his crimson sense couldn¡¯t pick anything up right now.


    The valley wasn¡¯t too big, though, so it wouldn¡¯t take long. Red moved through the trees, searching for any traces of monsters. When he arrived at the other side of the valley, though, he froze.


    ¡®Is this¡­¡¯


    A large cavern mouth revealed itself before him. It was at first hidden by the vegetation, but once Red got close enough, he couldn¡¯t miss it. It was a circular opening almost a dozen meters wide, dug right into the ground by the side of the hill, leading to a tunnel that bent out of the youth¡¯s view.


    Rog mentioned nothing of the sort to him, and Red doubted this was a detail the hunter would have forgotten. In which case, the only explanation possible was that this was dug after the hunter passed through the area.


    ¡®A monster lair¡­¡¯


    Red had spent enough time in the forest to recognize what a monster hole looked like, and a hole of this size could only be made by a very large monster. Still, the youth had his doubts.


    ¡®There are no other signs of monsters in this area.¡¯


    A creature of this size, leaving no other traces of its presence behind? It seemed unlikely. Even if this happened over ten years ago, there would be plenty of signs of its passage, whether it be displaced soil or destroyed trees. Yet there was no such thing here. Unless this monster could fly, of course, but Red never heard of a flying monster that burrowed into the earth.


    ¡®Well, I can¡¯t discount the possibility.¡¯


    Still, Red started to consider this might have been manmade, even if the cave formation seemed to point otherwise. The whole situation was strange to the youth, and it immediately put him on high alert.


    ¡®I can¡¯t detect any life forms with my crimson sense.¡¯


    Perhaps the cave was safe, but Red knew he couldn¡¯t take the chance. He was reluctant to leave this place, but he also couldn¡¯t be at peace right next to a potential lair of a monster.


    He needed to scout it.


    ¡®If I never see a cave again in my life, it will be too soon.¡¯


    With such reservations, Red wandered into the cave with his sword in hand.


    The youth had his dark vision, and as such he didn¡¯t need torches to see in this pitch black darkness. He advanced with some caution, inspecting the ground around him for animal traces or human footprints. He found no such thing, no paw prints, no footprints, no bones, no slithering marks, nothing at all.


    The only thing he could confirm by how smooth the cave walls were, though, was that this definitely wasn¡¯t a natural formation. The tunnel seemed to lead down at a rather sharp angle, too.


    ¡®Is this another one of the trial¡¯s tunnels?¡¯


    It was quite possible. The network of tunnels extended throughout the whole region, was hidden by magical means back then, and it had been barely explored. Not that anyone was willing to, considering that the first few months of exploration yielded hopeful adventurers nothing of value at all.


    Yet, Red was soon proven wrong.


    The path straightened out, revealing to the youth a large cavernous chamber ahead of him. There was nothing of interest in the place other than an object placed in the center of the chamber.


    Red froze.


    ¡®Is that¡­ an egg?¡¯


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 Chapter 289 - Strange Nest

    Red stopped moving as soon as he spotted the object. The shape and coloration left the youth with no doubt - he was staring at an egg. It was a big one too, larger than his own head.


    The egg was grayish in tone, and other than its prodigious size, nothing stood out to Red at first glance. The youth drew his gaze away and inspected the rest of the chamber. There were still no signs of monsters, but Red did spot some pieces of what he presumed were broken eggshells around the egg.


    ¡®This is a nest, or at least, it was at some point.¡¯


    This much Red could conclude. The weird thing, however, was the fact that other than the eggs, there was almost no sign of monster presence here. Even if the beasts were very stealthy, they would still leave traces of their prey and other things if they were making their lair in this cave. Red then thought of another possibility.


    ¡®Abandoned eggs.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t uncommon in nature. Many reptiles, such as snakes, often abandoned their clutch of eggs after laying them. Red imagined this was what might have happened here: a monster dug this hole, laid its eggs in here, and then left to continue living its life. However, this didn¡¯t explain everything to Red.


    The youth hesitated, but he soon made up his mind. He approached the egg in the center of the room, and he couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡®There¡¯s no life in it.¡¯


    Red could tell this through his crimson sense. He had done a fair bit of experimenting with his power in the last 7 years, and as such, he confirmed that his crimson sense could indeed detect the fluctuations of an unborn young, whether it be a human or a chicken. As such, it just took one glance for the youth to be able to tell there was no life in the egg.


    Red looked around at the pieces of eggshell. There were only a few bits of them, scattered all around the room, which told Red that the monsters that hatched from the eggs probably ate their own shells for sustenance. Either that, or a predator came along and ate it.


    It was hard to tell, but the youth estimated there might have been at least a dozen eggs in the cave before.


    ¡®And yet, this one remains whole.¡¯


    Monster physiology was a complicated topic. With so many types of monsters in the world and with so many levels of strength, what went as common knowledge for one might be thrown outside the window for the other, and this might go even for monsters of the same species. Yet, no monster or living being could escape one truth.


    Everything rotted.


    Even the corpses of mighty monsters would eventually be consumed by the earth. Even if it took longer than normal for the more powerful beasts, it was still an inevitable truth.


    Yet, here Red was, with a dead egg that showed no signs of rotting. Its shell still seemed rigid and whole, and there was also no odor of rot coming from it.


    Who knew how long this egg had been here? Months? Years? If one was to judge by the surrounding area, it was most certainly not laid recently, and as such, it should have already begun to rot by now.


    ¡®Could it be that it¡¯s alive?¡¯


    There was always the possibility his crimson sense was wrong. It happened before against other cultivators, so it wasn¡¯t impossible that a monster might be able to do the same thing. Yet, if this was the case, why was this the only egg remaining in the cave?


    This line of logic didn¡¯t make sense, and yet the situation was undoubtedly confusing to Red.


    The youth decided to put the egg itself aside for now and look at the bigger picture.


    ¡®Burrowing, laying eggs in the ground, abandoning their young. Just by that and considering where we are, it¡¯s clear this was the work of a reptile monster, possibly a snake.¡¯


    Yet, why would a snake monster leave the canyon to lay eggs here? Was this a common occurrence with monsters in the canyon? Red wasn¡¯t that well informed about the fauna of those lands, and as such, he couldn¡¯t judge if this situation was abnormal or not.


    What about all the monsters that had hatched from the other eggs? Did they return to the canyon or were they still around the forest? Perhaps some of them were still in the general area, and if Red couldn¡¯t sense them, that could prove to be fatal to him.


    In the end, this all brought the youth to a single issue: should he still cultivate here?


    Obviously, with all the uncertainty surrounding the area, Red would have preferred to pick a safer place, but he didn¡¯t really have the privilege to keep searching. The Full Moon would arrive tonight, and if he missed that opportunity, he could only try again in a month.


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    Despite the current circumstances, Red recognized he wouldn¡¯t find a safer place than this one in the area, or else Rog would have told him. As such, he thought it better to stay here. He could make some preparations on the off-chance that snake monsters suddenly swarmed him in the middle of his cultivation, even if he wasn¡¯t fully confident about what he was dealing with.


    ¡®¡­ Now, what do I do about you?¡¯


    Monster eggs were valuable materials for cultivators, even the dead ones. Red, however, was concerned about cultivating with this egg around, but he also didn¡¯t dare smash it to pieces, as the odor of whatever was inside could attract unwanted attention to him.


    In the end, he decided to leave the egg alone for now and seal the entrance to the cave. If, by the end of his cultivation session, the egg was still there, then Red would take it back with him to examine it. For now, he couldn¡¯t afford distractions.


    ¡­


    Almost an hour later, Red managed to block the cave entrance with enough logs and rocks. If something popped out of the cave, then these blockades would alert the youth.


    Still not satisfied with his general safety, Red continued to examine the valley and the surrounding region for the following hours with as much thoroughness as he could muster. He found no traces of any monsters or other oddities, but this didn¡¯t make him feel safe.


    Instead, it just gave Red a greater sense of unease.


    ¡®How did those monsters manage to move around without leaving a single trace?¡¯


    Unfortunately, no reply was forthcoming, so Red returned to the valley. The youth then started to prepare his surroundings for his cultivation session.


    First, he picked the spot he would sit down to cultivate, which was near the center of the small valley. Next, he started to lay twigs all around the area, so that anything wandering through without his notice might potentially make enough noise to alert him. Red then created some rudimentary traps, such as tripwires, designed to create noise and alert him, rather than hurting anything.


    The youth also felled most of the trees in the valley with the help of his sword. He wouldn¡¯t have any ambushers climbing through the tree canopy and bypassing all his preparations.


    By the time Red was done, the sun was almost setting. The youth examined his preparations with a frown. There were many things that these alarms and traps didn¡¯t account for, such as an attack from beneath the earth or from the sky, but it was already the best Red could do with his limited resources.


    ¡®Maybe I should have tried making an Alarm Formation.¡¯


    It would have certainly been convenient, but Red knew the idea wasn¡¯t feasible back then with his limited time and resources. However, the youth decided to make that a priority of his over the next few months once he went back.


    Once all this preparation was done, Red sat down cross-legged on the forest floor and entered into a meditative state. His expanded awareness reached towards the crimson mist being, who seemed to be agitated.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Red said inside of his own head.


    There was no response other than a wave of unease from the mist transmitted into the youth¡¯s mind. Despite its otherworldly powers, the being never seemed to be very stable emotionally. Then again, it was a demon, after all.


    Red continued. ¡°I will do something reckless this time.¡±


    Still no response.


    ¡°I need you to not fight back.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Difficult.¡± The voice responded this time, carrying a tone full of anger that reached into Red¡¯s mind.


    ¡°If you fight back, I die.¡± Red said. ¡°If I die, no one else will help you.¡±


    ¡°Be¡­ Quick.¡± the voice said before falling silent.


    The youth could feel through his expanded awareness that the mist seemed to be barely restraining itself. It was like an animal trying to resist its own instincts, and Red knew that without guidance and force of will, it would have already long lost itself.


    This was, of course, all due to the Moonstone Energy.


    As Red opened more of his special acupoints, it became increasingly difficult for the being to ignore this foreign energy entering his body. It sought to convince the youth to expel this energy more than a few times, but it was not something Red could afford to do.


    The mist was then forced to coexist alongside this energy in his body, much to its dismay. Yet, in doing so, it also made one thing clear to Red - harmony wasn¡¯t possible between the mist and this energy.


    They would eventually clash with the youth¡¯s body as the battlefield, where one would consume the other, and only one would prevail in the end. It was hard to say if Red would survive when it was all said and done.


    ¡®It was wishful thinking to hope these two otherworldly energies could live in peace inside my body.¡¯


    This was yet another concern for the youth, but not a pressing one for now, as the mist seemed to behave as he asked. In the end, to Red, this was just another incentive to find a way to rid himself of this curse.


    Night eventually fell, and the Full Moon rose in the sky, with all its brilliance. Red looked up and saw the shimmering form of the incomprehensible being on the Moon, in a state of apparent hibernation. Its gaze didn¡¯t appear at all, a sign of what was about to happen.


    The youth got up, and without hesitation started to perform the Rain Dance vein opening technique. Even now, Red didn¡¯t feel comfortable executing these rather silly movements, but he was more than used to doing it at this point. A few minutes later, he felt an aching sensation within his veins, indicating they were ready to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Energy, which already started to gather inside his body.


    With that done, he sat back down again.


    Red took out his insectoid core, laying it on his lap, as well as putting a fistful of Vein Opening Pills on his mouth. To consume this many pills at once wasn¡¯t a wise course of action, but the youth was determined to succeed at all costs.


    Just as the medicine started to take its effect, a glowing sparkle of green energy started to take form in the night sky, converging on Red¡¯s location. The insectoid core in his lap began to glow, and the youth knew.


    It was time to open his final acupoint.

 Chapter 290 - The Final Acupoint

    A current of Spiritual Energy began to travel through Red¡¯s veins as the pills took effect. A few seconds later, this torrent was joined by the suffusion of greenish Moon energy that started to gather around the youth¡¯s body. The strain in Red¡¯s veins grew, and he gritted his teeth in pain.


    One issue he faced was that his Vein Opening Pills didn¡¯t have a clear target, as all his veins were technically opened. That being the case, they didn¡¯t automatically go towards his third eye vein as Red wished, and instead wreaked havoc through his veins without purpose. Added to the Moon energy, this was a recipe for disaster.


    The youth would look like a torch in the dark to anyone capable of sensing Spiritual Energy at this moment. His veins bulged, and a terrible feeling of fullness spread through his body. It was a terrible strain.


    Yet, this wasn¡¯t the first time he felt something similar. Red remembered his time in the underground, when the blob covered him with an overwhelming amount of Spiritual Energy. Back then, the pain was debilitating, and he could do nothing but twitch on the ground until the feeling was gone.


    Now, however, Red wasn¡¯t helpless.


    As the energy inside his body threatened to go out of control, Red focused in his veins. A feeling of force that the youth never felt before came to him, and Red tried to direct this raging current inside his body in a certain direction.


    Sure enough, the energy responded to his command. Or rather, his veins forced it to obey. It wasn¡¯t a smooth process, and Red felt that if he lost focus even once, the energy would go back to its rampage. However, it still worked, and it was as much influence as Red ever had over Spiritual Energy in his life.


    This, of course, wasn¡¯t a coincidence. Once someone opened all their standard acupoints, they would be ready to open their Spiritual Sea, and this was made apparent in the fact that they could now exert some degree of control in the Spiritual energy inside their bodies. It wasn¡¯t enough to execute techniques, but it was enough to direct it towards their Spiritual Sea.


    Red, on the other hand, used it for another purpose. Few people went through a similar experience as him, considering that the third eye acupoint was always the last one they opened, and after that, they would focus on their Spiritual Sea. However, the youth needed to open another acupoint in this vein, one he didn¡¯t even know existed.


    As such, he could use this partial control to his benefit.


    The energy moved as one towards his third eye vein. With nowhere else to go, the energies bounced off his Spiritual Vein walls and cycled back towards his other veins.


    Immediately, Red suffered a terrible headache.


    The youth frowned and gritted his teeth, fighting through the pain.


    ¡®Still nothing.¡¯


    He hoped under the Full Moon¡¯s influence, this elusive special acupoint would reveal itself. This clearly still wasn¡¯t the case. Even as more Moon energy filled his other special acupoints, no changes happened to Red¡¯s body.


    This final acupoint was still nowhere to be seen.


    Red started to have some doubts. The Full Moon had been his last hope. Now, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he was just out of ideas. Either there was no such acupoint, or Red just wasn¡¯t capable of opening it as is.


    There was still one option, even if it was an extremely dangerous one. Red looked down at his lap, setting his eyes on the insectoid core. Green Spiritual Energy was gathered around it as the stone absorbed it all in great quantities, glowing with much more power than Red himself.


    It was clear the core couldn¡¯t absorb all this power gathered around it at once, and its surface was suffused with Spiritual Energy.


    ¡®I need to try it.¡¯


    Red laid his hands on top of the core and closed his eyes. Immediately, he felt the tingle of Spiritual Energy spreading through his skin and without hesitation he focused on it. The youth focused on his Lower Arm Veins and tried to draw this energy in.


    It took little effort. The overflowing Spiritual Energy entered his body with no resistance, finally having found an outlet. This immense torrent of energy entered Red¡¯s veins, and he felt as if he was just about to explode.


    His plan was simple. Brute force.


    Viran told him that the only requirement to open his special veins was cultivating near a source of Moonstone Energy. Perhaps the reason Red couldn¡¯t open this acupoint wasn¡¯t because it didn¡¯t exist, but just that he didn¡¯t have enough Moonstone Energy.


    In the past, he could open his other special acupoints just by cultivating with the core by his side. But what if this one was different? What if he needed even more Moonstone Energy?


    Then, what better way to do it than absorbing it into his own body?


    This was, of course, a dangerous plan. No common mortal could handle the output of a monster core, not even someone who opened all of their twelve veins. They would most likely just cripple themselves or even explode from the inside.


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    Yet, Red had something a normal cultivator didn¡¯t have.


    Just as he felt his veins were about to collapse, another energy acted upon his body. It seemed to heal his wounds from the inside and ease the burden on his veins ever so slightly.


    This was his regenerative power.


    It could heal the wounds right as they were happening. However, even with that, Red¡¯s veins were under an unbearable burden. If this energy remained in his body for long, not even his regeneration would be able to handle the harm inflicted on the youth.


    Red gritted his teeth in pain. He struggled to unite the two currents of power inside his body, circling it around his vein to ease the pressure. It did little to help with the pain, but at the very least, he managed to exert some control over this vast energy.


    However, the hard part was still ahead of him.


    Red started to direct this current upwards through his Spinal Vein, which connected to all the other veins in his body. Then, it started to pour into his third eye vein with force, flowing with extreme speed towards the very edge of this vein, located around the middle of the youth¡¯s forehead.


    Red brace himself for impact.


    The youth felt as if an explosion had happened inside his head. A pulsing pain started to spread through his forehead, and Red had to bite his own lip to retain his focus. His vision darkened, and a ringing sound echoed in his ears.


    Still, he held on and concentrated on the inside of his body. That was when he noticed it.


    The current of energy seemed to have opened a small path towards something in his third eye vein. However, that path closed in almost an instant.


    Red would have thought it didn¡¯t exist at all if it wasn¡¯t for the fact he felt a huge chunk of this current of energy had suddenly disappeared out of nowhere, easing the pressure on his veins. The youth still trembled from the realization.


    ¡®There¡¯s something there!¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t have time to examine it, but he was sure something happened. It felt different from the feeling he got when he opened his other veins, but he didn¡¯t have time to consider it.


    Red directed the diminished current of energy against his third eye vein again, disregarding the headache he was suffering. The torrent crashed against the vein, and once more, the youth felt the same small path partially open again before closing just as fast, accompanied by another wave of pain spreading through his head.


    The youth gritted his teeth and fought through it. He looked inside his body again and noticed that the Spiritual Energy had completely disappeared. Three Vein Opening Pills and the power of a monster core, all spent in two attempts to open this strange acupoint.


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯


    This was not to mention that no progress seemed to be left behind. Whatever path this power had opened, closed just as fast, and Red felt no vestiges of it left behind. This left the youth with one conclusion.


    ¡®I need to open it in one go.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t how normal acupoints were opened, since you could work on a single acupoint over multiple sessions, gradually wearing it down. However, this clearly wasn¡¯t a normal acupoint, so perhaps Red needed to do it all in one go.


    Yet, would he even have enough Spiritual Energy to do it? Would his body be able to handle that much power?


    ¡®I need a constant source.¡¯


    Red looked down at the insectoid core, which was still pulsing with Spiritual Energy. The absorption wouldn¡¯t last forever, though, so the youth made a quick decision.


    He started to draw more energy from the core through his hands, but this time, he didn¡¯t separate his palm from the stone. The torrent of Moonstone energy flowed through his veins uninterrupted, and Red started to direct it all towards his third eye vein.


    The current hit the walls of his vein like a waterfall, and Red felt its effects. The pain was overwhelming, ringing through his head as he felt a path start to travel up his glabella.


    The youth doubled over, almost collapsing onto the ground. Still, he held on, focusing on directing the energy towards this newly forming acupoint.


    The path continued to open. Still, the progress quickly slowed down until it completely stopped. Not even the energy from the core seemed to be enough to open this path, as it suddenly formed a stalemate.


    All the while, Red was on the verge of collapse.


    ¡®It¡¯s not¡­ enough.¡¯


    The youth was starting to get desperate. His whole body was under extreme strain, but even with the force of a monster core, he still couldn¡¯t open this acupoint. What more could he possibly need? And even if he had that, could his body handle any more power?


    ¡®No! I need to do something now!¡¯


    This wouldn¡¯t get any easier. This he knew instinctively, and if he lost this opportunity, who knew when he would have it again? What if the imperials attacked the next week, or even tomorrow? He didn¡¯t have the privilege of waiting another month.


    Red could feel the energy bulging above his glabella. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t that the power wasn¡¯t enough, but rather that it had to travel too long of a path from the youth¡¯s palms all the way over to his head. It took too much relative time for the energy to reach the path, and by then it would have lost a great amount of its momentum.


    Red needed a more direct connection, but he wasn¡¯t a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. He couldn¡¯t absorb energy from any part of his body, and was forced to use his hand because the acupoints in his palm provide a more direct connection with the core.


    ¡®No¡­ There is a way.¡¯


    Red had a sudden idea. Something his master Viran did in his last battle, and something the youth tried a long time ago as he sought to escape the underground. Now that he knew the rough area of where this elusive acupoint was, couldn¡¯t he do the same thing?


    Red¡¯s last inkling of hesitation disappeared as he felt the path in his glabella slowly retracting. The youth gritted his teeth and went ahead with his plan.


    He took one of his hands off of the core and grabbed a knife from his waist. Then, without hesitation, he made a deep cut right above his glabella, just short of hitting bone, where he felt the path forming. His regeneration powers were too occupied with the rest of his body, so Red didn¡¯t need to worry about the wound closing.


    Then, without hesitation, he brought the green core up to his forehead and touched it against his open wound. A flood of energy flowed through his flesh, forming a torrent that poured right into this third eye vein and towards its expanding path.


    Red felt his head burn up as blood started to pour down his face at an increasing rate. He couldn¡¯t determine what was happening to him, but there was one thing he could feel.


    The path was expanding. It continued to form right up to the middle of his forehead.


    Then it hit something. The acupoint opened, and Red felt an explosion inside his head before his entire world went dark.

 Chapter 291 - Ghostly Visitor

    Red didn¡¯t dream this time. When he finally came to from unconsciousness, he felt the bright light of the sun burning against his closed eyes. His head was ringing with a constant aching pain, and the youth felt a sensation of bloat in his Spiritual Veins.


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but have a single thought as he woke up.


    ¡®Did I succeed?¡¯


    Red reached for his forehead and massaged the area above his glabella. The wound he opened with the knife was no longer there, and he felt nothing different in the region. A cursory examination wouldn¡¯t tell him much, though, so he would need to meditate and examine his own body before drawing any conclusions.


    ¡®At least I¡¯m not dead¡­¡¯


    Once he recovered from his initial surprise, Red sat up and looked around with the help of his crimson sense. It was already daytime, and although he couldn¡¯t tell for certain, the youth didn¡¯t think he was unconscious for more than ten hours. No beasts, necromancers, or imperials attacked him during his moment of vulnerability, so at the very least, he was safe.


    ¡®I need to-¡¯


    Red¡¯s train of thought trailed off as his gaze caught sight of something. No, not something.


    Someone.


    ¡°I thought you had died for certain.¡±


    A woman stood a few dozen meters away, sitting on top of a tree stump with her legs and arms crossed. She was wearing a slim brown robe, like those of a cultivator, yet graceful in both style and form. Her features were sharp and elegant, fitting for a true noblewoman, with a straight, shining black hair that reached to the middle of her back. The way she seemed to carry herself befitted one¡¯s first impressions. Yet the sheer countenance and air with which she stared at Red with her intense, black eyes, spoke of a deep-seated arrogance and coldness, that of a god regarding an ant.


    The attitude of a true cultivator.


    Red couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of recognition as he stared at the woman, yet as hard as he tried to recall, he never met someone like this before. Right now, however, he had other concerns than digging into his memories.


    His hand flashed to the side of his waist, drawing his short sword out and standing up with a jump. Red couldn¡¯t feel this woman¡¯s fluctuation at all, which meant that she was probably far stronger than him, yet he wouldn¡¯t stand by and let himself be killed without resisting.


    The youth put some distance between himself and the woman, but she didn¡¯t show any reaction to his movement and simply pursed her lips in annoyance.


    ¡°What is the need for this?¡± She frowned. ¡°You have been unconscious for over half a day. If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t relax his stance. ¡°Is that supposed to reassure me?¡±


    ¡°No, it is supposed to make you stop acting like a savage and to talk to me like a civilized person.¡±


    The youth ignored the woman¡¯s request. He kept staring at her figure, and slowly, an odd feeling started to cross his mind.


    Red picked up a rock from the ground before tossing it at the woman¡¯s figure. She didn¡¯t move out of the way, and the rock passed through her figure like it wasn¡¯t even there in the first place.


    Red frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not real.¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t sure how he was able to figure this out, other than the fact an instinct inside of his body seemed to warn him of this.


    The woman seemed annoyed at his words. ¡°I¡¯m quite real, much to your dismay, I¡¯m sure. My body is just simply intangible to normal matter.¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the first thing about the world, do you?¡± The woman smirked at him. ¡°It is truly a wonder you were able to live this long with all your secrets.¡±


    Red continued to stare at the woman with a weary gaze. The more she spoke, the stronger this sense of faint familiarity became.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Red asked.


    The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You truly don¡¯t recognize me? Even after I almost killed you and your friends?¡±


    Red frowned, and a few seconds later, recognition finally came to him. The mannerisms, the way she spoke. There was only one person that Red met that fit the bill.


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    Red¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re the woman who possessed Narcha.¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°The very same.¡±


    They stared at each other in silence for a long few seconds. Then, Red¡¯s gaze shifted to the ground in front of him, where the insectoid core laid. He dove and grabbed the core without hesitation, pointing it at the woman in front of him.


    It was a while since Red used the exorcising chant, but he still remembered it perfectly in preparation for a day like this. The strange words came out of his mouth and the core began to glow.


    However, nothing happened to the woman.


    Red wondered if he needed to get closer, but he suddenly noticed the woman¡¯s expression. She was staring at the youth with a look of ridicule.


    She smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get closer? Maybe try chanting a bit louder. I¡¯m sure it will work that way.¡±


    Red¡¯s chanting slowed down until the youth fell silent. In his moment of haste, he failed to consider a single fact. If this ghost was still around, then the technique didn¡¯t work the first time. Why would it work now?


    Yet Red was still in doubt. ¡°I managed to expel you from Narcha¡¯s body. How can you still be around?¡±


    The woman scoffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I allowed myself to lose.¡±


    Red frowned. He didn¡¯t believe her.


    She frowned at seeing his skeptical expression. ¡°What, do you think a brat like you could defeat me even in the state I was in?¡±


    ¡°So you lost on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it was all part of my plan.¡± she said as if it was a matter of fact.


    ¡°What plan?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, that is not for you to know yet.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°What do you want? Why show yourself to me now?¡±


    No matter how the youth thought about it, this whole encounter still seemed too strange. If this ghost really survived their encounter seven years ago, why would she wait until this peculiar moment to communicate?


    She shook her head. ¡°I have been by your side the entire time, Red. It¡¯s not me that has shown myself, it¡¯s you that can finally see me.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s as I said. I have been watching your every move for the past seven years. How you cultivated, how you trained, how you killed, how you slept¡­ I dare say, in this world, there is probably no one else that knows you as well as I do at this point.¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t help but feel his blood run cold. The concept of someone watching him through his every living moment and probably knowing all his secrets was enough to send Red into a panic.


    Still, he tried to remain calm. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Whether or not you believe me won¡¯t change the truth. Still, if you must be convinced¡­ Should I mention that bracelet you have? Or perhaps those scales you are trying to keep hidden?¡±


    Red shivered. He had revealed a lot about himself to his companions over the years, but if there was one thing the youth never dared to reveal was his partial demonification. Even after all this time, his transformed eye and the crimson scales growing on his face had yet to disappear, and Red still needed the help of the bracelet the hawk had given him to keep them hidden.


    This was something that not even the necromancer knew about.


    The only time Red ever took off the bracelet was in his most private moments, when he was sure there was absolutely no one around, and that was only to check if his demonification had progressed. If the woman knew about it, there was only one possibility.


    She was telling the truth.


    The woman continued. ¡°I must say, you are a scientific marvel. I never met anyone like you with so many strange problems and energies in your body. The mere fact you can still function normally without collapsing or transforming into some kind of horrible monster is a miracle.¡±


    Red fought hard through the surging panic in mind and tried to rationalize the situation. She knew everything, and yet he was still here, free and alive. Either she couldn¡¯t tell his secret to others or she had no intention to. Whatever the case, the youth needed to know more to assess the situation properly.


    ¡°Why can I see you now?¡± Red asked.


    The woman shrugged. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. I can only imagine it has to do with that thing you created in your head.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You mean the special acupoint?¡±


    She raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You still think that what you did was opening a special acupoint? I thought you would know at this point there are no hidden or special acupoints in the third eye vein.¡±


    The youth was at a loss. ¡°But I felt a path opening.¡±


    That sensation was always the telltale sign of an acupoint opening, which was why Red pursued it so strongly when he felt it. It was like a growing root of a tree, where at each end and intersection an acupoint would be.


    The woman sighed, regarding Red with an expression of pity. ¡°This is what happens when you don¡¯t receive proper education. What you found was indeed a hidden vein path, but that doesn¡¯t mean there was an acupoint at the end of it. You were basically just pumping energy into opening a path with no purpose at all.¡±


    Red tried to digest the information. ¡°Then¡­ What exactly happened to me?¡±


    ¡°That is a good question.¡± The woman frowned. ¡°I can feel a swirl of energy in your forehead but rather than an acupoint, it¡¯s more like a pocket of flesh swelling with too much energy. I guess we could call it¡­ A tumor? Maybe something less harmful, but I can¡¯t imagine it is good for you, even if it somehow lets you see ghostly forms to some degree. For a definite answer, though, I would probably need to open your forehead and take a look inside.¡±


    Red frowned, reflecting on this information in silence. Was this the result Viran expected when he passed him his technique? The youth was compelled to sit down and check the condition of this new ¡°acupoint¡± right then and there, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.


    Red stared at the woman. ¡°You still didn¡¯t tell me what you want from me.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Ah, of course. But first, it is only proper to introduce myself, isn¡¯t it?¡± The woman got up and extended her hand towards Red in a graceful manner, as if expecting him to kiss it. ¡°My name is Aurelia, a core disciple of the Amber Saber Sect. A pleasure, I¡¯m certain.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to react.

 Chapter 292 - An Offer

    Aurelia smiled, retracting her hand. ¡°Ah, yes, I forgot you cannot touch me.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Red repeated his question.


    ¡°I want to collaborate, of course.¡± the woman said. ¡°We are both in unfortunate positions, so it only makes sense that we should help each other.¡±


    ¡°The answer is no.¡± Red shot her down without hesitation.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°You would deny it without even listening to the proposition first?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear it.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°There is nothing I need from you right now, and it would be stupid of me to collaborate with not only a ghost, but a ghost that tried to kill me before.¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression worsened. ¡°You say that even after your collaboration with the necromancer?¡±


    ¡°If you know about it, then you should be aware it was never willing on my part.¡±


    Red¡¯s concerns were simple. This was a ghost of a cultivator who was potentially very strong when she was alive and was far more knowledgeable than the youth, making it very likely that he could at one point be tricked and backstabbed. After his experiences with a certain crimson being and a necromancer, Red decided he would never jump headfirst into a collaboration where he was the weaker and less informed party.


    There were already too many dangers and volatile factors for him to worry about, and it was unwise to add more to the mix.


    Aurelia¡¯s expression suddenly relaxed as her anger faded away. Instead, she regarded Red with an amused gaze. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I was expecting a different answer from you. Unfortunately, you don¡¯t really have a choice on the matter.¡±


    Red tensed. ¡°Do you mean to force my hand?¡±


    Although she was a ghost, the youth didn¡¯t believe her to be completely harmless.


    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need to. Let me ask you this: why do you think I spent all these years watching you?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°To steal my secrets.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you do have interesting secrets, but what use are they to me in my condition?¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Do you think I would waste seven years of my time spying on a teenage mortal when I could instead be searching for a way to retake corporeal form?¡±


    Red had to admit this didn¡¯t make much sense, but that was only under the guise that he believed her motivations of regaining her body in the first place. Who knew if she had any type of secret objective the youth knew nothing about?


    Still, he decided to play along. ¡°You mean you didn¡¯t have a choice but to spy on me? How could someone be forced into that kind of situation in the first place?¡±


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Well, you tell me. You were the one who put me in this situation to begin with.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she started to walk towards him, putting Red on guard. When she was within two meters of the youth, her form began to shimmer before transforming into a mass of green light that flowed into his hand. Or rather, the object he was holding in his grip.


    The insectoid core.


    Red almost dropped the crystal out of surprise. When nothing happened, though, he brought the core in front of his eyes to examine. Nothing seemed out of ordinary with the crystal, but upon closer examination, the youth saw something shimmer on its surface.


    A human silhouette.


    Red¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but the image disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m bound to your crystal.¡± the woman¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Red turned around and saw she had retaken her form without his notice and was sitting cross-legged again on a tree stump.


    The youth frowned in skepticism. ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You were the one who absorbed me into this core. Shouldn¡¯t you understand how this works?¡±


    Red¡¯s expression worsened.


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°They still haven¡¯t explained anything to you, have they?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You know the necromancer?¡±


    He didn¡¯t really meet face to face with the being over the last seven years, so he knew for certain the woman wouldn¡¯t have seen them while spying on Red.


    The woman sighed. ¡°You still don¡¯t get it?¡±


    ¡°Get what?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°It was all planned.¡± the woman said. ¡°The floating head attack, the possession of your companions¡­ It was all part of the necromancer¡¯s schemes.¡±


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    Red fell silent. Of course, he suspected as much in the past, but it was another thing when someone else corroborated his suspicions.


    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because he wanted to force your hand.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°He wanted you to absorb the ghosts into the crystal so he would have spies at your side that could keep him informed about what you were doing. In truth, what you did wasn¡¯t really exorcise the ghosts from your companion¡¯s bodies as much as it was to bind them to the crystal.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Then the other two ghosts I exorcised are also inside this crystal?¡±


    ¡°They were.¡±


    ¡°Were?¡±


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Yes. I have destroyed and absorbed their essence since then. Although it is hard for me to interact with the material world, the same can¡¯t be said for interacting with other ghosts.¡±


    ¡°So the fight I had with you and them was all an act?¡±


    ¡°Against me, yes. If I wanted to, I could have easily killed you all.¡± the woman said with an arrogant expression. ¡°The others were mere distractions to not raise your suspicion, so they were not aware of the necromancer¡¯s plan.¡±


    The youth was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ You have been informing the necromancer about what I have been doing?¡±


    ¡°A lot of it, yes.¡± The woman didn¡¯t even attempt to deny it. ¡°Though they seemed to be most interested in your curse and progress in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Then you informed them about my demonification too?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Would you even believe me if I told you I didn¡¯t?¡±


    Red was, of course, skeptical. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you do it?¡±


    ¡°Because I have a brain.¡± she said. ¡°Never once did the necromancer ask me anything about your demonification, or peculiar powers, which seemed strange to me and pointed towards them being completely unaware of it. This is not to mention the fact that necromancers and demonic cultivators have never gotten along, so it was even more suspicious. If I told them about it, they might have done something drastic to you, and by then what would happen to me, bound to this crystal?¡±


    It was a reasonable explanation, as far as Red could tell, but he obviously would never take anything a stranger said at face value, much more so from a cultivator.


    ¡°Why did you help them?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Because I wanted to get out of that damn head, of course.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Anything was preferable to that tormentous prison of insane spirits. It took me all of my will and fortitude to resist the corruption of the warden and his evil spirits, so of course I took the first opportunity offered to me to leave that place.¡±


    ¡°And then you suddenly decided to betray the necromancer and try to collaborate with me?¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to be able to make contact with you this soon, so it was a convenient opportunity. But no, it was always my plan to seek assistance outside of that necromancer. I would be a fool to entrust my fate to someone like that.¡±


    Red stared at her with a steely gaze. ¡°I assume it would be much easier to rely on someone you can easily manipulate.¡±


    She smiled with an arrogant expression. ¡°You give yourself too little credit. Besides, I am being honest about my intentions, am I not? This is a mutually beneficial alliance. You can¡¯t call it manipulation.¡±


    ¡°It is not difficult to manipulate someone who is not aware of the entire picture.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°My answer is still no.¡±


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°Red, I know the kind of person you are. Desiring freedom and independence, but bound by circumstance to forces beyond your reach and understanding. I can¡¯t have claimed to have ever been involved with both necromancers and demons, but I understand your feeling of helplessness. I was caught up in the political struggles of my sect, and foolishly enough, I thought I could rise above their pettiness and focus on my own growth. I already told you how that ended up, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You were assassinated.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± she nodded. ¡°Even now I must applaud my enemies¡¯ boldness, but I had enough time to understand where I failed. I underestimated the powers that rule this world.¡±


    Red frowned, but remained silent.


    The woman continued. ¡°While conflicts raged around me, I sought to ignore them and make my own path. Even if my enemies attacked me, I had the protection of my own faction to assure my safety. Yet, in doing so, I got too arrogant and complacent. I thought myself untouchable, much more so when I was the first of my generation to break into the fourth realm, and distanced myself more and more from these conflicts. That only made me an easier target.¡±


    ¡°So the elders of the rival faction killed you once you distanced yourself from the disputes?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°That is what I¡¯d like to believe, what I convinced myself of in the many years I had to reflect on my own death.¡± Aurelia frowned. ¡°However, chances are that it might have been my own faction that was behind the assassination. Perhaps they saw my distancing as a sign that I joined the opposing faction, or maybe they simply decided to kill me on the off chance I would do so in the future. The mere fact I can¡¯t discard the possibility that my own allies killed me is enough to tell you how ignorant and na?ve I was in dealing with the situation.¡±


    The woman got up and started to walk around, waving her incorporeal hand through the tree trunks.


    She continued. ¡°I thought it would be best to distance myself from politics and inner conflict, for my own safety and interests. But I was wrong, oh so wrong. The powers that rule this world, this Empire, the sects, even your necromancer, their influence go beyond the spells they can throw out of their own hands. To think one can rise above their dominion and carve their own path is pure and foolish arrogance. The mere fact you were born in this world means you are already a part of their game, whether or not you wish to. You can¡¯t ignore their wars, their disputes, their interests. You have to play their game, grasp every opportunity you have to rise in both power and influence, and then maybe one day you can be part of the select few that rule this world.¡± She paused, looking at Red with a deep, meaningful gaze. ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying, Red?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond.


    Aurelia smiled and approached Red, circling around his figure as if appraising an exotic animal. ¡°You are already caught too deep in powers beyond your understanding. This peace you have is a mere illusion. You have no independence. You have no freedom. Not as long as you are this weak. All that allows you to remain living is the fact you are of more interest to certain powerful individuals alive rather than dead. Yet, all it takes is a single move on their part, a simple change in mood for you to die without even being aware of the fatal blow. If you want to stay alive, you will have to throw your lot with someone, to throw away your pride and arrogance and make a bet that will allow you to live another day and find the hope you seek to be free. You need the help of someone powerful and knowledgeable that will protect and guide you until you can look after yourself¡­ You need my help.¡±


    She stopped in front of Red, no more than a meter away from him, and stared at the youth with a smile that seemed to hide deep intentions behind it.


    ¡°I am the only option you have.¡± she said. ¡°I am the only one that knows your secrets and sees you for what you are. The only one that will not kill or imprison you after finding out your true nature. I am the only one that can help you, and in turn, Red, you are the only one that can help me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± Red asked once more.


    She smiled. ¡°I already told you before, didn¡¯t I? I want a body.¡±

 Chapter 293 - Alliance Discussion

    Red frowned. ¡°You want to possess someone else?¡±


    Aurelia laughed. ¡°Oh no, we are long past that phase. It could have worked before I was bound to the core, but now? It¡¯s impossible for me to leave the crystal so easily.¡±


    ¡°So how do you suggest I should help you in getting a body?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s simple. You can build me one.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ You are suggesting for me to use necromancy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t solve the root problem of being bound to the core, but if you use the crystal to build a body for me, then I will be able to possess it and use it as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°I need the core.¡±


    ¡°And you will have it, as I don¡¯t plan on running away. However, in the state I¡¯m in, the help I can provide you is very limited.¡± she said. ¡°Once I can interact with the physical realm again, then we will be able to accomplish a lot together.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, what you¡¯re asking of me is beyond my capabilities.¡±


    Aurelia smirked. ¡°It might be beyond you, but it is not beyond the knowledge of the necromancer that has been stalking you.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You want me to ask them for help in making it?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°You merely need to ask them how to do it. You don¡¯t need to be that obvious about your intentions, of course. However, you have met with them before. They have always been eager to teach you about necromancy in an attempt to pull you to their side. You can use that to your advantage.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°And in the process, become a full-fledged necromancer, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already half a demon.¡± Aurelia shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s one more cursed title on top of it?¡±


    Red fell silent in deep thought.


    Almost ten seconds later, he spoke up again. ¡°I need time to think.¡±


    There were so many things he needed to consider and think through about this whole interaction that he didn¡¯t feel comfortable giving her an answer yet. Red would be foolish to believe her at face value, but some of the things she said made the youth rethink his outright denial and now consider what a collaboration between them might entail.


    Still, he was reluctant to accept the help of yet another individual more powerful and knowledgeable than him. It was just giving out more of what little sense of freedom he had and adding another dangerous factor in his life.


    Aurelia didn¡¯t look upset at his rejection. ¡°I know the kind of person you are, Red. You may look very cold and logical on the outside, but I know you are stubborn to a fault. You want to do things your own way for as long as you can, even if it comes at great risk for your own life. Until you can verify my words through your own experiences, you won¡¯t be fully convinced. ¡±


    Red frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Aurelia smiled. ¡±Are you surprised? I know you well because I was once like you too, which is why I¡¯m offering you my advice.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I need time to think.¡± Red repeated his words.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± She nodded. ¡±However, I am still here at your disposal should you need my help.¡±


    The woman continued to stare at Red with an enigmatic expression and a smile that tried to convey sincerity but only succeeded in making the youth more suspicious. Still, he wouldn¡¯t say no to her free help.


    ¡®Now that she mentions it¡­¡¯


    ¡°The curse, do you have it too?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Not in the same way as you.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°I can feel the energy draining from the core every time the New Moon appears, but thanks to my¡­ helping hand, the rate at which the core can grow is higher than the rate at which it loses its energy. You do not have to worry about the core disappearing, if that¡¯s your concern.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why the core has been increasing in strength.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t think Aurelia was doing that out of the kindness of her heart. If her existence was tied to the crystal, then as the crystal grew stronger, she would probably benefit even more from it. The youth never heard of a core that could grow in strength outside of a monster¡¯s body, but considering the origins of this one, it wasn¡¯t the strangest thing about it.


    There was another matter Red was curious about, though.


    ¡°Can you see it?¡± Red asked.


    Suddenly, the woman¡¯s whole countenance changed as her expression became serious. ¡°¡­ See what?¡±


    The youth was surprised at this sudden change. ¡°The thing on the Moon, of course.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I haven¡¯t looked, and neither should you.¡±


    Red was at a loss. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Let me just make this clear to you. If I so much as take a glance at the Moon, I am certain that I will immediately die.¡± she said. ¡°I have felt this since I was bound to the crystal, so I decided to follow my instincts. The fact you do not feel the same is all the more reason for you to be concerned.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


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    Aurelia¡¯s expression continued to worsen. ¡°I do not know, and I do not want to know. Stop talking about it.¡±


    Red fell silent. He recalled the fact undead were often connected to the Moon and derived much of their power from it, becoming stronger the brighter the celestial body became. The being on the Moon was the exact opposite, becoming weaker the brighter the Moon became.


    The youth often wondered why that was the case, but he theorized the being might be deeply connected with the existence of the undead, and not in a positive sense. Aurelia¡¯s reaction only reinforced that in his mind, as she seemed unwilling to even discuss the topic.


    Still, Red decided this was a good opportunity to test the boundaries of the help this ghostly woman was willing to provide.


    The youth sighed. ¡°Is this the kind of help you are willing to provide me? Telling me not to pursue the topic that is of most interest to me and only offering vague explanations as an excuse?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°If they involve my own survival, then yes, I will reserve the right to not discuss these matters.¡±


    ¡°Then how exactly can you help me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I can teach you cultivation.¡± the woman said. ¡°I have a plethora of knowledge from my time in my sect and techniques that will certainly serve you.¡±


    ¡°I have a manual with techniques up to the Spirit Core Realm. I am not in need of techniques or cultivation methods at the moment.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°You really think a random cultivation manual is comparable to the techniques I learned in my sect?¡±


    ¡°You have probably read some of the pages of the manual yourself while you were spying on me.¡± Red said. ¡°You tell me how they compare.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if the woman was aware of who his master was, but he had absolute confidence in the technique he acquired from the trial. After all, at some point, his master defeated all the sects, so how could his techniques be inferior?


    It seemed that Red was right in calling Aurelia¡¯s bluff, as her expression twisted in annoyance. ¡°Just because your manual is useful, it doesn¡¯t mean that the techniques in it will suit you. I know hundreds of techniques from my sect¡¯s vault that I can provide to better suit your needs.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That might be the case, but for now, I don¡¯t see the need for them.¡±


    The hawk explained to him that even if Red¡¯s elemental compatibility with the Storm¡¯s Blessing arts wasn¡¯t good, there was a way to raise that in the future, so the youth was not in a hurry to look for other cultivation methods.


    Aurelia looked insulted at Red¡¯s refusal, but she held back her anger ¡°I can teach you weapon arts, too, which will be more promptly useful. I am certain that the techniques in that manual of yours involve mostly spells, so that is an area you are lacking in.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Domeron is already teaching me weapon arts.¡±


    ¡°You moron!¡± Aurelia glared at him. ¡°Do you mean to compare a mortal¡¯s teachings to the knowledge I can provide you?!¡±


    ¡°His teachings have served me well enough for now.¡± Red said.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Aurelia¡¯s eyes twitched in annoyance. ¡°I know what you are doing, so stop beating around the bush! What is it that you want?!¡±


    Indeed, the knowledge the woman offered in techniques was very tempting for the youth, but it wasn¡¯t the thing he needed the most at the moment.


    ¡°Tell me how to avoid the Imperial¡¯s tracking devices.¡± Red said.


    This was what concerned him. As long as the imperials could track his location, then Red would never feel at ease to do as he pleased.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Is that really what you wanted to know? Why not just ask from the beginning?!¡±


    ¡®If I just asked, I wouldn¡¯t know how much you were willing to offer.¡¯


    ¡°Can you help me or not?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Of course I can!¡± the woman said. ¡°The method they used to track you is called Spiritual Signal detection. It may be unknown to the common mortal, but sects have been using it for thousands of years already.¡±


    ¡°What does it consist of?¡± As she said, Red indeed never heard of this method before, not even in books.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Every single living being in this world, whether they be a mortal or not, influences the Spiritual Energy around them to a certain degree, and each individual person influences it in a different way. That is to say, everyone emits a slightly different kind of Spiritual Energy emissions around them.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°That means that as long as you know what someone¡¯s Spiritual Energy emissions are like, then you can track them through simple Spiritual Energy detection.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is it easy to acquire that kind of information?¡±


    ¡°It depends. A strong cultivator can discern and memorize that with a single glance. Mortals can also use the method, but that requires a long period of close observation of the target and the assistance of treasures like the one you destroyed. It is not the kind of method that is readily available to just anyone, but almost all large factions use it to some degree.¡±


    None of these options were good news to Red. It meant that there was either a strong cultivator around town, or the youth had been more closely monitored than he was expecting.


    ¡°How do you counter it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Either you use a treasure to mask your Spiritual emissions or cultivate a Spiritual Art that can do the same.¡±


    Red frowned. That would require the youth to be in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡°How hard is it to find or make this treasure?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°It is most certainly beyond your capabilities at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me how. I do not really have a choice but to look into it.¡±


    After all, letting the Imperials know his location at all times just wasn¡¯t a viable option. Even if he couldn¡¯t do anything himself, perhaps Hector would be able to help him acquire such a treasure.


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I have already taken care of that problem for you.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I told you I was bound to the core.¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t interact with physical matter, but I can use some of the Spiritual Power in the core to execute some very simple arts. As it so happens, masking one¡¯s Spiritual emissions is not a difficult matter in the first place. The Imperials aren¡¯t going to be able to track you any longer.¡±


    Red fell silent.


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°What is it? Not even a thank you? I helped you without even asking for anything in return. If that doesn¡¯t prove my sincerity, I don¡¯t know what will.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You just did it because you don¡¯t want to be caught by the imperials.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°That too, of course, but it still helped you in the end, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t feel happy with the circumstances. The fact she was able to mask his emissions meant she could also unmask them without his knowledge. He would be at her mercy if she ever decided to betray him, which is why Red would seek one of the treasures she mentioned as soon as he returned.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t sulk too much.¡± She said. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but you have to remember we are in this together. As long as I¡¯m bound to this¡­ form, then I need your help to keep me safe. If I fell in the hands of those imperials or the necromancer, who knew what would happen to me?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°In the end, you still haven¡¯t really done anything to help me that wasn¡¯t in your self-interest.¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°You are the one that is not interested in the techniques I want to teach you!¡±


    ¡°I need things that can help me right now, not in a few months or years.¡±


    Just learning a new weapon art wouldn¡¯t save Red from the necromancer or the imperials if they decided to attack him.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Right, then how about this¡­¡± She pointed in the direction of the cave the youth had blocked. ¡°How about I tell you how you can use that egg?¡±


    Red¡¯s interest was finally piqued.

 Chapter 294 - Hidden Snake

    ¡°What is inside that egg?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°A monster, of course. However, it seems like it wasn¡¯t able to develop fully.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s really dead?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Not quite. How familiar are you with the breeding habits of the Great Serpent¡¯s canyon monsters?¡±


    ¡°Not very much.¡± Red knew the basics, but again, specific information about those kinds of matters just wasn¡¯t available to the public in general. After all, why would mortals need to concern themselves with how giant snakes they would never see in their lives behaved?


    Aurelia turned to look at the cave. ¡°Some monsters from the canyon often decide to lay their eggs in safer areas at the border. They do this because the environment they live in is very dangerous to rear their young, and they can¡¯t really afford to look after them either. Snake monsters in general are no exception, not to mention the fact they were never really the most caring of parents.¡±


    ¡°So that is a snake¡¯s nest?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point, though. What you need to understand is that nature is cruel, even for monsters. It is not uncommon for even strong species of monsters to die while they are young and undeveloped, so through the ages, some of them have developed instinctual strategies to gain whatever advantage they can get from birth.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What is the point you¡¯re trying to make?¡±


    Aurelia smiled, relishing in keeping the youth in suspense. ¡°One of the strategies they often use is to kill and consume their weaker siblings from the moment they are born. This gives them the edge they may need to survive to maturity¡±


    The youth was at a loss. ¡°Are you implying that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°The egg you saw killed and consumed all its siblings before they were even born. That is why you didn¡¯t see any traces of monsters coming out of the cave.¡±


    Red was silent for a few moments. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s an egg.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Are you doubting me?¡±


    ¡°I saw no openings in the egg, and I couldn¡¯t even detect whatever was inside with my power.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°What you are saying seems absurd, to say the least.¡±


    The woman glared at him. ¡°You think I am lying? A brat like you who hasn¡¯t even broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm thinks they know better than me?¡±


    ¡°I am just stating facts.¡± Red said. ¡°How could you even know that¡¯s really what happened?¡±


    ¡°Bah, enough!¡± Aurelia waved him off. ¡°If you really think I¡¯m wrong, let¡¯s enter the cave again and check.¡±


    The woman turned around and walked towards the cave. For some reason, Red was expecting her to move the blockade he set up, but instead she just walked through the obstacle with her immaterial form and disappeared from sight.


    This was something Red was still not used to.


    It took him a few minutes to remove all the rocks and logs from the cave¡¯s entrance, after which he saw the woman standing on the other side with an impatient expression. She didn¡¯t say anything when she saw him, and turned around to go deeper into the cave.


    Soon enough, they arrived at the chamber. Red took the environment in and looked around. When his gaze stopped on the egg, though, he froze.


    The egg was still there, with no changes in appearance. However, Red noticed it was a few meters away from the place where he last saw it. He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around this change.


    Aurelia smiled, taking pleasure in his baffled expression. ¡°Do you believe me now?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°This is not even that weird in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    The youth continued to examine the egg. ¡°So, the egg is alive?¡±


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    ¡°No, the egg is just a disguise.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The creature inside it was probably the first one to hatch from its clutch, and after it ate its siblings, it returned to its egg to hibernate and grow.¡±


    ¡°How can someone just reseal an egg? Why did it even return to the egg in the first place?¡± Red examine the object.


    ¡°Monsters can do all sorts of things.¡± she said. ¡°Besides, the egg isn¡¯t for its protection, but to hide itself and attract unsuspecting prey. After all, an unprotected egg is a delicacy for a lot of animals, so they would definitely try to break it apart and eat what¡¯s inside.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°And I suppose it would take that opportunity when they try to break the egg to strike?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± She looked at him with a smirk. ¡°You were smart not to touch that egg, or else you might have been bitten by a very venomous creature.¡±


    Red¡¯s cautious nature was being rewarded in a lot of ways. There was another matter that was confusing him, though.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I sense it with my power?¡± he asked.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how your power works exactly, but if I had to guess, you probably sense things by their blood essence. Some monsters in nature can do the same thing, so it isn¡¯t far-fetched for certain creatures to develop defensive mechanisms for that.¡±


    Red frowned. He didn¡¯t think his crimson sense worked by simply detecting their blood essence, but it was probably a big factor, as the woman claimed. What made him weary, though, was that this was the second living creature that could hide from his power that he ever met.


    First was that female cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect. Now, it was this snake that hid inside an egg. Was it possible that his power would become obsolete the stronger and more skilled his opponents became? That would be a huge blow to the youth¡¯s arsenal.


    There was a way that he could strengthen his powers, but the price he needed to pay for that was too large for the youth to consider.


    Red moved his gaze from the egg to Aurelia. ¡°You said you would tell me how to use this egg.¡±


    ¡°And I will.¡± she nodded. ¡°First, though, you will need to capture the monster.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I am not really equipped for dealing with venomous snakes.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing too hard. You can do it with your bare hands and as long as you can immobilize its head, you will have nothing to fear.¡±


    The youth stared at her. ¡°So you have done this before?¡±


    She scowled at him. ¡°Of course not! You think I would waste my time capturing monsters while I had other people to do it for me? Who do you take me for?¡±


    ¡°How do you know how to capture a snake, then?¡±


    ¡°I read it in a book.¡± she said with an expression of confidence. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to do the real thing. You just need to be careful not to get bitten.¡±


    ¡°... I hope you know that if I die here, no one will come to save you.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°If you are weak enough to die to a baby snake, then I would rather just be stuck in this place.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything else and started to approach the egg. Now that he knew a snake might just jump out from inside the egg at any moment, he was more cautious. He drew out his blade and examined it.


    ¡°I told you to capture it, not to cut it apart!¡± Aurelia¡¯s complaints came from behind him.


    Red didn¡¯t respond and continued to focus on the egg. He kept his right hand free, while using his sword with his left hand to touch the shell.


    As soon as he did that, he felt a fluctuation suddenly appear inside the egg. Then, the next instant, the eggshell cracked in the spot where Red¡¯s sword touched it, and an extremely fast shadow jumped out towards the youth¡¯s throat.


    If Red was caught off guard, then he most likely would have been bitten. However, the youth was prepared for this attack.


    A sudden surge of electric energy burst from his special acupoints towards his right arm. Red¡¯s hand moved in a flash, and his arm shot up to grab onto the charging monster midair.


    The creature immediately started to struggle under his grip, and the rest of its body coiled around the youth¡¯s arms in an attempt to break the limb. Unfortunately for it, Red was someone who opened all his twelve veins, so he didn¡¯t crumble under its assault.


    Like Aurelia said, this was indeed a snake. Its scaled body was completely brown with an earthy hue that seemed to serve as camouflage, and it was easily one and a half meters long, with a rather thick body. It looked like an ordinary snake if it wasn¡¯t for the fact the creature seemed to have six eyes in total, three on each side of their head.


    It had its mouth open, displaying its fangs at Red that seemed to drip with a dark, oozing liquid. Red didn¡¯t need confirmation to know that this was venom.


    ¡°What kind of snake is this?¡± Red asked.


    Snakes, in general, didn¡¯t have good eyesight. The youth couldn¡¯t imagine what use having so many eyes would be for this monster.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°I have never heard of a snake with more than two eyes.¡±


    Red examined the snake. ¡°What do I do now?¡±


    ¡°Give it some food.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have any food.¡±


    ¡°Then go look for some!¡± She looked at him as if he was stupid.


    Red was at a loss for words. ¡°¡­ Was this your plan to domesticate this snake?¡±


    ¡°If you were stronger, I could have just taught you an enslaving technique. As you are now, you will need to do it the old-fashioned way.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What is the old-fashioned way?¡±


    ¡°Feed it, train it, and earn its trust!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It¡¯s still just a baby, so this is the best time to tame it!¡±


    Red looked over at the snake, who was staring at him with its jaws open, eager even now to bite the youth.


    He suddenly regretted having ever listened to Aurelia¡¯s idea in the first place.

 Chapter 295 - Taming the Serpent

    Red wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with the process of taming an animal, but all his knowledge came from books. That being said, a monster and a common animal weren¡¯t the same thing, and you might need to put much more effort into the former than with the latter. It could take weeks, maybe even months of training.


    Did Red have this kind of time?


    Aurelia seemed to be able to guess his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s your choice in the end. All I can say is that I have never heard of a snake with six eyes, which means that it must be a rather rare species of monster, or at least a mutated one. If you can rear it into the future, who knows how useful it will be for you once it grows up?¡±


    Red frowned. While he was interested in the idea, it seemed like too much of an investment right now. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t even know if it was going to work.


    It just wasn¡¯t feasible.


    ¡®Unless¡­¡¯


    Red stared at the struggling snake with a thoughtful gaze. It was still trying to squeeze the youth¡¯s arm, despite not being able to even budge it.


    Aurelia seemed impatient while waiting on the side. ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡±


    ¡°I have a plan.¡± Red said.


    There was one curious aspect of the power given to him by the crimson mist that the youth never explored too much. This aspect was the apparent repelling effect the crimson energy had towards monsters in general.


    The only two times Red ever saw it in action was while he was escaping from the underground and when he was inside the trial. Back then, even the enormous lightning serpent was driven into a rage by that power, and he was able to cross the misty horde of monsters who all fled before him. However, he failed to achieve such an effect again over the years, probably because his blood lacked the same power it had back then, just after absorbing the lizard demon¡¯s blood essence, and also because the crimson being inside his body was never forced again into action to save him.


    However, recently Red noticed a change. It happened when the chicken underwent demonification, and the youth was somehow able to pacify it as if it was a natural thing. Even now, he wasn¡¯t sure how he did that, or if this process worked on non-demonic monsters, but it was worth putting it to the test.


    Red brought the serpent closer to his face.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aurelia asked with a frown.


    Red didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he gave an intense stare to the serpent, hoping for something to happen.


    All he got, though, was an angry hiss from the monster.


    Aurelia scoffed from the side. ¡°Are you going to stare it into submission?¡±


    Red frowned. He expected some kind of familiar feeling to come to him at that moment, but no such thing happened. Maybe this wasn¡¯t something he could control, or maybe it only worked on demons like he thought.


    ¡®Or maybe¡­¡¯


    Red had an idea. With some struggle, as he only had one hand free, he pulled back the sleeve on his right arm, revealing the bracelet the hawk gave him a long time ago. Without hesitation, the youth unclasped it from his wrist.


    ¡°What in the hell are you doing?¡± Aurelia looked at him as if he was an idiot.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying something.¡± Red ignored her protests.


    Once the bracelet was off, he felt a shimmer around the right side of his face. He didn¡¯t need a mirror to know the crimson scales and lizard-like eye on his face were revealed once more.


    After that, Red stared at the snake again.


    The reaction was almost immediate. The monster¡¯s hiss died in its throat as its eyes trained onto Red¡¯s gaze. It froze, its grip around Red¡¯s arm slackening.


    For a few seconds, the youth thought the creature had died. Yet, he could feel this wasn¡¯t the case by its fluctuation. Then, finally, the creature showed some reaction.


    It looked away from Red¡¯s face and closed its open maw. Then it just stood there, body coiled around the youth¡¯s arms, without any reaction other than flicking its forked tongue now and then.


    It was impossible for Red to discern the creature¡¯s mood from its expression, but its body language and fluctuation told the youth that it was displaying some sort of obedience.


    Aurelia stared at the scene in shock. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    He was being honest. He didn¡¯t really feel the same sensation that he felt when he tried calming down the demonic chicken, so he wasn¡¯t sure if what happened between both creatures was related.


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    Aurelia looked over at him with curiosity. ¡°It must be that eye of yours. It probably thinks you are some sort of superior reptilian creature.¡±


    It was the only thing that made sense.


    One needed to understand that not all demonifications were the same, as in, not every demon would sprout out crimson scales and other reptilian characteristics. Depending on the source of corruption, the symptoms of demonification could vary wildly. Red¡¯s own demonification, for instance, seemed to conjure itself in reptilian characteristics, which were very often correlated with extreme violence, rage, and blood.


    As for monsters, they were creatures of instinct. They would naturally submit to beasts stronger than they, as long as they were of a similar species. Red assumed this was what the snake was doing.


    Still, looking over this dangerous creature, the youth didn¡¯t really feel safe to let it go.


    He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°What should I do now?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems you have it tamed, which is the hardest part.¡± the woman said. ¡°Teach it some commands now.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Have you never read any books on training monsters? It¡¯s all about positive reinforcement! Give it some food when it obeys you, and scold it when it doesn¡¯t!¡±


    Red was at a loss for words. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a snake, not a dog.¡±


    ¡°Just because it¡¯s a snake doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t teach it! It¡¯s a monster, first and foremost. It¡¯s smarter than any common animal out there, so it will obviously understand what you want from it.¡±


    Red was skeptical. He looked down at the snake, staring at its unfocused and menacing six eyes which seemed to be gazing at nothing in particular.


    ¡°Look at me.¡± he said in a commanding voice.


    The snake completely ignored him.


    Red spoke up again, with distinct tones and words to try to get the serpent¡¯s attention. Nothing worked, and the snake continued to look at nothing at all.


    In the end, he gave up and looked at Aurelia with a frown.


    The woman shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s deaf. Either way, I never said it was going to be easy to train it.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll try again once I have some food to compel it.¡±


    The youth clasped the bracelet around his wrist again, disguising his demonification. Then he looked back at the snake.


    It didn¡¯t seem like the creature was displaying any more aggressive behavior even after he hid his demonic eye, but Red would be a fool to trust an animal and let it free. He decided to tie the creature¡¯s mouth shut with some pieces of his clothing, so that if it decided to attack him, at least the youth wouldn¡¯t get injected with some unknown venom.


    Only after he was certain the creature¡¯s mouth was shut tight did he decide to let it go of his grip. Unexpectedly, the creature didn¡¯t try to run away, and it instead crawled up Red¡¯s arm, coiling around his neck and shoulder. The youth was uncomfortable with this position, to say the least, but he could tell through the beast¡¯s fluctuation that it didn¡¯t mean him any harm.


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Look, it is already this comfortable around you. It will be no problem to train it, and in the future, once it grows up and breaks through to the Lesser Ring Realm, you will have another trick up your sleeve.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I hope so. Still, it will be another matter to keep it hidden while I¡¯m in¡­¡±


    The youth trailed off. The serpent¡¯s fluctuation vanished from his senses.


    Red still felt the snake¡¯s weight around his shoulder, so he looked down in a hurry at the beast. It had changed colors, completely camouflaged with the youth¡¯s black clothing. Even from this close, Red would have almost missed it if it wasn¡¯t for his dark vision.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Aurelia looked at the beast with surprise. ¡°Even I need to focus my Spiritual Sense to detect it. If I didn¡¯t know where it was, I definitely would have missed it. It¡¯s a perfect stealthy monster!¡±


    Red frowned. He would be happy with this too if it wasn¡¯t for the fact not even he could detect the creature while it was in this state.


    The youth gave the chamber one last thorough search. He looked into the now broken egg, and like the woman said, there was nothing inside of it to indicate how the snake had sealed it shut again.


    After making sure he didn¡¯t miss anything, Red looked back at Aurelia. ¡°We are leaving.¡±


    The woman raised her eyebrows. ¡°You know you don¡¯t really need to say that to me, right? I am a ghost. I can just disappear and reappear anywhere I want as long as it¡¯s within the range of the core.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s better for the both of us if I treat it like that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Aurelia frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything else.


    The youth turned around and walked out of the cave. The snake coiled in his shoulder shivered slightly under the sun¡¯s light, which it was probably feeling for the first time. However, it remained calm on Red¡¯s shoulders, or so he thought, since he couldn¡¯t really see it.


    The youth found Aurelia waiting for him outside while sitting on a tree stump.


    ¡°Are you going back to the town?¡± she asked.


    Red looked at her. ¡°I plan to, after I recover.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°That place is too small for you now that you have opened all your acupoints. Your development will be hindered as long as you stay there.¡±


    ¡°I have my responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Are those responsibilities worth following through if they get you killed?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I need some time.¡±


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. Just be aware that the longer you stay there, the harder it will be when you finally want to leave.¡±


    The woman¡¯s figure suddenly disappeared.


    Red knew that she was right. In the past, what bound him to this place was the need for shelter and a peaceful environment where he could cultivate. It wasn¡¯t meant to be a permanent home.


    Now that he opened all his twelve veins, Red outgrew the need for the sect¡¯s shelter. His priorities would now be to find the remaining materials for the Parting Storm formation, something that would most likely be impossible to accomplish inside of this town. However, how could Red just leave his sect?


    He made promises to people that he intended to see through. Yet, he also knew that the longer he waited in here, the harder it would be to continue his cultivation journey. In his mind, Red then made a promise to himself this time.


    He would remain in the sect until Allen opened his Spiritual Sea and could look after himself and the rest of his sect members. After that, Red would leave, whether Hector allowed it or not.


    He would not suffer the same fate as Narcha in this place.

 Chapter 296 - Strange Organ

    Although Red was eager to leave this place, there were still a few matters he needed to check. He was so caught up in the appearance of this ghostly woman that he didn¡¯t have time to check on the state of his body or new ¡°acupoint.¡±


    What Aurelia told him about there being no more than a single acupoint in the third eye vein was consistent with the information Red acquired before, but he would rather check it himself. A cultivator that didn¡¯t open their Spiritual Sea yet wouldn¡¯t be able to inspect their own bodies thoroughly, but Red was different.


    He had his meditation technique.


    The youth sat down cross-legged on the ground. The snake was still on his shoulder, invisible, and although Red wasn¡¯t at ease in its presence, it didn¡¯t seem like the creature was eager to move about. Once he settled down, the youth entered his meditative state with a deep breath, as if it was second nature at this point.


    His awareness expanded, and the state of his inner body was revealed to him. Immediately, one thing stood out to him. The crimson mist, which on most occasions occupied a large area of his torso, seemed to have been reduced to a small blob near his heart.


    Red was shocked.


    He reached out to the mist, hoping to establish a connection with it. ¡°What happened?¡±


    There was no response, other than a small shiver from the mist. It was too weak to respond.


    Red stopped reaching out and was left to reflect on the situation by himself.


    ¡®Was this caused by my breakthrough?¡¯


    His body was constantly healing the damage from moving so much energy in his veins back then, and the only reason Red even attempted such a reckless strategy was due to his regenerative abilities. They didn¡¯t fail him, as he managed to accomplish his objective.


    However, perhaps the struggle wasn¡¯t as comfortable as he first thought. The crimson mist must have acted on its own, doing its best to keep his body from falling apart, and this must have cost it a substantial amount of its power. Red wondered what this meant for him and the being.


    Would he lose his powers if the crimson being disappeared?


    Blood would always work to help it heal. This he knew. However, he obviously didn¡¯t plan on absorbing any more blood essence unless necessary.


    ¡®There are no wounds or pains in the rest of my body.¡¯


    This was almost a miraculous outcome, considering what he went through. In more ways than one, it was all thanks to the crimson being inside of his body that he opened the final acupoint. Without it, Red just didn¡¯t think it would be possible, which left him yet again baffled about Viran¡¯s initial plans for him.


    ¡®There¡¯s still one thing I need to check.¡¯


    His expanded awareness traveled up his body, all the way to his head. He then reached into his Third Eye vein, and what he saw left him baffled.


    Like what Aurelia said, what Red opened wasn¡¯t really an acupoint. Instead, it was like a pulsing sac of energy, resembling a foreign organ located just behind his glabella. It was still connected to his Third Eye vein through a pathway, but it clearly didn¡¯t look seem to function like an acupoint.


    There was another thing that stood out to Red, too. Viran¡¯s special acupoints were designed to keep Moonstone energy inside of them. This organ seemed to do the same, but there was far more energy inside of it than on all his other acupoints, and it didn¡¯t seem to be leaking either.


    ¡®Will this suffice against the curse?¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t learn anything else from this position, so he left his meditative state and opened his eyes. His attention immediately went to the snake in his shoulders, finding out to his relief it was still resting without moving.


    Then, with his right hand, he reached for his forehead, feeling the space around his glabella.


    ¡®There is no bulging.¡¯


    Red was confused, to say the least. This ¡°organ¡± was relatively small, no bigger than a pea, but it was located in such a position where the youth should still be able to feel it under his skin. Yet, no matter how he pressed around, there was no sign of this organ.


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    ¡®I wonder what will happen if I try to send Spiritual Energy into it.¡¯


    With such an idea in mind, Red got up and prepared to do his Rain Dance.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Red didn¡¯t look at her. ¡°I¡¯m experimenting.¡±


    ¡°At this time? Can¡¯t you wait until you go back to town?¡± The woman seemed impatient.


    ¡°I could.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re just going to cultivate with that snake in your shoulder?¡±


    ¡°It seems pretty calm.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Just do as you wish, then!¡±


    ¡°I was planning to.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Red could obviously wait until he was back in town to experiment, but there might be unexpected results with what he was about to do that could draw attention to himself. That, and he was curious.


    He started his vein opening technique dance. There was no point to the technique anymore since he opened all his acupoints already, but just because of that, the skill didn¡¯t suddenly stop accumulating energy into his body once put into effect.


    A few minutes later, Red felt a wave of Spiritual Energy enter his veins. The invisible snake on his shoulders shook slightly at this change, but it didn¡¯t do anything else.


    The youth sat down cross-legged on the ground and directed a portion of this wave of energy towards his Third Eye Vein. The current followed his command and traveled towards his glabella and towards this strange organ connected to it.


    As soon as the energy touched it, though, something unexpected happened.


    All of it disappeared. Not even the slightest trace of energy was left behind.


    Red was baffled. He was baffled, and decided to send another small wave of energy towards this organ. The same thing happened again.


    As soon as the energy came into contact with this organ, it disappeared. It wasn¡¯t absorbed by this ¡°acupoint¡±, or simply dissipated as Spiritual Energy tended to do. It just disappeared.


    Red thought that maybe the process was too fast for him to detect, but even with further tries with different amounts of Spiritual Energy, the same thing continued to happen. It was an instantaneous transition as soon as the energy touched this small organ.


    At one point, it was there, and the next it was gone.


    Red let the rest of the Spiritual Energy in his body dissipate and opened his eyes with a dazed look.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Aurelia asked with a curious expression, sitting with her legs crossed on a stump not too far from him.


    Red frowned and didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he entered into his meditative state again and checked his new organ. Nothing seemed to have changed, and it still seemed to hold the same amount of energy it did before.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    ¡°What is it?¡± Aurelia asked again with an impatient tone.


    Red looked over at her. ¡°The energy. It disappeared.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it disappeared? Was it absorbed into that tumor on your forehead?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I checked it, and it still held the same amount of energy as before.¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. The energy has to go somewhere!¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not there.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Explain me what you felt.¡±


    Red recounted what had transpired with as much detail as he could muster.


    However, by the end of his explanation, she looked just as confused as him.


    ¡°None of what you told me makes sense.¡± she said. ¡°Things don¡¯t just disappear. This energy must have gone somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, I checked all over my body.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s expression worsened as she seemed to struggle to come up with an explanation. ¡°It could have gone to your soul, but¡­ I can¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary with it, either.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t well-informed on the matter of souls, so he couldn¡¯t comment on her opinion.


    She looked at him with a resolved expression. ¡°Try it again. I¡¯ll be watching you closely this time.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows. ¡°I thought you wanted us to hurry back to town.¡±


    Aurelia glared at him. ¡°Just shut up and do as I say if you want my help!¡±


    Red nodded. If the woman was willing to offer him free help, he would evidently not deny it.


    He executed his Rain Dance again, even with his now rather tired body. Energy accumulated in his veins, and Red directed it towards his glabella with Aurelia giving him instructions.


    ¡°Slow down.¡±


    ¡°Send a stronger current this time.¡±


    ¡°Do many waves in a row.¡±


    Under the woman¡¯s prompting, the youth tried every possible way to send energy towards this foreign organ until there was nothing left in his veins. When he opened his eyes and looked at Aurelia¡¯s complicated expression, though, the results were obvious.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°And yet, it is happening. Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°The only similar phenomenon I can think of is of certain kinds of strong portals or teleportation devices.¡± the woman said. ¡°When things are thrown into them, they also tend to disappear in a mere instant, like the energy inside your body. However¡­ it just doesn¡¯t make sense. I can¡¯t sense any spatial disturbances, not to mention how absurd the idea of you having a portal inside your own head is.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So in the end, you don¡¯t know?¡±


    Aurelia gritted her teeth. ¡°I do not.¡±


    The youth sighed and got up. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I wasn¡¯t particularly expecting much.¡±


    ¡°You little bastard!¡± she glared at him. ¡°If you think this is so easy, why don¡¯t you try figuring it out yourself?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I intend to do.¡± Red nodded. ¡°You have already helped enough with your portal idea. Most of the time I have to wander blindly through these kinds of things, so having a direction is always preferable, no matter how unlikely anything is to come out of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I will figure this out! You just wait!¡±


    With those words, the woman disappeared into thin air.


    With nothing else left to do, Red looked around at the hideout and collected his belongings. Then he checked on the snake on his shoulders once more, before setting off back towards town.


    ¡®Surprisingly, nothing went wrong with this trip¡¯


    Or at the very least, this was what he hoped was the case.

 Chapter 297 - Undead Resurgence

    Red didn¡¯t know if the imperials were still on his trail, so he decided to use another route back to town just to be safe. It would extend his journey somewhat, but it was worth it in his mind. Not to mention, it would give him time to get familiar with his new ¡°pet.¡±


    Red patted the creature on his shoulder. ¡°Appear.¡±


    The serpent laid still.


    Already a day went by, and the creature continued to ignore his commands. It barely moved from its position on Red¡¯s shoulder, and it was still camouflaged by his dark clothing.


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not very active.¡± Aurelia said by his side.


    Red looked over at her with a frown. ¡°Stop doing that.¡±


    The woman looked at him with surprise while leaning against a tree. ¡°Doing what?¡±


    ¡°Appearing and reappearing out of nowhere.¡± Red said. ¡°You¡¯re disturbing my focus.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°What focus? You¡¯re just talking to a snake!¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, I would rather you stop doing that.¡±


    The youth was used to his crimson sense and sharp senses being able to detect anyone around him. It just so happened that none of that helped him discern when Aurelia would jump out of the core, so Red was taken by surprise by her voice and sudden appearance more than a few times.


    It wasn¡¯t a comfortable feeling at all for someone like him.


    Aurelia shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can help it.¡±


    Red sighed and changed topics. ¡°Do you have any ideas on how to make this snake move?¡±


    ¡°It might just be very inert by nature. It does seem like an ambush animal if we are to judge it from its egg trap, after all.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make for a very useful pet.¡±


    ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t tried feeding it yet.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t sensed or seen traces of any critters around.¡±


    Aurelia looked around. ¡°We should already be far enough from the canyon. They will start appearing at any point.¡±


    Red could only listen to her advice and continue walking, while considering some other matters.


    He had yet to feel the lunar gaze on him at full force again, so he couldn¡¯t tell if anything was changed after he opened this new ¡°acupoint¡±. The being in the Moon went through a constant cycle of hibernation, so the days following a Full Moon were still easy on Red¡¯s psyche, as the pressure was still negligible. Eventually, however, it would reach its zenith in roughly two weeks, and the youth wondered what would happen then.


    To his surprise, by the end of the day, he still didn¡¯t see or sense any critters. Even birds were scarcely spotted above his head. Red immediately felt something was off.


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong.¡± he said.


    Aurelia appeared by his side. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any strange energies. It could be that a strong monster from the canyon passed by here and sent the animals running.¡±


    ¡°This far from the canyon?¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Unlikely.¡±


    Stronger monsters would seek to inhabit areas with stronger concentrations of Spiritual Energy. It was why barring events such as a horde that could cause mass migrations, monsters from more dangerous biomes would rarely move to neighboring areas. Such was the case of the canyon and of their forest, as the former had a stronger concentration of Spiritual Energy than the latter.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°If it¡¯s not the work of a monster, then it can only be the work of a cultivator. In any case, you know as well as I do that this isn¡¯t natural.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything else and continued moving forward into the night. He still didn¡¯t stop to eat or sleep during his trip back, but he did decide to take it slower this time around, to not to wander into an ambush.


    His choice was wise, considering these strange circumstances.


    As he walked further through the trees, he suddenly felt a tug around his neck. Red looked down and he felt the snake shift in his shoulders, showing movement for the first time in a long while.


    The youth immediately froze in his steps and looked down at the disguised creature, noticing its pink forked tongue poking out from a small opening in its tied mouth.


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    ¡®Does it sense something?¡¯


    Red was very confident in his senses, but there were still a few things he couldn¡¯t compare to a monster. The main one, of course, was his sense of smell. If the snake smelled something wrong, then Red would be wise to pay attention to it.


    He looked around with utmost attention, still failing to find anything else. The youth assumed that since Aurelia didn¡¯t suddenly appear, then she must have also not found anything.


    ¡®Can she even sense things the same way living beings do?¡¯


    Red put this question aside and focused on his surroundings. He continued sneaking forward while the snake on his shoulders grew increasingly more agitated. At some point, the youth had to hold it with his left hand to stop it from flailing about, while holding his sword on the other hand.


    A few dozen meters along and Red finally saw traces of something.


    ¡®Animal tracks.¡¯


    They were hooves, and judging by the size, they probably belonged to a monster. A fireleaf deer, judging by the shape.


    ¡°Be careful now.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Red almost swiveled on his feet and swiped out in shock, but he managed to hold himself back. He ignored the woman with a frown and followed the tracks.


    A few seconds later, he sensed something with his crimson sense.


    It was a fireleaf deer, as he was expecting, but it wasn¡¯t moving, and judging by its fluctuation, there was something very wrong with it. The snake in his grip was even more agitated, and Red needed to put in some effort to hold it back.


    The youth continued to approach until he could finally spot the deer amidst the trees. The creature seemed to be suffering from a seizure, its body shaking on the ground while the creature expelled white foam from its mouth. A large set of bloody gashes was running along the side of its body, cause by claws as far as Red could tell.


    The sight immediately gave him pause. He saw nothing like this before, but the sight of the creature filled him with a strange sensation.


    ¡®It¡¯s infected by something.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s turning.¡± Aurelia said from behind him.


    ¡°Turning?¡± Red looked at her in confusion.


    She nodded. ¡°Just watch.¡±


    Red frowned and did as she said. He didn¡¯t feel safe getting close to a creature infected by who knew what kind of disease, so he didn¡¯t try to put the creature out of its misery. This being the case, it took almost another two minutes before the creature finally died and Red felt its fluctuation disappear.


    ¡°Here it comes.¡± Aurelia said with a severe expression.


    ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯


    Just as the woman said that, something seemed to change in the deer. Red saw a grey, incorporeal mass emerge from the corpse, surrounding the diseased creature. Suddenly, black misty spots started to grow in this gray aura, spreading through it before finally overtaking the mass. Then, the aura disappeared, drawn back into the corpse of the deer.


    A few seconds later, Red felt the monster¡¯s fluctuation reappear. This time, though, it seemed to be completely changed, as if a stagnation, deep and irreversible, spread through its fluctuation.


    ¡®Undead.¡¯


    The body of the deer stirred. The snake in his grasp was on the verge of going into a frenzy, but Red managed to hold it tight.


    He saw the zombified monster slowly get up, its limbs twisting every which way before it finally found its balance. Its movements were unnatural, and the creature looked lost, its eyes cloudy and completely devoid of any kind of intelligence or emotion.


    That was before it spotted Red, a few dozen meters away. Something seemed to compel the zombie deer at that moment, and it started to run in his direction, emitting gargling noises from its foam-filled mouth. It had barely run ten meters before it lost its balance and fell down to the ground.


    This didn¡¯t deter it, though, as it got up again and continued its charge.


    Red stared at the approaching creature with a frown on his face.


    Aurelia looked at him with a curious expression. ¡°Are you not going to kill it?¡±


    The youth sighed. He held the snake tight in his hand so it wouldn¡¯t escape his grip, and walked towards the deer. They approached it other in a matter of a few steps, and the zombie monster tried to bite at Red with its unstable movements.


    It was no effort of the youth¡¯s part to side-stepped its lunge and cut the creature¡¯s head off with a single motion. The decapitated deer slumped down to its side, motionless, as its undead life wasn¡¯t enough to keep it going without a head.


    Decapitation and destruction of the head wouldn¡¯t always work to kill an undead. Some of them could still live on even with a single finger remaining, but it was all a matter of how strong the undead force inside them was. For a common zombie like this deer, decapitation was more than enough to put an end to its undead existence.


    As the creature died, the snake on Red¡¯s shoulder started to calm down. Even then, the youth still kept it in his grip so it wouldn¡¯t fall down and wander off.


    ¡°Have you ever seen an undead be born?¡± Aurelia asked while staring at the deer¡¯s corpse.


    Red shook his head while cleaning his sword against a tree.


    ¡°It is a corruption of both the body and the soul. The transformation isn¡¯t complete until both of these things have turned, and the source of corruption can come from either of them.¡± She looked over at Red. ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you? The deer¡¯s soul.¡±


    Red hesitated, but still nodded. ¡°I did.¡±


    Aurelia examined his face with interest. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to, so I can only assume it¡¯s because of that thing on your forehead. Either way, my earlier suspicions about that tumor of yours weren¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a zombie here.¡± Red said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about it?¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°Why should I? Corporeal life forms can¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Not even the necromancer?¡±


    This made the woman frown. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to turn a random monster into a zombie.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything and approached the deer¡¯s corpse. He examined the long scratch wound on its side.


    He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°These look like they could have been made by a human.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s frown deepened, but she remained skeptical. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t mean they were involved.¡±


    ¡°What else could have done it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the head, but¡­¡± she left the rest unsaid.


    The caveat was, of course, that according to her, the head containing the hundreds of ghosts inside of it was being controlled by the necromancer, in which case Red was still right.


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. You should hurry back to town.¡±


    Red nodded.


    He was about to turn around to run when he heard a guttural howl from far away. The youth froze.


    Aurelia looked at him with a grave expression. ¡°It¡¯s a ghoul! Run!¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to tell him twice.

 Chapter 298 - Ghoulish Matters

    Red turned around and started to dash away from the roar.


    In the undead world, not all creatures were zombies, and there were actually many different types of undead. A zombie was just the most basic of the living dead, and these mindless creatures could evolve in their own way and become something else - something stronger.


    A ghoul was one such being. This creature was the resulting evolution of a zombie after consuming enough living flesh - a superior undead in every way. They were equivalent in power to your average Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and on most occasions, even stronger than one.


    Suffice it to say, Red didn¡¯t plan on sticking around to confront it.


    ¡°It¡¯s chasing you!¡± Aurelia¡¯s warning came from behind him.


    Red frowned. He couldn¡¯t even sense the creature with his crimson sense yet, but the woman seemed confident in her assertions.


    ¡®How did it sense me?¡¯


    The youth did nothing to give himself away. No noise, no commotion, not even when killing the deer. How could the ghoul detect and track him from kilometers away?


    Still, he didn¡¯t doubt Aurelia¡¯s words, as she didn¡¯t have a reason to lie. Red then decided to speed up before the ghoul could catch up with him.


    The special acupoints in his leg activated all at once, and his speed shot up. He weaved through the trees in a flash, making his way down south, where he hoped he could lose his pursuer. The boost in speed didn¡¯t last for more than a dozen seconds, but the youth made all the progress he could in that short period.


    A few minutes passed by as he continued to run. He didn¡¯t hear any further roars, and neither did he detect any fluctuation with his crimson sense. The youth didn¡¯t stop running until Aurelia suddenly appeared ahead of him.


    ¡°You should be fine for now.¡± she said.


    Red stopped running and started to catch his breath. He looked down at his clothes, feeling the serpent trembling in fear beneath his cloak. At some point, the snake had sought refuge within the youth¡¯s garb, and it was now wrapped around his torso without even poking its head out.


    Red chose to ignore the creature for now. He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°How could it sense me?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°The ghoul didn¡¯t sense you. It sensed the deer transforming. It was probably already hunting the deer for a while and it might have picked up on your trail while you were passing by.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you do anything about the core?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time the insectoid core caused problems for him. As it turned out, carrying around an unprotected source of energy from a Lesser Ring Realm beast was bound to catch the attention of the more perceptive monsters in the wild.


    Aurelia snorted at his words. ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid?! I have already been hiding the energy emissions of this core every time you have come to the wild for the past seven years!¡±


    Red was at a loss. ¡°Then how¡­¡±


    The youth had a sudden realization.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°It¡¯s that thing on your forehead.¡±


    The youth reached out to touch his glabella. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough for you to detect, but it¡¯s more than enough for an undead to notice.¡± she said. ¡°By all means, the emissions shouldn¡¯t be this strong with how little energy is inside that tumor of yours, but clearly, neither of us truly understands how that thing works yet.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°When were you going to tell me this?¡±


    ¡°You think I knew we would find a ghoul here, in the middle of the forest?¡± Aurelia glared at him. ¡°A zombie might have had a hard time following you, but a ghoul has especially good senses. It can definitely track you from a very long distance.¡±


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    The youth felt a headache arriving. ¡°Can you disguise it like you did before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about disguising emissions. Your tumor is constantly expelling some trace amounts of Moon Energy, not enough to catch a normal person¡¯s attention, but definitely enough for any undead to notice.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°I would need to open your forehead up to try and stop it from happening, and even if you let me do it, I would need a corporeal body in the first place.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°So you can¡¯t do anything about it?¡±


    Aurelia hesitated. ¡°¡­ Not right now. It¡¯s just been a day, so I need more time to study your tumor and research a solution.¡±


    ¡°Will the ghoul track me?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Probably. Still, it¡¯s only slightly smarter than a zombie, so it¡¯s not too hard to fool it. Hold the insectoid core up for a second.¡±


    Red did as he was told. The insectoid core began to glow in his hand, before a thin small arrow shot in an arc towards the night sky, leaving a trace of green mist behind that quickly dissipated.


    Aurelia, who was watching from the side, nodded in satisfaction. ¡°The ghoul will be distracted by this stronger trace of Moon energy and follow it. That should buy you enough time to run away. When the ghoul notices it was tricked, your old trail will have gone cold.¡± She looked back at him. ¡°You need to go now, though.¡±


    Red nodded and started to run again without hesitation.


    Sure enough, he found no more accidents over the next few hours. The youth only deigned to stop and rest once the Sun started to rise on the horizon.


    He sat down against a tree, completely exhausted. The snake finally deigned to poke its head out from beneath his cloak, looking around with a weary gaze before moving up and around his shoulders once more.


    Red took a deep breath. ¡°Why was there a ghoul there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Aurelia appeared in front of him out of thin air with a thoughtful expression. ¡°I can tell you that ghouls don¡¯t just appear out of nowhere, though. A zombie needs to eat a lot of flesh before evolving into a ghoul, so I can¡¯t imagine something like this would have gone unnoticed. That being said, this only leaves a few options¡­¡±


    ¡°The ghoul was raised by someone.¡± Red completed her line of thought.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°It can only be a necromancer¡¯s work.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ Why would they do that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t claim to understand that individual¡¯s thoughts.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That being said, the fact they have been able to act with such impunity in the region by the Curse Breakers is even more puzzling to me¡­ There is something going on here, Red, and you should either run away or do your best to find out what it is, or else¡­¡±


    Red was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ I will return to town first and consult with my sect members.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°You think they can help you? This is beyond me, even!¡±


    ¡°Hector has a lot of contacts with people from other sects. Even if he can¡¯t do anything about the situation, he should be able to get more information about it.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t seem happy with his words, but she didn¡¯t say anything else before disappearing into thin air.


    Red knew what she wanted of him, but he wasn¡¯t willing to give up hope on the situation quite yet. No matter how capable Aurelia was while she was alive, right now she was still just a ghost who had been dead for hundreds of years. She didn¡¯t even know about the Empire¡¯s existence, so how could she accurately judge the situation?


    The youth was also worried, but he would rather take into account Hector¡¯s assessment first before making a final decision.


    ¡­


    Another day passed by without any further accidents.


    To Red¡¯s surprise, he started to sense the return of animal life around him. This was an indication there were no more undead creatures around to scare the fauna away. Obviously, there was still the potential that the ghoul could spread the disease throughout the region, but right now Red was still ahead of it.


    If he could arrive in town in time, then the Baron and his sect could take the appropriate measures. Of course, for that he needed to hurry, and this meant that he couldn¡¯t afford to pause on the way and train his pet snake as he desired.


    The creature was still sitting on his shoulders like usual, without moving much. This indicated to Red that it wasn¡¯t hungry yet, so he didn¡¯t stop to feed it, either. Snakes ate only once every one or two weeks, so the youth knew he didn¡¯t need to worry about the matter just yet.


    ¡°Do you sense any undead nearby?¡± Red asked out loud.


    He got no response.


    ¡®It seems I won¡¯t really be able to rely on her.¡¯


    For some reason, Aurelia just stopped appearing in front of him since their discussion, no matter how often the youth tried calling out to her. Red wanted to use her widely superior range of detection to search around for any undead threats, but he didn¡¯t expect the woman to sulk over that matter.


    Still, he didn¡¯t dwell on it. He made it this far without her help, so he wouldn¡¯t completely rely on her now.


    The youth continued to walk forward before he sensed a fluctuation enter his detection range. Red immediately froze.


    ¡®Undead.¡¯


    The youth¡¯s body tensed. He was just about to turn and run before he pause once more.


    This was indeed an undead fluctuation, however, it didn¡¯t belong to a strong monster. This was not to mention the fact it was just walking straight in his direction with a slow and steady pace.


    Realization crossed Red¡¯s mind.


    His body remained tensed and prepared, but he didn¡¯t try to run any longer. He looked in the direction the fluctuation was coming from, and a few seconds later a creature appeared from amidst the trees.


    It was a silver-furred fox, no bigger than a common dog. Well, at least that was what it was before it became a half-decomposed zombie with barely any patch of fur remaining on its skin.


    The creature continued to walk towards Red even after they spotted each other. When it was five meters away from the youth, it paused and sat down.


    ¡°Long time.¡± A familiar raspy voice came from the creature¡¯s mouth. ¡°Need talk.¡±


    Sure enough, it seemed Red¡¯s old friend had finally come searching for him again.

 Chapter 299 - Chilling Glimpse

    Red frowned. The more he looked at the necromancer, the more he felt there was something strange surrounding them - an energy he couldn¡¯t feel before but was now clearer than ever. The youth felt that if he concentrated for longer, he would be able to discern, but he didn¡¯t intend on doing it in the middle of conversation.


    The zombie fox continued to stare at Red with its dead gaze. ¡°Brat has done it. Opened last acupoint. But¡­ Not right, is it?¡±


    ¡®Of course they can see it.¡¯


    Red would have been surprised instead if the necromancer couldn¡¯t sense this ¡°acupoint¡± on his forehead.


    ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Red asked.


    The necromancer was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ No. Never seen before.¡±


    The youth was skeptical. ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± They didn¡¯t seem to have any problem admitting it. ¡°Heard it before. Uncertain, weird situation. Shouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°So you¡¯re not telling me?¡±


    ¡°Kid will figure out himself. Kid will have to figure out lots himself.¡±


    The tone the necromancer was using was still as inhuman as ever, but beneath it, Red felt an undertone he had never heard before in their speeches. Something was off, but then again, the necromancer never visited him when things were going well.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Leaving.¡± the fox said.


    Red was at a loss. ¡°You mean to say that you are leaving?¡±


    The necromancer grunted. ¡°Leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Dangerous. Can¡¯t risk it. Need to hide.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond. He was under the impression that no matter what happened, the necromancer would be the one to always rise above it all with how strong they were. No matter the fact that their main body was imprisoned in another dimension, this was still a cultivator that was older than Red could fathom, and that had knowledge about matters only a select few in the world had access to.


    Yet, even they were saying the situation now became too dangerous.


    Red frowned. ¡°Are you planning on leaving me here? I thought I was important to you if you wanted to recover your body.¡±


    A guttural sound came out of the fox¡¯s mouth that the youth supposed was laughter. ¡°Kid want along?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Then pointless to force it. Kid still important, but still just investment. Stupid to put all eggs one basket.¡±


    ¡®So they still have other plans.¡¯


    This much should have been obvious in retrospect. However, Red never deigned to consider it before because he thought the necromancer would be monitoring him no matter what, and he couldn¡¯t imagine a situation that would force them to flee. This all, of course, begged one question.


    ¡°What is so dangerous that is making you flee?¡± Red asked.


    The necromancer didn¡¯t respond immediately. ¡°¡­ Empire.¡±


    The youth frowned in skepticism. ¡°The empire has been around since you first appeared. You didn¡¯t flee even when the Curse Breakers were here, so why would you do it now?¡±


    The fox laughed, its tone changing to become somewhat unhinged. ¡°Kid right. Something else. Something dangerous, older¡­ Unexpected. Can¡¯t afford stay. Might discover me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And you can¡¯t tell me what it is, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Tell you? Stupid, stupid idea. They hear, yes, they hear¡­ If they hear, everything over. Stupid bird, stupid master, stupid dimension won¡¯t save me.¡±


    ¡°They can get to your main body?¡± Red was shocked.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Don¡¯t need to.¡± The fox shook its head. ¡°Kid should leave too. Nothing worth here. Nothing left soon.¡±


    Red was silent. He couldn¡¯t help but think back to his encounter with that other demonic presence. As he found out, merely invoking their image in his mind was enough to send him sprawling with a headache and possibly invite unto himself unwanted attention. The necromancer¡¯s description of his concerns sounded very similar to that situation, which meant that the instigator of this problem could be an existence on the same level as that ¡°thing.¡±


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    Everything the youth was hearing was pointing towards a brewing storm that no one in the region could really see coming. He needed more information to prepare himself for whatever was to come.


    ¡°Have you been turning people into zombies?¡± Red asked.


    The necromancer seemed to hesitate. ¡°¡­ Not me.¡±


    The youth was surprised. ¡°So you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡± The fox shook its head.


    ¡°Is it another necromancer?¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡±


    Red noticed the fluctuation of the zombified fox began to stir. ¡°Is it¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­ related to this danger?¡¯


    His words died in his mouth as soon as he thought of completing his question. The zombified fox relaxed as it seemed like Red wasn¡¯t intent on pursuing this path of inquiry.


    The youth came to terms with the fact he wouldn¡¯t get anything out of the necromancer, so instead he decided to change his questions.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Run.¡± the fox said.


    Red frowned. ¡°I won¡¯t run.¡±


    The necromancer seemed displeased as he heard this. ¡°¡­ Beware the whispers.¡±


    ¡°Whispers?¡± He was confused.


    The fox refused to speak further.


    Red sighed. ¡°Is there anything else I should do?¡±


    The necromancer seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°Hurry. Time is shorter.¡±


    Although their words were vague, Red could guess as to what they were talking about. He nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    The zombie fox didn¡¯t say anything else. It turned around to leave, without so much as saying a farewell.


    Red stared at its distancing back. The aura surrounding the creature continued to baffle him, and the youth knew that right now would be his last opportunity to discern what it was he was seeing. Whatever form of clarity he could gleam into the necromancer¡¯s being, he needed to see it now.


    Red concentrated on that aura. Like a blurry recovering vision, this aura started to become clearer and clearer, a greyish mist similar to what he saw in the deer, but different at the same time.


    Then, all of a sudden, the fox slowed down and stopped walking.


    ¡®They noticed.¡¯


    Before Red could even react, though, the aura suddenly expanded, covering everything around him.


    ¡­


    For a second, the youth lost sensation of everything.


    When he finally came to again, the first thing he felt was the cold. A bone-chilling, bitter wind that seemed to reach even the depths of his soul. Just by standing here, Red felt on the verge of collapse.


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t move.


    No matter how much he tried, his body wouldn¡¯t respond to him. It was as if it wasn¡¯t even there at all. However, the coldness Red felt told him otherwise.


    As the rest of his senses recovered, his vision came back too. Yet, he could only see distorted shadows against a backdrop of a deep green energy that seemed to be emitted by a single point. It was a constantly shifting vision, and Red was unable to find purchase in any recognizable shape or form.


    It was a foreign world he found himself in, beyond his understanding, and his mind couldn¡¯t wrap itself around it. Red felt lost, out of his depth, and even with his strong mind, losing his sense of self with every passing moment.


    That was when, amidst all the shadows and flashing lights, he saw something. A shape, something that made sense in this strange space, even if he couldn¡¯t discern what it was at first. Without hesitation, Red grasped onto this image.


    As this image became clearer, the youth soon enough wished he hadn¡¯t.


    It was a humanoid figure floating amidst the endless chaotic space. However, immediately Red could tell something wasn¡¯t right about it.


    The figure was sporting a tattered black robe, and beneath it, the youth saw glimpses of the wearer¡¯s flesh. Or rather, lack of it.


    There was only bone, yellowed, full of stain of time and rot. No skin or flesh adhered to this being¡¯s body, yet it stood tall, just as a human would. Red¡¯s gaze wandered up this skeleton¡¯s body until he arrive at its head.


    A bare human skull, cracked in various places. Yet, where its eyes once laid, two orbs of green, fluttering flames stood. There were no pupils to indicate what this being was staring at, but Red could feel it was looking directly at him.


    The cold sensation became even stronger at that moment.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pry.¡± A foreign voice sounded inside of Red¡¯s mind. ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming for people of our station.¡±


    Red tried to respond, but found himself unable to.


    The voice continued. ¡°You never cease to surprise me. Perhaps in the future you will be qualified to work together with me.¡±


    The skeleton suddenly raised its bony hand and pointed at Red.


    His entire world went dark again.


    ¡­


    When Red came to again, he found himself laying against the forest ground.


    Something was slithering all over his body, and the youth almost panicked before noticing what it was. The snake seemed to notice his awakening and stopped moving, staring at Red with its impassive six eyes.


    He shook his head and sat up, feeling a painful headache attacking him.


    Red looked around, and just as he expected, there was no sign of the necromancer anywhere. He couldn¡¯t feel them with his crimson sense either.


    The air shimmered in front of him, before the figure of Aurelia appeared, arms crossed, staring at him with an angry expression.


    Red ignored the woman¡¯s glare. ¡°How long were they following me?¡±


    He was able to guess the reason as to why the woman didn¡¯t appear this last day was because she felt the presence of the necromancer nearby.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°As soon as we left that isolated area of the forest, they were already waiting. Though, if I knew you would just give away your new power like that, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered with trying to hide.¡±


    ¡°They know about me being able to see you?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°It would surprise me if they didn¡¯t. However, if we are to judge from their earlier words, perhaps they also knew this would happen all along.¡±


    Red was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ What exactly happened there?¡±


    Aurelia glared at him. ¡°I told you your power allowed you to see ghostly forms, and then you decided to go ahead and try to glimpse into the soul of a powerful necromancer! I can¡¯t even begin to tell you how incredibly reckless and stupid that was!¡±


    Red, of course, knew he was taking a risk. However, the necromancer never intended to kill him, and the youth decided the risk was worth the possible reward, and judging by what he saw, this might have been the case.


    ¡°I saw something.¡± Red said.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°A robed standing skeleton.¡±


    The woman was silent for a long while, her expression worsening. ¡°Did they have flame for eyes?¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to guess. A necromancer this powerful couldn¡¯t have been anything other than a lich.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°A lich?¡±


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°A cultivator that willingly turned themselves into an undead in exchange for powers beyond your imagination. They are amongst the strongest and most dangerous beings out there in our world. That is what a lich is.¡±


    In the youth¡¯s mind, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the flames in the skeleton¡¯s eyes, and a shiver ran up his spine.

 Chapter 300 - Lich Identity

    ¡°Did they do anything to me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary on your soul.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°However, it is a powerful lich we are talking about, so even if they did something, it¡¯s unlikely I could notice. At the same time, if they wanted to do something to you, they wouldn¡¯t have waited until this juncture.¡±


    The youth was compelled to agree with her logic. Still, this did little to assuage his worries, but there was nothing they could do at this instance.


    Red¡¯s mind wandered towards other concerns. ¡°How many liches are out there in the world?¡±


    The woman smirked. ¡°You want to discover the necromancer¡¯s identity?¡±


    Red nodded, not surprised that the woman could immediately guess his intentions.


    Aurelia put on a thoughtful expression. ¡°Well, in my time, there were only three active liches, as far as we knew, but there were probably more in hiding. Even while the Queen of the Dead was alive, though, there were no more than a dozen of them alive at once, and most of them died together with their mistress. Granted, this information is more than five hundred years old, and a lot of things can happen in such long periods.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Even for liches?¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°Maybe, but truth is that since the Queen of the Dead died, no new liches have been born as far as we know. This means that whoever this necromancer is, he is older than you could possibly imagine.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The Queen of the Dead died thousands of years ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°And that is a mere fraction in the lifespan of a lich.¡±


    Red had a hard time wrapping his head around this. Was there even a chance to fool someone who was thousands of years older than you? It put things into perspective, but then again, it wasn¡¯t even the greatest of the youth¡¯s challenges at the moment.


    ¡°What are the names of the liches that were active in your time?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Mordecai, Lord of Dreadwood, Euphemia, Minister of Whispers, and Absalom, Duke of Lies.¡±


    The youth frowned. None of these names were familiar to him, even in the books he read about the Queen of the Dead in his library, which didn¡¯t even mention creatures such as liches. ¡°Do they all have titles?¡±


    ¡°They served a queen and posed as nobles. They had grand designs over the world in their time.¡±


    Red was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ Do you think any of them are the necromancer?¡±


    Aurelia hesitated. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell. I wasn¡¯t unfortunate enough to encounter any of them in my time, and even the most active liches rarely made enough appearances for anyone to make assumptions about their personalities. We can only go off of old legends and tales.¡±


    ¡°So, which one would you guess is the necromancer, from what you hear?¡±


    ¡°A penchant for trickery and lies was a trademark of Absalom, as his title implies. However, it is a mere guess. Cunning is a very common trait in any cultivator that powerful.¡±


    ¡®Absalom.¡¯


    Red decided to look the name up as soon as he got back to town.


    Aurelia spoke up. ¡°If you are done satisfying your curiosity, I wish to ask a question of my own.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t promise I will be able to answer it.¡±


    Aurelia stared at Red with a curious expression, unbothered by his hesitation. ¡°I have to wonder, how did you come about this necromancer in the first place? Was this all because of the curse?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me what happened! It¡¯s clear there¡¯s something wrong with that necromancer, or why else would they be using such weak monsters as clones?¡±


    He shook his head again. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


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    The woman snorted and disappeared into thin air without hesitation. Red was being truthful in the end, since he saw no reason to lie in front of a ghost who could see everything he was doing at all times. The bits of secrets he could still keep from her he would do so gladly, as they could be of use to him if they were to fall out in the future.


    With no more immediate concerns, Red started his trip back to town again.


    ¡­


    On the next day of his trip, Red was surprised as he spotted a mark on one of the trees. He stopped running and approached the tree trunk to examine it.


    A familiar mark was there, carved into the bark.


    ¡®Rog.¡¯


    It was one of the symbols they had agreed to use to locate each other while separated in this large forest. Depending on the amount of lines and the shapes in the symbols, Red would be able to tell which day of the month this drawing was carved, and in which direction Rog was walking towards when he left it.


    This carving, for instance, was left only two days ago, and Red frowned at this realization.


    ¡®Rog came after me.¡¯


    The youth couldn¡¯t imagine what could have prompted the man to do so. Red made it clear he was on a personal outing before he left the sect, which meant that whatever caused Rog to chase after him must have been an emergency.


    Of course, there was also the matter of the imperial tracking devices, which the rest of his sect were probably completely unaware of. What if someone had followed Rog to here?


    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯


    Red looked in the direction the symbol was pointing and decided to follow it. Every two hundred meters or so, the youth let out an imitation of a bird whistle to echo over the forest, a method they used to locate each other.


    There was no immediate response, but Red didn¡¯t give up. Over the course of the next eight hours, the youth found three more such symbols, and he continued to do the bird call, much to the dismay of the snake in his shoulders, which reared its head up at him in annoyance every single time.


    ¡°You look stupid.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice came from behind him.


    Red ignored her and continued his search. Thankfully, when night had almost fallen, he heard a response in the form of a similar bird whistle.


    ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯


    Red started to approach the place where the call came from with some caution. He doubted the imperials could have learned their secret language just from observation, but he would rather be safe.


    A few minutes later, he felt a fluctuation appear in his range. It was Rog, to his relief. He let out another call, and the two of them finally spotted each other between the trees.


    ¡°I finally found you, kid.¡± Rog had his bow out, approaching Red with an annoyed expression. ¡°I was following your old trail but-¡±


    The hunter¡¯s words died in his mouth as his eyes widened in shock.


    He pulled out an arrow from his back slowly and started to raise his bow in Red¡¯s direction. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t move. There¡¯s something on your shoulder.¡±


    Red raised his hand, touching the head of the camouflaged snake. ¡°I know. I tamed a snake hatchling during my trip.¡±


    Rog seemed to be at a loss. ¡°Tamed it? How?¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s something more urgent to discuss - were you followed?¡±


    The hunter nodded. ¡°When I exited the town, yes, but I managed to lose their trail while I was following you. I also saw some small signs of combat on your tracks, but there was no body or blood at all there. Someone tampered with the scene, and I was already assuming the worst.¡±


    ¡®So they sent someone to investigate.¡¯


    Red was glad for his earlier caution in immediately leaving the scene back then.


    ¡°I killed someone that was chasing me, but I didn¡¯t stick around long enough to hide the body.¡± Red said. ¡°They have a magical method of tracking us, Rog. I found it amidst my stalker¡¯s belongings.¡±


    Rog¡¯s expression froze. ¡°¡­ They do?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°They probably have all of us tracked to some degree without our knowledge. The only reason nothing happened to us yet is because they have no interest in attacking us. However, I don¡¯t know how long that¡¯s going to last, much more so now, after I killed one of their own.¡±


    Rog remained silent as his expression paled.


    The youth was immediately able to tell something was wrong. ¡°¡­ Why did you come looking for me, Rog?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It was Hector. He told me to.¡± Rog said.


    Red frowned, a bad premonition coming to him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He said he felt the person that was watching him suddenly disappear on the night you went away.¡± Rog said. ¡°¡­ Was that when you killed whoever was chasing you?¡±


    Red¡¯s silence was more than enough of an answer to him.


    The hunter scratched his beard in concern. ¡°Maybe that was who you killed, right?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°¡­ Hector said that whoever was watching him was very strong.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well, you¡¯re still alive, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That is because I managed to hide my presence from their magical tracking.¡±


    Rog frowned. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t do anything to hide my magical presence, and they didn¡¯t attack me, so maybe they don¡¯t really plan on doing anything. Unless¡­¡± The hunter¡¯s expression changed as he trailed off.


    ¡°Unless they wanted him to lead them right up to you, Red.¡± Aurelia completed his words as she appeared behind the hunter with an ugly expression. ¡°Absolute fools, the lot of your sect!¡±


    ¡°Can you disguise his presence?¡± Red looked at the woman.


    Rog frowned. ¡°Whose presence? What do you mean by that?¡±


    Aurelia frowned, but still nodded. ¡°He has to stay within fifty meters of you, though.¡±


    Red looked over at Rog. ¡°You need to stay within fifty meters of me if you want to stay disguised. They might already be watching us from afar, so we will need to run and try to lose them.¡±


    The hunter hesitated. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s probably someone on the Lesser Ring Realm, kid. We can¡¯t lose them.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Then we will stand our ground and fight. Stop complaining and let¡¯s move.¡±


    Rog nodded and put his bow on his back. They started to run away westward at their top speed without hesitation.


    ¡°We will go to the hills to the south!¡± Red said. ¡°Even if they¡¯re already on our trail, we can at least-¡±


    The youth was suddenly interrupted by a familiar roar.


    ¡®Ghoul.¡¯


    Red¡¯s blood went cold.


    This wasn¡¯t the end of it, though. The first roar was followed by two other roars of the same intensity and tone. It wasn¡¯t just one ghoul; it was three of them, and their roars all came from different directions.


    They were surrounded.


    Rog¡¯s expression paled by his side. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t too good, is it?¡±

 Chapter 301 - Graveyard Chase

    Red looked at Rog in a hurry. ¡°Do you have talismans with you?¡±


    The hunter nodded. ¡°Two shielding ones.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Only that?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t hoping to fight anyone this outing.¡± Rog said. ¡°Besides, you know we don¡¯t have much left.¡±


    The youth knew it only too well. They received a bounty of Spirit Stone from the trial a long time ago, but that wasn¡¯t enough to sustain their constant consumption while fighting the forest monsters. Not to mention that the sect barely even made a single Spirit Stone a month, so resupplying their dwindling stock of talismans was almost impossible.


    Red picked something out of his pouch and handed it to Rog. It was a talisman.


    ¡°Fireball.¡± Red said. ¡°You use that and I use my Wind Blade talisman and we break past the ghoul in the south.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be enough.¡± Aurelia said.


    The youth ignored her.


    ¡°A ghoul?¡± Rog looked surprised.


    ¡°Just do as I say. We don¡¯t have enough time.¡±


    Rog nodded, but he still carried a worried expression. ¡°What about the other two?¡±


    ¡°We split up after that. This way, we both will have a chance to make it out of this alive.¡±


    The hunter shook his head. ¡°We are not splitting up.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°¡­ Fine.¡±


    Rog saw through his plan in an instant. They both knew that the ghouls were after Red, judging by the fact they used Rog to lure him in, which meant that if they split up, they would probably all go after the youth.


    The hunter wouldn¡¯t let that come to pass, though.


    Another set of roars, this time closer.


    Red tensed up and drew his sword. ¡°Don¡¯t use the shielding talisman unless absolutely necessary. We need to make every moment count.¡±


    Rog nodded and pulled out his bow. ¡°I¡¯m behind you.¡±


    With all brief preparations done, there was nothing more to do than to run straight at their enemy. Although the two of them had a lot of experience dealing with Lesser Ring Realm enemies, this didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t a threat to them.


    Most of their encounters against such enemies were in the form of monsters, and their victories all happened through ambushes or thorough planning and overwhelming through numbers. They didn¡¯t engage in straight up combat against Lesser Ring Realm creatures, and much less allowed themselves to be ambushed by them.


    The last time Red and his companions were ambushed by a Lesser Ring Realm monster was back in the trial, in the form of a fireleaf deer, and back then, Rog almost died. Now they were facing against three ghouls, each one probably more dangerous than that deer back then, and all seemingly coordinated enough to surround and kill the two of them. Even with Red¡¯s special abilities, this was, without doubt, a terrible situation for them.


    Death was knocking at their door, and the only reason the two of them remained calm was because of all their years of experience in life or death situations. Their chances for success might be slim, but if they hesitated or froze in the face of danger, then they would definitely die.


    Red led the way in his sprint, focusing on his crimson sense for the appearance of the ghoul.


    ¡°Wait for my signal before activating the talisman!¡± the youth said.


    Rog grunted in affirmation.


    It didn¡¯t take Red too long to feel the ghoul approaching them behind the trees. The strength of its fluctuation immediately proved that Aurelia was right in her earlier warnings.


    Red shouted at Rog. ¡°Start chanting now!¡±


    The youth started doing the same thing. Talismans took a few seconds to activate, which meant one needed to have precise timing if they wanted to use it in combat.


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    It took just a few seconds for the two of them to spot their target amidst the tree, charging in their direction.


    The ghoul, which was a man in life, carried much of the same characteristics as the zombies Red saw before - pale, blueish skin, signs of rot, exposed bone and flesh, falling hair - and yet the difference was evident upon further examination. For one, the ghoul¡¯s expression carried an animalistic savagery, a bigger display of emotion than any zombie was capable of. This was not the only thing the ghoul shared in common with a monster, as its darkened fingernails were long and sharp, resembling claws more than anything, and its canines were also far bigger than normal. There were also its movements, as the ghoul seemed to prefer running on all fours than on both legs.


    The creature was so different from a common man that it was almost impossible to think it was alive at one point in the past. Yet, here it was, probably far stronger than it ever was in life, charging towards Red and Rog with a maddened gaze and a hunger for human flesh.


    ¡°Now!¡± Red gave the signal.


    Rog threw his talisman first. A small fireball formed in front of him before flying towards the ghoul. The undead saw it coming and jumped away with surprising dexterity, avoiding direct impact.


    Still, the fireball exploded against the ground, and an expanding ball of flame consumed the ghoul. The creature let out a roar of pain, but it was clear it wasn¡¯t dead even through the smoke and dust barring their vision.


    Red squinted his eyes and used his crimson sense to locate the ghoul and let his own talisman loose. The air in front of him started to condense, forming a blade of wind that flew towards the ghoul even quicker than the fireball.


    The burst of wind dispersed the dust from the air, allowing Red to see the blade flying towards the ghoul. The creature turned around and tried to jump away, but it was too slow.


    The blade of wind lopped off both of its legs, making it fall down to the ground in a slump. This should have been enough to kill any living creature, but Red knew that the ghoul would definitely not die with just this much.


    Sure enough, the ghoul roared in pain at its lost legs, but it didn¡¯t stop moving. Instead, it used its hands to crawl along the ground with surprising speed towards the duo. Still, it wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch up with them any longer.


    Red ignored the undead and turned towards Rog. ¡°Leave it be and let¡¯s move quickly!¡±


    Rog nodded at him and turned to run.


    Behind them, Red heard the sound of the other two ghouls getting even closer. The youth was painfully aware that they wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun these creatures, but he had a plan.


    ¡°Can you distract them?!¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Me?!¡± Rog seemed confused.


    ¡°Not you!¡± The youth shook his head.


    Aurelia¡¯s voice came right by the side of his head. ¡°Hold the core up.¡±


    Red did as much. The crystal began to glow with an intense light before two beams of light shot out from them in different directions.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Rog asked with a bewildered gaze.


    ¡°This might buy us enough time to run away.¡± Red said. ¡°But we need to run as fast as we can.¡±


    The hunter scratched his beard and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep up.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    For the first time in Red¡¯s life at the surface, he was the one who needed to slow down for his companion to keep up with him. It was a rather sudden change from the youth¡¯s perspective, but now that he opened all twelve of his veins, he was technically physically superior to almost everyone in the sect, barring Allen and Hector.


    Still, he didn¡¯t dwell on the matter.


    He continued to run, at the fastest speed that Rog was comfortable with. Just as Red was planning a route and trying to find a place to hide, he heard the sounds of roars behind him again, still approaching their location.


    ¡°They¡¯re not biting!¡± Aurelia said with an urgent tone.


    Rog also looked behind them with an alarmed expression. ¡°They¡¯re still coming!¡±


    Red was suddenly at a loss. This same strategy worked before when he tried to throw a ghoul out of his trail, so why wouldn¡¯t it work now?


    ¡°Are they being controlled?!¡± Red asked.


    Rog looked at him in confusion. ¡°How would I know?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find any other gathering of undead energy nearby!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°If they¡¯re being controlled, it¡¯s from farther than five kilometers away from us!¡±


    ¡®Further than five kilometers¡­¡¯


    Red¡¯s hopes were quickly dashed. If the ghouls were being controlled, then maybe they could kill whoever was commanding them and then escape with the same strategy. However, there were apparently no necromancers even within a five kilometer radius of them. One kilometer of distance in this situation was already too much, but more than five and without even knowing what direction to go on? By the time they found where this supposed necromancer was, the ghouls would have already long caught up with them.


    Red was starting to feel hopeless about their situation, and Rog was quick to pick up on it, even with the youth¡¯s cold expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold them back, kid!¡± the hunter said. ¡°You can use that chance to escape!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Be quiet!¡±


    The hunter smiled. ¡°So what¡¯s the other option? Fighting to the death?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do that if we must.¡±


    Rog laughed. ¡°Fine. But if I decide to sacrifice myself like a hero, don¡¯t waste my life by being stubborn.¡±


    Red ignored his words. ¡°There¡¯s a hill nearby. We¡¯ll fight them there.¡± He picked something out of his pouch before throwing it towards the hunter. ¡°I still have another offensive talisman! Take it!¡±


    Rog grabbed the talisman. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Chain lightning.¡±


    The hunter¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I always did want to use one of these.¡±


    They approached the hill, taking positions on higher terrain as the ghouls were quick approaching. When they stopped, it would probably take no more than ten seconds for their enemies to arrive.


    ¡°Here!¡± Rog said.


    Red followed his advice and ducked behind a tree. Without hesitation, the youth pulled out another talisman from his pouch - his last resort - and something that had cost him almost three Spirit Stones alone to buy. Still, Red wouldn¡¯t be stingy in using it if his life was in danger.


    He began to chant and rubbed at one spot on the talisman. Then, almost four seconds later, electric energy started to spread from the talisman, and without hesitation Red plastered the slip of paper against his arm.


    A surge of energy spread through his body, and just at that moment, the figure of the two other ghouls appeared in their vision. It was time to make their final stand here.

 Chapter 302 - Fighting Against the Ghouls

    ¡°Use it now!¡± Red gave Rog the signal.


    The hunter already completed the chanting of his talisman and was waiting for the ghouls to be in range. As soon as the youth gave him the signal, he waved the talisman towards the two approaching creatures.


    A convergence of crackling electric arcs gathered in Rog¡¯s hand, before shooting towards the ghouls. The bolts of lightning closed the distance between them in an instant, scorching every tree in their way before making contact with the undead.


    The ghouls froze in their tracks. Their bodies started to convulse from the electric arcs passing through them, and soon enough, almost their entire bodies were charred. A few seconds later, the lightning was gone just as suddenly as it had arrived.


    Both ghouls roared in pain, falling to their knees as they tried to recover. There was no fanfare in this chain lightning talisman, and it was arguably weaker than the one Red used back in the trial, but it was still enough to do damage to his opponents and afford him an opportunity.


    As soon as he was sure the effects of Rog¡¯s talisman were gone, Red charged towards his opponent. His body, imbued with lightning energy, shot towards the ghouls with such quickness that the youth was able to cover dozens of meters in two steps. He could feel his special acupoints from the Storm¡¯s Blessing technique synergizing with the Spiritual Bestowing talisman he used, making the effects of both abilities even stronger.


    Lightning and wind were both elements known for their speed. However, there were key differences between them. For one, lightning was all about explosive speed, while wind was more about consistent and controllable speed. Lighting might have faster burst of speed, but it was almost impossible to sustain or control them to the same degree one would be able to achieve with wind. Which one was better all depended on the situation.


    This was something Red learned on the Storm¡¯s Blessing manual, and he was now putting into effect. A Wind Bestowment talisman might have allowed him to dodge and survive for longer, but that would avail him naught in this situation other than buying him a few minutes. Instead, Red chose a lightning talisman so he could rely on its explosive power to finish his enemies before there was even a fight at all.


    By the time the ghouls noticed his approach, he was already upon them. He attacked the ghoul on the right, another man wearing just rags, and swung his sword at it. The creature tried to jump out of the way, but it was too dazed by the chain lightning.


    Red managed to lop its left arm off at the elbow. The ghoul roared in pain and turned to glare at him.


    Red stopped his movements a few dozen meters behind it and turned around. He watched the results with a frown.


    The youth was actually going for the creature¡¯s head. However, even with his improved speed and its dazed state, the ghoul was still able to respond in time and lose just an arm instead. This already told him how strong this opponent would be.


    ¡®At least it is one arm short.¡¯


    The ghoul seemed to not even notice the absence of its arm, and charge at Red with blood in its eyes. Its companion, a female ghoul, ignored the youth and charged towards Rog uphill.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let it get to Rog.¡¯


    The hunter was already shooting at the ghoul charging at him, but his arrows either bounced off its surprisingly sturdy skin or just stuck to the creature with no effect.


    Red looked back at his own ghoul. The creature leaped at him, clawing at the youth with its remaining hand.


    From this distance, Red could feel the foul stench coming from these undead, far stronger than any zombie he came across before. Its claws also seemed to radiate with a dark light that made everything around it dim slightly.


    The electric energy around his body flared again, and Red sidestepped the ghoul¡¯s attack. The claws clashed against a tree behind him, causing it to explode into splinters and the area where the claw made contact even seemed to rot and die.


    The ghoul turned around with a roar, but before it could follow up with its attack, Red was already charging at its companion uphill, who seemed unaware of his approach. That was, before Red¡¯s ghoul let out a strange loud noise.


    Suddenly, the other ghoul stopped and turned around to face Red. It sent a claw swinging at his face.


    ¡®Crap.¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t change his trajectory in time, so he just gave up on attacking and dove beneath the blow instead. Thankfully, his speed and reaction time was enough to dodge the claw attack, as it passed over his head, but just barely.


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    He ended up on the other side of the female ghoul. The creature tried to follow up on its attack, but an arrow suddenly hit it on the side of the head, allowing Red to distance himself away from melee range.


    The female ghoul looked at Rog with an angry gaze. It ignored Red and charged at the hunter instead. The youth was about to stop it, but the other ghoul was already upon him.


    He dove out of the way, once more dodging its claw attack. The ghoul wasn¡¯t dissuaded, though. It followed up with another few swipes, crushing and killing trees all around them. Red was just barely able to keep himself alive with the help of the bestowment talisman, so he knew for certain Rog wouldn¡¯t fare well in his position.


    Sure enough, Red saw a light on the other side of the battlefield.


    ¡®Shield Talisman.¡¯


    A few minutes earlier, the youth told the hunter not to use the shielding talisman unless absolutely necessary. This was, of course, because it would make them a sitting duck even if it protected them from the ghouls for a bit. Rog was a smart person, so the fact he used one so soon meant the situation was already dire.


    The youth was able to catch a glimpse, and he saw the female ghoul striking with both of its claws at the shield covering the hunter. Rog, for his part, was trying to run away, to no avail.


    ¡®I need to help him.¡¯


    Red grabbed the insectoid core from his pocket while dodging the ghoul¡¯s attacks.


    Aurelia called out to him with horror. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Red ignored her. He distanced himself from the two ghouls and held the core up.


    ¡°Here, you two, come get me!¡±


    As soon as the male ghoul spotted the crystal in his hand, it froze. It let out a strange sound from its mouth, and this also seemed to attract its companion¡¯s attention. They both looked at the core in Red¡¯s hand with fervent gazes and soon enough were charging at him with renewed energy.


    The youth didn¡¯t hesitate to turn around and run. He knew that these ghouls were being controlled, but it seemed that even this control wasn¡¯t enough to overpower the allure of the Moonstone core.


    ¡°You¡¯re a suicidal idiot!¡± Aurelia continued to berate him while he ran.


    The youth couldn¡¯t focus on her now, though. His Spirit Bestowment talisman wouldn¡¯t last forever, and there were still two living ghouls chasing after him. His lightning imbued steps could only carry him so far against the ghouls, and even now he wasn¡¯t gaining on them as much as keeping a constant distance with his sudden bursts of speed. Things were looking bleak.


    He looked down at the core in his hands and had a sudden idea.


    ¡°If they catch the core, they will eat it!¡± Aurelia seemed to be able to read his mind.


    Red frowned. ¡°I won¡¯t let them!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop them!¡±


    ¡°Then give me another idea!¡±


    There was only silence. If the core was eaten, he might be as good as dead when the curse came, but if he didn¡¯t use it as a distraction to kill one of the ghouls, he would die right now, so what other choice did he have?


    Just as Red was getting ready to enact his plan, he felt something behind him.


    Aurelia warned him. ¡°It¡¯s spewing something!¡±


    Red looked back and saw the male ghoul¡¯s throat bulge before it spewed a torrent of blackish bile like a jet at the youth¡¯s back. This stream was overflowing with undead energy, and even Red could feel it.


    He tried to jump out of the way at the last moment, but even then, he still felt his left upper back be hit by part of the bile. The force of the blow was enough to send him sprawling to the ground, but that wasn¡¯t the worst part.


    Red felt the residual bile eating away at his clothes gradually, some of it even reaching his flesh and causing a burning pain like nothing the youth ever felt before.


    Aurelia shouted at him. ¡°Throw away your clothes!¡±


    Red immediately threw off his cloak and tore away at his shirt, but even then he could feel an unbearable pain eating away at his skin and flesh. It was too late, and the acid was already doing its damage.


    He gritted his teeth, but he didn¡¯t even have time to gather himself.


    The female ghoul suddenly leapt at him while its companion lagged behind after spewing its bile. Red rolled out of the way, dodging her claw by a breadth. Still, before he could get up, the ghoul struck with her other claw, and the youth was forced to bring his sword up to block it.


    His weapon was pushed back against his chest, but the youth managed to redirect the ghoul¡¯s claw attack and roll away. He made to get up and dash away, but he felt something suddenly grab his right leg. Before Red could even look back, his body was flung like a rag doll before being thrown against a tree.


    A cracking sound echoed through the forest as both the wooden trunk and a few of Red¡¯s bones shattered upon impact. The youth fell down to the floor a few meters away from the crash site.


    This pain, added to the acid burning his upper back, made it hard for Red to even breath. However, he could still feel through his crimson sense that the ghoul was still approaching him, eager to finish the job, so he tried to force himself.


    ¡°Damn it all!¡± Aurelia¡¯s urgent voice sounded right by his ear. ¡°Grab the core, quickly! It¡¯s our only chance!¡±


    Red wanted to do as much, but after the crash, the core had fallen out of his hand and onto the ground a few meters away. The youth rolled over and tried to grab the core, but at almost the same time, he saw the ghoul jump at him.


    There was not enough time.


    Suddenly, something crashed into the ghoul midair, throwing it down the hill. Red looked over and saw Rog, whose shield was on the verge of breaking apart after smashing into the ghoul with all of its strength.


    ¡°Turns out you can use this to attack too!¡± the hunter said with a smile. ¡°Come on, get up and run!¡±


    Red did as he was told, but before he even had time to breathe, he felt something with his crimson sense.


    ¡°Rog, watch out!¡± Red rushed ahead to push the hunter out of the way.


    However, the shield which protected Rog also kept its allies from barging in. From the other side, the male ghoul jumped at the hunter, its claw shattering the weak remains of the shield before following through unabated towards the man.


    Rog tried to jump out of the way, but even then he was too slow.


    The ghoul¡¯s claws slashed his right arm clean off.

 Chapter 303 - Wail

    Rog¡¯s right arm fell to one side while he fell to the other and rolled away. In the end, he managed to avoid a death blow, and as someone who opened all twelve of his veins, his body didn¡¯t fall into shock at the loss of a limb. The consequences of the blow, however, were direr than that, but at the time neither of them could process it.


    Red sought to charge at the ghoul to catch its attention again, but he didn¡¯t need to. As soon as Rog was thrown to the side, the ghoul turned to the youth, staring at the core in his hand.


    ¡°Get the two of them closer together!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice sounded by his ear.


    The youth didn¡¯t know what her plan was, but he knew she was his only hope. Red felt the Spiritual Bestowment talisman wearing off, and he knew that if this wasn¡¯t resolved right now, he would definitely die.


    He turned around and dashed towards the female ghoul downhill, who was already getting up and charging back at the fray.


    Aurelia urged him on. ¡°Focus on the core! Don¡¯t resist what¡¯s about to happen!¡±


    Her words alarmed him, but he knew this was no time for hesitation. He focused on the core in his hand right as the two ghouls closed in on him from both sides.


    The glow on the crystal intensified, and suddenly, Red felt something being pulled out of his body and into the core. It took him a split second to realize what it was.


    ¡®Moonstone Energy.¡¯


    The youth didn¡¯t resist it. As the energy from his special acupoints was pulled out of his body, a human shape seemed to form in the air above the core. Red was quick to recognize it as Aurelia, but there was something different about her this time around.


    Her skin became pale and sunken in, her hair turned white and was floating about as if with a life of its own, but what really caught the youth¡¯s attention were her eyes. They were completely red, and blood flowed down the woman¡¯s corpse-like face like tears. Her feet weren¡¯t touching the ground either, as Aurelia floated a few meters above.


    Her whole aura had changed, and Red felt an unprecedented sense of fear as he stared at her figure. He was reminded of what kind of creature Aurelia was in the first place.


    ¡®A ghost.¡¯


    As soon as she appeared, the ghouls chasing after Red also froze. Their expression changed, and they stared at Aurelia with terrified gazes. Without hesitation, both of them turned around to run.


    Before that, though, the woman acted. Her jaws distended, and her mouth opened up to a wide, dark gaping hole. Then she seemed to take a deep breath.


    Red felt the surrounding air change. A familiar sensation came to him.


    ¡®Spiritual Energy.¡¯


    A second later, Aurelia let out a soundless scream. The air seemed to shake and trees rustled about as her wail spread to the surroundings. Red couldn¡¯t hear any of it, but he felt something reach into his mind, and he felt light-headed. Still, he kept his consciousness.


    A few seconds later, Aurelia¡¯s scream seemed to stop. Then, out of nowhere, the woman simply disappeared into thin air before Red could even question her.


    That was when he felt something strange. Or rather, he didn¡¯t feel it.


    The fluctuations of both ghouls were gone.


    Red, who was too distracted before by Aurelia¡¯s terrifying appearance, looked back at the creatures who were chasing him. Both of them were now laying on the ground, unmoving.


    They were dead.


    Red was confused, but he didn¡¯t have time to investigate. He turned around and dashed back toward the area where Rog had collapsed.


    He found the hunter sitting against a tree, holding onto what remained of his right arm. He was still conscious, though his expression was pale.


    He looked surprised upon seeing Red. ¡°What happened?¡±


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    ¡°They¡¯re dead.¡± Red said as he approached the hunter.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±


    The youth ignored him and examined the man¡¯s right arm. It was cut off just above the elbow, but it seemed like the bleeding had mostly stopped. This wasn¡¯t what worried Red, though.


    Rather, it was this blackish substance that seemed to be spreading from the wound, towards his shoulder and the rest of his body, from the veins beneath his skin.


    ¡°I tried the healing pill.¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and continued to examine the wound with a frown.


    Rog grunted. ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°We need to cut off the rest of your arm.¡±


    The hunter was silent for a few seconds, but still nodded. ¡°¡­ Do it.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate. He cleaned his sword thoroughly from the ghoul¡¯s blood before putting it over the remaining length of Rog¡¯s arm.


    He looked over at the man, waiting for his signal. Rog took out a knife from his waist with his other hand and bit into its handle. Then he nodded at Red.


    The youth¡¯s sword swung down. It met no resistance as it sliced off the remains of Rog¡¯s upper right arm, stopping just short of the man¡¯s shoulder.


    The hunter wailed and grunted in pain, biting deep into the knife handle, but still held onto his consciousness. Red was also quick to act, feeding Rog two healing pills from his own pouch, the whole supply the youth brought with himself.


    Rog swallowed it without hesitation, and a few seconds later, the pills were already starting to have its effect. The bleeding stopped, and the wound around the man¡¯s stump began to close up. Still, Red tied it up with whatever bit of cloth remained on his torso to stop the injury from reopening.


    ¡°We need to move.¡± Red said, trying to bring Rog up.


    The hunter nodded, accepting his help. ¡°You might¡­ Need to carry me.¡±


    Red could feel through Rog¡¯s fluctuation that he was barely conscious. Without hesitation, the youth put the hunter over his shoulder in a fireman¡¯s carry. Rog didn¡¯t resist, or rather didn¡¯t have the strength to resist in the first place and let himself be carried away by Red.


    The youth himself was still feeling the pains from the battle, mostly a few broken ribs and the burning in his back. His regeneration, now slowed down with the diminished crimson mist in his body, wasn¡¯t helping much either, but Red was more than used to moving in wounded conditions, so he wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be slowed down.


    ¡°Tell me if you start to feel any other symptoms!¡± Red said to Rog as he ran away.


    All the response he got was a pained grunt.


    Red didn¡¯t stop running until he was at least a dozen kilometers away from where they fought the ghouls, almost nearing exhaustion when he finally deemed it safe enough to stop. This was, of course, necessary because he knew the ghouls weren¡¯t the only danger in the region. If there was really someone controlling them, then they would definitely not be too pleased at having lost their minions, and neither Red nor Rog were in any state to fight any longer.


    Once he settled down, Red immediately checked on the hunter¡¯s condition. The man was still conscious, and his wounds had yet to reopen, but this didn¡¯t make the youth feel like the danger had passed yet.


    Rog grunted through his closed eyes as Red set him down against a tree.


    ¡°I heard that kind of thing doesn¡¯t work, y¡¯know.¡± he said with a weak voice.


    The youth frowned. ¡°What thing?¡±


    ¡°Cutting off an infected limb. It doesn¡¯t stop the infection from spreading.¡±


    ¡°It still buys us time.¡±


    The man grunted. ¡°Time? For what?¡±


    ¡°To cure you.¡± Red said.


    Rog opened his eyes and stared at the youth through ragged breaths. ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I will find a way.¡±


    The hunter smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ you will¡­¡±


    Rog trailed off, and his eyes closed as he fell unconscious. Red frowned in concern, but upon further examination, he confirmed the hunter¡¯s situation was stable for now. How long that would last, though, was another question.


    With what little time was afforded them, Red sat down and pulled out his insectoid core again. It was significantly dimmer than the youth ever recalled it being, even weaker than when he first got his hands on it back in the underground. He knew this wasn¡¯t a good sign.


    ¡°Aurelia, can you hear me?¡± Red said out loud.


    There was no response. Whatever the woman had done to save him had come at a great cost to both her and, in turn, to the core¡¯s condition.


    ¡®Is she dead?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure, but he doubted the woman would be willing to sacrifice herself in such a manner. It was very likely, instead, that she was in a coma or hibernation state, a common defense mechanism for almost all beings when under extreme pressure or life-threatening injuries, whether they were human or not.


    This raised another worrying matter to Red, though. Was she still able to keep her disguising technique up under those conditions? If she couldn¡¯t, that meant that the imperials would find their way to him, eventually.


    He looked over at Rog with a frown. The curse of undeath was an infectious disease. It could be transmitted many ways, but the most common one was through bodily fluids or scratch and bite wounds. Red had already seen a deer transform into an undead earlier, presumably clawed by the ghoul, which meant that the creature could transmit its disease to someone else through its sharp nails.


    Rog had his arm cut off by one of its claws, and even after all they did, there was no guarantee the disease hadn¡¯t already spread to the rest of his body. Even if the remaining disease in his body was weak, it would grow and eventually fester, transforming him into a zombie.


    Red didn¡¯t know how long that process might take. It could take a few hours, maybe days, perhaps even weeks. It all depended on the source of infection and the treatment provided. Some people had even lived for years or the rest of their lives with the help of powerful cultivators, dying of old age before the disease could even have an effect.


    However, amidst all of this, there was a prevailing common knowledge when it came to undead sickness.


    There was no cure.

 Chapter 304 - Battered Return

    Red gritted his teeth as he put on an improvised bandage over his back. The wound still burned, but nothing else seemed to be happening around the affected area. This was to say that even after the ghoul spewed the contents of its stomach onto his back, the youth wasn¡¯t infected by undead sickness or anything of the sort.


    This only confirmed his suspicions from years ago.


    ¡®I am immune to this sickness.¡¯


    Upon further thought, this wasn¡¯t surprising. Necromancers, for instance, were also immune to this infection, unless it came from an extremely strong source. The reason for that was the undeath energy that ran in their veins, which assimilated this corrupting energy and prevented it from taking effect. It just so happened Red possessed a very powerful kind of undeath energy in his body, so resisting the infection from a ghoul was still possible.


    There was also another matter which concerned Red to a smaller degree.


    The six-eyed snake had disappeared.


    He didn¡¯t know when this happened, since back then he was too distracted by the ghouls to even pay attention to his pet, but he assumed it was around when they were surrounded by the creatures. The fact Red didn¡¯t even notice the serpent slipping away was a testament to its abilities, but in the end, he was glad that it escaped. If it had remained on his shoulder, wouldn¡¯t it have been hit by that acid from the ghoul?


    In any case, searching for the snake was very much a futile endeavor, as Red couldn¡¯t detect it with his crimson sense, and neither did he really have time to. He could only hope that in the future he would run across it again, and since his presence left enough of a mark on the monster, it wasn¡¯t entirely unimaginable.


    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t feel like he was in a condition to run, but he couldn¡¯t stay still. Without anything to mask their presence, it was impossible to tell when the imperials or that necromancer would catch up with them.


    As his thoughts came to that, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about something else.


    ¡®Are the imperials working with a necromancer?¡¯


    The implications of that were massive. As far as Red knew, the Empire was always something that prized itself for its purity and devotion to their celestial gods. A faction like that working alongside heretics like necromancers was shocking, to say the least.


    With no time to think further, Red grabbed the unconscious Rog and put him over his shoulder. There was still at least another day of travel to reach town, and with the imperials chasing after them, the youth didn¡¯t fancy their chancer very much. The only thing he could do right now was hurry and push his body to the limit, so he arrived to safety before anything else happened.


    And that was what he did.


    ¡­


    The night was a tumultuous one for Red.


    The lunar gaze returned, this time with renewed strength. The youth could swear that he could feel the pressure even more clearly now after opening his last special ¡°acupoint¡±, which didn¡¯t bode well for him. This was aggravated by the fact Aurelia had drained his body of Moonstone Energy.


    In normal situations, he could use the insectoid Core to recharge his special acupoints. However, looking at its fragile state, how could Red risk it? What if it broke once and for all? He needed to find another way.


    On the other hand, while night went around and morning arrived, the youth was pleasantly surprised. No one else came for them. Red didn¡¯t know if this was because Aurelia was still able to maintain her disguising technique even while in hibernation, or if it was because they were afraid of whatever it was he used to kill two powerful ghouls in one blow.


    He and Aurelia couldn¡¯t repeat that, of course, but his pursuers had no way of knowing that.


    In any case, Red saw no further incidents as he approached town. He was also keeping an eye on Rog¡¯s condition, and while the man dipped in and out of unconsciousness, there were no signs of the spread of his infection yet.


    A little after midday, Red spotted the town on the horizon. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡®We¡¯re safe for now.¡¯


    Now, however, came another concern. It was still daytime, which meant Red couldn¡¯t really sneak into town, nor was he in any condition to. Was he meant to wander the streets with a half-dead Rog in his shoulder?


    The answer was yes. He couldn¡¯t afford any delays, as they could be the difference between life or death to the hunter. So it was that he approached town.


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    It didn¡¯t take long for people on the outskirts to spot his bare-chested figure carrying the unconscious hunter in his shoulder.


    ¡°Is that¡­ That¡¯s Young Master Red, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is! He looks wounded!¡±


    ¡°That person on his shoulder¡­ Isn¡¯t he the hunter from their sect?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s missing an arm! Gods, what happened to them?!¡±


    The hubbub already started to spread through town, and it wasn¡¯t long before it caught the attention of a few guards.


    One of them, mounted on horseback, approached Red with a concerned expression. ¡°Young Master Red, do you require assistance?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Bring him¡­ Back to our sect.¡±


    Without hesitation, the youth threw Rog¡¯s unconscious body over the horse¡¯s back. The guard was confused for a second, but he still nodded with a resolute expression.


    ¡°What about you? Do you require assistance?¡± he asked.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Do you have another horse?¡±


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, two horses were making their way uphill at galloping speeds, mounted by two guards with Red and Rog on their backs. Their urgency obviously attracted the attention of the common folk wherever they ran, and the youth was certain that before an hour passed by the entire town would know about Red and Rog¡¯s wounded conditions.


    Still, Red couldn¡¯t care about it. Soon enough, they arrived at the sect¡¯s street, and the commotion of galloping horses arriving at their quiet abode already attracted the attention of people from inside.


    Allen came bursting out of the courtyard, looking in the noise¡¯s direction.


    His eyes widened when he saw his companions. ¡°Red! A-and¡­ Rog?!¡±


    The young master¡¯s expression paled as he saw the hunter¡¯s unconscious body.


    Red got off the horse and waved at him. ¡°Take him to Hector, Allen! Quickly!¡±


    Allen snapped out of his daze and nodded. He took Rog off of the horse¡¯s back and ran inside the courtyard.


    Red turned around to look at the two mounted guards. ¡°Thank you for your assistance. Tell Orvin we will look for him to discuss some important matters as soon as the situation here is handled.¡±


    The guards nodded and took it as their queue to leave.


    Red wandered into the courtyard and was greeted by Domeron and Goulth¡¯s figures, staring at him in confusion.


    Goulth frowned as he saw the youth¡¯s condition. ¡°What happened to you, kid?!¡±


    Red waved him off. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it¡­ Inside.¡±


    He tried to take a few more steps forward, but he couldn¡¯t help but stumble and fall to his knees.


    ¡°Gods damn it!¡± Goulth rushed ahead to support him with a concerned expression. The blacksmith turned around to look at Domeron. ¡°The medicine pills, go get them!¡±


    The swordsman nodded and walked off to Goulth¡¯s workshop. In the meantime, the blacksmith brought Red into the meeting hall.


    Inside, Allen had already set Rog down on top of the table, and Hector was staring at the unconscious hunter with an ugly expression. He looked over at Red as soon as they entered the room.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°We were attacked by ghouls.¡± Red said, as Goulth set him down on a chair.


    Hector¡¯s expression became even uglier. ¡°Was he¡­¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°His arm got slashed off by one of its claws.¡±


    The air around the entire room changed.


    Allen looked over at Hector with an apprehensive expression. ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s infected?¡±


    The elder ignored his question and looked at the hunter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Did you cut off the rest of his arm?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I did what I could to delay the infection, but I¡¯m not sure how much that helped.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Tell me what happen-¡±


    ¡°Enough, old man!¡± Goulth cut him off. ¡°The kid is also wounded, or can¡¯t you even see that?! Focus on doing what you can for Rog before making questions!¡±


    Hector frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything back. Instead, he held onto Rog¡¯s left wrist and closed his eyes.


    Red saw an aura of Spiritual Energy emitting from the elder¡¯s body as he started to examine Rog¡¯s condition. While he was doing so, Domeron returned to the hall and handed a bottle of pills to Goulth.


    The blacksmith popped one of them in his hand and fed it to Red. The youth was too weak to even resist, so he just swallowed the medicine without complaint. Ten seconds later, he felt a rejuvenating force spread through his body.


    His broken ribs mended themselves, and Red felt the burning pain in his back ease. Still, as his body relaxed from its high-strung state, the youth felt as if he could still collapse from exhaustion, but he knew this was something he couldn¡¯t afford to do right now.


    Right around this time, Hector finished his examination and opened his eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s stable for now.¡± the elder said.


    ¡°What about the infection?¡± Allen asked with a concerned expression.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°There are no obvious signs of it, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. The disease can spread extremely quickly from just a single infected particle.¡±


    The young master frowned. ¡°Is there nothing you can do about it?¡±


    ¡°I can only delay the inevitable it if it starts worsening, nothing else.¡± Hector said.


    Allen¡¯s expression paled and he gritted his teeth.


    The elder turned around to look at Red again. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°The imperials can track us.¡± Red said.


    Hector seemed shocked. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Spiritual Signal detection.¡± he said. ¡°I found it on someone who was following me while I was outside.¡±


    The elder gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°That is not possible! Setting those types of tracking treasures takes time and close contact! I, or anyone else in this sect, should have noticed if something like this was happening!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. That, or someone far stronger than you, was spying on us.¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°Not likely. The formations in town can detect when someone stronger than a Greater Ring Realm cultivator enters. Unless, that is, if they managed to find a way to circumvent that, which is not entirely impossible, all things considered.¡±


    Hector''s expression continued to worsen. ¡°None of that matters right now! How do the ghouls relate at all to this matter?¡±


    ¡°I had my ways to disguise my Spiritual Emissions.¡± Red said. ¡°Rog didn¡¯t know about it, though, so he ended up leading them right to me. That was when we were attacked by three ghouls, too coordinated to be acting independently.¡±


    ¡°Why did they use ghouls to deal with you?¡± Hector stared at him. ¡°How did you even survive?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter right now!¡± Goulth cut him off. ¡°What matters is the fact we now have confirmation of something extremely important. The imperials are working with necromancers. Do you know what that means?¡±


    Indeed, those were news with the potential to shake the entire world to its core and change the perception of the Empire forever. Which meant they would definitely not allow this news to leak.


    ¡°They will do everything to kill us.¡± Domeron said.

 Chapter 305 - Acceptance

    Hector snorted. ¡°You overestimate things. If the Empire really wanted us dead at all costs, then we wouldn¡¯t even be standing right here. The truth of the matter is that this discovery of ours is inconsequential to their plans in the long-run.¡±


    Allen frowned. ¡°Is it because we have no proof of their cooperation?¡±


    ¡°Not only that, but think about how things would develop even if we could prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.¡± the elder said. ¡°The Empire already stands isolated from most of other factions and they have always made their intentions clear - complete world domination. Even if this single case of cooperation with necromancers swings the neutral stance of sects like the Crystal Sky Sect and the Hallowed Valley Sect, it¡¯s an eventuality they¡¯re probably ready for in any case.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t make any sense, though. Even if that¡¯s the case, what could be so valuable in this isolated region for them to risk a war?¡±


    ¡°The inheritance.¡± Red said.


    ¡°They¡¯re still on about that? After seven years?¡± Allen seemed angry. ¡°I thought that they were the ones who won in the first place!¡±


    There was a silence following those words. The young master looked around at everyone¡¯s faces, noticing their conflicted expressions.


    Allen frowned in confusion. ¡°Are you telling me they didn¡¯t win? How could that even be possible?¡±


    Domeron shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a good question. I suppose if you wanted to know, we would need to ask the real winner.¡±


    The young master seemed to realize something, and he looked back at Red. ¡°Did you-¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Hector slapped the back of Allen¡¯s head, cutting his question short. ¡°Do not make that question, or else it might truly mean our deaths!¡±


    Allen rubbed the back of his head and looked at Hector in confusion. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°I know how the Empire works. Their clairvoyants can learn about things through the threads of fate without even having to be there to listen to it. The reason they are still so sneaky about their methods is likely just because they don¡¯t want to draw attention to the matter, since they can¡¯t be certain about where this inheritance ended up. If we give them confirmation, though, there will be nothing holding them back any longer.¡±


    Allen glanced at Red. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask it!¡± Hector raised his hand as if to hit the young master again. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t even be talking about the matter in the first place!¡±


    Red remained silent through all this discussion. It was obvious that over seven years of living together, people like Hector, Domeron, and Goulth would have been able to pick up on the youth¡¯s fast progress and other peculiarities no matter how hard he tried to hide it. By then, connecting the dots with the inheritance wasn¡¯t that hard.


    Red was just thankful that they were smart enough to not pry, or else he didn¡¯t know what would have happened to all of them. After all, he didn¡¯t know if the spirit¡¯s anti-clairvoyance shield worked on those close to him, too.


    ¡°Fine! I get it!¡± The young master nodded. ¡°But If we can¡¯t talk about it, how are we going to plan things?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°We lie low and hope they eventually give up, and in case they don¡¯t, we prepare our exit plan.¡±


    ¡°It will be risky to leave town right now.¡± Domeron said. ¡°They will definitely be expecting it.¡±


    ¡°I have my contacts. In any case, we have some favors to call upon if things truly get that dire.¡± Hector said.


    ¡°Righ!¡± Allen seemed to be reminded of something. ¡°Can¡¯t you ask the Crystal Sky Sect to help Rog?¡±


    ¡°What did I tell you already?!¡± Hector glared at him. ¡°There¡¯s no cure for this infection! The only thing we can do is delay it, and I¡¯m not wasting this favor on keeping the inevitable from happening!¡±


    ¡°Wasting?!¡± Allen seemed outraged. ¡°How is it a waste to save one of our fellow sect members?! Someone who has been serving you for decades already?!¡±


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    ¡°Stop being ignorant, brat! If we die here, Rog is not coming out alive either, so what¡¯s the point of using this favor on that? Not to mention, do you think they would send a powerful cultivator to treat a mortal for gods knows how long it would take?¡±


    The young master gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°Maybe if you used that favor to help Narcha back then, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Hector raised his hand up as if to slap Allen.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about now?¡± a weak voice cut short their discussion.


    They all turned around and saw Rog laying down on the table with his eyes open, looking at the two of them.


    Allen smiled. ¡°Rog, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    The hunter grunted. ¡°Just barely. Now help me get up here, kid.¡±


    The young master nodded and walked forward, helping the man sit up on the table.


    ¡°I heard my name and woke up to an argument.¡± Rog said, looking around at the room. ¡°I¡¯m back in the sect already? Gods, it feels like just yesterday I was puking up blood while being carried around.¡±


    ¡°It was yesterday.¡± Red said.


    ¡°It was?¡± Rog frowned. ¡°Well, you¡¯re pretty fast then, kid. I¡¯m more surprised we managed to return with our lives, though.¡±


    ¡°Our pursuers were probably too scared to continue giving chase.¡± Red said. ¡°We got lucky.¡±


    Rog coughed as he adjusted his position. ¡°¡­ No such thing, kid. I¡¯m sure they had good reason to be scared of you.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, I will¡­¡± Rog trailed off, feeling confused. Then he looked down at his empty sleeve. ¡°Oh right, I lost an arm¡­ Wait, shit! I¡¯m infected! We need to-¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Domeron cut him off. ¡°Your situation is stable for now, though.¡±


    Rog smiled slightly. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad to hear it¡­ So what was this discussion about?¡±


    Allen hesitated. ¡°¡­ I wanted to ask for help from the Crystal Sky Sect to treat you.¡±


    Rog frowned. ¡°Well, that¡¯s stupid.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°I told him so!¡±


    The young master seemed unconvinced. ¡°What is the other option? Are we supposed to just watch you rot away and become a zombie without trying everything we can to save you? Are you even listening to yourselves?! How can you even be comfortable with making a decision like that?!¡±


    There was a silence after those words. It was obvious why this was the right and logical decision for all of them, but Allen was never one to take the cold-hearted nature of the cultivation world for granted. Even if he knew why things were the way they were, he never accepted it.


    This made him a good, if na?ve, person, but it also made him a terrible cultivator, regardless of his talents. It was something Hector had been trying to beat out of him for many years already, to no definite success.


    Rog, however, just smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m too old¡­ and you¡¯re still too young.¡±


    Allen frowned. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Look at my arm, kid.¡± The hunter pointed at his stump. ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°There are ways to heal that!¡±


    ¡°There are.¡± Rog nodded. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, why did Domeron never do it?¡±


    This question made Allen go silent.


    There was indeed a way to heal it, but the new limb would be formed without any spirit veins in it. This meant that compared to the rest of the body, this new limb would always be a weak point, much more so for cultivators like Rog. At that point, this arm or leg would become more of a hindrance than anything else in combat.


    There were ways to recover a limb with all of its Spirit Veins, but it was exceedingly rare, and far beyond the means of their sect at the moment.


    Rog shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m never going to shoot a bow again, kid. I¡¯m useless, even more than I was before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not useless!¡± Allen gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re still the most knowledgeable hunter in the region! We will still need you in the future!¡±


    The hunter smiled. ¡°No, you won¡¯t. Once you break into the Lesser Ring Realm, you will be more perceptive than I could ever be with my weak senses. My knowledge will be useless to you.¡±


    ¡°Who knows when I¡¯m going to break through?! We still need you right now!¡±


    Rog sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Allen was at a loss for words. ¡°¡­ Y-You don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡± He shook his head. ¡°The only joy I had in life was hunting with my bow. Now, I can¡¯t even do that, so what¡¯s the point of going out there to the forest? It will just remind me of what I can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°So what, you just intend to wait here for your death?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Rog nodded. ¡°Always expected it to happen one day, so I¡¯m not too sad myself. That being said, I¡¯m too old and tired, kid, and one of the only reasons why I still liked going out there was just taken from me. Now¡­ I just want to rest.¡±


    Allen fell silent at those words, looking down and clenching his fists. A few seconds later, he turned around and walked out of the room without saying anything else.


    Rog looked over at Red, who was staring at him the entire time.


    The hunter grunted. ¡°What, do you feel guilty? It¡¯s not really your fault.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Red nodded. ¡°The mere fact we came out alive after fighting against tree ghouls is a miracle¡­ I still wish I could have done more.¡±


    Rog shook his head and got up, walking towards the youth with unsteady steps. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough.¡±


    He patted Red¡¯s shoulders before walking away and leaving the room.


    No one spoke anything else for several minutes after that.


    Hector was the one to break the silence. ¡°You lot don¡¯t need to be so down. Things are not over yet.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The imperials.¡± the elder said. ¡°If they think that we will take all of this laying down, then they have another surprise coming for them.¡±


    Domeron seemed surprised. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to fight the Imperials.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°I don¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t make them pay when they attack one of our own.¡±


    There was a tone of hostility and violence Red rarely felt in the old man¡¯s words. For some reason, he felt confident that whoever was behind attacking Rog would definitely not get away with their lives from this.

 Chapter 306 - Insiders

    Domeron frowned at the elder¡¯s words. ¡°You said you wanted to lie low.¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°I still intend to. However, we don¡¯t need to bring any attention to us to cause them endless trouble. In fact, a mere anonymous rumour will be more than enough to make them suffer.¡±


    Goulth grunted from the side. ¡°You want to warn the Curse Breakers about it?¡±


    The elder smirked. ¡°I do. Other factions might be reluctant to take our word at face value and investigate the matter, but the Curse Breakers have never been known for their subtlety. All they need is a whiff and they¡¯ll come hunting.¡±


    The blacksmith frowned. ¡°What about Rog? Won¡¯t they come asking for him too?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t know without digging too deeply, but even if they want to deal with him, they will need to go through me first.¡± Hector said.


    The elder¡¯s words seemed to convince Goulth, while Domeron looked a bit more reluctant.


    Hector looked at him with an inquisitive gaze. ¡°What is it, Domeron? Do you have any reservations?¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°I have a feeling things are not as simple as we¡¯re seeing.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°Do you believe we will be in danger by revealing this? Even if we don¡¯t do it, there¡¯s bound to be someone else that finds trace of undead activity in the forest.¡±


    Domeron hesitated. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not that. I just feel like the Empire is never one to leave matters so open-ended like this. It¡¯s very likely they already have measures in place if their involvement was revealed and the Curse Breakers were called upon.¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°It¡¯s almost a guarantee, but even if that¡¯s the case, we still need to try it, or we risk losing a big opportunity to hinder their efforts.¡±


    ¡°We should not do it.¡± Red interjected.


    Everyone in the meeting room turned to look at him with confused gazes.


    The elder stared at him with a stern expression. ¡°Do you know something we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Back then, when Narcha¡­ when the ghost possessing Narcha killed one of their agents, me and Eiwin got rid of the body.¡± Red said. ¡°Yet, after we dealt with the horde and returned to town, we heard no word at all of Curse Breakers¡¯ activity, even with that strange head apparently still around. Don¡¯t you find that weird?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°It is indeed strange, but the Curse Breakers don¡¯t always act in the open. If they resolved the matter in the forest soon after the horde, it¡¯s not surprising we wouldn¡¯t hear anything about them.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, we haven¡¯t seen or heard anything of their organization since that meeting after the trial.¡± Red looked over at Hector. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    The elder grunted. ¡°I did not receive any attempts at communicating from their lot after that incident.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That isn¡¯t the only thing that stands out. Their organization is famous for squashing any trace of undead corruption wherever they go to, and yet here we are again, seven years later and still with undead running about. How does that make any sense?¡±


    There was also the matter of the necromancer¡¯s constant presence in the region for all these years to corroborate this odd behavior, but Red thought better to not mention it. Still, his words had given the men in the room a lot to consider.


    ¡°What are you suggesting, kid?¡± Goulth asked with a curious expression. ¡°That they are being incompetent with their work?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Perhaps it¡¯s not that they are incompetent, but rather that they are deliberately avoiding doing their work here.¡±


    Hector shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s absurd! Do you know about who you¡¯re talking about here? These people didn¡¯t shy away from danger even when the damn Queen of the Dead herself almost killed the entire world!¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Yet if it¡¯s not a deliberate action on their part, it would imply an incompetence that also seems uncharacteristic of their organization.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°I hope you understand what you¡¯re implying here. It could get you killed for heresy if it got leaked to any large factions!¡±


    It was unspoken of up until this point, but they all knew the direction this conversation was heading. They were considering the possibility that the Curse Breakers deliberately ignored the corruption spread through the region, something that had never happened before in history in even direr circumstances.


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    Red was in deep thought. ¡°¡­ How close are the Curse Breakers to the Empire?¡±


    ¡°They maintain neutrality as usual, but the Empire has always been eager to cooperate with their efforts inside their own territory, and their relationship has always been harmonious.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It can be said that it is one of the few factions allowed to act within the Empire¡¯s borders that is not under direct control of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Do they take volunteers from the Empire, too?¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°They take volunteers from all over the world, as long as they revoke any secular desires to serve their order.¡±


    Goulth scoffed. ¡°So, imperial spies join the faction, rise through the ranks, and now can influence the organization from the inside to allow the Empire to act with impunity in the region¡­ I have to say, it doesn¡¯t sound that far-fetched when you think about it.¡±


    Hector had an ugly expression, now forced to consider the possibility they suggested. ¡°The Curse Bearers have an oath spell to ensure the loyalty of all of its members. Not even someone in the Spiritual Awakening Realm could break it without consequences.¡±


    ¡°Yes, an oath that was created thousands of years ago, and if the way that their organization operates is any indication, it probably hasn¡¯t been modified since its first inception.¡± Domeron said. ¡°No one must have thought to take advantage of that up until now because there was too much risk and nothing to gain in doing it. For the Empire, though, this seems just in character for them if they planned on using necromantic assistance. They have means, motive, and plenty of opportunities to do something like that.¡±


    Hector hesitated. ¡°¡­ This is all conjecture.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still reason enough to not tell them about our suspicions.¡± Domeron said. ¡°By then, it will be like inviting disaster to our doorstep if the Empire wants to act.¡±


    Goulth frowned. ¡°Even so, they will be informed one way or another by someone in town.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know the channels this information will be going through.¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say whether they will even respond to such claims, or if this information will be spread to the organization as a whole, or be suppressed by spies. That is, unless Hector has a source inside the organization that he can trust.¡±


    Hector didn¡¯t say anything and scowled at the table in front of him.


    ¡®That answers that question.¡¯


    ¡°Them not responding is not even the worst-case scenario.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It would be worse if they sent people over to investigate and the group is entirely composed of imperial spies. If this mission is sent as a way to suppress some ghouls, then it would be only a group of strong crusaders, but if for some reason they decide to send a powerhouse to investigate the apparent claims of cooperation between the Empire and necromancers¡­ Then I don¡¯t need to say what will happen to us if that cultivator ends up being a traitor too.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Hector cut him off. ¡°We don¡¯t need you here always assuming the worst!¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You know better than anyone that it¡¯s always good to be overly cautious in the cultivation world, Hector, even if all we are talking about is wrong. After all, one misstep is more than enough to end our lives.¡±


    ¡°I hope you all know the position you¡¯re putting me in here!¡± Hector glared at them. ¡°Accusing the Curse Breakers of corruption¡­ You can¡¯t possibly understand what that means for us and the cultivation world as a whole.¡±


    Goulth scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn, old man! Whether we understand it or not won¡¯t change the reality of the situation!¡±


    Hector sighed. ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    The room went silent as the elder closed his eyes. They knew that he would make an important decision at this juncture, so none of them dared to interrupt him.


    Finally, almost a minute later, he opened his eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t tell the Curse Breakers about this. In fact, we will tell no one about it, not even the Baron.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They saw me walking through town with Rog.¡±


    ¡°We tell them it was after a fight against a Lesser Ring Realm monster.¡± Hector said. ¡°We still don¡¯t even know when or if anyone else will find out about the ghouls, so they won¡¯t suspect it for now. It will all depend on the Empire¡¯s next move. If they want to be discovered, then they will be discovered, and if they want to remain hidden, then no one else will find out about the ghouls, no matter how hard they try. We just stay still and watch for now.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Hector sighed, looking around at the three of them. ¡°If all that we talked about here is true, then you need to understand we are already at an extreme risk, whether the Curse Breakers get involved or not. Suffice it to say that for now, no one leaves town. In fact, I don¡¯t want anyone walking around the streets by themselves.¡±


    No one protested his decision.


    Hector nodded and started walking upstairs. ¡°Tell the brat and Rog about it. I don¡¯t want them spitting their guts to anyone that asks.¡±


    Soon enough, the elder was out of view, retiring to his room upstairs.


    Goulth patted Red¡¯s shoulders before also making to leave. ¡°Come find me later. We need to talk about those wounds.¡±


    Red nodded.


    Now there was only the youth and Domeron in the room.


    The swordsman smiled at him. ¡°You know something else. More than just about the inheritance.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Is it another forbidden topic?¡±


    ¡°Everything I keep from you is a forbidden topic. Some more so than others.¡± Red said. ¡°Still, you don¡¯t need to worry. If it¡¯s sensitive information, I will still try to direct you towards the most appropriate course of action without revealing my secrets.¡±


    Domeron raised his eyebrows. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very comforting.¡±


    ¡°Have I ever mislead you or anyone in the sect?¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°Yes, multiple times.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Have I ever put your lives in danger for selfish reasons?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. And even if you did, you never hesitated to help others either, so I can¡¯t imagine they would really resent you for it.¡±


    Red was relieved. ¡°Then I ask you to trust me here, too.¡±


    There was a pause.


    A few seconds later, Domeron nodded with a smile. ¡°I have always trusted you, Re-¡±


    ¡°Quick, quick!¡± Allen¡¯s urgent voice came from the outside. ¡°Come outside quick!¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°What is it now-¡±


    ¡°Rimold is back!¡±


    That took the both of them by surprise.

 Chapter 307 - Recharging

    Rimold was never one to stay in the sect for long periods of time. Since Red arrive, the rogue was always an inconsistent presence, making trips that could last months to other towns in the region and only communicating with them through letters. They were used to it, but it just so happened this last trip of his lasted for more than six months already.


    The arrival of his letters during that period was inconsistent, and the rogue only claimed he was pursuing a personal matter, travelling all over the neighboring regions. Hector was none too pleased with that, but since Rimold didn¡¯t have a fixed address, the elder couldn¡¯t communicate with him.


    Suffice it to say, upon learning of his return, both Red and Domeron were shocked. They exchanged glances before they both walked outside.


    ¡®I can¡¯t sense his fluctuation.¡¯


    Red looked around in confusion upon arriving outside. There was no Rimold anywhere, only Allen looking at them with a smile while holding a piece of paper in his hand.


    Domeron frowned upon seeing this. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡± Allen shook his head. ¡°Well, at least not yet.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you screaming that he¡¯s back?!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Allen handed over the piece of paper to Domeron. ¡°I found that message in my room!¡±


    The man examined the piece of paper with a scowl. Red peeked over Domeron¡¯s shoulder to see its contents.


    It read: ¡®I have something really important to discuss with you and the others. Meet me on my hideout at the southern edge of town. Red will know the way. Do not let Hector know about it.¡¯


    Domeron grunted in annoyance. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s Domeron who left this letter?¡±


    ¡°Who else would leave something like that?¡± Allen asked. ¡°Besides, I recognize his handwriting. It¡¯s not the first time he left me a message like this.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°So let me get this right. He sent you a secret message just to avoid Hector knowing about his return, and the first thing you do is to come running to the main building and shout about it for all to hear?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Allen stumbled over his words. ¡°I-I was just too excited about him being alive after all that has been happening to us.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Indeed. If the imperials can track us, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for them to capture Rimold while he¡¯s out of town. Still, if he¡¯s safe and sound, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Allen nodded. ¡°So, can we go meet him already? It seems by his words that this is a very urgent matter!¡±


    ¡°Well, it depends.¡± Domeron looked up towards a window on the second floor. ¡°Can we go meet with him, Hector?¡±


    Allen shivered and followed the man¡¯s gaze. Hector was standing by the open window, glaring down at the young master with an angered expression.


    ¡°Do what you want!¡± Hector waved his hand at them before turning around to walk away. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t die!¡±


    The windows shut close by themselves as the elder went back to his room.


    Allen seemed at a loss. ¡°I thought he would be angrier.¡±


    Domeron ignored the young master¡¯s remark and looked at Red. ¡°Do you think this is a trap?¡±


    Red frowned in thought. ¡°Hard to say. Either way, I doubt they would try anything so daring in town.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± The man nodded. ¡°I will accompany you to that hideout either way.¡±


    ¡°You? Accompany us?¡± Allen looked surprised.


    ¡°Yes, me.¡± Domeron stared at him. ¡°Why? Is there a problem?¡±


    Allen shook his head. ¡°N-No, it¡¯s just¡­ You rarely ever join us in our missions.¡±


    Rather than rarely, it was more accurate to say that Domeron never joined Red or Allen in their forays, in or out of town. Up to this day, the youth had yet to see Domeron display his strength in anything but training. He often wondered if this idleness would cause the one-armed swordsman¡¯s skills to get rusty, but he was always proven wrong once they sparred.


    The man was still the most skilled swordsman in town by far, and Red didn¡¯t doubt for a second that he could deal with almost anything below the Lesser Ring Realm, even with just a single arm.


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    Still, there was still another question in the youth¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Why do you want to come?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I am the only person in this sect who hasn¡¯t displayed their strength in public.¡± Domeron said. ¡°All the imperials have to go off of me are rumours from more than ten years ago. If they are bold enough to try something in town, then they won¡¯t be expecting my presence there.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That makes sense. Still, after the ghouls in the forest, I think anyone trying to kill me will use far more strength than any of us can deal with.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡±


    After seeing the swordsman¡¯s confidence, the youth didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Do we want to call anyone else?¡± Allen asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t want to catch anyone¡¯s attention, so we¡¯re going light when night arrives.¡± He looked over at Red. ¡°You can use that time to rest and find yourself some new clothes.¡±


    Red was taken aback for a second. He was so focused on the matter at hand, he completely forgot about the fact he was bare-chested.


    The youth frowned. ¡°My uniform is ruined.¡±


    His clothes weren¡¯t just for decoration - they were a specially crafted protective garb. As much as they weren¡¯t effective in stopping the ghouls¡¯ acid, they still afforded him precious few moments to take his clothes off and save his body from further damage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with Frida.¡± Domeron said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long it might take, but we will pay whatever is needed to get you a new uniform. For now, common clothes will have to suffice.¡±


    Red nodded.


    Soon after, the three of them parted ways. It was good that Domeron didn¡¯t insist on leaving just yet, since the youth still needed to address some things before going out on another potentially dangerous adventure.


    Red returned to his room and closed the door behind him. Then, without hesitation, he sat cross-legged on his bed and entered a meditative state.


    He decided to check his body¡¯s condition.


    ¡®Like I thought, it¡¯s all gone.¡¯


    There was no Moonstone energy at all in his special acupoints, likely all drained when Aurelia used whatever technique she used to kill those ghouls. This wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if not for the fact the Full Moon hadn¡¯t just happened and now Red had no way to recharge his acupoints before the New Moon came and the curse flared.


    ¡®Well, there is a way¡­¡¯


    Red opened his eyes and took out the insectoid core from his pouch. Technically, the youth could absorb the energy from the crystal to refill his acupoints, but the problem right now is that the core looked completely drained. If Red tried to take any more energy from it, it was likely that it would collapse into dust.


    ¡®I have no other choice.¡¯


    Red got up from his bed and took out a wooden floorboard, revealing a large strongbox. This was a container he had devised with Goulth¡¯s help. It required no key, and instead it was full of pressure mechanisms on its surface that one needed to press in the right order to open it. If you even so much as press one wrong button, then a trap would trigger an explosion with a fireball talisman.


    Only Red and his master knew the right combination.


    After a series of precise button presses on the surface of the strongbox, the container opened up. Inside, Red¡¯s treasure trove was revealed.


    Here, he kept all his valuable possessions. From the Storm Blessing manual to his Arcane Scripture manual, all the way to Viran¡¯s single diary page he found in the underground - things he would rather be destroyed in a fire than to fall into someone else¡¯s hand. Of course, Red had memorized most of the contents of both manuals and he kept some encrypted copies of them somewhere else, which was why he was comfortable putting them inside an explosive box.


    Still, this wasn¡¯t the only thing in the chest.


    Red¡¯s eyes wandered over to the side, where eight Spirit Stones lay and all kinds of formation-building materials lay. It was everything he had gathered over seven years of living in town, a veritable fortune for someone like him. Not all of it was acquired through honest means, but this wasn¡¯t something that phased Red.


    If he wanted to build his Parting Storm formation as soon as possible, he couldn¡¯t just wait for opportunities to come to him. So he stole. A lot.


    He was smart enough not to do it too often, so as not to arouse the suspicion of anyone in the region. Still, there were some close calls, and Red wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish as much without Rimold¡¯s help and guidance on a few occasions.


    Now, however, it seemed like he would need to use these Spirit Stones for a new purpose.


    ¡®I hope this works.¡¯


    Red took out a single Spirit Stone from the chest, before touching it against the insectoid core. The reaction was almost immediate.


    The crystal began to glow, absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the stone, and in turn, the Spirit Stone began to dim. A few seconds later, it had turned into a useless gray lump in the youth¡¯s hands, crumbling into dust against his grip.


    Red was surprised at the ferocity of the core¡¯s absorption. He examined the crystal, noticing its green color had gotten slightly brighter. However, it was nowhere near to the levels where it was before, so he knew he needed to continue the process.


    Red used stone after stone to refill the core with Spiritual Energy. It was only on the sixth Spirit Stone that he saw some change.


    A familiar glint of a silhouette appeared on the core¡¯s surface. The youth would have been shocked by it if he wasn¡¯t expecting it.


    A few seconds later, a voice echoed in his ear.


    ¡°I thought you would be too stingy to spend your trove to help me recover.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like you gave me a choice.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°What now? Are you complaining that I helped save you and your friend?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I have to thank you for that.¡±


    There was a silence following his words.


    ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to appear again?¡± Red asked after not seeing the woman¡¯s figure materialize.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it yet.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the core¡¯s Spiritual Energy that I spent to kill those ghouls.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What happened there?¡±


    ¡°I am a ghost, Red. A disembodied soul, corrupted by undead energy. The Spiritual Energy in the core and in your was far from enough to achieve what I did, so I had to use something else to do the rest.¡±


    ¡°You used your own soul to do that?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡± Aurelia said.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ What exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a ghost.¡±


    ¡°What kind of ghost?¡±


    ¡°¡­ A banshee.¡±


    The woman sounded none too happy as she revealed her true nature to Red.

 Chapter 308 - The Rogue Returns

    Red frowned at the woman¡¯s words. ¡°Should I even ask what kind of ghost that is?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°You will learn about it later, whether or not you want to.¡±


    ¡°¡­ There is something that confuses me, though.¡± Red said after some thought. ¡°I was under the impression that all ghosts were born from an obsession they had while they were still alive, which allows the undead energy to corrupt their souls.¡±


    ¡°Some ghosts are forced into becoming one.¡± Aurelia said with an impatient tone.


    ¡°That might be the case, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that a ghost¡¯s existence is still based on an obsession from their life. It is the catalyst for everything.¡± Red said. ¡°This much I know about undead.¡±


    All ghosts had an obsession with their life, even the ones that were forced by corrupting forces. A small ambition in life would could become a terrifying obsession in death for some of them. In which case, Red was forced to ask himself: what was Aurelia¡¯s obsession?


    As much as the woman seemed to be of sound mind, a deep fixation wasn¡¯t always revealed on the surface, and she was more than experienced enough to hide her true desires from Red.


    Aurelia spoke up after a prolonged silence. ¡°I already told you what my obsession was.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am a cultivator and I wish to achieve what I couldn¡¯t do in life¡­ I want to ascend.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t tell if the woman was lying or not, but as far as he was concerned, this was the obsession that made the most sense for someone like Aurelia. He couldn¡¯t imagine her being bound to the afterlife by something like revenge or the loss of a loved one.


    Still, this brought about another question. ¡°Can ghosts ascend?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Aurelia said after a pause. ¡°None have done it in the past, as far as I know. In fact, no kind of life form other than human cultivators have been able to accomplish it before.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows. ¡°¡­ And you think you have a chance?¡±


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°About as good of a chance as you have, you curse-ridden brat!¡±


    It was a fair point.


    With his immediate curiosity sated, Red turned the topic of conversation to something more dire.


    ¡°I need to absorb the energy from the core.¡± Red said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop you if I wanted to.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°But I would be thankful if you could wait for at least a week more before doing it. It¡¯s not like you need a plentiful reserve to fill your acupoints.¡±


    The youth hesitated for a few seconds, but still nodded. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Aurelia seemed satisfied. ¡°You also can carry the core along with you. There¡¯s no need to keep it locked away any longer.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Are you sure you can hide it from everyone?¡±


    ¡°Barring an extremely strong cultivator, then yes. As long as you don¡¯t wave the core around to grab a ghoul¡¯s attention, that is.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Besides, if I¡¯m separated from you, I won¡¯t be able to help you when it counts.¡±


    Red nodded again. ¡°Fine.¡±


    With these matters settled, Red went about organizing his belonging and getting a new change of clothing. Still, throughout the entire process, he couldn¡¯t help but feel self-conscious about the fact there was someone else watching him.


    It wasn¡¯t because Red was embarrassed about changing clothes in front of someone - he was above being prudish after his upbringing - but rather because this room had always been his sanctuary. He was used to spending time with others in the forest, which was why he wasn¡¯t bothered by Aurelia¡¯s presence back then, but this room was supposed to be one of the few places in the world where Red could relax and think by himself.


    Now, with a ghost watching his every move, achieving a peaceful mental state became far harder. This was not to mention the fact that if things went according to plan, then Aurelia would probably be with him for a long while, which meant the youth would probably never be truly alone again.


    It was a thought that disturbed him more than he expected.


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    ¡°What happened to the snake?¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s question suddenly snapped Red out of his daze.


    He frowned. ¡°It escaped when the ghouls attacked. I haven¡¯t seen it since.¡±


    The woman grunted with a thoughtful tone. ¡°You should try finding it again as soon as possible. What if someone else got their hands on it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much I can do right now.¡± Red shook his head.


    Red would be disappointed if he never came across the special snake again, but he had his priorities straight. He wouldn¡¯t risk his life going out to the forest right now just to recapture a pet that wouldn¡¯t be of much use to him at this moment.


    Aurelia didn¡¯t say anything else, and Red was left in silence again. He did his best to wave off distracting thoughts from his mind and started to meditate, waiting for the night to arrive.


    ¡­


    A few hours later, he met up with Allen and Domeron in the courtyard.


    Red frowned as he examined the two of them. ¡°You two are planning on going out like that?¡±


    Allen was wearing his usual fancy and bright clothes, while Domeron was just using the same clothes as always. It was hardly the appropriate getup for sneaking around town at night.


    ¡°It will be fine.¡± Domeron waved him off. ¡°The guards in town have never been that attentive, anyway.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Just make sure to follow behind me and to not make any noise.¡±


    The two of them nodded, and soon enough, the group was out and sneaking through town. Just like Domeron said, the guards weren¡¯t that attentive at this time of the night, so they didn¡¯t have any trouble avoiding their attention, even with Allen¡¯s bright clothing.


    Red was also surprised by Domeron¡¯s skills. The swordsman was able to follow the youth¡¯s directions perfectly, and he often knew what Red was about to do before the order was even out of his mouth.


    He was experienced in these matters. Then again, the youth supposed this shouldn¡¯t surprise him.


    They were running along an alley when Allen suddenly froze. ¡°Wait, I just thought of something!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Domeron looked back at the young master in annoyance.


    ¡°The imperials can track us, right?¡± Allen asked. ¡°What¡¯s to stop them from just following us while we¡¯re in town and attacking us in the hideout?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± The swordsman shook his head. ¡°Or rather, if they did, they definitely wouldn¡¯t get out alive from here. And in any case, as soon as our meeting is done, we will tell Rimold to destroy that hideout for good.¡±


    Allen still seemed a bit skeptical, but given Domeron¡¯s confidence, he decided to put the matter aside. Red, of course, didn¡¯t tell them that Aurelia was currently masking the Spiritual Emissions of all of them, a simple task for the woman as long as she wasn¡¯t hibernating. In the end, however, it didn¡¯t matter, considering they were about to meet up with Rimold, who wouldn¡¯t be disguised, and the hideout would still be revealed at that point.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Red to locate the hideout Rimold referred to in the letter. This was the first hideout the rogue ever introduced to him when the accident with the demon happened back then, and the youth himself had used the place a handful of times to make a quick escape.


    When he arrived in the vicinity, though, Red frowned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one inside.¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± Allen seemed confused. ¡°Rimold is not there?¡±


    Red shook his head.


    The young master looked concerned at the revelation. ¡°Could this be a trap?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense anyone around me.¡± Red said. ¡°But the imperials might be aware of the specifics of my power and devised a way to counter it. At the very least, they are aware about its rough range.¡±


    Domeron grunted in thought. ¡°If you can¡¯t rely on your power, use your eyes for a bit. Do you see anything out of the ordinary?¡±


    Red hesitated and examined the surroundings of the shack, inside and out, where the hideout was. He didn¡¯t find anything that stood out, and in fact, everything seemed to be in the exact same position that Red left it in when he first came to visit.


    The youth shook his head. ¡°Either Rimold still hasn¡¯t arrived or we are dealing with some very proficient assassins here.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and check.¡±


    The swordsman led the way, leaving no room for discussion. Red pointed out where the hideout entrance was, and Domeron moved it away with his one hand before swinging the hatch open.


    ¡°Can you climb down the ladder with one hand?¡± Allen asked, in curiosity.


    Domeron just glared at him before jumping down without the ladder¡¯s assistance.


    Soon enough, all three of them were down in the hideout, and there was no sign of assassins or other kind of foul play. Either the imperials didn¡¯t find out about this hideout or they just didn¡¯t care.


    Still, they couldn¡¯t find traces of Rimold anywhere.


    Allen looked around in concern. ¡°Why is he not here? He¡¯s the one that told us to meet!¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll be patient for now. He might be caught up in some matters that delayed him.¡±


    Allen nodded with some reluctance.


    So it was that the three of them waited around this miniscule room for Rimold¡¯s arrival, which didn¡¯t come for the hour. Domeron seemed to be reconsidering his earlier words, when Red finally felt it.


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± he said.


    Both Domeron and Allen piped up. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of footsteps above their heads, and down the stairs they finally saw him.


    Rimold, who had been gone for six months. Once they saw his appearance, however, the trio was taken aback. The man¡¯s once thin and proper beard was overgrown and messy, reaching just above his neck line and the rogue¡¯s hair didn¡¯t look any better. This, added to his torn and weathered clothes, formed an image of a destitute man who was lost in a forest for months.


    If this was all, Red wouldn¡¯t have been so shocked. However, as soon as he laid eyes on the rogue, he saw the air shimmer around the man. It was quick and so small as to be almost imperceptible. However, the youth was certain of what he saw, even though it didn¡¯t happen again the following moments.


    ¡°R-Rimold¡­¡± Allen seemed baffled. ¡°What happened to you?!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Rimold cut him off with a fervent tone and expression. He looked over at Red and smiled. ¡°I found it! I finally found it!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Found what?¡±


    Rimold laughed. ¡°That dagger! I found the bone dagger.¡±


    The youth froze. He suddenly remembered that one ghost that possessed Rimold obsessing over a bone dagger of a cultivator who died on the verge of ascension.


    So many years had passed since then that Red thought the aftereffects of the possession would have been gone by now. And yet, here Rimold was, seemingly obsessed with the same thing the ghost was seven years ago.


    For a moment, Red didn¡¯t know how to react.

 Chapter 309 - The Daggers Location

    Allen and Domeron both looked confused at Rimold¡¯s words. They looked over at Red for clarification.


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ Back when Rimold got possessed, the ghost in his body was obsessed with finding a dagger crafted from the bones of a powerful cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Not just any cultivator!¡± Rimold cut him off. ¡°A cultivator that was on the verge of ascending! Do you know what that even means? Every body part of a cultivator at that level is a consummate treasure!¡±


    Both Allen and Domeron¡¯s expressions changed at this explanation.


    ¡°Where is this dagger?¡± Allen asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not here, but I know where it is!¡± Rimold said.


    The young master looked at Red with a concerned face. ¡°I thought you managed to take out the ghost of his body.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Red nodded. ¡°However, possession can leave lasting effects on people¡¯s bodies and minds even after the host is freed. I can only imagine this is one such case.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know!¡± Rimold glared at them.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Do you even hear yourself, Rimold? Look at your appearance. How are we supposed to take anything you say at face value in these conditions?¡±


    The rogue gritted his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not going crazy! I know that the possession influenced my interest in this dagger, but I did my own research into it before going around searching through the forest! If I wasn¡¯t confident about the existence of this dagger, I wouldn¡¯t have come to you about it.¡±


    There was a silence as Red and his companions exchanged gazes.


    Domeron sighed and looked back at Rimold. ¡°Even if we assume you aren¡¯t going crazy, think about what you¡¯re suggesting. As you said, every body part of a cultivator that powerful is a consummate treasure, so how could we find something like this in our rather remote forest? If it were here, it would have already caused quite a commotion.¡±


    Rimold scoffed. ¡°You think I wasn¡¯t skeptical at first either? I was just wandering around a village, when I heard something that made me change my mind!¡±


    Allen looked curious. ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    The rogue was just about to speak when he hesitated. He looked over at Red. ¡°Can you tell if we are being watched?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anyone else, but¡­ There is something you should know before we go any further.¡±


    The atmosphere around the room changed, and Rimold looked at the three of them in confusion.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We are being tracked by the imperials.¡± Red said.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, Rimold was completely caught up with the recent encounters Red had in the forest, including how Rog was infected and lost a limb. By the end of it, the rogue seemed quite disturbed.


    ¡°I have been hanging around the forest all this time!¡± Rimold said. ¡°How come none of them attacked me?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Perhaps they didn¡¯t wish to make themselves known or simply did not see any value in eliminating you. In any case, I can only tell you that you got very lucky.¡±


    Rimold frowned with an ugly expression. ¡°What about Rog?¡±


    ¡°He is stable.¡± Allen said. ¡°However¡­ I don¡¯t think his mind is in a good place.¡±


    Rimold gritted his teeth. ¡°Damn it all! This is all the more reason we should find this dagger. That way, we can exchange it for the help of a sect in treating him!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is safe to go outside of town right now.¡± Allen shook his head.


    ¡°Before we decide anything, tell us what you know about this dagger.¡± Domeron said, leaning back against a wall. ¡°You said you found evidence about its existence, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Rimold nodded. ¡°It was pure coincidence that I heard about it!¡±


    The rogue sat on the bed in the corner and took the bag off his back.


    ¡°You know how these villages around the region all have their own local legends, right?¡± Rimold asked. ¡°Real stuff like rare monsters and ghosts that people saw once upon a time in the forest and it got turned into a local legend, right?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why are you asking us this? You¡¯re the one who was investigating these places!¡±


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    ¡°I just want you to follow my logic!¡± Rimold glared at him. ¡°Either way, I have a habit of looking into these legends every once in a while. Most of the time it¡¯s all bogus, but on some rare occasions there may be some truth to them, and there may be a hidden treasure trove or the bones of a powerful monster hidden somewhere in the forest!¡±


    ¡°How many times have those rumours turned out to be true?¡± Red asked with skepticism.


    ¡°Uh, not very often.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°Either way, that¡¯s not what matters! I get paid to look into these rumours by merchants too, so I still earn something at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡± Domeron said with an impatient tone.


    ¡°I was trying to!¡± the rogue said. ¡°Anyway, I was looking into one of those rumours when I heard something interesting. It was about people disappearing into the forest in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.¡±


    Allen looked confused. ¡°I thought that wasn¡¯t that uncommon.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and let me finish!¡± Rimold cut him off. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anything of it either until I started hearing this same rumour in another village far away. I decided to look a bit more into it and learned from the families of these people that they were all having strange nightmares in the weeks leading up to their disappearance. They claimed to be hearing voices and seeing things that weren¡¯t really there.¡±


    ¡°What kind of things?¡± Red asked with interest.


    ¡°Unfortunately, their families couldn¡¯t clarify with me at the time.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°They just said they were hearing conversations and seeing faint figures of people looking at them from amidst the tree. However, when they went to check, there was never anything there. Still, two different people with no apparent relation between them and living dozens of kilometers apart suffering from the same strange condition and disappearing never to be seen again? It was enough to justify further investigation¡­ and that was when I found out this wasn¡¯t happening in just two villages, but in almost every village in the region!¡±


    By this time, Red and his companions were paying serious attention to Rimold¡¯s story.


    Rimold continued. ¡°It was always the same thing! These people started to have strange nightmares and hallucinations weeks before leading to their disappearance without a trace.¡±


    ¡°Did this all happen around the same time?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No, but it has been happening for years already.¡± Rog said. ¡°Every few months, someone will disappear from a village under these strange conditions. I suspect the reason it never entered our radar was because it was happening rarely enough to be hard to draw any connections between them. As Allen said, these kinds of disappearances aren¡¯t that uncommon in the region.¡±


    ¡°Did no one see them leave?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the weird thing! No one saw them leave their homes, which should be almost impossible! Yet no matter where I asked, these people all disappeared without a trace. No tracks, no farewell notes, nothing at all!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How long ago was this last case of a disappearance?¡±


    ¡°It happened just a few weeks ago, and yes, I did investigate their home but didn¡¯t find anything.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°There was also no apparent connection between any of these victims, or any correlation of gender, age or occupation that I could find. It seems to target them at random, as far as I can tell.¡±


    Domeron massaged his temples. ¡°This story is indeed strange and deserving of being looked into, but you have yet to explain how any of this relates to this dagger.¡±


    Rimold smiled. ¡°That is the thing, right?! These victims spoke to their family members about their visions and nightmares at the time, and although many of these people couldn¡¯t remember it anymore or didn¡¯t receive descriptive information, a few of them were very specific and they all described the same thing: a finger bone.¡±


    ¡°¡­ A finger bone?¡± Allen looked confused.


    ¡°Yes, a finger bone! They all saw it in their nightmares.¡±


    ¡°Just a floating finger bone?¡± the young master asked.


    Rimold frowned. ¡°Well¡­ I mean, I think so. They weren¡¯t that descriptive.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°A finger bone is not a big enough bone to make a dagger out of.¡±


    ¡°It might be, but they could also use other things to craft it. They could have ground the bones into dust and then added it to some other type of metal. There are all kinds of crafting arts in the world, as you know yourself!¡±


    There was a silence following these words. Even if what Rimold said could be true, Red and his companions knew it all sounded too farfetched. It seemed more like the rogue was trying to find a way to connect this supposed bone dagger into something entirely unrelated. As Domeron said, even if this was worth looking into, there was just no guarantee it would lead them to finding a bone dagger made out of the body of a heavenly cultivator.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, but I haven¡¯t just been asking around! I have also investigated the forest!¡± Rimold said.


    ¡°What have you found?¡± Red asked.


    The rogue responded by taking out a map of the region from his backpack. There were a lot of markings on the map, which Rimold proceeded to explain.


    He pointed at a dozen or so spots, as well as a circle marking encompassing these spots on the map. ¡°These are the places where these disappearances have happened. Outside of this circle, I have yet to find any cases.¡±


    The circle easily encompassed a three hundred kilometer wide area of the map.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Our town is inside this circle. Why haven¡¯t there been any cases here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Rimold shook his head. ¡°Maybe they have happened, but we just don¡¯t know about it.¡±


    The swordsman seemed skeptical, but he just nodded. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Either way, as you can see, if we take into account the villages where these disappearances happened and the order in which they happened, we can see that the first cases occurred close to a certain area before spreading outwards towards more distant places. It¡¯s a pattern!¡± Rimold looked over at Red. ¡°You know what that means, right?¡±


    Red hesitated as he looked at the map. ¡°You suppose that you can use this information to find this dagger?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The spread of these disappearances seems to form a steadily growing circle, constantly expanding! So if we find the center of this circle close to where the first few disappearances happened, we will find the dagger! I have already narrowed it down to this smaller area here.¡± Rimold point it out. ¡°It¡¯s still a large area, but if we do a thorough search, we may be able to find it!¡±


    ¡°If you know where it is, why haven¡¯t you looked for it already?¡± Allen asked in confusion.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still a big area and¡­ I didn¡¯t feel comfortable going to that place alone.¡±


    ¡°What do you- Oh¡­¡± Allen trailed off in realization.


    This was because the area Rimold pointed to was the place where, seven years ago, a large section of the forest and its fauna had died under mysterious circumstances, and it was still yet to recover. Red, who was indirectly responsible for it by hiding his then infected insectoid core beneath the earth, was very familiar with that place.


    It was where he first met the necromancer, the lizard demon, and also where he and the crimson mist became one. More importantly, it was also the place where Red had first emerged from the underground.


    Suddenly, the youth felt this entire situation became far more complicated than before.

 Chapter 310 - Domerons Decision

    <div>


    ¡®Could this be related to that place?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t able to tell from just this information. There was also the fact that none of what Rimold told him seemed connected to the underground at face value. Technically, the center of the circle that Rimold indicated was still a rather large area, so it didn¡¯t mean that the underground was the source of these disappearances. Not to mention that according to the necromancer, the imperials closed off the cave Red came from.


    He assumed that by ¡°closed it off¡±, the necromancer meant that they did more than just collapse the entrance, as he found it hard to believe some debris would stop them from getting into that place. The youth himself never went to check. He was just too afraid that the imperials would still be keeping an eye over that area and that Red would give his identity away if he went there.


    Now his caution was rewarded.


    Even with no apparent indication of the connection between the disappearances and the underground, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore.


    Domeron looked at Red. ¡°You went there before, right? With Narcha, that is.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Yes. It was where we first saw an undead and the demon.¡±


    ¡®And also where I first appeared on the surface.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t think this detail would escape Domeron, but the man didn¡¯t mention it.


    Instead, he looked back at the map. ¡°Did you see anything weird there? Other than all the death, that is?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The vegetation and soil in that area seem to be recovering, even if almost every animal avoids it for now. In a few decades, it will be lush again, so it¡¯s safe to assume that whatever was causing that destruction is now long gone.¡±


    This was the youth¡¯s way of saying that these disappearances had no apparent relation to the thing that caused the death of that section of the forest.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°So, you think this is just a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always possible.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Maybe the dead forest was an indirect catalyst for this change, or maybe Rimold is wrong about his initial theory, too. In any case, it¡¯s hard to tell without investigating the region first.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°By all means, none of this should be happening in our isolated little region. Necromancers, demons, inheritance lands, and now a body part of a near-ascension cultivator! Even one such strange occurrence is rare enough, but all of them happening in the same region over such a short period of time? It¡¯s just hard to imagine that all of this is a coincidence.¡±


    Rimold grunted. ¡°It does seem too convenient, but no matter how I look at it, some of these things have no connection to each other.¡±


    Domeron smiled with an exasperated expression. ¡°No connection that we can see.¡±


    They all digested the swordsman implications in silence. Even Red, who knew more about the secrets of this region than anyone else, was stumped in trying to find a connection between these occurrences. Was this all spurred by the existence of an entrance to the Moonstone Mine in the region? Did his master set up an entrance to his inheritance here because of that? Did this supposed holy finger bone appear here because of the mine too?


    None of it was clear to Red, and what frustrated him the most was that the answer still seemed far away from his reach.


    ¡°I think you guys are missing the point!¡± Allen interjected.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Domeron looked at the young master with a frown. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re talking about getting this dagger or finger-bone, or whatever it is, but you haven¡¯t even discussed the most important part - whatever this thing is, it is abducting people away without a trace! Isn¡¯t that just something an evil treasure would do? Or better yet, how could a finger bone or a dagger just abduct people in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Some treasures can definitely influence vast swathes of land around it¡­ However, you have a point when it comes to questioning the nature of this bone dagger.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Causing hallucinations and people''s disappearances in the middle of the night sounds more like something a demonic treasure would do.¡±


    Allen frowned with a concerned expression. ¡°Are you telling me this is the bone of demonic cultivator?!¡±


    ¡°No one is saying that!¡± Domeron glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s just Rimold¡¯s stupid obsession with this bone dagger that has us thinking about that in the first place. It could be a number of different things causing this phenomenon.¡±


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    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here!¡± Rimold interjected.


    ¡°I know you are!¡± Domeron looked back at him. ¡°And I also know that you intended to convince us to go look into this matter behind Hector¡¯s back, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    The rogue gritted his teeth and looked away in embarrassment. ¡°He would never have allowed us to go!¡±


    ¡°With good reason! Even after knowing the imperials are trying to kill us and that ghouls are roaming around the forest, you still want to go?¡±


    ¡°If we can get our hands on this, it can change our destiny! It can save Rog and help us through this crisis!¡± Rimold said. ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, but I can tell you for sure that this is the work of the dagger that ghost was looking for! I have no doubt in my mind!¡±


    ¡°How can you be sure of that?¡± Domeron shook his head with skepticism.


    ¡°I just know!¡± Rimold said with insistence. ¡°Look, I understand that I have given reason to not trust me in the past, but I¡¯m asking you, just this once, to place your faith in me!¡±


    Domeron seemed hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can.¡±


    The rogue gritted his teeth. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going with or without your help! I need this dagger! It¡¯s the only chance I have!¡±


    Allen and Domeron looked bewildered at Rimold¡¯s persistence, but Red knew why he seemed so pressed to pursue this dagger at all costs. He wanted to repay his debt to Gustav¡¯s guild and help his sister at the capital, and he was willing to risk everything to do it.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡± Red said after some thought.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let him go alone, and like he said, this is something worth investigating. Whether the imperials or necromancers are behind this, or even if this is something entirely unrelated to them, it could let us gleam some knowledge about the region, and perhaps afford us an opportunity to turn the tides of our destiny in the off-chance that Rimold is right about the dagger.¡± Red said.


    The swordsman stared at him in silence. ¡°Are those the only reasons you want to go?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ No, but they¡¯re the only ones that should matter to you.¡±


    The youth, above everyone else, had his reasons for looking into this. He wanted to find out more about the Moonstone Mine and, in turn, the nature of this curse, and if there was a chance this bone dagger was connected to its existence, he couldn¡¯t pass up this opportunity.


    With the imperials encroaching on their presence within the region, this might truly be Red¡¯s last chance to investigate something that haunted his entire life to this day.


    ¡°¡­ You can disguise your presence from the imperials, right?¡± Domeron asked with a thoughtful expression.


    Red nodded. ¡°I have a way to fool their tracking methods.¡±


    ¡°Can you disguise other people too?¡±


    ¡°As long as they stay close to me, I can do it.¡± the youth said.


    ¡°Good.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Then I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Rimold seemed surprised.


    ¡°Hey, I want to go too!¡± Allen interjected.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re staying here, Allen.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°We need to do this as quietly as possible, and you¡¯re not suited for these types of missions.¡±


    ¡°You heard what he said, kid!¡± Rimold patted Allen¡¯s back. ¡°We¡¯re not going out there to kill any monster, or else we would invite you with us without hesitation!¡±


    The young master frowned with a reluctant expression. ¡°So, only I am going to stay behind with Hector and Rog? This doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one staying behind.¡± Domeron looked over at Rimold. ¡°You¡¯re staying too.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Rimold¡¯s eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°You heard me. It¡¯s clear you are in no condition to travel, and as you yourself admitted, you have been influenced by that ghost to have an obsession with this dagger. Who knows what will happen to you if we do find it? It¡¯s not a risk I¡¯m willing to take.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Rimold was reluctant to accept Domeron¡¯s words, even if he found no reasonable argument against it.


    Domeron ignored him and looked over at Allen. ¡°Your duty over these days we are gone is to watch over Rimold and make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything stupid. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Allen nodded with a resolute expression.


    It seemed that all it took to change Allen¡¯s mood was to give him a purpose. Even if it wasn¡¯t what the young master wanted at first, he still always took his responsibilities seriously when it came to watching after his companions.


    Rimold, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem too happy. ¡°I don¡¯t need a damn teenager to look after me!¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Either way, let us return to the sect at once and explain our decision to Hector.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling Hector?¡± the rogue looked surprised. ¡°There¡¯s no way he will let you go!¡±


    ¡°He will.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?!¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the one requesting it.¡±


    Domeron¡¯s confidence left Rimold at a loss for words.


    ¡°Now stop fooling around and let¡¯s leave.¡± Domeron said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend another second in this god forsaken room.¡±


    None of them argued against Domeron¡¯s decision.


    Red followed behind the group with a lot on his mind. Not just about the mission ahead and what that might mean for him, but also about the strange aura surrounding Rimold. Was this caused by this supposed bone dagger the rogue was after? Or was this an entirely unrelated matter?


    Red could see this because of the special ¡°acupoint¡± he unlocked in his glabella, which apparently allowed him to see into ghostly forms like souls, as Aurelia claimed. Yet, when he looked at Domeron and Allen, he couldn''t see anything strange surrounding their bodies, while it clearly wasn''t the case with the rogue.


    Still, the youth thought better of mentioning this to Rimold or the others just yet. And there was a very good reason for it.


    ¡®Aurelia hasn¡¯t said anything this entire meeting.¡¯


    From the limited time Red had spent with the woman, he learned that she was rather noisy and arrogant, happy to flaunt her superior knowledge to the youth at every opportunity she could, even during ongoing conversations. How could something like the bone of a near-ascension cultivator not interest her?


    Yet she remained silent, something rather uncharacteristic of her part. The only other time she did this was when she felt the presence of the necromancer nearby, and she didn¡¯t want to give herself away no matter how much Red tried to speak to her.


    This made the youth consider one possibility.


    Was she hiding from someone here, too?

 Chapter 311 - Protecting the Future

    Midway through on their trip back to the sect, Red stopped in the middle of the road. He was leading the group back, so they all froze with him and looked at the youth with confused gazes.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Allen asked. ¡°Did you notice something?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No. We¡¯re not being followed as far as I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°I need to check on something. Before we return to the sect, that is.¡± Red said.


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded.


    Rimold glared at him. ¡°Are you insane? Didn¡¯t you just tell me that the imperials can track us through some magical means? What if some assassin targets you?¡±


    ¡°I can disguise myself.¡± Red said.


    The rogue seemed taken aback. ¡°¡­ Even then, you still shouldn¡¯t be alone! I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°I need to do this alone or else there is no point to this.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the last person I can take alongside me.¡¯


    Domeron seemed hesitant, but he still nodded in the end. ¡°You understand this threat better than any of us, so I believe in your capability to deal with these risks. That being said, you should be quick about doing whatever it is you need to do. Do you understand?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    Allen also stared at Red with concern. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to separate. Rimold, in particular, gave him a meaningful stare before they parted ways. Above everyone else, Red had worked a lot with the rogue over these past few years, so they acquired a deep understanding of each other¡¯s mannerisms.


    Rimold, in turn, knew that whenever Red went out of his way to tend to secret personal matters, it couldn¡¯t mean anything safe for the rest of them. The rogue, however, couldn¡¯t imagine that this was related to his own personal safety.


    Once Red couldn¡¯t detect his companions with his crimson sense, he started to move. He sneaked through the town, and in a few minutes, he arrived at another hideout in the middle of a few ruined buildings - an old cellar hidden amidst bricks and toppled walls - a different one than the one they had just been at.


    This hideout in particular wasn¡¯t known by Rimold or anyone else. It wasn¡¯t that Red suspected the rogue of foul play, but he already experienced his companions being possessed by malicious forces. He couldn¡¯t discount the possibility that this had happened again.


    The cellar was empty for the most part, barring the broken remains of wine barrels and appliances. As soon as he made sure the room was clear, he took out the insectoid core from his pouch and stare at it intently.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice echoed in his ear. ¡°If something happened, I would have told you about it.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red frowned and repeated the same question.


    There was an extended silence following his question.


    ¡°¡­ I thought it would be better to be safe, so I decided to hide myself.¡± Aurelia said in a resigned tone.


    ¡®Like I thought.¡¯


    ¡°What exactly did you sense?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°The man you met, he had traces of a strange energy in his body, something I¡¯ve never felt before. That, coupled with the story he told, made me think twice about showing myself in front of him.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What was so strange about this energy?¡±


    ¡°It was extremely faint, so much so that even a cultivator at the Spirit Core Realm wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it. The only reason I could detect it is because of the resonance this energy seemed to have with his soul¡­¡± Aurelia trailed off. ¡°Wait! Did you see it too?!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I saw an aura surrounding his body. I couldn¡¯t tell much more besides that.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Even with your new ability, you¡¯re still not even in the Lesser Ring Realm! How could you possibly sense it?¡±


    The youth obviously didn¡¯t know how to respond to her, so instead he shifted topics. ¡°Was he being possessed?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No, I don¡¯t think so. Whatever this energy was, it was far more subtle than what I¡¯ve ever seen in a possessed individual.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you for sure what this energy is doing without examining it more closely, and I don¡¯t think any of us wants to risk it.¡±


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    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ The rest of his story, do you have any insights about it?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what way. His story does sound absurd just by virtue of how unlikely it is for this kind of bone dagger to remain hidden for so long in such a remote region, but it¡¯s technically not impossible. Some treasures have a way of influencing their surroundings through natural phenomena in various ways, and it would certainly explain the strange disappearances¡­ However, if it¡¯s really some kind of demonic influence behind this, it raises another problem.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it might be responsible for what¡¯s happening to Rimold?¡± The youth followed her logic.


    ¡°Very likely. Maybe just by looking into this matter, he could have attracted the attention of whatever is behind this, in which case it¡¯s safe to assume nothing good is waiting for him in the future.¡±


    Red frowned. It was all the more reason to look into this matter.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe to investigate this?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Safe? Absolutely not.¡± Aurelia said with a mocking tone. ¡°If it¡¯s really a treasure of a near-ascendent cultivator, just by being near it, you might be torn to shreds¡­ However, these effects your friend talked about seem rather subdued and random for a treasure at that level, which tells me either this thing is in a weakened or hibernating state, or it isn¡¯t as strong as we might think.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows. ¡°Are you telling me there¡¯s a chance?¡±


    ¡°There could be, as long as you are aware of the inherent risks of this.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°All I¡¯m telling you comes from my knowledge and experience, but I can¡¯t claim to be completely confident. After all, I still don¡¯t know what this energy in your friend¡¯s body is doing, and there¡¯s no guarantee the same thing won¡¯t happen to you if you look into it.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do you think this could be connected to my curse?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°How would I know? I don¡¯t even understand the nature of this curse, much less what might be connected to it. Still, judging from how many weird things have been happening in this region, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there was a connection.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So what do you recommend?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I think taking risks is an inherent part of a cultivator¡¯s journey.¡± Aurelia said after some thought. ¡°Death and injuries might come to those that brave danger, but those that avoid it will definitely never reach the end of this path.¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being so enigmatic?¡±


    ¡°What enigma?! If you can¡¯t understand the meaning behind my words, then you¡¯re the one with an issue!¡±


    Red, of course, understood what she was saying. The rewards that could help the youth in his path would never come free of risk, and if he wanted a chance of walking further on this road, he would obviously need to explore every option. Suffice it to say, a bone dagger made out of the body of a cultivator that was at the very least on his master¡¯s level could change his entire outlook into the future, even if it came with a great danger.


    Not to mention, there was still the possible connection with the underground to explore.


    ¡°Will you tell me if you sense anything strange?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear at this point that our fates are tied? If you were to die, I would likely just fall into the hands of a necromancer or one of these imperials and be at their mercy!¡±


    Red assumed this was a yes, so he didn¡¯t say anything else. He stored the core back in his pouch and left his hideout.


    The youth was never one who liked to rely on others for help, but after having the ghostly woman around for long enough, he couldn¡¯t deny her usefulness. Without her, he would never have been able to disguise his presence from the imperial¡¯s tracking method, and he could have also died in that ghoulish ambush.


    It wasn¡¯t that Red changed his mind about trying to be independent, but he would be foolish not to recognize he was out of his depth here. As long as Aurelia was willing to provide her help in making it through these dangerous waters, the youth was more than happy to play along with her idea of an alliance for now.


    ¡­


    Some twenty minutes later, Red returned to the sect.


    He could sense the presence of Rimold, Allen, Domeron, and Hector in the meeting room. Surprisingly enough, there were no sounds of discussion, and Red was greeted into the room by the sight of Hector sitting at the head of the table with a thoughtful expression.


    He looked up upon the youth¡¯s arrival. ¡°We were waiting for you.¡±


    Red looked around, noticing Rimold¡¯s troubled expression. ¡°Did they already tell you everything?¡±


    ¡°They did.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°You really are willing to go investigate this matter?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worth looking into.¡±


    ¡°I think so too, but the danger can¡¯t be understated. If this is really something related to a cultivator that powerful, then it¡¯s beyond any of us to try to control it.¡±


    ¡°I have my ways of dealing with that kind of danger.¡± Red said. ¡°If things seem to be getting out of hand, then I won¡¯t hesitate to back away.¡±


    Hector frowned and seemed to be considering something. However, before he could say anything, Domeron gave him a deep glare from the other side of the table, and the elder fell silent.


    Red and the others all noticed this exchange, but they thought better than to ask what it meant.


    Hector looked back at Red. ¡°Domeron is going with you. As much experience as you have in these matters, it will do you good to listen to his advice and follow his commands when things get dire. Do you understand?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hector looked back at Rimold. ¡°As for you, you are forbidden from leaving the sect for the foreseeable future. Allen will be looking after you, as the others suggested.¡±


    Rimold nodded with some reluctance. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good, then there is nothing more to say.¡± Hector got up from his chair and looked at Red and Domeron. ¡°I will leave the specifics of this mission to you both. I¡¯m sure you can figure it out.¡±


    With those words, Hector returned to his room upstairs. Red and his companions were surprised by how brief the discussion on a matter of such import was, and for a moment, they were all baffled by how swiftly Hector ended their discussions.


    Allen was the first one to break the silence, though.


    ¡°Right, you can move to my room for now, Rimold!¡± Allen said, looking over at the rogue. ¡°I need to make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep in your room, you stupid brat!¡± Rimold glared at the young master before storming out of the room in anger.


    ¡°Ah, wait, where are you going?!¡± Allen followed behind the man in a hurry.


    A few moments later, only Domeron and Red were left in the meeting room.


    Red looked over at Domeron with a frown. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    Domeron shook his head with a helpless smile. ¡°Hector probably wanted to investigate it himself.¡±


    The youth was surprised. ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°I suppose he feels reluctant to risk your life in such a dangerous task after what happened to Rog. Unfortunately, if he left the sect, it would instead risk the life of everyone else in here.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you are coming?¡± Red asked. ¡°To look after me?¡±


    ¡°We lost Narcha and Eiwin already, and after what happened to Rog, our sect¡¯s strength is at the weakest it¡¯s ever been.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Right now, what matters the most is to protect our future, and if we lose you too, then I think none of us can survive what¡¯s yet to come.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond to this.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°That is why you need to live, Red. Understood?¡±


    The swordsman didn¡¯t wait for his response and walked outside of the meeting room, leaving Red to ponder upon his words by himself.

 Chapter 312 - Icy Departure

    The two of them didn¡¯t depart the sect just yet. As both Red and Domeron knew, just because they could avoid the imperial¡¯s magical tracking method, it didn¡¯t mean that they couldn¡¯t be pursued in other ways. As such, after some consideration, they decided on an exit plan from the town.


    ¡°We will ask Hector for help.¡± Domeron said. ¡°As long as he shadows us, even if he¡¯s noticed, no one will be brave enough to try to follow us into the forest.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What about that presence that was stalking him? Should we be worried?¡±


    ¡°Since you left town, he hasn¡¯t felt it again. Either they have given up and left, or they have been assigned to something else.¡±


    Red would have preferred for this stalker to still be keeping tabs on Hector, since at the very least, they would know of their location. He couldn¡¯t complain, though, since this meant their elder had the least bit of freedom to act in town.


    Hector accepted their offer with no protest.


    ¡°I will take you to the edge of the forest.¡± the elder said. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to keep guarding you after that, but at the very least, I should be able to notice if someone¡¯s trying to follow you out of town.¡±


    With their final exit plan concluded, they only needed to prepare their supplies before leaving. Red and Domeron were handed two healing pills each, as well as a handful of defensive and offensive talismans.


    It was far from enough to make Red confident in any conflict, but he knew this was all the sect could provide. The youth himself was almost tapped out after his fight with the ghouls and thus didn¡¯t have much to help from his own personal stash.


    Domeron seemed to notice his hesitation and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If this dagger is really as strong as Rimold says, no amount of talismans will keep us from harm if something bad happens.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is that supposed to make me feel better?¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°No, it¡¯s supposed to temper your expectations. We are pretty much delving into the abyss here, so there¡¯s no room for mistakes, and even if we do everything perfectly, there¡¯s no guarantee of success. Which is why you have to follow my lead.¡±


    Red sighed but still nodded in the end.


    They were both preparing the last of their equipment in the meeting room in the middle of the night, the day after Rimold arrived. Red was packing up his travel bag when he noticed Domeron strapping a sheathed longsword along his waist.


    ¡°Is that the sword you spoke about?¡± Red asked.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°What sword?¡±


    ¡°You told me you also had a sword when we first began training.¡± Red said. ¡°Is this the sword you spoke about?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you still remember that?¡± Domeron looked surprised. He shook his head. ¡°Yes, this is the sword I told you about, but you shouldn¡¯t hold your breath. It¡¯s just a normal sword, not a Spirit Weapon like Hector¡¯s sword.¡±


    Red frowned and examined the sheath of the blade. Like the man said, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything special about it other than how old and worn the leather seemed to be. Yet, the youth couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that the sword hiding inside this sheath was somehow not ordinary.


    Before he could say anything else though, Hector walked downstairs into the room.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± The elder went straight to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°We are.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°The real question is, are you ready, old man?¡±


    Hector scoffed. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? You really think anyone will be silly enough to try and attack one of our own inside of town?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Domeron exchanged glances with Red. ¡°Let¡¯s hope not.¡±


    The elder frowned for a second, but waved the matter aside. ¡°Just go at your own pace. I will be shadowing you from afar.¡±


    Right on cue, Hector waved his hand and an icy mist sprang forth from beneath his feet, surrounding his body and his immediate vicinity. Red couldn¡¯t see anything in front of him, until, a few moments later, the mist dissipated.


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    When the room became clear again, there was no sign of Hector anywhere. He completely disappeared from his senses, and this ability of his seemed to be more than enough to fool any cultivator below the Lesser Ring Realm. That was, every cultivator except for Red.


    The youth felt the elder¡¯s presence out of the building, faint as it seemed to have become.


    ¡°I believe you are smart enough to recognize this, but make sure not to look in his direction while we¡¯re sneaking through town.¡± Domeron said, strapping his light bag around his back. ¡°So, do you need to do something to disguise our presence?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No. Just stay within 50 meters, and everything should be fine.¡±


    By now, the imperials probably already knew that Red¡¯s sect had a way to disguise their Spiritual Emissions, so they would probably try to follow them through some other methods. Still, Spiritual Tracking was the most effective one when it came to mortals. At least, that was what Aurelia told him.


    The youth asked earlier if Hector needed to be disguised too, but the old man told him there was no need. He had his own disguising technique, although it couldn¡¯t be applied to others like Red¡¯s.


    They both started to leave the sect at the dead of the night. No one had left the premises of their courtyard since Rimold arrived, and as such, it was unlikely their plans to leave town had leaked. However, the Imperials had proven their resourcefulness time and time again, so Red and Domeron weren¡¯t willing to take a risk if they could help it.


    For instance, Red decided to take a different route through the town than he was used to. They would first go west, towards the Great Serpent Canyon, before making their way around towards the dead forest in the northeast. That way, even if someone noticed them leaving town, they might be misled on the direction they intended on travelling to.


    The sneaking part wasn¡¯t hard at all with Red and Domeron¡¯s skills. They weaved through alleys, climbed buildings, avoided patrols, all without any accidents. Hector followed behind them very closely, but just as Domeron suggested, the youth never looked in the direction he sensed the elder to be.


    Everything seemed to be going to plan, and the duo had almost arrived at the edge of town. That was when Red heard a voice in his ear.


    ¡°Someone is following you.¡± Hector said.


    Red and Domeron exchanged glances of surprise. The youth himself couldn¡¯t sense anyone following them with his crimson sense.


    ¡°The disguising method is still working.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°If they¡¯re tracking you, it¡¯s through some other means.¡±


    This confused Red even more. Of course, if both Red and Domeron¡¯s Spiritual Emissions disappeared from the imperials tracking devices, it was more than enough to tip them off that the sect was on the move. However, even with that, they wouldn¡¯t be able to track the duo¡¯s move if they didn¡¯t have close eyes on their movements.


    ¡®Could it be that they are closer to the sect than we thought?¡¯


    The elder continued. ¡°Don¡¯t stop walking. I will deal with them.¡±


    The youth thought better of asking what Hector planned to do. He looked over at Domeron, and the man simply nodded at him. They walked for another half-a-minute, before arriving at the edge of town. Here, the field was rather wide open, and the only cover they would be able to find was in the tree line hundreds of meters away.


    ¡°You can move on my signal.¡± Hector¡¯s voice reached their ears again.


    ¡°What signal?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°When you hear the screams.¡±


    This was all the elder said before the youth felt him move in his crimson sense. He looked over at Domeron with a frown, but the swordsman just shook his head with a helpless smile.


    ¡°He has been eager to act.¡± the man said. ¡°As much as he likes to keep a passive stance with important matters, he can¡¯t help himself if he sees someone challenge him and his sect in front of him.¡±


    Red sighed and waited as the elder indicated. A few minutes passed by, during which the youth wondered if something went wrong. However, that was when he saw a while light emanating from within the town.


    An explosion of ice crystals echoed around town as a white mist was blown sky high, some hundreds of meters behind the duo.


    ¡°Now!¡± Domeron started to run.


    Red followed his lead. The two started to run at extreme speeds towards the tree line.


    Just as he thought Hector was done causing a commotion, he heard several more sounds of explosions behind him. Red took a glance behind him as he ran and saw at least three more spots of glowing ice mist reaching for the sky around the area where the first explosion happened.


    ¡®Is he fighting someone?¡¯


    The youth couldn¡¯t tell, but the explosions ceased soon after he and Domeron reached the tree lines.


    In the past, Hector had agreed with the Baron not to fight inside of town. However, it was clear that when he was pushed too far, no rules or conventions would be enough to stop the elder from doing what he wanted.


    Red and Domeron continued to run deep into the forest for almost ten minutes. Only when they were far enough from town did the two of them stop.


    Domeron patted his dusty shirt with his one hand as he caught his breath. ¡°Well, that was certainly something.¡±


    Red looked at him with curiosity. ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡±


    Domeron smiled at him. ¡°Are you surprised?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The youth nodded.


    No one in the sect, barring Hector, should be able to keep up with him in a sprint, much more so after he opened his Storm¡¯s Blessing acupoints. Red was sure that he surpassed even Narcha and Eiwin from back then.


    To his shock, however, Domeron was able to keep up with him with seemingly no issues.


    The man continued to smile at him. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with secrets. Now come, we can¡¯t stay here for too long.¡±


    Red nodded and followed behind the swordsman. Still, while walking, he focused his crimson sense on Domeron¡¯s fluctuation. It was pulsating like everyone else¡¯s, but now and then the fluctuation seemingly disappeared from Red¡¯s crimson sense for a split second before reappearing as if nothing had happened.


    It was too fast, almost impossible to pick up if the youth wasn¡¯t focusing on it. Yet, over the years he spent at the sect, this strange phenomenon continued to happen every time Red focused on Domeron.


    He tried to pry secrets from Domeron in the past, to no avail, so he had no choice but to let the matter go. Now, however, his curiosity was sparked once more under this situation.


    It was clear that Domeron was not as simple as Red or anyone else in the sect imagined.

 Chapter 313 - Slave Contract

    As they agreed before, they continued heading west before making their way back east in a roundabout manner. This was all to throw people off their trail, though Red didn¡¯t know if anyone would still be following them after Hector¡¯s display in town.


    The youth was ready to do all the work when it came to masking their tracks, but to his surprise, he didn¡¯t need to. Domeron proved to be more than capable of covering the footprints and other evidence of his passing by himself. In fact, he seemed almost as capable as Red and Rog.


    This was all made more impressive by the fact the man only had one arm.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Domeron asked once he noticed Red¡¯s lingering gaze.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re very good at this.¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°Well, once upon a time I was also wandering the wilderness by myself. I had to figure out how to survive out there on my own, so I picked up a few tricks.¡±


    ¡°Was this before or after you lost an arm?¡± Red asked.


    Domeron¡¯s smile faded. ¡°¡­ Before. It was all before.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Will you tell me how you lost your arm?¡±


    ¡°It was cut off.¡± The man shrugged.


    ¡°People who get their arms cut off in the middle of battle tend to not survive.¡±


    ¡°Rog did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he had me to help him. Did you have anyone to help you when you got your arm cut off?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Are you always this curious?¡±


    ¡°When I can be, yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t know if I will get another opportunity to ask you this.¡±


    The youth was being sincere. He didn¡¯t really gain anything by learning about Domeron¡¯s background, but he was always curious by nature, and the man was the one person in the sect he knew the least about.


    The man also seemed to be struggling to come up with a reason to deny Red, but in the end, he relented with a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t get any help. I was captured.¡± Before the youth could ask any follow-up questions, Domeron cut him off. ¡°That is all I¡¯m going to say about this. Maybe if we both make it back alive, I will tell you the rest.¡±


    Red could only hold back his curiosity and followed behind the swordsman.


    ¡°I can sense some latent power within this man¡¯s body that reminds me of some strong swordsmen I met in my time.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ear. ¡°It is a shame he doesn¡¯t have a Spiritual Sea, or else he could have become a powerful cultivator.¡±


    As soon as Red heard that, he froze.


    Domeron noticed this and looked back at him with a frown. ¡°Did you sense something?¡±


    Red shook his head, recovering from his initial surprise. He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    The swordsman stared at him for a few seconds before turning around and continuing to walk.


    ¡°Why the sudden surprise?¡± Aurelia asked. ¡°Did you not know about this man¡¯s condition?¡±


    Red wanted to reply, but instead he just shook his head in silence. Since Domeron needed to be within fifty meters of him at all times, then the youth wouldn¡¯t have the liberty to speak with Aurelia in privacy for this trip.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°This is why you need to open your Spiritual Sea quickly. That way you won¡¯t need to speak outloud for me to understand you.¡±


    Red frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    The woman continued. "The lack of an arm would definitely be troublesome for breaking through, but it¡¯s not impossible if he had enough backing. Unfortunately, he was born without a Spiritual Sea, so nothing will be able to help him.¡±


    ¡®Born without a Spiritual Sea?¡¯


    This left Red confused. Did the woman just assume this, or did she have some evidence to back her up? Red thought the former was more likely, considering that the technique invented by Hector was far after her time.


    Indeed, the reason why Red was so surprised to hear this was that he knew Hector and his sect had come up with a technique especially designed to remove Spiritual Seas from people¡¯s bodies.


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    The first time the youth heard of this was when he spoke with Reinhart in the trial. He was one of the victims of Hector¡¯s technique, even if the elder himself was not the one responsible for it. Later, he learned through Hector himself that his own disciples, Allen¡¯s parents, had apparently appropriated his technique for more nefarious ends, and this was why the man sought revenge on the elder.


    Yet, now he found out Domeron was also missing a Spiritual Sea. It would be stupid of him to assume this was just a coincidence, but this wasn¡¯t the biggest question.


    ¡®Does Hector know about this?¡¯


    Red would like to assume he did, but Reinhart also managed to live so long in town without having his peculiarity detected by Hector. So, would the elder find out about Domeron without directly inspecting him? Or did the swordsman find some way to trick him, too?


    Of course, this last question had much deeper implications.


    Red and Domeron continued walking for several hours, right up until the sun was rising. The entire time, the youth was pondering what to do, or how should he broach the topic with the swordsman. He didn¡¯t believe Domeron was a traitor, but how could he rest easy without having confirmation?


    So he prepared and considered many scenarios. Ambushing and mobilizing the man was one of the things that came into mind, but the more Red thought about it and observed Domeron¡¯s countenance, the less confident he felt in a forceful plan.


    ¡°What are you thinking about doing, Red?¡± Aurelia asked with an impatient tone. ¡°I can see you¡¯re scheming something!¡±


    Red, of course, was surprised that the woman could read past his neutral expressions and body language.


    Aurelia continued to pester him. ¡°If you¡¯re going to attack him, make sure to finish it in one blow! If it comes down to direct combat, I don¡¯t fancy your chances very m-¡­¡±


    The woman trailed off as Domeron froze in place. He turned around slowly towards Red, staring at him with a smile.


    ¡°Are you thinking about stabbing me in the back?¡± the swordsman asked.


    Red felt a shiver run up his spine, but he didn¡¯t let it show in his expressions. His right hand wandered over to his sword as he weighed Domeron with a frown.


    The man, however, continued to smile. ¡°What is this about now?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a Spiritual Sea.¡± Red said.


    This time, Domeron failed to maintain his composure as his expression twisted in shock and the youth felt his fluctuation flutter. The swordsman tried to recompose himself to little success.


    ¡°¡­ How do you know this?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, but his frown got deeper.


    The man sighed in resignation. ¡°I can see now why you were acting strange for a while.¡±


    ¡®He knew I was planning something?¡¯


    Red was very good at hiding his intentions and emotions through a stone-cold demeanor. He didn¡¯t think that some powerful cultivators would be fooled, such as Aurelia, but the youth so far had been able to deceive Hector and a handful of other Lesser Ring Realm cultivators with no issues.


    Yet, how did Domeron see through him when he wasn¡¯t even looking at the youth most of the time?


    Suffice it to say, this revelation made Red even more weary.


    Domeron was silent for a while, as if pondering his words. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t have my Spiritual Sea. No, Hector wasn¡¯t the one that took it from me. In fact, I¡¯m only alive today because of him. Is that enough of an explanation for you?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, still holding onto his sword handle.


    Domeron gave him a helpless smile before continuing. ¡°I was young and foolish. I trekked the world on my own instead of settling down and cultivating in peace until I broke through. I killed a lot of people until all the killing caught up to me and I discovered I killed the wrong person. Members of Hector¡¯s sect cut off my arm and took my Spiritual Sea from me, and they would have done much worse if Hector didn¡¯t step in and save me.¡±


    Red continued to stare at Domeron, digesting the information. This explanation made sense, as vague as it was, since the youth doubted Hector would let someone like Domeron be so close to him without properly investigating the man¡¯s origins and intentions.


    However, he didn¡¯t drop his suspicions just yet.


    ¡°Why did Hector save you?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Around that time, his sect was already destroyed, and Hector was planning on leaving the group of survivors. He wanted me to be his servant.¡±


    ¡°So he just decided to trust you?¡± Red was skeptical.


    ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°He gave me a choice - either sign a contract with him that would assure my loyalty or be left to my own devices. I chose the former.¡±


    Red was surprised. The contract Domeron spoke about could only be one thing: a slave contract.


    ¡°¡­ Is that why he trusts you so much?¡± the youth asked.


    ¡°At first, yes. But these days, I¡¯d like to think I have earned his trust through my actions.¡±


    Red knew he was right, since Hector put more value in Domeron¡¯s opinion than anyone else¡¯s in the sect.


    ¡°Has he cancelled the contract, then?¡± Red asked.


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The answer was evidently no.


    Domeron continued. ¡°He will always keep his assurances at the end of the day. Still, not once through his service did I think about abandoning him or trying to break the contract. He saved my life, so it¡¯s only fair that I help him when he needs it.¡±


    Red stared at him. ¡°Is that really the only reason?¡±


    The man smiled and shook his head. ¡°Not at all. The truth is that I am happy where I am, kid. I can¡¯t cultivate any longer, so what I do in the sect gives me purpose. When I¡¯m not training you two or gathering information around town, I am relaxing in my chair and drinking some tea. What else could I ask for?¡±


    Although the man seemed to be speaking truthfully, Red could feel a sense of resignment under his words. It was the image of a man who accepted his defeat, and the youth didn¡¯t know how to feel about it.


    ¡°Is that enough to convince you?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°I never thought you were a traitor in the first place.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°But I needed to be sure.¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°You say that, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re still prepared to kill me if it comes down to it, right?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    The swordsman just shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to do anything here, then I suggest we continue on our way. We don¡¯t know if the imperials are really off our trail, after all.¡±


    Red nodded, and soon enough the two of them were walking through the forest in silence as if nothing happened.


    ¡°I was wrong, Red.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Even if you tried to ambush him, you would definitely still lose.¡±


    The youth showed no reaction and continued to walk, maintaining a grip around his sword handle the entire time.

 Chapter 314 - Loyal Companion

    For the next day, their trip went by without a hitch. No one was following them, at least as far as they could see, and they also weren¡¯t ambushed by any ghouls. By all means, it seemed like their initial plan worked as intended, but Red didn¡¯t drop his guard.


    After yesterday¡¯s revelation, the youth just didn¡¯t feel safe around Domeron. All evidence pointed towards the swordsman not being a traitor, but how could Red feel completely at ease until he could confirm it with Hector? The atmosphere around the two changed, and he didn¡¯t feel compelled to engage in chit-chat any longer.


    Domeron, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by this. He spoke to Red when needed, with no reservation, and he didn¡¯t care about giving his back to the youth on multiple occasions, where he could have been struck fatally. Either he trusted Red or he felt confident in his own strength.


    ¡®Maybe both.¡¯


    In some ways, this reminded him of his time travelling with Reinhart in the inheritance realm. The man back then also didn¡¯t seem worried about Red striking him in the back, having confidence and trust in the youth where he shouldn¡¯t have had.


    Red found it ironic. It seemed like this wasn¡¯t the only similarity between the two men.


    Night rolled around again, and this time, the two of them decided to make camp. The faster they did their task, the better, but charging head first into this kind of dangerous investigation was reckless, so it was better that all of them were at full strength.


    This included Red, who was starting to feel the effects of the Lunar Gaze.


    ¡®It hasn¡¯t increased in strength.¡¯


    Red thought that after he opened his ¡°special acupoint¡±, the creature on the Moon would show some kind of violent reaction. That didn¡¯t happen.


    In fact, the pressure on his mind was lessened compared to the prior month, which left him confused. His special Moonstone acupoints weren¡¯t meant to lessen the pressure of the Lunar Gaze, but rather to help him resist its absorption on the day of a New Moon.


    Red mostly needed to deal with the pressure by himself and his growing mental fortitude for the rest of the month. Now, however, with his last acupoint opened, this pressure seemed to lessen by itself.


    ¡®Then again, I don¡¯t suppose this is an acupoint at all.¡¯


    Unfortunately, Aurelia wasn¡¯t any closer to figuring out the purpose of this strange organ. This, on top of the fact she outright refused to speak about matter related to the ¡°Moon Being¡±, left Red to figure out the details of these peculiarities by himself for now.


    Red looked up towards the waning Moon.


    ¡®I wonder if¡­¡¯


    The youth trailed off as something caught his eyes in the night sky. A green, glowing flash of light, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared in his gaze. Red frowned, doubting his eyes.


    He looked around for it again, but the phenomenon didn¡¯t repeat itself. Still, he didn¡¯t give up and kept looking at the endless star-lit sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of that again.


    Sure enough, almost a minute later, he saw it again. The same green flash, disappearing in an instant into the firmament. For a long while, Red was left in a trance as he looked at the spot where this light disappeared.


    Domeron spoke up, snapping the youth out of his daze. ¡°Did you see something up there?¡±


    Red looked back at the man and saw he was also staring at the night sky. They were both sat on the ground, their backs against two trees on opposite sides of each other, tending to their belongings and eating their rations. There was no bonfire lit to avoid drawing attention, so both of them sat in the darkness, which didn¡¯t bother Red in the least.


    The youth hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­ Did you not see it?¡±


    ¡°All I see is the night sky, the Moon, and the stars.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Did you spot a shooting star?¡±


    Red nodded after some thought. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Domeron smiled with a nonchalant behavior. ¡°It¡¯s a good omen. Maybe this trip won¡¯t be as bad as we first thought.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and continued to look at the sky.


    He, of course, knew that what he had spotted wasn¡¯t a shooting star. He saw a few of those in his years on the surface, and although they traveled through the sky at incredible speeds, they didn¡¯t appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.


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    Whatever he saw, Red was sure it wasn¡¯t a shooting star.


    ¡°What did you see, Red?¡± Aurelia¡¯s curious voice reached his ears.


    The youth couldn¡¯t respond to her here, so instead, he just continued to examine the night sky. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Red saw around ten more of these green flashes in the sky, all appearing and disappearing in a flash. Aurelia continued to pester him the whole time, eager to learn what caught his interest.


    ¡®So she can¡¯t see it.¡¯


    Red assumed Domeron was the same, since he caught the swordsman looking at the night sky a few times with him and showing no reaction to the flashing lights.


    These green phenomena happened far too quickly for Red to discern its characteristics too well, but he noted a few things. For one, this light seemed to form a straight line in the split second it was there, not unlike a shooting star as Red knew them, but multiple times faster. Then there was also the direction of the lines.


    From their speed and the youth¡¯s perspective, it was hard to make out too much, but he was certain that all of these flashing lights seemed to be pointed either to or away from the Moon. Red couldn¡¯t tell which, but it at least indicated this was something related to the Moon and very likely to him and his curse.


    This continued for another hour, but Red decided to look away once he failed to spot anything new.


    ¡®Did this only start happening today, or was I not paying attention before?¡¯


    Red made a point of not looking at the Moon too often, so it was possible this was already happening for a while. The flashes were so sudden and quick that if the youth wasn¡¯t looking for them, he would have certainly missed it with just a passing glance, so this was still a possibility.


    ¡®I guess I will need to wait until the next night for confirmation.¡¯


    Right as Red looked away from the night sky, he saw Domeron staring at him.


    ¡°Are you done admiring the night sky?¡± the man asked.


    Red frowned. ¡°Were you watching me this whole time?¡±


    Domeron shrugged. ¡°I was waiting for you to be done so we can discuss important matters.¡±


    ¡°What matters?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I have been giving it some thought, and I think it¡¯s best we investigate one of these villages before going after the knife again.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it is reckless to do a search like this. We need more information on what we are dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Rimold already investigated these villages.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we both know he might have been under a strange influence. It could have made him deliberately miss details that could have helped in identifying what was happening.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Not to mention, he didn¡¯t have you around. Who knows what you and your strange powers can pick up that he might have missed?¡±


    Red had to admit that what Domeron said made sense, but he still was reluctant to accept the idea.


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°Are you afraid I¡¯m trying to lead you into an ambush? What exactly is the need for that when we already had a set destination before?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t make sense.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡®Not to mention that ambushes really don¡¯t seem like something Domeron would do.¡¯


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Domeron seemed satisfied. ¡°There¡¯s a village on our way to the dead forest, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to make a small detour there.¡±


    ¡°The imperials might have spies there.¡± Red said.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°It¡¯s something we need to take a risk with, though. After all, how likely do you think Rimold is the only one that picked up on these rumours?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°It does seem rather unlikely for him to be the only one that noticed this abnormality.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Rimold has the knowledge about the dagger, though, so he knows what might be behind these events.¡± the man said. ¡°Still, if I was an imperial, I would probably try to look into any kind of abnormality in this region and see if they are connected to this inheritance I¡¯m after. It¡¯s very likely they also have scouts in the dead forest, too.¡±


    Red sighed. He thought about asking how the imperials had so many men in the region, but he already knew the answer. It wasn¡¯t that the imperial had dozens of agents acting in town and in the forest, but rather that they only had a handful, and these few paid for mercenaries to do their dirty work for them.


    Those who fought and killed for coin generally didn¡¯t care where this coin came from, and the Empire happened to be one of the richest factions in the world when it came to secular currency like gold coins. This was a common problem that countries like this one needed to face - having to defend from the Empire¡¯s invasion from outside and from within, led sometimes by the efforts of their own countrymen.


    ¡°We will do as you say, but if we notice anything strange, I¡¯m not going in.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That much is obvious.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going to sleep. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t mind taking first watch, do y-¡±


    A sharp hiss suddenly echoed through the forest, cutting Domeron¡¯s words short. Both the man and Red didn¡¯t hesitate to go for their weapons, though Domeron didn¡¯t unsheathe his sword just yet.


    The duo looked in the direction where they heard the hiss come from with weary expressions. They were certain that the sound wasn¡¯t farther than some twenty meters away, yet neither of them was able to detect any creature approaching their location.


    Not even Red, with his crimson sense, sensed the presence of any monsters nearby.


    ¡°From the sound it made, I think it¡¯s safe to assume it¡¯s a snake.¡± Domeron said in a whispering voice.


    Red had a sudden realization, and his expression changed.


    Domeron, who didn¡¯t notice this, continued. ¡°Monsters like this can be almost impossible to detect, but there¡¯s a trick I learned that-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Red cut him off.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The swordsman seemed confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and sheathed his sword. Then, he took a few steps ahead towards the area where he heard the noise. He still couldn¡¯t see anything with his dark vision or sense any fluctuations with his crimson sense.


    Still, the youth crouched down and extended his hand ever so slightly towards the thick folliage.


    ¡°Come.¡± This was all Red said.


    He didn¡¯t know if this would work, but sure enough, a few seconds later, the bushes began to rustle. Something seemed to slither out of the plant cover, the air shimmering to reveal itself to both Red¡¯s eyes and senses.


    It was the six-eyed snake, still with a cloth tied around its mouth. It approached Red without hesitation before slithering up his arm and around his shoulders. Then, it laid still and camouflaged itself around his dark clothes as if it had never left these in the first place.


    Red got up again and saw Domeron staring at him with a shocked expression.


    ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± the man asked.


    ¡°A snake.¡± Red shrugged.


    A loyal snake too, by the looks of it.

 Chapter 315 - Arrival at the Village

    Domeron was evidently affected by the appearance of the beast, but once he saw it settle down on Red¡¯s shoulder, he relaxed. His hand remained on his weapon, though.


    ¡°Where did you find it?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red walked over to a tree and sat down again. ¡°A hole in the ground in the forest near the canyon. It was probably the only survivor of a clutch of eggs.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°So you just tamed it? How? This is not in the purview of people who haven¡¯t opened their Spiritual Seas like us.¡±


    Red shrugged. ¡°I have my tricks.¡±


    The swordsman sighed in resignation, aware that he wouldn¡¯t be able to pry this information from the youth. He looked over at where he thought the snake was around Red¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Have you trained it to do anything?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the opportunity. To be honest, after the ambush we suffered, I thought I would have never seen it again.¡±


    ¡°It is unusual for a snake to show any kind of emotional attachment, so it makes little sense to me why it would return to you after all this time.¡± Domeron said with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Then again, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a six-eyed snake.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t know what kind of monster it is?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± he shook his head. ¡°Snakes don¡¯t have good eyesight, but maybe this one is an exception. Have you tested its vision?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°We can do that on our trip.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Is it venomous?¡±


    The swordsman proceeded to ask him all kinds of questions about the monster, and Red replied to them with as much detail as he could. To his surprise, Domeron seemed rather knowledgeable about monsters, something that he never showed before in the sect.


    ¡°It can close its own eggshell?¡± Domeron seemed confused. ¡°This is a very strange monster you have got your hands on.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind of monster it might be?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°You think a mortal like him will know about it when even I couldn¡¯t tell?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I might have an inkling.¡± Domeron nodded.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Red was also just as surprised. ¡°You know about it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but a long time ago while I was wandering the plains up north with a caravan, we also spotted a six eyed monster from afar.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It was so big we could see it from kilometers away.¡±


    ¡°What kind of animal was it?¡±


    ¡°It was turtle.¡± Domeron said. ¡°The locals told me that sometimes they saw it wandering their arid plains up north every decade or so before returning to the sea. A lot of people even worshipped it as a deity, since every time it wandered through those dry lands, rains would follow it to water their homes and form rivers that would last for months.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Bah, what¡¯s the connection between these things?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°The relation between them seems frail at best.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t let me finish. I remember clearly that the turtle had its eyes placed in the same way as that snake of yours, but above that, there was something else special about it¡­ Every time someone tried to approach it, it would disappear, as if it was a mirage.¡±


    This time, Red was taken aback. ¡°You mean it would camouflage itself? Would that even work?¡±


    ¡°No, not just camouflage. It would simply disappear.¡± Domeron said. ¡°No trace of this colossal beast would remain as long as someone got too close to it. I didn¡¯t see it myself, but it makes sense. I can¡¯t imagine a beast like that would be left alone for so long.¡±


    Red considered the man¡¯s words in silence.


    ¡°You might still think this connection is frail at best, but it¡¯s a start.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Bloodlines can be passed between completely different species of monsters sometimes, so thinking a turtle and a snake being related is not even the weirdest thing. Either way, the information I can give you about that is limited, so if you want to learn about it more in the future, you will probably need to visit those plains in the future.¡±


    ¡°Where exactly are they?¡± Red asked.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°In recently conquered imperial territory up north.¡±


    Immediately, the youth put this as the lowest priority on the list of things to do.


    The duo continued to discuss the snake a bit more until Domeron suggested trying to feed it something.


    Red, of course, was very hesitant.


    ¡°You kept that thing around its snout for a week already.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It must be starving.¡±


    If the snake was feeling hungry, it gave no indication of it, as it never showed any reaction to the food Red and Domeron were eating. However, Red had to agree with the man - this was still an infant snake, despite being almost two meters long already, so it was important to feed it as often as possible to nurture its growth.


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    ¡°Here, try feeding it this.¡± Domeron threw something at him.


    Red grabbed it and looked down. It was a piece of jerky. He looked over at Domeron with a skeptical gaze.


    The man shrugged. ¡°Try it before you complain.¡±


    Red did as much. He brought the jerky up to the snake¡¯s head, almost invisible against his cloak. The serpent flicked its tongue out, smelling the piece of food in front of it.


    It showed no further reaction.


    Red looked back at Domeron and shook his head.


    The man frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s try something else.¡±


    And so they did. They almost went through their entire supplies trying to see something that could elicit a response from the snake, even going as far as to offer it dry fruits, to no success.


    Domeron sighed in resignation. ¡°It seems like you will have to try hunting something fresher to feed it.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I would rather wait until we are done with this. It doesn¡¯t look that hungry in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable, but it¡¯s also best to strike when the iron is hot. Who knows when you will have another opportunity to wander around the forest?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why do you care so much about it?¡±


    The man¡¯s constant pestering and questions about the snake came across as strange for someone who seemed ready to cut the beast down just some twenty minutes ago. The youth couldn¡¯t help but feel skeptical.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I always wanted to have my own monster pet when I was younger. Just think of me living vicariously through you.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything in response.


    ¡°Either way, since you¡¯re probably not going to sleep anyway, you don¡¯t mind taking watch overnight, right?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red sighed. ¡°Just do as you want.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    Without hesitation, the man laid down against the tree and went to sleep.


    With his vision alone, it was impossible for Red to tell if the swordsman was truly sleeping, but thankfully, he had his own crimson sense to check his fluctuation. Some fifteen minutes later, it seemed like Domeron had truly fallen asleep as his fluctuation became calm and less active.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this man.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice echoed in his ear. ¡°He¡¯s too cocky for his own good.¡±


    Red frowned, but still didn¡¯t respond.


    Aurelia continued to speak. ¡°Are you really going to trust his story? What if he¡¯s lying about everything? You could basically be wandering around with a traitor that can kill you without issue. Maybe it¡¯s best to look for opportunities to get rid of him on this trip... just like the one in front of you right now.¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened, and he shook his head.


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°I thought you were smarter than this, Red. Even if you are wrong, you will at least eliminate the risk of being betrayed. You know better than anyone about taking chances in this world, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond to her any longer.


    The woman scoffed. ¡°Suit yourself!¡±


    She went silent.


    Red knew she was being logical, but this just wasn¡¯t the kind of person the youth was. He was cold, calculating, and hard to trust others, but above all else, he was a man of his word who would repay kindness and wrongdoings in equal measure. Domeron was someone he had known for seven years already, someone who taught him everything he knew about sword-fighting and indirectly saved his life many times through his teachings.


    It was impossible for Red to throw all that aside to enact such a radical measure based on suspicion that could yet be cleared when he returned to town. Granted, as Aurelia put it, if Domeron was a traitor then things would definitely go wrong for the youth. However, this was a risk he was willing to take to stay true to himself.


    ¡­


    A few days passed by.


    This was a tense period of travel for Red. Domeron couldn¡¯t stay further than fifty meters from him this entire time if he wanted to remain disguised, which meant they were easily within killing distance of each other. One lunge was more than enough for either of them to reach the other and strike within such distances.


    To his relief, however, there were no accidents during the journey, which diminished his suspicion of Domeron somewhat. Even if the youth was still not comfortable giving the man his back, at the very least he wasn¡¯t worried about the swordsman suddenly turning around and lunging at him.


    They failed to find any food for the snake still, and Red didn¡¯t want to go out of his way to hunt for it, so there was no progress in training the serpent. That being said, it remained quiet in the youth¡¯s shoulder, not displaying any need for water or food, or much movement at all.


    ¡®Sometimes I forget it¡¯s even there.¡¯


    ¡°We are here.¡± Domeron said, pointing with his one hand. ¡°I can see the village in the distance.¡±


    Red looked over in the direction he was pointing. Indeed, through the thick foliage, he was a few buildings as well as the smoke of chimneys rising into the sunlit sky.


    ¡°Have you visited this village before?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t visited any villages in the region.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Really? You spent seven years here and never visited a village?¡±


    ¡°I have everything I need in town.¡± Red said. ¡°Why would I need to go out of my way to look into these places?¡±


    As far as Red understood, these villages were rather isolated pockets of human habitation in the forest, with nothing much to see or offer in services that would be useful to him. This was exacerbated after the horde and Imperial invasion, wherein many of these small villages were abandoned by their frightened inhabitants and the ones that remained had their livelihoods affected.


    Domeron sighed at these words. ¡°Right, I didn¡¯t know why I expected otherwise. Either way, let¡¯s investigate it from afar first before we approach¡­ Also, let me do the talking if it comes down to it.¡±


    Red nodded with no protest.


    They both approached the town behind the cover of trees, doing their best not to be spotted. Once they got within five hundred meters, Red raised his hand for them to stop as he noticed something.


    They could already see movement from within the village from here.


    ¡°You can sense them from here?¡± Domeron asked with surprise.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Just give me some time.¡±


    The youth proceeded to focus on his crimson sense and extend it towards the village. He was able to cover it without issues, upon which he felt the fluctuations of multiple people in there.


    He examined each and every one of them, looking for any abnormalities which might give out a possible spy in their midst. There were around thirty people in the village, and in the end, Red didn¡¯t sense anything strange with any of them.


    Red opened his eyes and looked over at Domeron. ¡°All of them seem like common mortals, barring a handful that have opened a few of their veins.¡±


    Domeron raised his eyebrows. ¡°So no imperials spies?¡±


    Red shrugged. ¡°If they are there, either they are just a common mortal or I can¡¯t sense them.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s approach from the trail.¡±


    The village had a dirt path leading to the main road from which any visitors would approach from. Since Red and Domeron didn¡¯t intend to hide their presence for now, they approach the village in full view of them.


    They were quick to be spotted by the villagers, who were clearly not used to receiving visitors, much less armed ones. A handful of children playing at the edge of the village were the first to spot them and went running back to their parents to warn about the imminent arrival of the strangers.


    Domeron raised his hand in greeting, still a few hundred meters away from the village proper. Red, on the other hand, started to slow down as he got a clearer look at the villager¡¯s appearances, until he stopped in the middle of the road.


    A shiver ran up his spine.


    Domeron noticed this and looked back at him with a bewildered expression. ¡°What is it, Red?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t see it?¡± Red asked.


    The man frowned. ¡°See what?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond. Instead, he looked back at the residents who were all gathering in the middle of their village square to look at the two strangers.


    What Red saw in front of him, though, was a gathering of rotting corpses staring at him with clouded expressions.

 Chapter 316 - Rotting Village

    Red was frozen in shock for a long while as he stared at the villagers. Domeron frowned as he noticed the youth¡¯s reaction, and he looked between the villagers and Red, unsure about what to do.


    The initiative was taken off their hands, though, as one of the villagers approached them. It was an old man, as far as Red could see beneath the rot, dressed in an elder¡¯s clothing. His skin was falling off his face, revealing putrid flesh and bone, where maggots and all sorts of corpse-eating creatures made their home. One of his eyes was completely consumed by the squirming things that occupied his eye socket, while the other was clouded in a grey haze.


    Red was used to grisly sights, and this wasn¡¯t the first time he saw a corpse or something resembling a zombie. However, the more he stared at the old man and the villagers, the more a feeling of wrongness set in the pit of his stomach. As the elder approached them, Red felt compelled to draw his sword and attack.


    Thankfully, Aurelia snapped him out of his daze before he could do anything. ¡°What is going on with you, Red?¡±


    The youth frowned and stayed his hand. He closed his eyes and opened them again after counting to ten.


    Unfortunately, nothing changed in front of him. The villagers still looked just like corpses, even the children, and this strange sensation continued to spread through his mind. Still, Red managed to hold himself back from doing anything rash.


    By this point, the elder reached them, stopping a safe distance away.


    The old man held a hand up in greeting. ¡°Ho, there. What¡¯s ye business is in our village?¡±


    The voice of the elder sounded normal to Red¡¯s ears, or at the very least, it didn¡¯t seem like it came out of a corpse. For a moment, the youth wondered if what he was seeing wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    ¡°We are just passing by in our travels and were looking to trade for some supplies.¡± Domeron took out a pouch from his waist and shook it. The heavy clinking of coin came from it.


    Red saw what he thought was undisguised greed in the old man¡¯s rotting face.


    ¡°What¡¯re ye lookin'' to buy?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°Food. Something fresh maybe. We¡¯ve had enough of rations for now.¡± Domeron said.


    There was a prolonged silence as the old man stared at them.


    ¡°We can do that, aye.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°But you¡¯ll need to give yer weapons up while ye¡¯re in our village.¡±


    Red frowned, immediately against the idea. Domeron didn¡¯t seem too happy about it, either.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep it inside a barrel in full view of ye.¡± the old man said, as if to assuage their worries. ¡°Just can¡¯t have ye carryin'' them around the village, is all.¡±


    Domeron still seemed hesitant, but in the end he nodded. ¡°Keep the barrel near us at all times, or else we¡¯ll assume you¡¯re up to something.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The old man nodded before turning to look at the villagers gathered behind him. ¡°One of ye, bring me a barrel!¡±


    A young man, at least as far as Red could tell beneath his rotting flesh, ran off in a bolt towards a shed by the village side. He returned carrying a barrel soon after and approached the village elder wearily.


    ¡°Now, if ye¡¯d please.¡± The elder waved at the barrel.


    Domeron, still looking rather reluctant, unstrapped his sword from his waist before dropping it into the barrel. The young man nodded at him before moving over to Red.


    ¡°Yours too lad.¡± the elder said.


    The youth hesitating, staring at the man holding the barrel in front of him. A maggot suddenly poked out of the hole where his nose was supposed to be, causing Red to frown and for his grip around his sword to tighten.


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s gonna kill me!¡± The young man jumped back in fright.


    ¡°Shut up, ye useless moron!¡± The elder glared at the man, before looking back at Domeron. ¡°Tell your lad to give up his weapon or none of ye is enterin'' our village!¡±


    Domeron looked at Red with a hapless smile. ¡°You don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not too sure about that.¡± Red said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come this far already. Will you really let this stop us?¡±


    Red hesitated until a few seconds later, he relented. He unstrapped his sword from his waist before holding it in front of him while looking at the young man.


    The villager approached him with trembling hands until the barrel was right under the youth¡¯s weapon. Red dropped it down, letting the sword tumble to the bottom.


    The young man jumped back in relief, standing behind the elder. ¡°What do we do with it now?¡±


    ¡°Carry it with us.¡± the elder said.


    ¡°Carry it? But-¡±


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    ¡°Follow me to my house.¡± The elder cut him off, looking back at Domeron and Red. His gaze lingered on Red, though. ¡°Pull back yer hood, lad. We don¡¯t take rogues in our village.¡±


    Red hesitated once more, before Domeron gave him a meaningful gaze. The youth sighed before pulling back his hood. Immediately, a bunch of surprised gasps and whispers sounded from the village.


    ¡°His hair! It¡¯s red!¡±


    ¡°Is he bleeding mum?¡±


    ¡°I heard people with red hairs are children of demons!¡±


    Red frowned. He didn¡¯t like gazes lingering on his person already, and this problem was exacerbated when the ones staring at you were all rotting corpses.


    The elder also seemed surprised, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Follow me. We¡¯ll talk inside me house.¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°We would rather do this in the open if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡±


    The old man¡¯s rotting expression seemed to twist into a frown. ¡°Suspicious of us, are ye? Of a couple of harmless villagers?¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°Helps us in our trade.¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll do as ye please, then. Lad, go fetch us a few chairs!¡±


    The young man seemed to be at a loss. ¡°B-But I¡¯m holding the barrel.¡±


    ¡°Just drop it and go get them!¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± The young man ran off to do as he was asked.


    ¡°What are ye lot lookin'' at?!¡± The elder waved at the other villages. ¡°Go bout your business already and stop gawkin''!¡±


    The villagers all started to disperse with unwilling groans and expressions. Still, more than a few of them continued to stare at Red in curiosity, including every children.


    The youth tried to not look straight at them for too long. For some reason, the rotting corpses of these children seemed to invoke a feeling of wrongness even stronger than in any of the adults. Red didn¡¯t think it was because he was too sensitive, but he couldn¡¯t identify the reason.


    Still, he was eager to get this over and done with and leave the village as soon as possible.


    The young man returned with three chairs soon enough, and set them near the center of the village by the well. Although the entire place seemed to be quite remote, from what Red could see, they had more than enough to survive on their own out here.


    Whether it was water, crops, or a handful of cattle and other farm animals. Red wondered, however, how these people dealt with the native monsters of the forest, but he didn¡¯t feel compelled to ask given the circumstances.


    ¡°So, what do ye want to know?¡± the elder asked as he sat down in a chair.


    Domeron raised his eyebrows. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°City folk like ye always come around givin'' excuses, like buyin'' our food or grain. Bah, all nonsense! It¡¯s clear ye want somethin'' else! Lucky for ye, we trade in everythin'' we can get our hands on, includin'' information.¡±


    Domeron hesitated and looked over at Red. It was clear that the youth¡¯s attitude since entering the village had given the swordsman some doubt, and now he was unsure of how to proceed.


    Unfortunately for him, it wasn¡¯t like Red had any more of an idea about what was happening.


    He just nodded at Domeron. ¡°Ask him.¡±


    Domeron looked back the elder. ¡°Did someone disappear from your village over the last few years?¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t respond immediately, but Red felt his fluctuation change.


    ¡°That¡¯s my pa!¡± A child¡¯s voice came from the side.


    Red looked over at what he thought was a girl listening in on their conversation from the side, along a group of children.


    The elder glared at them. ¡°None of these two are not your pa, you stupid brat!¡±


    ¡°No, you dumb oaf! I meant my pa disappeared!¡± The girl glared back at him.


    ¡°Ye bastards! Scram!¡± The old man raised his hand in a threatening manner, causing all the children to disperse in fear.


    Domeron cleared his throat, getting the elder¡¯s attention again.


    The old man looked back at them and sighed in resignation. ¡°That¡¯s right, her pa disappeared some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us what happened?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°Nothin'' much to tell. He started goin'' crazy, said he was hearin'' voices and seein'' things. Then one day, poof!¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°Just gone!¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Is that all you know?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s all there is to say.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t even need to use his crimson sense to be able to tell the elder was lying.


    The swordsman was able to tell as much. ¡°Do you mind if we talk to the girl and her family, then? Anything we can learn about his disappearance would be of much value to us.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± The elder denied them without hesitation. ¡°I won¡¯t let ye lot harass them anymore!¡±


    Domeron was confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean!¡± The elder glared at them. ¡°Ye and yer lot have been comin'' around askin'' about Gavin for weeks already. Now even his wife is gone! If you have any questions, get them through me!¡±


    Red and Domeron were at a loss. They knew Rimold had investigated this village a while ago, but according to the elder¡¯s words, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only one asking around about this disappearance.


    ¡°Can you tell us about who came asking about this?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to tell?¡± The elder spat on the ground. ¡°Mercenaries, just like ye. Leather armor, weapons, ugly mugs¡­ When we had enough of them, one of them threatened us. Told him to shove his sword up his arse and said I would call the guard if they came back, and that seemed to do it for them to stop harassin'' our village¡­¡±


    The elder¡¯s description was too generic for them to associate to any person in specific. The town had a lot of mercenaries dressed and equipped in that exact manner, so Red and Domeron knew they wouldn¡¯t get much of asking about that.


    ¡°Did they tell you their name?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°Nay.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°Told us nothin'' at all other than what they were here for.¡±


    A dead end for now, it would seem.


    ¡°You said his wife disappeared, too. What happened?¡± The swordsman followed up with another question.


    ¡°She came tellin'' me that she was goin'' to brin'' him back.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°Nonsense, I told her. I said all the pressure was getting to her head, but she was dead-set on it. Said she knew he was out there, waitin'' for her¡­ Now she¡¯s gone, and their poor lass is all by herself.¡±


    Domeron and Red exchanged glances.


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°A week or so.¡± the elder said. ¡°Some folks wanted to search for her, but it was too dangerous. Couldn¡¯t risk losin'' more people.¡±


    ¡°Are these the only two people that disappeared?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Why? Should I worry about more of my folk disappearin''?¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°No, not if we have anything to say about it¡­ Look, we are here to help.¡±


    ¡°Help? You?¡± The elder frowned with his rotting expression.


    ¡°Yes. We just want to figure out why these disappearances are happening, so we need all the information we can get¡­ We would like to investigate this Gavin¡¯s house and speak to his daughter.¡±


    The elder shook his head. ¡°The other ones were also spewin'' the same nonsense when they first got here. When they didn¡¯t get what they wanted, they started pushin'' us around.¡±


    ¡°Well, our weapons are with you now, right? How can we push you around like this?¡±


    The old man hesitated. ¡°Ye do only have one arm, and the lad¡¯s skin seems too soft for a fighter.¡±


    Both Red and Domeron frowned at the same time.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Ye can speak to her, but only as long as I¡¯m around.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    Red was also relieved the elder relented, but on the other hand, he was reluctant about having to spend more time in here. It seemed like with every passing minute, the villager¡¯s corpses continued to deteriorate, and while the youth wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, he was certain it couldn¡¯t mean anything good.

 Chapter 317 - Investigating the Village

    The elder brought them over to a wooden house by the north side of the village, while the young farmer brought the barrel along with them at the old man¡¯s beckoning.


    ¡°This is their house.¡± the old man said. ¡°It¡¯s been abandoned since Erika left a week ago.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why did you bring us here? I thought you were going to let us talk to the girl.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I will.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°But first, I need to show ye somethin''.¡±


    The old man opened the door to the wooden house and waved at them to go inside.


    Domeron and Red exchanged glances. The youth couldn¡¯t sense anyone inside the house, but given what they knew of the imperials, they couldn¡¯t let their guards down.


    The swordsman looked back at the elder. ¡°You first.¡±


    ¡°Bah, suit yerself!¡± The elder entered the house with no hesitation.


    The young farmer followed close behind, with Domeron and Red going next, in that order. The youth still wasn¡¯t comfortable giving his back to the swordsman, after all.


    ¡°What do you want to¡­¡± Domeron was about to ask something, before he trailed off.


    The room they entered to look just about what one would expect of a peasant¡¯s village home - a modest place with very little other than a wooden table, some chairs, a furnace, and a lot of wooden appliances. What caught the duo¡¯s attention, however, was what was on the top of the table.


    Lines and lines of words written in an incomprehensible language were carved into the wooden surface. For a second, Domeron and Red were at a loss.


    ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°We were hopin'' ye would know.¡± the elder said. ¡°I found this after Erika disappeared. We asked her girl, and she told us her mum was doin'' this the day before she up and walked away.¡±


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Was Erika a foreigner?¡±


    Domeron asked this, of course, because he couldn¡¯t understand the words written on the table. The characters were all familiar, a part of the common alphabet of the continent, but the words just didn¡¯t make sense to either of them.


    ¡°Nay.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°She was a local through and through. Didn¡¯t know how to read or write either, which left us even more confused.¡±


    Domeron looked over at Red. ¡°Any input?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, kid. Can¡¯t you decipher the meaning of these words or something?¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly accomplish that on a whim?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you at least take a look at it?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°It might be some kind of secret message.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t promise you anything.¡±


    He approached the table and looked over the writings. The truth was that there were not many languages spoken in today¡¯s world, and the most popular one was called Common, spread since the days of the Crystal Sky Sect¡¯s war against the beasts. Most other human languages died after those times, becoming relics of an ancient past, and the others were only spoken in isolated lands, such as the barbarian¡¯s forest up north.


    Even then, languages other than Common also used different alphabets, which meant Domeron was probably not too far on his guess. This might have been some kind of secret message, or at least a variant language that some organizations were likely to come up with.


    This, however, didn¡¯t mean the task of deciphering these words became more manageable. Endeavors like this took time, careful examination, and a lot of guessing - all with more than a single sample of writing too. Even then, the accuracy of such translations was debatable at best - this was the difficulty of trying to decipher something like this without enough points of reference.


    As of right now, Red couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how to start deciphering this text. Besides, who was to say this wasn¡¯t some nonsense that the woman wrote?


    Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ear. ¡°This looks like a sect¡¯s secret language.¡±


    Red pause, waiting for the woman to continue. Even after a few seconds had passed, though, she didn¡¯t say anything else, causing the youth to frown.


    He cleared his throat to catch her attention.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking to myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what else do you want to know?¡± Aurelia asked in a smug tone.


    Red¡¯s frown deepened, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


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    ¡°Well, I already told you all that I know.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°We had a similar language in our sect that we learned once we became inner disciples. However, each sect obviously had their own system for secret messages with all kinds of complexities and loops to make it harder to recognize by outsiders. Suffice it to say, I don¡¯t really know from which sect this is from or what it says, but the pattern is all there¡­ Of course, this could be the language from another big faction too, but your guess is as good as mine.¡±


    Red frowned, many possibilities crossing his mind. At first, he thought that the woman had been possessed to some degree, compelled to write in some unknown language, but there was also the possibility she was completely aware of what she was writing, leaving a secret message for other people to find later. It was quite possible there was a bit of truth to both of these options.


    The youth looked back at Domeron. ¡°I can¡¯t really tell what it says, but¡­ You are probably right in your guess. It¡¯s hard to assess more than that, though.¡±


    The swordsman nodded before looking back at the elder. ¡°Is this the only thing you found here?¡±


    The old man nodded. ¡°We flipped the house upside down, but found nothin¡¯ else. You¡¯re free to search, though.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°We will do that if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡±


    The duo then started to look through the house, a search that didn¡¯t take very long considering the house only had three rooms. Red applied everything he learned from Rimold in his years on the sect, looking for hidden compartments in the floorboards or in cupboards, now aware of the possibility this woman could have been the spy to some organization. Unfortunately, he found no such thing, so either she was very good at what she did, or she was just a common peasant.


    Red was starting to lean more towards the latter.


    Both he and Domeron returned to the main room, finding the elder looking at them with some eagerness beneath his rotting features. Red had to hold his defensive reflexes back every time the old man directed his gaze towards him.


    ¡°Anythin''?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Did Erika do anything else here in the village?¡±


    ¡°Nay, she just helped take care of the children in the village.¡± the elder said. ¡°Gavin was the one out there workin'' the crops.¡±


    Domeron sighed. It was a dead end.


    ¡°Can we speak with the girl now?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± a childish voice came from right outside the door.


    ¡°Damn brat!¡± The elder glared at her. ¡°I told ye to wait in the square!¡±


    Said girl came running through the door and entered the room with a valiant pose. The moment Red laid eyes on her rotting appearance, he felt his stomach begin to turn in an uncharacteristic manner, and looked away in a hurry. No one seemed to notice this, thankfully.


    No one other than Aurelia, that is. ¡°What is wrong with you right now? You have been acting strangely since we got to the village. If something is going on, you need to tell me as soon as possible!¡±


    Red, of course, didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Domeron held his hand up to stop the elder from berating the girl. ¡°We wanted to speak with her in any case.¡±


    The elder seemed reluctant, but he looked back at the girl and nodded. ¡°Fine, but ye have to listen to me, understood?¡±


    ¡°I listened to you old fart and now me mum¡¯s gone!¡± The girl didn¡¯t back down.


    The old looked incensed, but Domeron interjected before he could do anything.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Elisabeth.¡± the girl said. ¡°Are you here to find me mum and dad?¡±


    Domeron hesitated, but still nodded. ¡°We will try our best, but we can¡¯t guarantee you anything.¡±


    The man¡¯s honesty seemed to take the others by surprise, but the girl didn¡¯t look too affected.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± she nodded. ¡°At least you aren¡¯t lying like the others. Are you cultivators?¡±


    ¡°Something of the kind.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Can we make you a few questions? Anything new we learn can help us in finding your parents.¡±


    ¡°Ask me anything!¡± The girl nodded. ¡°I have lots to tell, but the old fart never wants to listen!¡±


    Domeron raised his eyebrows in curiosity, eyeing the elder from the side. ¡°Can you tell us about your father¡¯s disappearance? We were led to believe he was having visions. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± She nodded. ¡°He said he was hearing voices. Then later he said he saw someone in the woods. Me and mum thought he was going crazy, but he kept saying it was all real¡­ It just kept getting worse.¡±


    ¡°Did he say what the woman looked like?¡± Red interjected, avoiding eye contact with the woman.


    The girl¡¯s gaze lingered on him in complete silence. Red felt her fluctuation tremble as she regarded him with a strange silent fixation that made the youth feel extremely uncomfortable.


    Red cleared his throat to get her attention.


    ¡°Ah-¡± The girl snapped out of her daze. ¡°Aye, he told us a bit. Said the woman had white hair and a black dress.¡±


    Red frowned. He only saw one person with white hair before, that being Aurelia in her banshee form. That being said, she didn¡¯t have a black dress as far as he could tell, and hair color was hardly something to establish a definite connection over.


    That being said, the youth knew for certain that white hair was often a trademark of undead creatures, which reinforced his earlier theories about the nature of this phenomenon. Domeron clearly thought as much as he looked at the girl with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Was there anything else you could tell us about your dad?¡± the swordsman asked. ¡°Did he say anything to you that stood out? Did you yourself notice anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nay.¡± The girl shook her head with a disappointed expression. ¡°He was normal, other than the visions and nightmares. Never spoke much about it, either. I think he was scared, and my mum didn¡¯t want us talking about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad luck to talk about nightmares.¡± the elder said. ¡°Well, since there¡¯s nothin'' else to talk about we can-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± The girl interjected. ¡°Me pa didn¡¯t say anything, but I know something about me mum!¡±


    ¡°Damn ye brat!¡± The elder glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t waste their time with-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Domeron interrupted him with a stern voice. ¡°Let the girl speak.¡±


    Both the elder and his helping hand looked at the man with fearful expressions. None of their earlier bravado was present as soon as they were pressed by someone with a degree of confidence and authority. This attitude, of course, immediately put into question his earlier story about sending the other mercenaries away with a threat, but Red didn¡¯t bring it up right now.


    Domeron looked back at the girl. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I heard me mum speak with someone.¡±


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was no one there.¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°B-but she was talking by herself, like as if someone was there. Does that make sense?¡±


    Domeron hesitated. ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°She was asking after me pa. Asking if he was safe. She looked happy, so I think the person she was talking said yes. Then she started asking about where she was meant to go¡­ I don¡¯t remember this part too well. I felt me head ache after that.¡±


    As the girl got to this part, Red felt the fluctuations of the elder and the young farmer change in nervousness.


    Domeron gave her a comforting smile. ¡°Anything you can tell us will help.¡±


    The girl nodded. ¡°They were talking about a cave, I think. Somewhere in the forest up north. She kept repeating a strange word after that¡­ ¡®Where the Moon meets the earth.¡¯ Something like that, I think.¡±


    As Red heard these words, he immediately felt a shiver run up his spine.

 Chapter 318 - Premonition

    Red reined his surprise in and looked over at Domeron. The swordsman was staring at him with an inquisitive gaze, as if waiting for his input.


    Red just shook his head. Whatever he needed to say to the swordsman could wait until they were out of here.


    Domeron frowned but didn¡¯t insist, looking back at the girl. ¡°Was that all you heard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all I remember.¡± The girl sounded disappointed. ¡°I-I was scared when she started to speak like that. She didn¡¯t even notice I was in the same room before she started packing.¡±


    ¡°Did you see her write this?¡± Domeron pointed at the table.


    ¡°I did.¡± The girl nodded. ¡°I asked her what she was doing, but she ignored me.¡±


    ¡°Did you see her do anything else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I tried to stop her but she¡­ she didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Domeron patted the girl¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯ve already told us enough. Now run along and let us speak to your elders.¡±


    The girl nodded and left the house after throwing a glance at Red one final time.


    A few seconds later, the men were left alone in the room again.


    Domeron looked over at the elder with a stern expression. ¡°Why did you want to hide this from us?¡±


    The elder gritted his rotting teeth. ¡°They told us they were workin¡¯ for a big shot in town. I told them what the girl told me about her mum, and then they said if we told anyone anythin¡¯ about that, they would have our hides.¡±


    Red immediately had a guess. ¡°Did they mention the name Gustav?¡±


    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s the one!¡±


    Domeron and Red exchanged glances. Neither of them was surprised by this, but just because Gustav¡¯s name was mentioned, it didn¡¯t mean the merchant was directly involved in the matter.


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°So what you told earlier about threatening them was a lie?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t! I did threaten them, but they weren¡¯t scared and kept poking around! Only after I told them what the girl said to me did they finally leave with their threats.¡±


    This explained a lot to Red.


    ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a week already with no news of these men or Erika.¡± the elder said. ¡°Folks disappear sometimes around these parts, eaten by monsters or what not, but not in the way Erika went. A-After what happened with her husband, it would be remiss of me to ignore somethin¡¯ this strange what with her daughter now all alone. So I thought it wouldn¡¯t be any harm to ask you for help if you were offerin¡¯¡­ but when the girl barged in, I- I started to get cold feet.¡±


    Domeron looked at Red, and the youth hesitated with a frown. This was their silent way of communicating with each other about whether they thought the elder was lying. At this moment, Red couldn¡¯t detect a lie in his crimson sense, but after earlier, he wasn¡¯t too confident in his power.


    It seemed like the youth¡¯s hesitation was all the swordsman needed for now.


    He looked back at the elder. ¡°Is there something else you¡¯re hiding from us?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s all I know.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°¡­ W-Well, there is somethin¡¯ else, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s important.¡±


    Domeron insisted. ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of us have been havin¡¯ nightmares.¡± The elder said. ¡°Nothin¡¯ strange about that, but it¡¯s been happenin¡¯ too often to too many people. Been worried that somethin¡¯ bad is happening here.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What kind of nightmares?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not the same for everyone.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°But people have been sayin¡¯ they have been seein¡¯ themselves die in all kinds of ways. Y-You understand why I¡¯m worried, right? I mean, what if we¡¯re bein¡¯ haunted?¡±


    The youth understood it all too well. He imagined the elder¡¯s earlier concern about the girl was all an excuse to appear righteous in front of the duo and the only reason he actually opened up to them was because of these nightmares. In the end, however, he was probably justified in doing it.


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    ¡°Have they also been seeing or hearing things?¡± Red asked, the image of the rotting villagers gathered in the square still fresh in his mind.


    ¡°Not that I know.¡± The elder shook his head.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°It might just be coincidence, but given the circumstances, we can¡¯t discard anything out of hand.¡±


    ¡°So what are ye goin¡¯ to do?¡± The elder looked at them with some eagerness. ¡°Are ye goin¡¯ to warn the baron about it?¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be informing him about what has happened here without delay.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything, but he knew the swordsman was definitely lying. His words, however, seemed to be enough to satisfy both the elder and the young farmhand.


    ¡°Is there anythin¡¯ else you need?¡± the elder asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°We will be on our way posthaste.¡±


    The two of them did just that. They picked their weapons back up and left the village under the scrutiny of the inhabitants.


    Even right to the last moment Red was on these grounds, the villagers all still seemed to be walking corpses in the process of rotting. As soon as they were out of his sight, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief.


    Domeron looked at him with a weird expression. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get far enough from here first.¡±


    They walked for almost half an hour, and only after they confirmed they weren¡¯t being followed did they stop to talk. When it came down to it, however, Red was still hesitant about what to say about what he saw.


    Domeron frowned at this. ¡°You still don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing has changed.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°But I do recognize that as things stand, you know more than enough of my secrets to have compromised my well-being a long time ago¡­ However, I can¡¯t claim to trust you completely either.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°You know we can¡¯t go back to speak with Hector right now. Not if we still plan on doing anything with this dagger.¡±


    Indeed, they were already a week behind whoever those mercenaries were, and if they decided to go back to town, it would take at least another week until they returned. Who knew what could change during that time?


    In the end, Red relented. ¡°I saw something as soon as I arrived in the village¡­ The villagers, they all looked like zombies to me.¡±


    Domeron frowned as he heard this. ¡°I assume this was the reason for the weird question, right?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Not only that, but I felt that with every passing moment, their bodies were deteriorating.¡±


    Before he could say anything else, though, Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°What did you see exactly? Describe it!¡±


    Red, of course, chose to ignore her for now.


    Domeron spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily know why you saw what you saw, but considering everything that is happening, it can¡¯t be a good sign. Maybe it¡¯s even a premonition of some kind.¡±


    ¡°A premonition?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain. No one really knows why it happens, but some cultivators suppose that some cultivators can become naturally attuned to the threads of fate of the world and get a glimpse of events yet to come. It¡¯s how clairvoyants can predict the future to some degree, but I hear it can happen to normal cultivators on rare occasions, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! It can happen, but that¡¯s only for powerful cultivators. How could someone like you¡­¡± Aurelia trailed off as if realizing something. ¡°It¡¯s that damn tumor of yours!¡±


    Red also came to the same realization, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He looked at Domeron. ¡°So you suppose that I am seeing a future where all these villagers die and their corpses are left to rot?¡±


    ¡°That would certainly be a way to interpret it.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think premonition can be interpreted in such a direct manner, but I don¡¯t have any experience in it.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What else could it mean?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, but it certainly can¡¯t mean anything good for the villagers.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Which brings us to the matter at hand - what kind of energy is at work in this village?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Visions of white-haired women, rotting corpses, and possibly possession. What else could it be but some kind of undead influence?¡±


    ¡°It has to be some kind of undead influence.¡± Red said.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°I agree. I thought at first that the girl¡¯s mother might be some kind of spy, but we found nothing to indicate anything else, which leads me to believe she was probably possessed by something. Do you still remember what she wrote?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Good. We could try deciphering it later. The crux of the matter, however, is still this supposed bone dagger of Rimold¡¯s.¡± Domeron said. ¡°No one in the village mentioned it, which seems inconsistent with his earlier reports, but it¡¯s hard to say from just a single case. It might be that this Gavin just didn¡¯t mention it to anyone, but in the end it doesn¡¯t matter. Dagger or no dagger, it¡¯s clear that we are dealing with something very powerful here, capable of influencing things from very large distances. On top of it all, this force is possibly sentient if we are to believe it was talking with the girl¡¯s mother and leading her on to another place.¡±


    ¡°We could try tracking this woman.¡± Red said. ¡°The trail might be cold after a week, but we could also try following after those supposed mercenaries if they were after the same thing.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Before we make a decision, we need to get all our facts straight, understand what we are dealing with and the kind of dangers awaiting us. If this is really affecting the entire regions, it¡¯s easy to believe that what is happening in this village is also happening in all other villages where those disappearances happened¡­ There could be hundreds of lives at stake here, maybe thousands if this manages to reach our town or beyond.¡±


    Only now did the weight of what they were dealing was truly dawning on Red. An unseen, malicious force spreading through the region and possibly corrupting every inhabitant without their knowledge. This was worse than a monster they could see.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what the woman was talking about?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°¡®Where the Moon meets the earth.¡¯¡±


    Red, of course, knew it all too well, but he hesitated to speak on it.


    ¡°¡­ I have some ideas, but-¡±


    The youth¡¯s words were caught in his throat, because at that exact moment he saw a change in Domeron. A grey aura, weak at first, started to spread around his body before covering his entire person, much in the same manner as it did to Rimold once.


    The swordsman, however, seemed oblivious to it.


    He looked at Red in confusion. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

 Chapter 319 - Ashen Aura

    Red didn¡¯t know what to say, but it was clear his silence spoke more than words.


    Domeron¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Did something happen to me, too? Am I¡­ rotting like them?¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Red shook his head.


    Domeron laughed. ¡°¡®Not quite?¡¯ You meant to tell me there is more than one way this thing can affect others?¡±


    ¡°I saw the same thing in Rimold earlier. A grey aura surrounding him, and now the same thing is happening to you.¡± Red said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what it was at the time¡­ Well, I still don¡¯t. Do you feel anything different?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as I can tell, but that isn¡¯t saying much, considering what we are dealing with here. Do you reckon this happened to us both because we tried to look into these disappearances?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense, but¡­¡± He looked down at his own hands, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡°You¡¯re not affected?¡± Domeron followed his line of thought.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡±


    The swordsman seemed confused. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything I did that you didn¡¯t do inside the village. Do you have some kind of natural protection against these corruptive forces?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite possible, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you.¡± Red said.


    The youth had so many strange energies acting on his corpse that he wouldn¡¯t know which of them were responsible for blocking this influence.


    ¡°I sensed a foreign energy approaching your body.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It stopped short before I even needed to act, though.¡±


    Red frowned. It seemed like the woman was comfortable speaking in front of the strange grey aura now.


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Every passing moment makes me certain we are completely out of our depth here. Then again, I suppose there¡¯s no backing out now, is there?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°We knew this could happen, but if it makes you feel any better, we would have probably been compelled to look into this one way or the other.¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°I suppose so. It seems that strange things just keep happening since you arrived at our sect, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    Domeron continued, looking at his shoulder. ¡°There is something we haven¡¯t checked.¡±


    The youth knew what he was asking about, so he patted the snake wrapped around his shoulders as he examined it. The creature shifted slightly, but it showed no other reactions.


    Red looked back at Domeron and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not affected.¡±


    That was to say, there was no grey aura surrounding it.


    ¡°So, this thing is not an all-pervasive force, but it instead picks and chooses who it targets?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°Then why me and not you?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I need to do something.¡±


    The swordsman raised his eyebrow. ¡°Do what exactly?¡±


    ¡°I need to think by myself.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°I thought we needed to stay within fifty meters of each other.¡±


    ¡°You can stay close by.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I just need some privacy.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be behind that tree some ways away.¡±


    Red was relieved that Domeron didn¡¯t question his motives.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally mustered the courage to speak with me in front of others, huh?¡± Aurelia said in a mocking tone. ¡°Just as well, since we have a lot to talk about.¡±


    Red ignored her, and as soon as Domeron was a ways away, the youth sat down against a tree and started to rifle through his bag.


    ¡°Hey, why are you ignoring me now?¡± Aurelia seemed vexed.


    Red soon took out a few pieces of paper from his bag, as well as a small brush and a pot of ink.


    The woman let out a groan of frustration as soon as she saw this. ¡°Ugh, you¡­ Fine, let¡¯s just get this over with!¡±


    The youth was already writing on the paper before Aurelia could even finish speaking.


    He wrote: ¡®What can you tell me about this premonition?¡¯


    ¡°First, explain to me in detail what you saw, and don¡¯t leave any details out.¡± Aurelia said.


    Red did as much. Though it was a harder task to do over paper, the youth still wrote what he saw in as much detail as possible.


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    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I get the gist of it.¡± Aurelia interjected. ¡°Are you sure you haven¡¯t missed anything?¡±


    Red frowned.


    ¡°Every detail in an omen is important, which is why I¡¯m asking.¡± Aurelia said.


    ¡®Are you a specialist in visions?¡¯


    ¡°No, but I certainly know more about it than you!¡±


    Red sighed.


    ¡®What do you think these visions mean?¡¯


    ¡°Well, it means they are probably all going to die like your friend guessed.¡± Aurelia said in a nonchalant tone. ¡°Rotting corpses are never a good sign.¡±


    Red was silent for a few seconds.


    ¡®Are these omens always set in stone?¡¯


    ¡°Not always.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°But it all depends on how accurate one¡¯s visions are. A powerful clairvoyant can evidently predict things more accurately than a novice. As for you and your visions¡­ I have no idea how precise they are.¡±


    Red was in silent thought for a few seconds before continuing to write.


    ¡®Was there anything odd about that girl back in the village?¡¯


    ¡°Not that I noticed.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡®She kept staring at me.¡¯


    ¡°You look like a noble from a royal family with that red hair and delicate features! Of course a country bumpkin is going to stare at you in wonder!¡±


    Red frowned. Although the woman said that, he couldn¡¯t help but have this strange feeling whenever he thought back to the girl staring at him.


    ¡°Stop focusing on that and focus on more important things!¡± Aurelia sounded angry. ¡°Think about what the girl said in her conversation! ¡®Where the Moon meets the earth.¡¯ You seemed to be surprised, so you must know what that means, right?¡±


    Red hesitated.


    ¡®It¡¯s related to the curse.¡¯


    ¡°I know that! But do you know where that is?¡±


    ¡®I have an idea, but the necromancer told me that place was closed off by the imperials a long time ago.¡¯


    Aurelia was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ What kind of place is that?¡±


    Red hesitated once again. Although Aurelia seemed to know about the curse and its cause, she didn¡¯t really seem to understand the root cause of it all. The youth continued to write.


    ¡®It¡¯s where this core you¡¯re in comes from.¡¯


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Aurelia said after some thought. ¡°You should go investigate it.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a bad idea.¡¯


    Red immediately shot the suggestion down.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to go in.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°However, we might be able to figure something out just from looking at it from afar. After all, the last time you were there, you didn¡¯t have me or that strange tumor of yours, right?¡±


    The youth knew she was right, but he was still hesitating. The possibility that the underground might have been connected to this whole thing was real even back when they left town, but getting confirmation about it was an entirely different matter.


    He couldn¡¯t help but remember the horrors that awaited inside that place. Although, perhaps, like the woman said, it wouldn¡¯t be harmful to just look at it from afar.


    This was something he would judge as he got closer to the cave.


    ¡®There¡¯s the message too.¡¯ he wrote. ¡®Do you think she wrote that in some bout of lunacy, or was it there for someone to find?¡¯


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you either way, but from what her daughter described, while she wasn¡¯t in a good state of mind, it¡¯s hard to say it deteriorated to that point.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It sounded more like she was following instructions from this unseen force.¡±


    Red¡¯s mind immediately went to a terrible possibility. ¡®They have collaborators in the outside world?¡¯


    It was the only reason why someone would leave a message like that, much more so coded in a way large factions often did. They wanted only the right people to be able to read it.


    ¡°It could be.¡± Aurelia didn¡¯t deny the possibility. ¡°Or whoever or whatever is behind this could be just like me - a ghostly being awakened after hundreds of years, unaware of the present state of the world and hoping to attract the attention of its collaborators in its previous life.¡±


    ¡®What about the bone dagger?¡¯ he asked. ¡®How does it connect to all this?¡¯


    ¡°Ghosts can inhabit treasures and items, too.¡± Aurelia explained. ¡°Suffice it to say, if this bone dagger is real, its form and origin would make a perfect host for an undead spirit. It might even be the case that this ghost is a lingering presence of the cultivator whose bones the dagger was fashioned out of.¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this ghost dangerous?¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Whatever is behind this can¡¯t seem to affect you, and if it tried, I¡¯m here to help you through it. Besides, I reckon if they were truly capable, they wouldn¡¯t be relying on scheming around peasants over such long periods of time. Even if the range of their influence is large, it wouldn¡¯t be so coy about their actions if it was more powerful.¡±


    ¡®And Domeron?¡¯


    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t promise you anything regarding his safety.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I¡¯m already overextending myself in helping to disguise his emissions. Anything above that would be beyond me.¡±


    Red assumed this was the reason why she didn¡¯t even try to stop the grey aura from invading Domeron earlier. He didn¡¯t know if she was being truthful, but judging by her condition, he assumed she was weakened in one way or the other.


    With nothing else to discuss, Red lit the papers he was writing on fire. He wouldn¡¯t leave behind any evidence of these discussions.


    After he packed the rest of his belongings, he returned to Domeron.


    The man was leaning back against a tree with his hand on the hilt of his sword.


    He looked at Red with a curious expression. ¡°Did you have any revelation while communing with the spirits?¡±


    Red frowned. How could he know this?


    ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s a joke, kid.¡± Domeron said with an awkward expression.


    ¡°Right.¡± The youth nodded. ¡°I have figured out some things, though. For instance, judging from everything that is happening, it is almost certain to assume that the thing behind all of this is some kind of sentient ghostly being that has awakened recently.¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°I assumed as much. Perhaps the message it left on the table is for someone from its past life to find.¡±


    It seemed like Red wouldn¡¯t need to explain too much to him.


    ¡°However, you don¡¯t sound too worried about it.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°The ghost is probably not as powerful as we first assumed.¡± Red said. ¡°It has been acting over so many years, only using peasants to scheme. Whether it¡¯s trying to get free or do something else, it¡¯s either not powerful enough to compel actual cultivators or it is trying to avoid detection, which in either case implies a weakness in its abilities.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°It is a fair assumption, but it seems a bit risky to assume this without more substantial evidence.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, which is why I intend to investigate further.¡± Red said. ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that this thing can¡¯t influence me, so I¡¯m safe to look into this matter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so confident in continuing, I see.¡± The swordsman smiled. ¡°I suppose this is the part where you tell me to leave, then.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t guarantee your safety if you keep going.¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not here because of myself. I¡¯m here because of you.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Something bad might happen to you if you keep going.¡±


    ¡°Bad things happened to me my entire life. Worse than this even, if you can believe me.¡± Domeron said. ¡°So long as I can accomplish my task, it doesn¡¯t matter what happens. Even if I die, I have to make sure you get through this at the end of the day.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What if you get possessed?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°Then you can kill me before it happens.¡± He patted the youth¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I trust you to do that much.¡±


    This was the last words Domeron said before he turned around and started to walk away.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°What a moron.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything as he began to follow behind the man.

 Chapter 320 - Return to the Dead Forest

    Red and Domeron resumed their travels not much later. Before leaving, though, the youth searched around the village¡¯s vicinity for any tracks of the supposed mercenaries that came to investigate the disappearances. He was not surprised when he didn¡¯t find any tracks leading to or from the village.


    Domeron frowned once he saw this. ¡°Was the elder lying about that, too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It could be just as likely that this group is experienced enough not to leave any traces of their passing.¡±


    ¡°You think Gustav is behind this?¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ He is too convenient of an excuse for mercenaries to use while out here, but at the same time, it¡¯s foolish not to consider the possibility he could be involved. I can only imagine he also has people looking into these kinds of rumours all around the region.¡±


    Red knew that Rimold also provided Gustav with a lot of these rumours himself to pay off his debt to his organization. That being said, he didn¡¯t think Rimold would have told the merchant about this matter he seemed to care so much about. At the very least, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason as to why the rogue would do it.


    ¡°Well, as long as no one in their group is in the Lesser Ring Realm, we should be able to handle it.¡± Domeron shrugged.


    Red hoped so too, but things rarely ever want to plan with these types of matters.


    They kept travelling, and soon enough night had fallen. At this rhythm, they would reach the supposed dead section of the forest before long, so they chose to continue travelling during the night.


    They weren¡¯t running, considering that these mercenaries already had several days¡¯ lead on them and the duo was unlikely to catch up, but they also chose to forego a night¡¯s rest in favor of being done with this as soon as possible.


    As they walked along, Red looked up at the night¡¯s sky.


    The New Moon was nearing, and it would probably be less than a week before the curse flared up. This would be the first time he would face the curse with the help of his ¡°special¡± acupoint, and he didn¡¯t know what to expect. Red hoped by then the insectoid core would have recovered enough to supply him with the energy to resist it, but somehow he felt that this time there would be something more waiting for him when the time came for the curse to strike.


    Despite all these thoughts, what attracted Red¡¯s attention the most wasn¡¯t the Moon or the Curse. Instead, it was the green flashes of light flaring up in the night sky. They kept increasing in number and frequency every passing night.


    Red still didn¡¯t know what these were. The coloration immediately made him associate it with Moonstone Energy, but these beams seemed brighter and more tangible compared to the misty form of that energy, all shooting in the direction of the Moon in the sky. Yet, it was clear now that the phenomenon was becoming more frequent the closer to the New Moon it got.


    Red wondered what the sky would look like when the time for his curse arrived.


    Aurelia interrupted his silent comtenplation. ¡°You¡¯re looking at the sky again!¡±


    The youth ignored her and kept walking.


    ¡°Damn it all, you never told me about what you were seeing!¡± Aurelia said.


    Indeed, they were both so focused on what was happening in the village that this matter didn¡¯t seem important enough for Red to mention at the time. This wasn¡¯t without reason, though, as Aurelia made it clear in the past she didn¡¯t want to discuss anything regarding the Moon or the phenomena surrounding it besides the curse itself.


    In fact, she even refused to look at the Moon. The youth just didn¡¯t know how he would explain these shooting beams of light without discussing the astral body.


    He stopped walking all of a sudden. Domeron, who was walking ahead as per usual, looked back at him with a strange expression once he noticed this.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Something.¡± Red said.


    ¡°What?¡± The swordsman looked confused.


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    ¡°Could you go over there for a second?¡±


    Domeron sighed but chose not to argue with the youth.


    A few seconds later, Red was by himself again and he wrote on the paper a quick message.


    ¡®I am seeing beams of green light with an increasing frequency in the night sky, shooting towards the Moon.¡¯


    Aurelia didn¡¯t respond immediately. ¡°¡­ I told you to stop looking at the Moon.¡±


    Red frowned.


    ¡®Should I be worried?¡¯


    ¡°You should be worried about everything you don¡¯t understand, yes.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I do not know what this is, and even if I was willing to investigate it, I doubt we could do anything about it. Just put this to the back of your mind for now and we will deal with it when the time comes.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t elaborate any longer. The way she spoke, though, seemed like she would help him no matter what happened, so this put Red at ease.


    In fact, he was noticing that since they met and she offered to help him, which wasn¡¯t much longer than a week ago, the woman was doing well on her promise. She wasn¡¯t helping him with every small ordeal, but she definitely provided him with insight into puzzling matters Red would have no idea about otherwise, and for one reason or the other, she also saved his life.


    There was obviously a selfish desire behind this, since Red¡¯s life and success were very much tied to hers right now, but it seemed like Aurelia had truly taken his burdens as her own. It gave him a sense of safety in being able to rely on someone like this, but this feeling wasn¡¯t something Red liked.


    This was the seedbed for complacency. He couldn¡¯t forget who he was dealing with here - a ghost of a very cunning and ruthless cultivator, whose attachment to her ambition was strong enough to birth a cursed life after death. If she had a better way out of her predicament, would she hesitate to betray Red? The youth didn¡¯t think so, which was why he was thinking back on their earlier conversation.


    ¡®She seemed eager enough for me to go looking for the entrance to the underground.¡¯


    Did she know more than she let on? It was hard to say, but if she didn¡¯t think this would benefit her cause in some way, she wouldn¡¯t have suggested it.


    No matter what, Red couldn¡¯t let his guard down. To make matter worse, this wasn¡¯t the only potential traitor he needed to watch out for.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Domeron asked as he watched Red approach.


    The youth nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way.¡±


    The duo resumed their travel before long.


    ¡­


    Early the next morning, they arrived at the edge between life and death.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Well, this truly does look ominous.¡±


    They were staring at the sea of dead trees and plants in front of them. The change in biome was quite abrupt, as a few meters behind him they could still see the lush and bright colors of the thicket, but ahead of them all they saw were dead trees and the ashen dirt of the forest floor. This was enough to evoke an uneasy feeling in anyone who looked at it.


    No plant, no animals, no life. Nothing but the sound of the haunting wind blowing through the dead trees.


    ¡°Does it look any different from what you saw back then?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°It was a long time ago.¡± Red said. ¡°But no. It looks the same.¡±


    As far as Red could tell, the death pervading this region didn¡¯t advance, but neither did it retract much, still extending for a large area of the forest. According to Rog, the ground was completely depleted of nutrients to support plant life, and no animals or monsters dared to step feet inside this place either. It was uncertain how long it would take for this place to recover, and no one in town was too eager to come over to here and help the process along.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel even a sign of life from this place, undead or otherwise.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°What the hell happened here, Red?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t say anything, but even if he could, he would have hesitated to explain it to her. This was all the work of the crimson mist inside his body, of course, which would have probably kept consuming life essence from the entire region if Red hadn¡¯t put a stop to it.


    He often wandered what it could have accomplished if it was left unchecked. Was the hellish landscape Red saw in his dreams a result of the crimson mist¡¯s work? Would his own world have become the same?


    Thankfully, he wouldn¡¯t need to find out any longer. Or so he hoped.


    ¡°Do you have a place in mind that you want to look into first?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°I have a few.¡± Red nodded. ¡°We should also be on the lookout for those mercenaries, though. I¡¯m not sure if they knew where to head, but it won¡¯t be hard to bump into each other in this place.¡±


    Without the canopy to cover them, it was rather easy to spot anything in this forest from afar.


    And so, Red started to lead them to the first place he had in mind. It wasn¡¯t the cave he emerged from - that would be left for last - but rather he was heading towards where he buried his insectoid core when he first reached the surface. This was around the center of the dead forest, and it wouldn¡¯t take them more than a few hours to reach it.


    That was if nothing distracted them, that is.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in the distance.¡± Domeron squinted his eyes and pointed in the direction they were heading.


    Red frowned, spotting the same thing a few seconds later. ¡°It looks like a¡­ person.¡±


    Although Red said that, he was questioning himself for a bit. They were still too far to discern the image for certain, but they could see the silhouette of a human being right next to a particularly large tree. The only problem was that it seemed to be suspended a few meters in the air.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get closer.¡± Red said. ¡°I can¡¯t examine them from here.¡±


    Domeron nodded, and the two approached.


    As they got closer, the scene became clearer. This person wasn¡¯t so much floating in the air as they were impaled onto the tree trunk by a large spear a few meters off the ground. Both Red and Domeron got on their guards as they saw this.


    The youth extended his crimson sense in the individual¡¯s direction. When it reached him, he was greeted by a weak but still moving fluctuation.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive.¡± Red said. ¡°¡­ I think he¡¯s still conscious.¡±


    He and Domeron exchanged glances.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± the swordsman said, approaching the man with a hand on his sword¡¯s hilt.

 Chapter 321 - Impaled

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    The man¡¯s appearance was revealed to them as they got closer. He was a middle-aged mercenary, to no one¡¯s surprise, and he was wearing leather armor and uniform commonly seen from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the region. A long spear was thrust into his midsection and impaled the man against the tree a few meters from the ground.


    Like Red observed earlier, he was still conscious, drawing ragged breaths and holding onto the wooden shaft of the spear with both hands. Blood pooled under his feet, and it was surprising that the man was still alive at all, not to mention conscious.


    His eyes were barely open, and he didn¡¯t notice Red and Domeron¡¯s approach until they were almost right next to him. When their figures registered in his mind, it was like he receive a shock to his system.


    He started to mutter with a raspy voice. ¡°H-Help¡­ Please.¡±


    The duo didn¡¯t respond to him immediately. Red, for one, was examining the spear, and the wound inflicted upon the man.


    He looked at Domeron and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s through his spine.¡±


    Domeron sighed and looked back at the man. ¡°Do you feel your legs?¡±


    ¡°H-Help me¡­¡± His words didn¡¯t seem to register in the mercenary¡¯s mind.


    The swordsman shook his head and nodded to Red. ¡°Look around. See what you can find.¡±


    Red followed his instructions. For one, the first thing he noticed were the tracks in the area. Whereas they had yet to see anything some kilometers back, right now the youth found several footprints in the ashen ground - a total of nine of them. The thing that concerned him the most, however, was that some of these didn¡¯t seem to belong to humans.


    Red frowned, but he kept investigating his surroundings. The tracks led towards the rough direction he and Domeron were heading earlier, that being towards the center of this dead forest.


    The youth didn¡¯t find anything else, so he returned to Domeron, only to find the swordsman inspecting the spear with a curious expression.


    He looked back at Red as he approached. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Nine individuals.¡± Red said. ¡°Not all humans.¡±


    ¡°Not all humans?¡± Domeron frowned.


    The youth explained. ¡°Five toes, human shape, but bare feet, with clawed toes. Two of those.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Could it be?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Ghouls. They¡¯re working together with a necromancer.¡±


    Domeron was silent for a long while, reflecting upon this revelation with an ugly expression. The youth himself wasn¡¯t too sure what to think either, so he waited for the swordsman¡¯s input first.


    Their quiet reflection was interrupted by another groan from the man impaled in the tree. ¡°P-Please¡­ Help me.¡±


    Domeron¡¯s frown deepened, and he turned around to glare at the man. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    The man continued to mumble in an almost incoherent manner. ¡°H-Help me¡­¡±


    The swordsman sighed and grabbed the spear impaling the man with one hand. ¡°This has gone through your spine. Even if we somehow managed to take it out without killing you, I¡¯m fairly certain you will never walk again.¡±


    The only response he got was some cries of lamentation.


    Domeron continued, looking over at Red. ¡°Now, this is a professional¡¯s work. Using something like a spear to pierce someone¡¯s spine without killing them? Not many people I know can do it.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Rickard?¡±


    It was the bandit leader he met a long time ago back at the inheritance world. Since that fateful day, the youth had not heard anything about the man, but he doubted this meant he was dead.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°He did have a penchant for torturing his subordinates, too.¡± He looked back at the mercenary. ¡°So, was it Rickard that did this to you?¡±


    Tears of pain and suffering were pooling in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°P-Please¡­ Just help me.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°This is a waste of time! If you were at the Lesser Ring Realm, I could have already taught you how to extract memories from people!¡±


    Red ignored her.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Domeron sighed with a disappointed expression. ¡°This is the problem with dying people. You can¡¯t really force answers out of them the old-fashioned way.¡±


    With those words, the swordsman approached the impaled mercenary.


    ¡°We can¡¯t save you, do you understand?¡± He said right next to the man¡¯s face. ¡°The spear is through your spine. We can¡¯t just pull it out without the proper equipment or healing pills to compensate for your blood loss. Even then, you will never walk again. Is it clear enough to you yet? You are going to die here.¡±


    The man let out a cry of pain as he heard those words, staring at Domeron with a pleading look. ¡°Ugh¡­ I-I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Domeron said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who did this. Whoever did this to you was quite deliberate. A precise wound, enough to be fatal in the long-run but not enough to kill immediately. They wanted you to suffer for as long as possible in this position before succumbing to blood-loss. Maybe if we arrived here some hours earlier, you could still be saved, but I¡¯m not a clairvoyant, am I?¡±


    The mercenary continued to cry as the weight of what was happening to him became clearer.


    Domeron snapped his fingers in front of the man¡¯s face to get his attention. ¡°Now, don¡¯t go wandering off just yet. We can¡¯t save you, but it doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t help you get justice. Do you understand?¡±


    The mercenary moved his head ever so slightly, as if to nod.


    ¡°Now tell me, what is your name?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°H-Harold¡­¡± the man said.


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°Now, that¡¯s good, Harold. Tell me, do you have a family?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ A-a son.¡±


    ¡°Does he live in town?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°T-The¡­ Capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the better.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°At least he won¡¯t be caught up on this. That being said, we don¡¯t want him to live his whole life without getting closure on what happened to his father, do we?¡±


    The man looked increasingly desperate. ¡°P-Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, keep following me here, Harold. For us to help you get justice, we first need to know who did this to you. So tell me, do you know their name?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I-¡± Before the man could finish his sentence, he fell into a coughing fit, which he only recovered from almost thirty seconds later.


    Domeron waited patiently for his reply. ¡°Who was it, Harold?¡±


    The man tried to speak, but all they could hear was indiscernible noises, which made Domeron frown.


    ¡°Were you accompanied by a necromancer?¡± Red asked.


    The man nodded with weak movements.


    ¡°Were you also accompanied by ghouls?¡±


    The man hesitated, but also nodded.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Was Rickard with you?¡±


    The mercenary shook his head this time.


    The swordsman was a bit surprised, and he looked over at Red.


    The youth nodded. ¡°He¡¯s not lying.¡±


    Domeron sighed and looked back at the man. ¡°Are you working for Gustav?¡±


    The man shook his head.


    The swordsman was silent at that. He and Red exchanged glances, and in their mind they already knew what the next question would be.


    ¡°Are you working for the imperials?¡± Domeron asked.


    As soon as the man made to move his head to answer, there was a blinding flash of light in front of them. This was immediately followed an instant later by a deafening rumbling that shook Red to his very soul.


    Both he and Domeron were thrown back a fair distance away from where they were standing. For what felt like an eternity, all Red could hear was a ringing noise in his ear, and he couldn¡¯t tell which was was down or up. He was completely dazed, but he felt a familiar tingling sensation in his body, as if resonating with something.


    ¡°.. ed¡­ Red! Wak¡­ up!¡±


    As his hearing started to recover, he heard Aurelia¡¯s frantic voice in his ears. He shook his head, as if trying to dissipate the confusion that struck him.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I thought that lightning fried your brain!¡±


    Red was still confused. ¡°¡­ Lightning?¡±


    He looked around to where he had just stood. There, in the dead tree that the man was impaled at, there were smoking remains of a human corpse suspended by a likewise charred spear. In his dazed state, it took Red a few seconds to understand that this corpse was the mercenary they were just speaking to.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ What the hell?!¡± Domeron¡¯s voice came from a few meters away from him.


    The swordsman, likewise, looked at the corpse with complete confusion and bewilderment.


    ¡°The lightning struck as soon as the man was about to answer something regarding the imperials.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.¡±


    Red frowned, but by the side it seemed like Domeron already had the same conclusion.


    The swordsman grunted. ¡°Goddamn Imperials!¡±


    Neither he nor Red seemed to have been wounded by the lightning, but being this close to this kind of explosion was disorientating, to say the least. Which was why the youth was rather surprised by how quickly Domeron seemed to recover, considering he was right next to the man when the lightning struck.


    Red also got up and approached the man¡¯s body. A quick examination of the mercenary¡¯s charred corpse was more than enough to tell him there was nothing left intact in his body.


    Domeron also approached him from the side. ¡°Well, at least we have confirmation about who¡¯s behind this.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They can just do that? Strike people with lightning?¡±


    ¡°Not as far as I know.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°As far as I know, this must be the result of some kind of magical contract or oath. Perhaps the consequences for breaking it were being struck dead by lightning, which I guess happened when he tried to answer whether he was working for the imperials.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the lightning pretty much confirmation of our suspicions, anyway?¡°


    ¡°Yes, but I doubt these kinds of oaths make specific distinctions. An act of betrayal is an act of betrayal at the end of the day, and if we knew he was working with the imperials, couldn¡¯t we have used his testimony as evidence about them working with Necromancers?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Did they come prepared for every eventuality?¡±


    ¡°Any that we can think of, yes.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°We are dealing with a powerful organization that has conquered half of the known continent, kid. You should give up on trying to outsmart them right now.¡±


    ¡°Those are the words of a stupid mortal!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°With me at your side, who can¡¯t we trick?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond to either of them. He looked over at the tracks in his surroundings.


    ¡°Do you want to track them?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Domeron nodded.


    ¡°They have two ghouls with them.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°With a good plan, we can kill dozens of enemies stronger than us.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why do you think they impaled this mercenary here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°Do you want to go ask?


    Red sighed. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    <div>


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 Chapter 322 - Bone Sea

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    <div>


    They kept following the trail of the necromancer and his subordinates for more than an hour. In that period, nothing else stood out to them, and neither did it seem like the footprints deviate from their straight path. Those people knew in which direction they were headed, and it just so happened to coincide with the direction towards the center of the dead forest.


    ¡°Is your snake alright?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red frowned in confusion. ¡°It is. Why do you ask?¡±


    Domeron shrugged. ¡°I was led to believe monster and animals wanted to avoid this area at all costs. Your snake doesn¡¯t look too bothered, though.¡±


    As the swordsman said that, Red examined the serpent wrapped around his shoulders. Like Domeron said, the snake didn¡¯t seem the least bit bothered by all the death and heavy air around it, and it laid as still as it ever was in his shoulders.


    Red shook his head. ¡°Maybe changes in environment don¡¯t bother it as much. When we were fighting the ghouls, though, its first reaction was to run away.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°It has a sense of self-preservation, at the very least.¡±


    No sooner had the swordsman said that, when Red felt the snake stir around his shoulders. The creature looked ahead of them before letting out a long-winded hiss.


    The duo immediately froze. They exchanged cautious glances, and both looked in the direction the snake was facing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything. Do you?¡± Domeron asked with a frown.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, and instead extended his crimson sense ahead of him. He didn¡¯t sense anything, and neither did he spot anything odd ahead of them. This, of course, left only one option.


    ¡°It must be feeling the scent of something.¡± Red said. ¡°Something that bothers it.¡±


    If there was one thing the snake was definitely superior to the average human at, it was its sense of smell. Even with their Five Senses Vein open, Red and Domeron couldn¡¯t compare to a monster when it came to that matter.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°We are close then.¡±


    Red nodded, and without hesitation, he unsheathed his sword.


    The two of them decided to continue their approach, still following after the tracks. This time, however, they stuck to the shadows and tried to stay hidden from plain sight, a rather hard task with only dead trees to serve as cover. The snake continued to be nervous, and Red had at one point to hold it still so its hissing noises wouldn¡¯t alert anyone nearby.


    All this subterfuge, however, proved to be pointless as the surrounding scenario started to change. The tracks suddenly disappeared, and the ashen ground was replaced by an image very familiar to Red.


    Bones. So many bones that the dirt ground beneath them could barely be seen. Animal bones of all shapes and sizes littered the ground on top of each other in various states of decomposition.


    The sensation and air of death surrounding them became even stronger as they stared at this scene, and even Red, who was already expecting to see something like this, was taken aback once he laid eyes on the sea of bones.


    How many animals skeletons were there? Thousands? Tens of thousands? He couldn¡¯t remember there being that many back then, but he wasn¡¯t paying particular attention to it with a maddened zombie chasing after him. Beyond that, Red also didn¡¯t remember this oppressive atmosphere he felt now.


    Domeron seemed to be in a daze as he stared at the scene ahead of him. ¡°I heard about this before, but looking at it now... What exactly happened here?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t this bad before. I feel like the very air around this place has changed.¡±


    ¡°Spiritual Energy conforms to its environment.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Enough death or lack of life will change an area beyond recognition in both a physical and spiritual way.¡±


    Red had heard about this before, but it was the first time he felt this phenomenon. It wasn¡¯t just the extremely grim visage that affected him. Instead, it was almost as if the very air around them was oppressing them, denying their existence as living beings in this area.


    There was a sense of wrongness in his mind, and a stifling force that seemed to target him in places where Red couldn¡¯t see, but he could most certainly feel. Judging by Domeron¡¯s expression, he wasn¡¯t faring much better.


    ¡°This is much worse than I thought.¡± The swordsman frowned. ¡°How did no one inform us about this? I thought there were people constantly reporting on the state of this place.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s possible none of them dove too deeply into the region to investigate¡­ or maybe this is a more recent development.¡±


    Domeron grunted. ¡°As things stand, it now makes sense why we have seen so much undead activity around the region in the last decade. This is a perfect place for raising undead. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if those ghouls were reared in here.¡±


    Red frowned as he started to connect the dots in his mind. This place had everything for a necromancer to cultivate in peace - full of death energy and isolated from the world. Of course, at any other time, this was something the Curse Breakers would have dealt with immediately, which was why the possibility of this becoming some kind of undead cultivation ground didn¡¯t cross their minds for too long. Knowing what they knew now about the crusaders, though, things started to make more sense.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t spend too long in this place, or else we risk becoming infected by undead corruption.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°You can stay here for as long as you like, Red. The corruption in this place is negligible to you. He is the one that has to worry.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything, but even if what Aurelia said was right, he didn¡¯t plan to linger in this place.


    ¡°Can you still see their tracks?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°Even if there was no more soft ground to leave footprints, there should still be a trail of broken bones wherever they stepped. I don¡¯t see anything, though.¡±


    In fact, some of the bones looked to be in rather good condition even after years exposed to the elements. Red wasn¡¯t too sure how an air suffused with death energy affected decomposition, so he took note of this oddness.


    ¡°I have heard necromancers can also control bones...¡± Domeron said, his implications clear enough.


    Red frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything out of the ordinary here, but it could be a good way to cover their tracks.¡±


    Domeron hesitated and looked around. ¡°This bone sea stretches for a long while. I would think it a good idea to circumvent it, but¡­ I feel like what we are looking for is at the center of this.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s move as fast as we can. I know the way.¡±


    Red could still remember the exact spot he hid the insectoid core in back then, even in this dead forest.


    ¡°We should, but¡­¡± Domeron stared at the youth¡¯s shoulder.


    Red sighed. He knew what the man was about to say.


    The snake, of course, was finally displaying a great deal of distress at the sea of bones in front of it, squirming around in the youth¡¯s shoulders and hissing without stop. Red frowned, but he was quick to make a decision.


    He took the snake from around the shoulders and put it on a tree branch, just around the edge of the sea of bones. Then, with some carefulness, he removed the cloth tying its mouth shut before stepping back in a hurry. At first, the snake was confused and tried to return to him, but it stopped as soon as it saw Red move towards the bones again.


    It stared at the youth while wrapped around the tree branch, as if waiting for him to return. When that didn¡¯t happen, the six-eyed snake hissed and moved, its coloration completely changing to blend in with the dead tree it was on. It didn¡¯t take more than a few seconds for Red to lose track of it.


    ¡°It returned once.¡± Domeron said, patting his shoulder. ¡°It will probably return to you again once we leave this place.¡±


    This was Red¡¯s hopes too, but this wasn¡¯t something he could concern himself with right now. The snake might have potential, but it was too young, and as of right now, it was more of a hindrance than anything else. He didn¡¯t know when he would find it again either, which was why he cut the cloth tying its mouth so it could feed if the need arose.


    He could only hope that when they met again, the snake wouldn¡¯t greet him with a bite.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Red said.


    Domeron nodded and took the first step into the sea of bones. There was the crunch of broken bones beneath his feet, which made the man hesitate. Still, a few seconds later, he continued, trying to make as little noise as possible while he moved.


    Red followed behind him, confirming his earlier suspicions as the bones shattered beneath their feet. They weren¡¯t strong enough to sustain the weight of a human, which either meant that the necromancer and his group flew over them, or they were placed here after they were through.


    They kept moving forward under Red¡¯s lead, stepping over and crunching every other bone in their way. Pure stealth was almost impossible in this situation, and the duo could only do their best to make as little noise as possible.


    This area close to the river was rather hilly, and without the foliage of trees in their way, they couldn¡¯t see for much farther than a few hundred meters. The youth knew the way towards his previous hidden stash, though, so he tried to climb a nearby hill to see it from afar.


    Finally, as they crested over a hill, they saw it. A patch of open land, where Red hid his insectoid core once. In the middle of it, though, a rather grim scene was taking place.


    A ghoul, completely naked, was feasting on the body of what looked to be a mercenary. His entrails and inner organs were spilling out from his midsection as the undead creature continued to dig pieces of flesh out and shove it into its mouth with extreme eagerness. There was, of course, no sign of life or movement in the body of the mercenary that was being feasted upon.


    In some ways, Red didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that they didn¡¯t find any bone dagger in this place. He noticed some stitching marks along both of its legs, and he felt a sense of recognition wash over him as he examined the creature¡¯s appearance closer.


    He turned around and whispered to Domeron. ¡°This is one of the ghouls we fought before.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°So it¡¯s the same necromancer?¡±


    ¡°Quite possible.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I have no idea why it left this one behind.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to understand it.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°We just need to strike before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You want to kill it?¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°You said the necromancer can potentially control these creatures from many kilometers away. Even if we avoid it now, when we meet their master later, it could come and reinforce them.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that alarm them to our presence?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee we will be able to take on a Lesser Ring Realm Cultivator by surprise. Trust me, I have tried before. I would rather take my chances and whittle down a substantial part of their forces before any actual confrontation happens.¡±


    Red was inclined to defer to the swordsman¡¯s experience in these matters. The better option would be to just avoid combat at all, but he knew they didn¡¯t have that luxury.


    ¡°How do you wanna do this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You go from the front and distract it. I¡¯ll kill it from the back.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Red frowned.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing complicated about this. Just trust in my skills and we won¡¯t have any issues.¡±


    "Then what about the Imperial''s tracking method?"


    If they got fifty meters apart, then Aurelia''s disguising method would no longer work.


    "We don''t really have a choice." Domeron shook his head. "As long as we finish this as quickly as possible, even if they detect us they won''t be able to act in time."


    Red nodded with some hesitation. It was obvious that they wouldn''t be able to keep within fifty meters of each other at all times in combat, but as Domeron said, they really didn''t have a choice in the matter if they wanted to be effective.


    They started to get into position. It would be a slow task to circle around the ghoul while making as little noise as possible against the bone ground, but the youth was confident in his own abilities to accomplish at least that much.


    Soon enough, he found himself on the other side of the ghoul, which was still distracted by its meal. Red looked across from him, seeing Domeron¡¯s figure waiting on a hill some five hundred meters away. The man raised his hand above his head before swinging it down.


    ¡®The signal.¡¯


    Without hesitation, Red shot down towards the ghoul while activating his Storm Blessing¡¯s acupoints. His speed got a tremendous boost, and in a matter of a few seconds, the youth was within one hundred meters of the ghoul.


    The creature didn¡¯t seem to notice him even at this point, which left Red bewildered, but he didn¡¯t stop charging. When he was within fifty meters of the ghoul, though, he noticed the bones ahead of him start to glow.


    Red¡¯s heart stopped.


    ¡°It¡¯s a formation!¡± Aurelia¡¯s warning came to his ear.


    The youth¡¯s charge froze, arresting his momentum in a split second as he slid to a stop. The bone sea around him started to stir, and Red retreated without hesitation.


    All of a sudden, the skeletons of dozens of animals were reanimated around the ghoul, and they all started to charge at Red.

 Chapter 323 - Skeletal Formation

    Red was able to distance himself from the ghoul and the reanimated skeletons around it quite quickly. Unfortunately for him, whatever was happening with the bones started to extend ahead of him. In fact, he could feel the ground beneath him tremble, as even the bones he was stepping on started to move.


    Soon enough, dozens of reanimated animal skeletons were blocking the way ahead, in a collision course with the youth.


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t stop running. A mere second later, he was about to clash against what looked to be a skeletal bear, barring its exposed fangs at him, and that was when his sword moved. With a flash, he sidestepped the creature¡¯s lunge and cut upwards, easily splitting off the skull from the rest of the bones.


    To his surprise, however, this didn¡¯t cause the skeletal bear to collapse. Instead, its decapitated skeleton turned around, swinging its claws at Red and forcing him to dodge away.


    Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°This is not a zombie, Red! It won¡¯t stop moving until most of its bones are shattered!¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. Before he could follow up with another attack, more skeletal creatures charged at him from the sides, forcing the youth to dodge away from his position.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    It was obvious that his sword would have a limited effect here, as it wasn¡¯t a blunt weapon made for shattering things. Even if he had a mace, though, with how many enemies were around him, he doubted he could destroy them as quickly as they were being raised.


    As if on cue, the skeletons he was outrunning before started to close in. They opened their maws as if to roar, but made no sound other than the rattling of bones as they moved. It was an unsettling visage, as these creatures behaved like the animals that they were in life, but now completely stripped of flesh.


    Boars, bears, wolves, foxes. Skeletons of all kinds charged at him. To his luck, however, none of them belonged to monsters, which made the task of dodging each individual attack an easy one. Things got trickier for him, however, when there were dozens of them pouncing at him at the same time.


    Red made use of every step, spinning out of attacks and swatting the skeletons aside with his weapon when he couldn¡¯t dodge them, sometimes even jumping over a few of them. A deadly dance, but one he was used enough to partaking in.


    Still, with every passing second, the area he could use to move in was diminishing. He moved past the monsters in front of him, looking to create more space for himself, to no avail. For every skeletal monster he left behind, two more were raised in front of him, up to the point where there were likely more than a hundred skeletons of animals of various sizes trampling over each other to reach him.


    It was horrifying to even think what would happen if he were to be caught up on it.


    ¡°This formation is too big!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to outrun it!¡±


    Red frowned, and he searched around with his crimson sense. The ghoul was no longer at the center of the bone sea, but it was also not heading towards him. Instead, it was running in the opposite direction, seemingly drawn over by something else.


    ¡®Domeron.¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t see the situation over the bone animals, but he assume the swordsman made his move. That being said, he didn¡¯t fancy the man¡¯s chances against a ghoul all by himself.


    An idea crossed his mind.


    Red spoke out loud. ¡°Help me destroy the formation!¡±


    The youth was a budding formation specialist. That being said, he knew just the basics, and more importantly, he couldn¡¯t sense spiritual energy. That was to say, he couldn¡¯t tell where the formation nodes were beneath all the bones.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need my help!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The core of the formation is where the ghoul was standing!¡±


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    Red frowned. He suspected as much, but he wanted to be sure. The center of the formation was a rather common spot to place the core, but it was there for a reason. It was the best way to ensure ideal distribution and control of Spiritual Energy to all parts of a formation, and even if it made for an obvious target, it was often the only way to make a formation work properly.


    In this case, the ghoul was probably there to guard it in the first place. The real question was, why place a formation here in the first place?


    Red didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He looked over in the direction of where the ghoul stood, still dodging and weaving through a horde of skeletal animals eager to trample him.


    This was where the skeletal enemies were most concentrated, closing in on him like a wave. There was no easy way to go about this, so Red made the decision to rely on something he often avoided using.


    Brute force.


    He gritted his teeth and charged at them.


    Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice reached his ears. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Red, of course, ignored her.


    Before long, he met with this wave of attackers. The first handful he still managed to dodge, but before long, he needed to use his sword to ward them off. A few seconds later, even that wasn¡¯t enough, as he clashed into the bulk of skeletons.


    After that, it was all a blur. Skeletal claws and teeth struck at him, some of them just ripping his clothing, while more than a few drew blood from his skin. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop Red, though.


    He couldn¡¯t even see the path ahead of him, but he kept heading forward, giving up on skill and finesse for a more brutish and forceful approach, swinging his sword and arms to batter skeletons out of his way. They kept piling up on him, some of them even climbing on top of him, but Red continued to grit his teeth and charge ahead despite his wounds.


    ¡°The ghoul is coming back!¡± Aurelia warned him.


    Red didn¡¯t need her reminder, as the ghoul and Domeron¡¯s fluctuations were the only thing he could feel in his crimson sense. The undead creature was charging in the youth¡¯s direction with renewed ferocity, clearly seeing through his plan.


    In response, Red redoubled his efforts, trying to reach the core of the formation before the ghoul could reach him.


    The skeletons bit and grasped onto his legs, arms, clothes - anything they could get a grip on so they could slow him down. Anyone else would have collapse under such a strain, but Red had opened twelve of his veins, and he was even more resilient than the average cultivator even.


    Unfortunately, without the crimson mist¡¯s regenerative powers, the wounds on his body were piling up, and his progress was slowed down as the reanimated skeleton jumped on top of him. There was not much distance between him and the ghoul, and even as Domeron chased behind it, it was clear that the man wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it.


    Red was considering another course of action, when the ghoul¡¯s roar suddenly broke through the forest. Its fluctuation wavered, and it stopped moving for a second.


    The youth couldn¡¯t see what happened to it from beneath the pile of bones, but he didn¡¯t let the opportunity go to waste. He continued charging forward, until he saw the corpse of the mercenary beneath his feet, indicating his arrival at the core of the formation.


    ¡°It¡¯s beneath the ground! Right below the body!¡± Aurelia said.


    Red dove down, ignoring the clawing at his back, and pushed the body aside, punching one hand into the ground while using the other to protect his head. He felt around with his fingers through, before brushing upon something cold and hard.


    The youth grasped it, feeling its cylindrical shape, and, without hesitation, squeezed it with all his strength. It took him two seconds, during which he felt his back being flayed, but finally, with a final push, he felt the cylindrical object shatter.


    Suddenly, everything went silent. Then, a second later, the sounds of bones clattering onto the ground echoed throughout all the area. A lot of them fell on top of Red, burying him beneath a mountain of bones.


    The formation was destroyed, and Red was afforded enough time to feel the burning pain consuming his body. Yet, even then, he didn¡¯t relax.


    ¡®The ghoul.¡¯


    Red struggled to dig his way out from beneath the bone mound. A few seconds later, he succeeded, and the first thing he did was look in the direction of where he felt the ghoul¡¯s fluctuation.


    To his surprise, though, the only thing he saw was the beast face down on the ground. He saw a large diagonal gash in its chest, exposing its rotting inner organs, and almost splitting its body in half. What surprised him, though, was the dark-red flames sprouting from its wound, which were burning fiercely wherever its putrid blood spilled.


    Red looked up, noticing Domeron standing over the ghoul. He had drawn his longsword, wielding it with his only hand, and looked at the undead with an emotionless expression. The blade was completely covered in a dark-red fire, similar to the one consuming the ghoul¡¯s wounds, and Red couldn¡¯t even see the metal beneath it.


    The ghoul¡¯s struggles didn¡¯t last for much longer, and it fell still, even as the flames continued to burn around the gash in its chest. Seemingly satisfied with his work, Domeron twirled his sword around before sheathing it into its scabbard. The flames disappeared as the blade was covering, and once it was fully sheathed, there was no sign of the strange energy any longer.


    Red stared at the scene in a daze.


    Domeron looked over at him and smiled. ¡°You should heal yourself. You still have your pills, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 324 - Spirit of Slaughter

    Red frowned, still staring at the sword in Domeron¡¯s scabbard without moving.


    ¡°Take a healing pill, quickly!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°You are going to pass out from blood loss!¡±


    The youth felt the blood pouring down from his back, pooling beneath him. He couldn¡¯t imagine what his back looked like at that moment, but even then he was hesitating, lingering on the feeling that black-red flame invoked in him.


    A resonance from something inside his own body. Something similar to the crimson mist, but not quite the same. Then, beneath that, a feeling of extreme anger and animosity, indignation at the existence of that flame.


    Red knew these feelings came from the crimson mist, yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel his own mind be affected by these emotions, too. He gritted his teeth and tried to push back against the invasive thoughts in his head, judging it to be of more importance than healing himself at the moment.


    When Domeron saw the youth was still refusing to take a healing pill, the smile disappeared from his face.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Domeron asked with concern.


    ¡°What are you doing, you moron?!¡± Aurelia was far less tactful. ¡°Do you want to die?! Take the pill already!¡±


    Their voices got fainter and fainter as Red focused on the feelings inside his body. He closed his eyes, and almost by instinct, entered the meditative state. He was at a point of mastery of this technique that a mere thought and intent of his part was enough to enter into this state.


    When Red peered inside his own body, he was immediately shocked. The crimson mist, previously reduced to the weakest it had ever been, was now flaring through every part of his body, regaining its former strength and even going beyond it. It was under a tempestuous that just by peering into it was almost enough to make the youth lose his calm.


    ¡®Where is it drawing this strength from?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t understand how the crimson mist still had power to rampage about his body, but he knew he couldn¡¯t let it continue. He tried to reach out to it, to communicate with it through his expanded awareness like he did many times before. As soon as his consciousness touched it, though, he felt an explosion inside his mind.


    Rage. Unbridled, powerful, primal.


    Something that couldn¡¯t be expressed into words for Red¡¯s mind, but deep and insidious enough to drown his consciousness.


    The crimson mist was outraged. It couldn¡¯t accept what it just saw.


    Red only felt this kind of reaction from the being inside his body a handful of times before and on all these occasions, he was just a few steps away from losing his mind to these overwhelming feelings. Back then, only one thing worked to keep himself sane.


    The youth focused what little of his consciousness remained functioning into a single image. A white slate, an image he remembered clearly from when he escaped from the underground.


    A headstone with a phrase and will that was uninhibited by time and space.


    A cooling sensation spread through his mind, putting out the flames of anger that threatened to consume him. This feeling didn¡¯t stop there either, though, as it seemed to reach towards the crimson mist inside his body, trying to instill serenity into it, too.


    Red expected a fierce battle to take place inside his body between these two forces, but instead, the crimson mist offered no resistance. It slowly retreated into its original form, at the center of Red¡¯s torso, still weak and in the process of recovering.


    The youth reached out to it and the only response he got back was a sensation of relief. The strange energy coursing through his body disappeared just like that, as if it had never been there in the first place.


    Yet, he didn¡¯t have time to celebrate. As soon as the crisis inside his body and mind was dealt with, he felt a wave of weakness assault his physical form.


    He opened his eyes in a flash. Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice immediately reached him again.


    ¡°¡­ die here, I will haunt your soul in the afterlife!¡±


    Ahead of him, he felt Domeron approaching fluctuation.


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    ¡°Red, can you hear me?¡± the swordsman asked.


    Red weakly raised his hand, as if to stop him from coming any closer. It seemed to work as Domeron froze in his steps. Then, with his other hand, Red reached into the side of his waist for his pouch.


    Luckily enough, the bag was still there. Its materials were made sturdy enough so it wouldn¡¯t be cut apart from his belt in case Red needed to reach for an item in an emergency. It just so happened the current situation was pretty dire.


    He felt around before grasping a cold glass bottle. Without hesitation, Red dragged it out of his pouch and squeezed the bottle, shattering it apart and grabbing the two pills inside of it through the shards.


    He shoved them into his mouth.


    It took a few seconds, but the pills started to work on his wounds.


    Red grunted in pain as the laceration and puncture all around his body started to close up. His back, most of all, burned with unbearable pain, as it seemed that even with two pills the healing power was not enough to close off all the wounds made to his flesh.


    The youth could only grit his teeth and bear through the pain. A minute later, Red felt the healing power in his body wane, and while the wounds in his body were not all healed, he felt some semblance of strength returning to him.


    He sat up and looked at Domeron, who was watching him with a concerned expression a few meters away.


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°I thought I was supposed to be the one protecting you.¡±


    ¡°None of us could have expected this.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Besides, you seem to have dealt with the biggest issue quite easily.¡±


    He looked over at the ghoul. The black-red flames had disappeared, but the ghoul remained dead. It seemed all it took was a single blow.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t intent on using it.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Unfortunately, I had to act quickly.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What is it? A treasure sword of some kind?¡±


    The swordsman hesitated. ¡°¡­ Not a treasure. The sword is quite ordinary. It only serves as a host for the spirit.¡±


    ¡°A spirit?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°A sword-spirit of slaughter, to be exact.¡± Domeron nodded.


    ¡°Damn it, I knew there was something wrong with him!¡± Aurelia said with genuine shock. ¡°He¡¯s a maniac!¡±


    Red ignored her, but the alarm in her voice made him put his guard up.


    The principle behind spirits was something that governed a lot of the knowledge of cultivation, and part of the reason why this energy was called Spiritual Energy in the first place. The youth¡¯s limited understanding was that through Spiritual Energy, one could give anything meaning and in turn spirituality. It was how Spiritual Arts could come into being, how one could be corrupted by external energies, amidst many other things.


    This principle could act through living matter or through inanimate objects. It could even manifest through something immaterial and abstract.


    When this spirituality became powerful enough through deliberate actions or otherwise, a spirit would be born. It was a conscious being, granted life and meaning through the actions leading to its creation in the first place, composed entirely of Spiritual Energy and tied to object or principle that granted it life in the first place.


    Spirits were capable of many impressive feats, some even beyond what humans could achieve, and as such, they were of invaluable help to a lot of cultivators, whether it be in making their treasures that much more powerful or in managing their hidden lands. The spirit hawk Red met before, for instance, was such an existence, responsible not only for managing the hidden inheritance realm but also for choosing a disciple for its master.


    However, creating a spirit was a monumental task, deliberately or not. Often, one needed a deep understanding of principles governing the world around them and to immerse themselves into them wholly for untold or intense periods of time before a spirit could even be born. It was often something only a cultivator with a lot of time, knowledge, and resources in hand would be able to achieve.


    Red could only imagine what kinds of actions and living would be required to birth a supposed spirit of slaughter, much more so by a mere mortal.


    ¡°Is it your spirit?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Domeron nodded.


    ¡°How many people did you kill?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Red frowned, not quite sure what to say.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Red!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°A spirit of slaughter is a demonic spirit! It thrives off of killing others to become stronger. Only absolute lunatics and mass murderers are capable of giving birth to one!¡±


    For a sect cultivator to say that, Red could only imagine what kind of dangers this could represent. Even then, none of these demonic feats sounded too different from what he was capable of achieving with his own blood magic. It would be hypocritical of him to judge Domeron for it.


    Above that, when he looked at the swordsman, Red just couldn¡¯t see a lunatic or mass murderer the woman claimed him to be.


    He gave the man a deep gaze. ¡°The mountain of bodies you told me about before¡­ That wasn¡¯t just a metaphor?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°Unfortunately not.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°My only regret was that I should have been more cautious to not draw the attention of the wrong people.¡± Domeron said. ¡°A bit of restraint would have allowed me to walk in this path for much longer. Everyone I killed either deserved it or was my opponent in battle. I took great joy in bathing in their blood, but never did I stray from my principles as a warrior.¡±


    Red frowned, having a hard time matching the picture the swordsman was painting to him with the image he had of him in his mind.


    ¡°Is that why you and Hector never pressed me about my problems?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I have an open mind, and Hector shares in my belief somewhat.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Demonic and other heretical powers are dangerous and corrupting, but in the hands of a cultivator capable of resisting its influence, it is just another weapon. Of course, this is often the justification many cultivators who have fallen to corruption give for their actions, but it doesn¡¯t make that statement any less true.¡±


    ¡°What about demonification? Did you suffer from it?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I was always left-handed. It¡¯s why I had to cut off my own arm.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°¡­ but you said-¡±


    ¡°I lied.¡± Domeron cut him off. ¡°But now that you know the truth, do you still think that I¡¯m a traitor?¡±


    For some reason, knowing what he knew now made Red more compelled to trust the man than any of his earlier explanations.

 Chapter 325 - Bloody Origins

    Red sighed and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you are a traitor, but I¡¯ll never be fully at ease with you again.¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°Were you ever fully at ease with anyone before?¡±


    This was a good point. Red supposed the people he trusted the most in the past were individuals like Narcha, Eiwin, Rog, Goulth, and Allen. People who were easy to read and who didn¡¯t bother hiding their true thoughts to begin with. The youth didn¡¯t fully trust them due to their kind nature, but rather because he knew they would never stab him in the back.


    People like Rog, Domeron, and Hector, however, were practiced liars. That is to say, they were just like the youth in a lot of aspects. Even if they were well-intentioned, how could Red put his full trust in them?


    ¡®Then again, I suppose I¡¯m already far beyond that point.¡¯


    Right now, he knew that displaying his cautious nature would just hinder their chances of getting through this alive. It was why Red was willing to let the matter of the mass-murderer spirit go. That, and because he saw himself reflected in Domeron right now as a man who might have once threaded a similar path to his own.


    ¡°Here, get up.¡± Domeron approached him and extended his hand for Red to get up.


    The youth hesitated for a second, but he still accepted the help. Despite the healing pills, his own body wouldn¡¯t immediately recover its vigor, so Red wouldn¡¯t deny any help.


    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s indignant voice reached his ears. ¡°Do you even know the kind of person you¡¯re choosing to trust right now?! This is not just some shady individual! He is a mass murderer that gave birth to a spirit of slaughter! I can count on my hands how many cases of that happened while I was alive, and they were all absolute maniacs without exception!¡±


    Red frowned and stared at Domeron, still no more than a few meters away from him.


    ¡°Are you an evil person?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°But so are you, right?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I never thought of myself as evil, but then again, I suppose I¡¯m not a good person either.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Then we see eye to eye. In the world of cultivation, it is hard for things ever to be so absolute. For my own part, I don¡¯t see my own actions in the past as good in nature, but I have never regretted killing who I killed. I don¡¯t know if that small amount of self-reflection absolves me of my actions, but it has always been enough for my consciousness.¡±


    Red paused, reflecting on those words. The youth himself shared the same thoughts, but he never killed too many people in the past. If he was responsible, instead, for killing hundreds, maybe even thousands of people with his own hands, could he hold steady to that resolve? How would that change him? What worth would human life be in his eyes at that point?


    These were questions he hadn¡¯t considered in the past.


    ¡°We can leave this discussion for later.¡± Domeron looked around. ¡°We have more important matters at hand.¡±


    Red also snapped out of his thoughtful silence, looking down at the ground where he dug into.


    Domeron looked at the same spot with interest. ¡°How did you stop the skeletons?¡±


    ¡°They were powered by a formation.¡± Red said. ¡°I just destroyed the core.¡±


    The swordsman seemed surprised. ¡°How did you find the core?¡±


    ¡°Intuition.¡± Red said.


    The youth crouched down and started to drag the remains of the animal skeletons from the spot, revealing the hole he had dug into the ground. He once more put his hand in there before dragging out what looked to be the remains of a beast¡¯s bone.


    It was partially shattered, but he could still see plenty of arcane runes carved onto its surface. Many of these runes Red could recognize himself, while others he had never seen before. He assumed those were the ones that powered the necromantic arts.


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    ¡°Why was there a formation here?¡± Domeron asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°It might have been a trap.¡± Red said. ¡°Perhaps the necromancer knew someone was following them and set this up here, in a location where we were more likely to follow.¡±


    ¡°And the ghoul?¡±


    ¡°It was probably there to guard the core of the formation.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°But if this was a trap, wouldn¡¯t putting a ghoul there make us avoid it?¡±


    Red looked over at him. ¡°Did we avoid it?¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    The duo tried to ambush the ghoul and kill it at once, since they wanted to weaken the necromancer and they wouldn¡¯t like having a Lesser Ring Realm undead at their back as they moved on. In the end, this was all probably a gamble by the necromancer to slow down their pursuers, and it paid off well enough.


    ¡°There are still some things that confuse me.¡± Domeron said. ¡°For one, I¡¯m sure the ghoul wasn¡¯t being controlled.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It was too easily distracted. If it was there to guard the core of the formation, it would have never chased after me and left it defenseless.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°It still turned back once I got close enough.¡±


    ¡°Necromancers don¡¯t need to exert direct control over their thralls all the time. Ghouls are smart enough to follow simple commands on their own, but they aren¡¯t much smarter than a common animal, so they can also be distracted.¡± Domeron said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how he knows this, but he is right.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°That being said, from experience, we both know this necromancer can control its undead from at least five kilometers away, so there was no need to leave this ghoul alone. The only explanation for this is that either they are dead, occupied with something else, or far from this place.¡±


    ¡®This whole dead forest is not much wider than five kilometers.¡¯


    Red raised the same points to Domeron.


    ¡°It is indeed strange.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Maybe they knew they couldn¡¯t control the ghoul where they were going and left it here. The mercenary¡¯s body might have served as a distraction to keep the ghoul still for as long as they needed.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe the ghoul went out of control and killed the mercenary itself.¡± Red raised another possibility.


    ¡°It could be. What matters is that the necromancer knew someone was after them, or at least was cautious enough to set up obstacles against such an occasion, which means we probably aren¡¯t going to catch them by surprise.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ Can you kill a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator with that spirit of yours?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°However, I do not like to rely on it, if possible. It still feeds off of Spiritual Energy, and the only reason I can control it is because it is sealed. Every time I use it, though, the spirit gets stronger, and the seal becomes weaker.¡±


    ¡°I thought you could control it in the past.¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t control it.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s more appropriate to say I worked alongside it to kill others, including people far more powerful than me. When I was captured and had my Spiritual Sea removed, I lost my will to fight and, in turn, I also lost the spirit¡¯s cooperation.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How did you seal it?¡±


    Domeron seemed hesitant. ¡°¡­ The spirit went berserk once I lost my will to fight. It killed my captors and was only sealed with Hector¡¯s help. It would have killed him too if he didn¡¯t have the Deep Sea Sword to help him.¡±


    The youth was finally starting to understand the fearsomeness of this spirit. Hector was a Peak Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and even he wasn¡¯t able to subjugate the spirit without the help of a consummate treasure of his sect. What surprised him the most, though, was that Domeron was able to cultivate such a strong weapon without even opening his Spiritual Sea.


    This revelation made Red reevaluate his understanding of the cultivation world.


    ¡°So, as you can now understand, I wouldn¡¯t like to rely on the spirit if at all possible.¡± Domeron said. ¡°It might be that we don¡¯t have a choice, but every time I use it, I get a step closer to causing a disaster that could affect this whole region, and I would like to avoid that.¡±


    ¡®And I was worried my own personal issues could bring about a calamity upon the sect.¡¯


    The fact Hector harbored this huge calamity in his sect explained his stance towards Red¡¯s own strangenesses in retrospect. After all, the youth¡¯s possible demonic powers and the troubles it could bring seemed rather trivial compared to the danger this spirit of Domeron¡¯s represented, and the elder seemed willing to take more than a few risks if it could bring about a benefit to his sect. Of course, maybe if he knew the origins of Red¡¯s own demonic powers, he would be more hesitant about making this decision.


    Although the youth was curious about the inner workings of this spirit of Domeron¡¯s, he knew this was not the place to discuss it.


    In the end, he just nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Domeron seemed satisfied. ¡°Let¡¯s look around the place a bit more. Maybe there are some clues the necromancer left behind.¡±


    They went about searching the area near the center of the bone sea, including the mercenary and the ghoul¡¯s body. To none of their surprises, though, they found nothing of interest.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Domeron shook his head with a sigh. ¡°And I don¡¯t see any tracks the necromancer left behind to indicate where he was going.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for tracks.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I know where he is going.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Domeron looked surprised.


    Red nodded. ¡°If he is still in this dead forest, there is only one other place he could be at.¡±


    In the end, seven years later, Red¡¯s own journey was about to bring him back to a place he swore he would never visit again. The entrance to the world below, where insect monsters, Moonstones, and other dark and incomprehensible entities lived in.


    The underground. The Moonstone Mines.


    Red only hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to go much farther than the entrance.

 Chapter 326 - Face of Death

    Domeron noticed the strangeness with which Red was speaking and frowned. ¡°What is this place exactly?¡±


    ¡°The less we speak about it, the better.¡± Red said. ¡°There are people listening.¡±


    Over all these years, the youth never forgot the warning the hawk gave him. The Empire had clairvoyants under their command that could read the threads of fate and divine information without having to hear it or read it themselves. He was given a protection against that kind of divination and although he didn¡¯t know if it was ever called upon, the youth would rather be safe in the knowledge he had that to defend himself against such attempts.


    The same, however, couldn¡¯t be said of his companions. This was why Red never spoke about the inheritance or his underground origins to any of them, even if they suspected it themselves.


    Domeron looked confused for a second, before his expression turned into one of realization. ¡°I understand. Do you think it¡¯s safe?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s not safe. There¡¯s no way it could ever be safe, which is why we should make a decision on how to proceed once we get closer.¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°You know this place better than me, so I will leave this decision up to you.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing I could do that would prepare us for what could be waiting for us.¡¯


    The youth left these words unsaid.


    Before departing, Red replaced his tattered clothing with whatever remained behind in his bag, which wasn¡¯t much. He also stored the pieces of the formation bone to study for later, interested in examining the necromantic runes carved on its surface.


    Finally, a minute later, he led the way forward towards the cave with Domeron at his side.


    His steps and countenance lacked much of his earlier confidence as they continued their trek. Every step brought him closer to that place, and although the forest was changed and this was the first time he visited the place in seven years, he could still recognize and retrace the path he made back then.


    The pure white rabbit bathed by the moonlight and the owl that snatched it from the ground, the spot where he saw the smoke trail of a campfire, the place where he met Narcha, Eiwin and Rog for the first time before collapsing from exhaustion. It was all so long ago.


    Memories Red never paid too much attention too, yet were now resurfacing with surprising clarity in his mind. He felt nervous and, in a rare occurrence, was second guessing himself after making a decision.


    ¡°I will warn you if I sense something out of the ordinary.¡± Aurelia said, as if sensing the turbulence in his mind.


    The youth frowned and kept walking. If Domeron noticed anything out of the ordinary with him, he didn¡¯t mention it, and followed behind him in silence and with a focused expression.


    Soon enough, the sea of bones they were threading upon dwindled, revealing the forest floor once more. Around the same time, the sound of the rushing river reached their ears.


    Red paused at this juncture. ¡°We are close.¡±


    Domeron looked over at him. ¡°Where is this place?¡±


    ¡°Along the riverside. The path is narrow, and it¡¯s very well hidden¡­¡± he hesitated. ¡°I also don¡¯t know what we will find there.¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°That¡¯s par for the course. Just lead the way, and I will watch your back with my life. This, I promise you.¡±


    Red was taken aback by these words. Still, he nodded to Domeron and continued to walk.


    From that point forward, the youth could already count how many steps it would take them to reach the cave. There was still no sign of the necromancer and his group anywhere, but this, he felt, was not their biggest concern at the moment.


    They headed towards the riverside, determined to follow it towards their destination. The dead forest ended here, the death not affecting any of the vegetation on the other side of the river. In some ways, this large water body seemed to serve as the border between two completely different worlds in which life and death flourished.


    For some reason, it seemed like the crimson mist had been uncapable of extending its absorption powers beyond the river. It was uncertain if this was because it simply did not have time to, or if there was something about the body of water that stopped the death from spreading.


    Red looked at the lush thicket across the river with some longing, but he forced his gaze away.


    The way forward quickly became precarious, as this section of the river cut across a great chain of hills. The duo was forced to climb steep and unsteady ground, though at the very least there was no living vegetation to further hinder their steps.


    Before long, the sight Red was anticipating revealed itself to them as they crested a small slope.


    A small hill, with a cliff side facing the flowing river. There was nothing special about it, even before having its greenery stripped away by the death swallowing this place. However, no one could imagine beneath this place was the entrance to another world.


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    From this angle, the youth couldn¡¯t see if the supposed entrance was still there. However, he showed visible hesitation as soon as this place came into view, which clued Domeron to the fact that they had arrived at their destination.


    ¡°Is there something on that hill?¡± he asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°An entrance¡­ A cave. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary that I can see. No footprints, no natural phenomenon¡­ Nothing at all.¡± Domeron frowned. ¡°Are you sure the necromancer came through here?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ Not sure.¡± The youth shook his head.


    There was always the possibility there was yet another strange place in this dead section of the forest where the necromancer and his group were headed to, no matter how slim it was. Yet, knowing what Red knew, how could this place not be involved? How could he not check here first?


    If anything, he would be happy if he found nothing at all.


    ¡°I sense no gathering of undead energy.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°However¡­ my instincts are telling me not to approach that place.¡±


    A cultivator¡¯s instincts weren¡¯t just random and baseless feelings. It was their own mind warning them of a strange and out-of-place factor in what they were witnessing, often before their own conscious self could parse through what exactly was wrong. Generally, this wrongness went beyond just surface level, and the instincts of stronger cultivators could sense oddities in the Spiritual Energy or even in the very laws of nature that governed a certain place.


    These warnings were often to be taken to heart.


    Yet, in Aurelia¡¯s warning, never once did she advise Red to retreat. It was clear what her stance on the matter was.


    ¡®It¡¯s too late to back down now.¡¯


    He looked over at Domeron. ¡°You need to stay here.¡±


    The swordsman looked annoyed. ¡°This again? I already told you I don¡¯t fear whatever awaits for me in this place.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°This is different. It¡¯s not just the threat of corruption you¡¯re facing here, or anything you can fight against, for that matter.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t tell you, but there¡¯s nothing you can do against it. I can only guarantee that if you follow me, you will definitely die.¡±


    The curse affected anyone who entered the Moonstone Mines. Not even his master, at the top of the cultivation world in his time, dared to venture into the place himself.


    Without surprise, the swordsman seemed hesitant to heed Red¡¯s warnings. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but¡­ If it¡¯s not safe for me, how is it safe for you?¡±


    ¡°It is not safe for me.¡± The youth shook his head. ¡°But at the very least, there is a chance I won¡¯t die.¡±


    The curse wasn¡¯t the only danger in that place. Even now, he remembered the promise he made to the insectoid - to never return to this place no matter what. What would happen when he went back on it? Were those creatures still there, watching and waiting for when the boy from back then would go back on his promise?


    Of course, in the face of that other being lurking these tunnels, the threat of the insectoids was insignificant in comparison.


    Red closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wiping his mind clear of those thoughts. A few seconds later, he looked at Domeron. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I will stay in there, but if a long time passes and I¡¯m still not out, then you can be sure that I am already dead. Do not come looking for me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you that.¡± Domeron shook his head without hesitation. ¡°Besides, what about the imperials? Won¡¯t they all know where I am?¡±


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t worried about that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, but it¡¯s a different matter if I have to stay in the same place for too long. They will definitely pinpoint my location that way.¡± Domeron said. ¡°What I mean to say is that if you are gone for too long, I will go in there to search for you one way or the other.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ Just be patient. I will not risk my life in vain.¡±


    The swordsman nodded with reluctant sigh. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    With those words, they parted ways.


    Red started to climb downhill towards the narrow path between the cliffside and the river. Every step forward was like adding another weight to his back, as if the worries and weaknesses of the time when he was a slave were re-surging once more.


    Even now, after all this time cultivating in the surface, he still didn¡¯t feel strong enough to wander back into this place. In fact, as his horizons widened, the true terror of that world was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind. Even being as strong as Viran was back then, he knew that one insectoid was more than enough to kill him, and the creatures would be the least of his worries.


    ¡°Still nothing.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Take heart and keep walking. You don¡¯t need to go in there. Just examine it from the entrance.¡±


    Although the woman tried to assuage his worries, both she and Red knew none of this was as simple as that.


    Still, just like the woman said, he didn¡¯t see any signs of footprints. The pressure and anticipation the youth felt in his mind continued to increase as he reached the edge of the cliff-face. A meter to his left was the raging waters of the river, while to his immediate right the rather smooth stone wall stood, and a simple turn around the corner would reveal to him the truth.


    Only the narrowest of paths was offered for him to walk.


    Red took a deep breath, and with his heart almost beating out of his chest, walked forward. As soon as he turned around the bend and got a clear view of the cliff-face, though, he froze.


    There was nothing there. Or rather, where there should have been a large opening covered by vines as he remembered, a smooth stone wall stood.


    It wasn¡¯t the case that the entrance was blocked by debris, but rather that someone seemed to have restored this cliff face to its original state, rebuilding a natural stone wall over its cavernous opening. Red even reached his hand forward, feeling the smooth stone with the palm of his hand.


    It wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    ¡°Did they close it?¡± The youth wondered out loud.


    He was referring to the Imperials.


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ That isn¡¯t just it.¡± Aurelia said with a severe expression. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this wall. It seems completely natural, but I can feel a power hidden just beneath its surface. It blocks my senses from penetrating even an inch into it.¡±


    ¡°A seal.¡± Red followed her logic.


    ¡°Very likely. No matter what angle I approach it from, this power extends to block me. I only felt a seal this strong once before when I visited my sect¡¯s vault.¡± she said. ¡°The fact they placed something like this in such a remote location¡­ They don¡¯t want anyone entering or leaving this place.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why the necromancer never pursued this entrance.¡¯


    Even in his weakened state, the lich was still one of the most knowledgeable cultivators in the world. If he thought that this entrance was ¡®closed¡¯, then it was obviously beyond Red and Aurelia¡¯s capabilities to get it open.


    The youth sighed in relief. ¡°Then this means that necromancer and his group didn¡¯t come through here.¡±


    Aurelia grunted with some dissatisfaction. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how they would get through this. Even if they somehow had a way to get past it, we can¡¯t follow them in without a similar key or technique.¡±


    Red nodded, turning around the way he came. ¡°Then we can¡­¡±


    He trailed off as his eyes caught something floating over the river, a few dozen meters away.


    A human figure. A woman, with long, flowing white hair and a black dress. The most beautiful being the youth ever saw in his world, with features so sacred and perfect that they approached perfection.


    Yet, the feeling she invoked in his heart was the exact opposite. Dread. Absolute and all-encompassing.


    This was the face of death, and it was staring right into his eyes.

 Chapter 327 - Dead Dream

    The floating woman continued to stare at him with her bleeding, crimson eyes, when finally, Red saw her mouth move.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The sound of her voice didn¡¯t reach his ears, and yet the meaning of her words rang clear in his mind. The youth felt his eyes sting with an unbearable pain, and he was forced to look away from the woman. He stumbled on his feet, almost falling down onto the rushing river a few meters to his left.


    His senses twisted and flared, as if the world around him was becoming too much to understand. Undecipherable noises, overwhelming smells, cold and hot drafts of air blowing against his skin at the same time, a blurring chaos in his vision. Even his crimson sense, ever his constant guide, seemingly stopped working, as he could no longer feel Domeron¡¯s fluctuation nearby.


    Unable to find any purchase in the physical, Red tried to focus on his mind. Out of pure reflex, he entered into a meditative state, his expanded awareness inspecting what was happening to his body. What he saw made little sense, either.


    His flesh and organs seemed to be twisting and coiling into incomprehensible forms, in a state of constant change. The youth didn¡¯t know if this was a reflection of reality, or if this was all mere illusions.


    Whatever the case, Red felt lost, unable to react or move his body. The only thing he could do was to hold on to his consciousness while whatever was going on outside continued.


    After what felt like an eternity, the maelstrom of sensations seemed to weaken. He felt control of his body return as his senses started to take in the surrounding environment again.


    The first thing the youth felt was the still air. A damp sensation that pervaded his breath and skin - the feeling of a place that was closed off to the world, where nothing but the rain waters could reach through the cracks between the earth.


    A very familiar feeling.


    Red opened his eyes and looked around. Complete darkness, yet the sounds of droplets and the feeling underneath his feet were very familiar. A cave.


    Immediately, a shiver ran up his spine.


    ¡®How?¡¯


    He reached down to the side of his waist, grabbing for his sword. His hand came up empty, however.


    The youth frowned and looked down. Neither his sword nor his pouch were there. In fact, Red noticed he wasn¡¯t even wearing the same clothes that had been on his person mere moments ago. Instead, a large robe covered his body, with its hood pulled over his head.


    He paused once he saw this. Inspecting his body, he noticed his physical form seemed to be the same, but none of his previous belongings were there with him. A possibility crossed his mind.


    ¡®Is this an illusion?¡¯


    It was the only thing that made sense to him. Yet, every sensation he felt with his body was still as clear as day. In a sense, at a high enough level, the difference between illusions and realities was indistinguishable for someone without the capabilities of seeing through them.


    Red closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, searching his body for any oddities. To his surprise, the crimson mist in his body was also completely gone. He felt a sense of panic rising in his mind, which was quickly extinguished upon further consideration.


    How could the crimson mist be extracted from his body without him noticing? Or at the very least, without putting up a fight?


    These impossibilities only led credence to his theory he was in the middle of an illusion. Yet, even understanding what was going on, it didn¡¯t give him any ideas on how to free himself from whatever realm he had landed on.


    Red took a deep breath and started to take in his environment with more focus. His dark vision didn¡¯t seem to work in this place, meaning that for the first time in a long while, the youth was in complete darkness, unable to examine the cave in any detail.


    The echo of droplets of water falling onto the ground told him that this cave wasn¡¯t that big, no more than a dozen meters across. His feet were bare against the ground, feeling the coarse stone against his soles. Other than that, there were no sounds or sources of light to help him make his way through the darkness.


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    This illusion had taken from him all of his weapons and powers, leaving Red no better than the child he was back in the underground. Perhaps even worse, considering he didn¡¯t even have a way to light his path.


    He felt hesitant about how to proceed, yet what choice did he have other than to feel his way in the dark?


    With careful and measured steps, he made his way to the nearest wall. His palms flat against the stone, he felt around, searching for something out of the ordinary. There was nothing but the cold, damp rock wall.


    After taking a mental note of the location in his mind, the youth started to make his way around the room with the wall as his guide. He searched the cave carefully, hoping to find any openings that could lead him to another chamber, or any hidden mechanism that would reveal a passage out of this place.


    It took him almost ten minutes before he returned to the initial spot, with nothing to show for it. As far as he could tell, the cave was completely closed off. Even the ceiling was shut tight, which Red checked with much effort on his part. There was nothing.


    A completely closed off chamber shouldn¡¯t have been possible, but the youth was keenly aware of the possibility he was dealing with something outside the realms of reality here.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­ What can I even do about this?¡¯


    Logical thinking and physical abilities would avail you naught in a realm that didn¡¯t follow the same laws of reality. In which case, he needed to rely on something more obscure.


    ¡®Do I need to think about it again?¡¯


    Red had a similar experience back in the inheritance realm, except he couldn¡¯t even feel his body back then. He was in a void, and only by calling upon the image of a certain being did he seem to free himself from that conundrum. Yet, did he dare do it now that he knew the true dangers of such practices?


    ¡®No. I told myself back then that I would rely on my own powers. I can¡¯t turn back now at the first sign of adversity.¡¯


    With that decision, the youth sat down cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. Since he couldn¡¯t trust what his own body was feeling, he needed to look within for a solution.


    Just as he was about to enter a meditative state, a sound reached his voice. It was so slight that he almost missed it, yet in this environment where the only thing he heard was the sound of droplets, it stuck out like a sore thumb.


    Red opened his eyes and looked around. Still complete darkness.


    A few seconds later, though, the same sound reached his ears, and with it, a glow appeared in his vision. Both were so faint that he had a hard time discerning them, but he knew they were there. The same phenomenon continued for a few times, but they remained extremely weak.


    If he wanted to know what they were, he would need to get closer.


    Red took a deep breath and got up.


    ¡®Nothing in this place is real.¡¯


    He kept repeating the same sentence in his mind as he walked ahead. Sure enough, in the place where he was sure he inspected before, an opening seemed to have formed from where both the glow and the sound were coming from.


    The youth frowned but didn¡¯t stop walking. The opening led him into a corridor, one not unlike the ones he used to dwell in his time in the underground. In fact, Red felt he could even recognize this path somewhat, so ingrained in his mind that place was.


    The only thing missing, of course, were the moonstones imbedded into the walls.


    This didn¡¯t phase him. It was an illusion, after all.


    The corridor led him on for a hundred meters or so, until the sound became clearer to him. It was a human voice. Not just one, but several of them. They spoke in hushed tones, yet seemed loud enough to echo all the way to him in this enclosed space. He couldn¡¯t discern their words, however.


    Red kept following the path, repeating the mantra in his head all the while. Finally, the corridor led him to a chamber, from which the intense light was coming from. The glow was dark green, and it was the only thing providing any kind of illumination to the cave in front of him, bouncing off the walls of the large chamber. Yet it was more than enough to reveal the scene in front of him.


    Dozens of people, kneeling on the ground with their hands held together in prayer, which only came across as incomprehensible muttering to Red¡¯s ears. They wore different clothing, but the majority of them looked to have been peasants of different ages and genders, some of them even being children. Yet, what gave the youth pause wasn¡¯t just that.


    Rather, the peasants all seemed to be in different states of decomposition. Some of them were just bones, all the flesh having been melted aways from their skeleton, while others were still at the initial stage, their skin bursting from beneath with rotten meat and organs as maggots made their feast on their corpses. However, all of them, without exception, stood in that kneeling position, whispering the same prayer in disturbing disharmony, the voices manifesting from their mouth even if there was nothing left in their corpses to produce it.


    The putrid and rotting stench reached Red¡¯s nostrils, an overwhelming smell that he had never felt in his life before, not even in the piles of dead monster he came across in the past. At that moment, it became harder for him to tell himself this was all an illusion, but he held on, taking quick breaths to avoid taking in any more of this air than he needed to.


    After regaining his composure, he examined the chamber again. The rotting corpses all seemed to be kneeling towards the same thing, further ahead in the cave. The youth followed the direction they were pointing at.


    In the center of the chamber, he saw the source of the light. A man, his flesh slowly falling from his body, crawling forward through the kneeling figures. He was wearing a similar robe to his own, plain and completely dark, and the pulsing dark green light came from his head, pulsing through his cranium and eyes as if something was threatening to break through.


    Red couldn¡¯t help but notice he seemed to be crawling towards something with urgency, his eyes never deviating from a single spot ahead of him. The youth looked up, and there he saw it.


    A white dagger.

 Chapter 328 - The Bone Dagger

    <div>


    The dagger was floating in the air, suspended by nothing at all. The blade was almost pure white, with ragged edges and a rough surface that seemed to have seen its fair share of wear and tear. It was a straight dagger, with no cross-guard and a handle that was also carved out of bone. The dagger was almost thirty centimeters long from pummel to tip, and like Red assume before, it looked too big to have been fashioned out a finger bone. It looked like a primitive weapon fashioned out of desperation, not unlike the one the youth had made in his hellish landscape, with a frail appearance and no apparent sharp edge to speak of.


    Yet, when he examined it, a strange feeling rose in his mind. An urge to approach the dagger, to take it into his possession and make it his own. A sensation that with this weapon in his hand, nothing would be beyond his reach.


    ¡°Come to me¡­¡± A voice reached his ears.


    It was calling to him.


    As if out of pure reflex, Red started to walk towards the dagger. The chaotic chorus of prayers in the room sounded distant, and he the only thing he had eyes for was the floating dagger.


    Any and all thoughts were pushed to the back of his head as he felt the blade¡¯s call. What was the point of struggling? Of identity and purpose? The dagger and the power within it would grant him everything he ever wanted and needed, the realization and freedom he craved for his entire life.


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    The promise of his greatest desires.


    ¡°All yours.¡±


    All he needed was to grasp it with his own hand.


    Step after step, Red approached the dagger. He stepped over the crawling man as if he was nothing, ignoring everything around him to reach his goal as soon as possible. It wasn¡¯t long before the bone dagger was right in front of him, within arm¡¯s reach.


    Without hesitation, the youth reached forward with his right hand towards the weapon.


    ¡°Nothing in this place is real.¡±


    An unfamiliar voice sounded inside of his mind, causing Red to freeze.


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not right.¡¯


    It was his own voice.


    ¡®But I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯


    As if snapping out of a daze, he looked down at his hand, a few centimeters away from touching the dagger. Or at least, what he thought should have been his hand.


    A set of bony finger extended from his robe¡¯s sleeves, all the skin and flesh melted away and nowhere to be found where his hand once was.


    Red stared at this sight in a perplexed state. This was where his right hand should have been - he still felt it there - and yet, only bones remained. He frowned and tried to move his fingers.


    The skeletal hand moved in kind, in the same way the youth ordered it to. Realization came to his clouded mind, and the confusion was wiped bit by bit as a shiver ran up his spine.


    This was his hand.


    Red looked at his other hand in a state of anxiousness, only to find it in the same state. He pulled his sleeves back and saw that the rest of his arm was likewise only bones, all the flesh having been stripped away from his limbs. The youth reached towards his face with some hesitation and started to feel around.


    His finger still retained their feeling as if he still had skin, and they pointed towards a terrible fact. There was nothing left on his face, either.


    Red felt despair setting in his mind, before the same phrase continued to echo in his head.


    ¡°Nothing in this place is real.¡±


    He repeated these words out loud, and the sound echoed through the cave despite having no organs or flesh to produce it any longer. A serene sensation spread through his mind, and the confusion produced by the dagger dissipated like dust in the wind.


    Red looked at the blade with a frown, or he tried to do it despite lacking eyebrows at the moment. Before he could do anything else, though, he felt a tug at his ankle.


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    The youth looked down and saw the crawling man from earlier grabbing onto his leg, now having transformed into a skeleton just like him. The light was still pulsing inside his skull, but it was becoming weaker with every passing moment.


    The skeleton looked up, and despite having no eyes, Red felt him staring directly at him.


    ¡°It is¡­ Mine!¡± a deranged voice came from the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°I won¡¯t let you have it!¡±


    Despite his protesting, the man seemed to be incapable of producing any kind of strength in his grasp, trying to pull the youth down to no avail.


    Red looked down at him, inspecting his form. There was not much to see in the man¡¯s features in this skeletal shape, and he seemed to be wearing the same sort of dark robe the youth himself was using.


    Yet, upon seeing the light pulsing in his skull, he had a good idea as to his identity.


    ¡°Are you the necromancer that has been controlling the ghouls?¡± he asked.


    The skeleton didn¡¯t seem to listen to his words, and it let out an inhuman growl from its mouth. ¡°Leave this place! It is mine! Mine!¡±


    Red continued to stare at the man. ¡°You were the one who ambushed us in the forest, then?¡±


    At these words, there was a pause. If the man still had a face, the youth felt he would most definitely be showing surprise. ¡°You¡­ It was you! You killed my ghouls!¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. This was all the confirmation he needed.


    Red crouched down by the man¡¯s side and stared at his pulsing, glowing eyes even as the skeleton tried to drag him down in a vain effort.


    The youth¡¯s right hand rested on top of the man¡¯s skull. Then he started to squeeze.


    ¡°You almost killed me.¡± he said. ¡°And you almost killed Rog.¡±


    The man¡¯s bony hands grabbed around his wrist in an attempt to resist. Yet even in both of their skeletal forms, Red¡¯s strength seemed far superior to the necromancer¡¯s.


    The youth continued. "I don¡¯t know if I can kill you in here, but I certainly can¡¯t let the chance go.¡±


    With a final squeeze, he shattered the man¡¯s skull with his fingers. The light in his skull flared in an intense glow one last time before fading into darkness. An instant later, the necromancer¡¯s skeleton fell still.


    Now in complete darkness once again, Red turned around and looked at where the dagger was seconds ago. The cacophonous prayer still echoed in the room, yet their chaotic effect seemed to have diminished in the youth¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Mine champion¡­¡± The voice from earlier reached him again. ¡°Thou hast defeated thy competition. Now the prize is all yours.¡±


    The bone dagger started to glow in a faint white light, revealing its floating form to him, less than two meters from him. The temptation started to grow in Red¡¯s mind once more, but this time he was quick to squish it down as he continued to repeat the same phrase in his mind.


    He didn¡¯t respond to it, but instead continued to examine the dagger. The shape of the weapon remained the same to him, yet with his mind now clear, he started to see something else. Not in the dagger itself, but rather in the space around it.


    A shape encompassing the weapon, floating above it. A twisted form, so thin as to stretch its skin taut against its ribcage, and yet towering over the youth, multiple times his size. It was too faint, and Red could barely see its upper half, hanging down from the ceiling while the rest of its body disappeared into the darkness above. It didn¡¯t have a face, its features simply a blank slate, yet it looked human beyond doubt, despite its twisted and malformed proportions.


    What stood out from it, though, were the arms growing from its shoulder blades. The youth counted six from each side, extending from its torso like the arms of a spider, and right now every single one of them was surrounding him with fingers twisting and moving independently of each other. Its palms were the size of a human¡¯s torso, and they all seemed at the ready to grasp Red at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Yet, none of them moved. It was as if they were waiting.


    Waiting for him to grab the dagger in front of him.


    He didn¡¯t panic and looked up at the creature¡¯s blank face.


    ¡°What are you?¡± he asked.


    The voice sounded again. ¡°Mine champion¡­ Let go of thy worries and suspicions. Embrace thy destiny and let it embrace thou back. Only so shall all in the world be within thy reach.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, and looked around him. The hands inched ever so closer to him, and a single movement of his part would make him collide with one of them. He couldn¡¯t respond.


    He closed his eyes and repeated. ¡°Nothing in this place is real.¡±


    ¡°These sights are more real than aught your world has to offer.¡± The voice resounded in his ears. ¡°It all can be yours to shape and use as thou please.¡±


    He didn¡¯t open his eyes and entered a meditative state. This technique still worked even in this place, yet there was nothing he could do with it to escape this place he hadn¡¯t already tried. Everything, that is, except for one thing.


    The meditation Eiwin taught him a long time ago, the Radiant Current, was a technique created by monks to control one¡¯s own bodies. At lower levels, it served as nothing more than a serene exercise made to temper and eliminate the worries and anxieties reflected in one¡¯s own physical form. At higher levels, however, as Red had found out himself, it was capable of controlling and examining the inner condition of his body to a certain degree, as well as serving as a way to communicate with the crimson mist.


    It was a practice and technique that had become second nature to the youth, and even though its use in combat was very limited, it was indispensable for his cultivation sessions and saved him many times before. So it was, that Red had an idea.


    Since his mind was the only thing this place was incapable of affecting, then he would go to a place where only his mind mattered.


    He would go to sleep.


    His expanded awareness reached into his mind, and without offering any resistance, the youth felt his thoughts start to slow down. His vision started to blur, the sounds around him became fainter, and he felt his muscles relax as he fell down onto his knees.


    Darkness started to embrace him, and the only thing he heard before he fell asleep was an inhuman roar and the sounds of crying and despair.

 Chapter 329 - Radiant Sea

    Red didn¡¯t know what to expect as his consciousness faded away. Sleep was something that the youth naturally avoided for as long as possible, and only exhaustion or the crimson mist¡¯s prompting were capable of dragging him into that land of dreams. This was the first time he force himself to sleep in such a manner, and he didn¡¯t know what would happen to him.


    The thing guarding the dagger seemed incapable of hurting him before he grabbed the weapon, but it still trapped him in its realm. Yet, would the youth find escape in his dreams? In his experience, they were often not the refuge he wanted at this time, but what other choice did he have?


    Such thoughts continued to cross his mind without end. Soon enough, though, Red noticed something strange.


    How could he still think with such clarity? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be asleep?


    ¡®Could it be¡­ Another waking dream?¡¯


    To verify his suspicions, Red tried to open his eyes. However, there was nothing to see - or rather, he didn¡¯t have a vision to see. His other senses couldn¡¯t detect anything either, and when he tried to move his body, he couldn¡¯t feel the response of his muscles.


    It was as if his body wasn¡¯t there.


    The youth was shaken as he found the whole situation to be very familiar to what he felt a long time ago in that inheritance realm. The Void.


    He was quick to rein in his unsettled feelings, lest his mind wander to dangerous territories. Red didn¡¯t let himself be swayed by first impressions and tried to think of things rationally. Back then, the only apparent reason he felt in such a state was because he was standing right on top of a gate to the Void, as someone he didn¡¯t dare to think about explained.


    How could that make sense in his state? Was him going to sleep a way to enter the Void? Even the most absurd theories Red had about his strange powers didn¡¯t border on that realm. Instead, there was a far more reasonable explanation to this.


    ''Sleep Paralysis.¡¯


    The youth heard of such a phenomenon before. A state between waking up and sleeping where one was conscious but was unable to move or sleep. He didn¡¯t know if his current state matched the symptoms of this state, but it wasn¡¯t absurd to think that this could be a consequence of forcing his own body to sleep through some strange technique.


    However, right now, he only traded a prison for another, still incapable of returning to the real world.


    ¡®At the very least, I don¡¯t think I will die in here.¡¯


    Despite saying that, Red would obviously not sit still and wait for whatever came next. Right now, he was technically ¡®sleeping¡¯, but it didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was free from the domain of the bone dagger. What if he woke up and found himself trapped there again? The possibility was still there.


    ¡®I need to find a way to escape.¡¯


    The problem laid, of course, in the fact the youth wasn¡¯t a proper cultivator yet. He couldn¡¯t see through illusions, much less break through them. He imagined the only reason he was still alive was because the bone dagger and that thing were incapable of affecting his mind, something he was very thankful for, but that alone didn¡¯t provide him with a way to escape.


    ¡®If only I could communicate with Aurelia.¡¯


    Even if the woman couldn¡¯t help him directly, she would surely know a way to escape that realm of illusions. The only other options Red could think of were to invoke the images of certain beings in his head to cause a reaction in that world, but that was like putting out fire with more oil. It was likely to only complicate things for him.


    There was also the possibility Aurelia would notice something wrong with him and free him from the outside, but this wasn¡¯t something he was willing to rely on. Who knew how time passed in that place? From experience, he knew some cultivators were capable of manipulating the passage or perception of time, his master included. One week inside that illusory realm might not be more than a few minutes in the real world.


    He wasn¡¯t willing to gamble on that. The only thing left, then, was to find out a solution on his own.


    ¡®A way to return or communicate with the real world¡­¡¯


    Like any field of cultivation, it was almost impossible to figure out a solution to a problem with no knowledge or experience on the field. Red didn¡¯t even know the kind of state he was in right now. A floating consciousness? A half-sleeping brain? It was impossible to tell or figure out on his own, so he did what anyone else would do in his place.


    He experimented.


    The youth tried to meditate and reach his state of expanded awareness. To his surprise, however, he was already in such a state, this piece of transcendental perception wandering around empty space all the while. The reason he didn¡¯t noticed it was because there was seemingly no physical body for this awareness to detect, so it was as if it wasn¡¯t there in the first place.


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    Despite this discovery, Red tried to move this awareness around, hoping to find any traces of his body. As expected, though, he couldn¡¯t feel anything, even as this perception extended all over where his body should have been.


    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯


    As the youth moved it around, though, he noticed something strange. He still maintained some sense of space even in this state through the movement of his expanded awareness, and to his surprise, he felt this force move beyond where his body should have been. He tried to move it around again, feeling this awareness move far beyond the borders of what should have been possible into the void beyond.


    The reason this surprised Red, of course, was because in the past, this expanded awareness was always limited to his own body. It couldn¡¯t extend beyond that, no matter how hard he tried, and yet in this dream realm, it didn¡¯t seem to be limited by anything.


    Of course, this all might be just the youth¡¯s imagination or erroneous perception of space in this state, but he felt it was worth pursuing. He started to move this expanded awareness around, hoping to find anything out of the ordinary in this space.


    Unexpectedly, no matter how much this force of his moved, Red still felt like it was just by his side. It seemed that no matter the distance, the connection between his mind and the force would remain strong.


    ¡®Or perhaps it is better to say that this awareness and my mind are one thing?¡¯


    His consciousness didn¡¯t feel as if it had a ¡®physical place¡¯ in this dream, and seeing as this awareness moving about was the only sense of physical change he had in this environment, perhaps there was no point in thinking about them as separate entities. Where the awareness was, so would his consciousness be, just as it was with his body in the real world.


    The youth felt a headache coming on just by thinking about this, so he let the matter go for now. What mattered is that the state didn¡¯t feel unnatural to him, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to continue.


    Red didn¡¯t know how far or for how long his awareness continued to move through this primordial nothingness. Yet, before the youth felt even compelled to give up, he felt something.


    It was like a pulse, the weak aftermath of an energy reaching his awareness. Without hesitation, Red grasped into the direction of this sensation and headed towards it.


    A similar pulse reached him again, but this time from another angle. Before the youth could consider changing directions, however, another pulse reached him from another direction. Then another. And another.


    Soon enough, there were dozens of them, reaching him from all around without end, but they never seemed to stay in the same place. He made a decision to pursue where he felt one of these pulses as far as he could, but he never made contact with anything using his awareness.


    At this point, Red was feeling quite frustrated. He could feel dozens of these pulses emitted by whatever energy in his surroundings, but he could never reach any of them to inspect them with his awareness. They all seemed to be in constant movement, too fast for him to catch up. It wasn¡¯t like he had a vision to inspect them from afar either, his only option for interaction being direct contact.


    His only option was to wait until one of these things accidentally got close enough to his awareness, which also seemed rather unlikely, considering the limitless size of this space. Just as Red was feeling at a loss, he felt another pulse reach him, accompanied by a pleasant voice that sounded inside his mind.


    ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re doing it all wrong!¡± the voice said.


    His mind trembled upon hearing this, but just like the other pulses, he couldn¡¯t exactly feel where it was coming from.


    The voice reached him again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little brother, I¡¯m just here to help!¡±


    Red could only display his general skepticism by moving away from where he felt this last pulse.


    Yet, the voice still came to him. ¡°Listen, these stars are too fast for you to catch. The only way you will see them is if you attune yourself to their energy. Do you understand me?¡±


    The youth, in face, did not understand a word this person was a saying.


    ¡°Did they not teach you this at the temple?¡± the voice sounded amused. ¡°Listen, all you need to do is concentrate on the vibrations they leave behind. Attune your radiance to their song and the world will be yours!¡±


    Red was still quite skeptical of this voice, but above that, he didn¡¯t understand how to do the things he asked.


    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s not hard.¡± the voice urged him on. ¡°It¡¯s like an instinct. If you have reached this state, then you can definitely do it. I believe in you!¡±


    The youth was starting to get annoyed at the vagueness of these explanations, but seeing no other choice, he tried to do as the voice instructed. He assumed this attunement the voice referred to was to modify his expanded awareness to match the pulses emitted by these moving objects he felt all around him.


    Red didn¡¯t know if this was possible, but he saw no reason not to try.


    He studied these pulses, listening to their ¡°music.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for him to memorize these common patterns, after which he tried to reproduce them with his own spiritual awareness. Initially, he was at a loss, confused about how to do it, but without the restraints of a physical body, the youth could get creative.


    He started to contract and expand the formless mass that was his expanded awareness, trying to match the pulses he felt. At first, he didn¡¯t feel anything, but some time later, he felt something resonating with him.


    A bright point appeared in his mind. An image, interpreted through his awareness to his consciousness. It was like a shooting star, travelling through space with a pulsing glow while leaving a faint trail of light behind.


    Suddenly, another resonance. Another glow, this one more intense, yet still travelling with as much speed as the last one.


    Then came another. And with that, they didn¡¯t stop coming until they almost filled the surrounding darkness. Glowing points of light, some moving, some still, some close by, some impossibly far. They came in all colors and intensities, and yet without exception they all seemed to pulse in the same rhythm, one Red was now attuned to.


    A sea of stars.


    The youth was in a daze as he took it all in.


    The sound of laughter, however, quickly snapped him out of it.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± the voice from earlier said. ¡°I was also at a loss when I first saw it. Trust me, though, it gets even better.¡±


    At the same time, Red attuned himself to this sea of stars. He felt something else in there. A formless glowing mist, silver in color, yet not similar to star, floating not too far from him. The youth felt a strange sense of familiarity when he examined this formless mist.


    It looked quite similar to his own form in this space.


    The voice continued. ¡°Now tell me, little brother¡­ Are you lost?¡±

 Chapter 330 - Reality Anchor

    Red didn¡¯t quite know how to respond. In fact, he couldn¡¯t respond at all. In this form, he didn¡¯t know how to form words, and other than expressing his general intentions, he wasn¡¯t able to communicate with this other consciousness on his own.


    ¡°Did they not even teach you how to communicate in this form?¡± The voice seemed surprised. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did you enter this place without permission?!¡±


    The youth, who couldn¡¯t express himself properly, only tried to show denial.


    The voice sounded vexed. ¡°I can¡¯t understand you, little brother. Look, this isn¡¯t a physical realm. Everything you do will be expressed through your radiance, so try to shape it according to your will¡­ Just watch my own radiance as these words reach you!¡±


    Red did as much. As the other consciousness said, it wasn¡¯t like this formless mass was producing sounds to speak to him. Instead, it was seemingly moving and vibrating as it ¡°spoke¡±, these pulses reaching him and being interpreted as words in his mind. Just by observing it, though, it didn¡¯t make it any clearer for him about how to perform such a feat.


    ¡®I spoke with the crimson mist in my body before. This shouldn¡¯t be any harder.¡¯


    Of course, back then he had his own body as an anchor, while now he was floating through a primordial darkness. The principle, though, should be the same.


    He focused on his expanded awareness, using his own will to shape it and give meaning to the vibrations of this formless mass.


    The other being¡¯s words of encouragement urged him on. ¡°Just focus on it. It might take a while but-¡±


    ¡°Can¡­ you hear me?¡± Red reached out towards this other consciousness with a string of words.


    ¡°Woah!¡± The voice seemed taken aback. ¡°You did it just like that?!¡±


    The youth ignored his question. ¡°Where am¡­ I?¡±


    Although he managed to speak, the sentences produced by his expanded awareness seemed slurred as they reached out to this other being. It was still something he was getting used to.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know where you are?¡± The voice continued to be shocked. ¡°This is the Realm of Souls! How did you reach here without even knowing that?¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ an accident.¡± Red said.


    ¡°An accident?¡­ Wait! Are you not a part of the Order?¡± The voice asked in realization.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ what that is.¡±


    The voice was silent for a while, its consciousness stirring around the space as if thinking hard about something.


    It spoke up again. ¡°¡­ This is surprising. Our Radiant Current technique is not a secret to the world, but without guidance it shouldn¡¯t be possible for someone to reach your state. Might I ask, what cultivation realm are you at?¡±


    The voice sounded increasingly curious.


    ¡®Radiant Current¡­¡¯


    That was the name of the meditation technique Eiwin taught him back then. She said it was a simple technique from her temple, yet now it was clear there was more to it than that.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t opened my Spiritual Sea yet.¡± Red said, getting more comfortable speaking in this form.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even opened your Spiritual Sea?! And to think you still managed to reach this place without guidance!¡± The voice sounded shocked. ¡°You are a true prodigy, little brother!¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t know how to respond to this unexpected praise.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that I was the one that found you here, little brother. The Soul Realm can be a dangerous place for one exploring it without preparation, not to mention that you shouldn¡¯t be coming here before opening your Spiritual Sea! The connection between your body and your soul is still too weak, so you might not be able to return to the real world if you travel too far!¡± The voice expressed genuine concern.


    Red was quite startled when he heard this. He was just trying to find a way to escape that illusion back then, so how could he know he would end up in a different dimension upon forcing himself to sleep?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, little brother!¡± The voice tried to assuage his worries. ¡°You might not be a monk of our Order, but I will never turn away from a fellow cultivator in need of help! I will explain to you what this place is!¡±


    Before the voice could go much further, Red cut it off. ¡°I need to return.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± The voice couldn¡¯t hide its disappointment. ¡°Although it could be dangerous for your real body if you remain here for too long, you can still stay for a good while¡­ I can teach you what you need to know about the Soul Realm, you know? So you can be prepared the next time!¡±


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    ¡°My real body is in danger.¡± The youth explained. ¡±I ended up in this place trying to find a way to escape from an illusion.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?! Then you definitely need to return! Quickly, go back to your body!¡±


    ¡°¡­ How?¡±


    The voice exclaimed in realization. ¡°Oh, of course you don¡¯t know! Focus on the form of your body. Imagine it is right here, and you¡¯re still using your consciousness to inspect it. That is your anchor, and it will always draw you back as long as the two of you have a connection!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Real world logic and fancy words won¡¯t help you understand things in this realm, little brother. Just use your instincts. You figured out how to speak so quickly, so doing this won¡¯t be much harder. Trust me!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I was in an illusion. Will I return there?¡±


    ¡°The connection you feel will be to your real body, no matter what.¡± The voice said. ¡°If the illusion could trap your consciousness, then it would be a different story, but since you¡¯re here, we know that¡¯s not the case! Now hurry, before something bad happens!¡±


    The being was even more worried about his safety than the youth himself.


    Red didn¡¯t seem to have much of a choice in the matter. He focused on his own floating consciousness and tried to visualize it as if it was inside his own body, like usual.


    This didn¡¯t seem to work, so instead Red tried to move around as if he was inspecting his inner body. He contorted and expanded through this primordial darkness, drawing the shape of his own frame he remembered by heart using his formless and malleable awareness.


    This seemed to elicit a reaction. A pull from somewhere else. Something on the other side of the curtain.


    The voice seemed jubilant. ¡°You¡¯re doing it! Now focus on the feeling!¡±


    He did as much, and the pull continued to grow stronger. Soon enough, he felt himself being dragged through a barrier of sorts, and his connection to his surroundings in this place started to become fainter.


    ¡°Good luck, little brother!¡± the voice said as Red felt his consciousness fade. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will meet again in the future!¡±


    This was the last thing the youth heard before he fell unconscious.


    ¡­


    The first thing he heard when he came to was the horrible sound of shrieking. For some reason, though, the youth didn¡¯t feel the usual state of dizziness after awakening from a deep sleep.


    Instead, as soon as he came to, he was immediately in a state of high alert.


    His crimson sense detected dozens of fluctuations around him, unmoving, all belonging to zombies, it seemed. Then, farther out, he felt the familiar fluctuation of Domeron, as well as one belonging to a cultivator in the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Red¡¯s eyes shot open, and he looked at his surroundings. Dozens of corpses in different states of decomposition, from skeletons to fresh corpses, were kneeling on the ground around him, their mouths moving as if to speak but producing no sounds. The scene was very familiar, and he was quick to notice that they were still inside of a cave.


    This time, though, the youth maintained his dark vision and could see everything with clarity. Ahead of him, no more than a few meters away, was a skeleton slumped against a cave wall, and in its hands, it was holding a white dagger, identical to the one he saw in his illusion.


    ¡®The bone dagger!¡¯


    Before Red could do anything else, though, he saw a duo of indistinguishable shapes flying around him. They flashed with a misty and seemingly illusory light, and were twisting around each other at extreme speeds around the room, so much so that the youth had a hard time tracking them. Yet, beneath it all, he swore he could see dozens of arms in those shapes, as well as the familiar figure of a woman.


    Both of them seemed to be engaged in some kind of combat.


    As if to confirm his suspicions, an angered voice reached his ears. ¡°You stupid idiot! Stop gawking around and help me!¡±


    It was none other than Aurelia, of course.


    Red, however, had no idea how to help the woman. Even if he could keep up with the extreme speed that the two ghostly beings were flying around the room, how could he possibly hit her intangible enemy?


    The woman seemed to guess his thoughts. ¡°The zombies! It¡¯s drawing power from their corpses! Kill them!¡±


    The youth looked around at the praying zombies around the room. Many of them must have been the previously kidnapped peasants, but amongst them Red also saw a handful of mercenaries. Judging by their state of decomposition, they must have been the last arrivals at this cave.


    Yet, no matter where he looked, he could tell that all of these people in here were dead, even those that had barely started to rot. They were all zombies.


    Without a shred of hesitation, he unsheathed his sword and swung at the head of the nearest zombie to him. There was not any resistance in its flesh as the undead was decapitated in a single blow. Its corpse slumped to the ground, and its fluctuation disappeared from his crimson sense.


    Red moved on to the next zombie and did the same thing, targeting its head. The still targets proved no problem to him, and in a flash, he had already cut the heads off of five zombies. None of the living corpses even flinched as he attacked them.


    A shriek echoed through the cave, as the ghost fighting against Aurelia seemed to notice his intentions. However, it was unable to disengage from the woman, no matter how hard it tried.


    This allowed the youth to continue his work. He dispatched zombie after zombie until eventually he came across the corpse of what looked to be a child, no older than he was back in the underground. Even Red hesitated upon this sight, his sword stopping midway for a second.


    Yet, his crimson sense and his eyes told him the truth. This child was dead, and its existence in this form was a defilement to the life they once had.


    With that, his sword swung down, and he didn¡¯t look back as he moved onto the next zombie.


    The entire time, he was paying attention to Domeron¡¯s fluctuation outside of the cave, as he was engaged against a Lesser Ring Realm and the sounds of their battle reached him even here. Still, he knew he had to finish his work here first.


    Each killed zombie seemed to be a blow to the many-armed ghost¡¯s strength, and this was made evident as he saw its floating shape slow down, allowing him a better glimpse at it. It was far smaller than what he remembered seeing in the illusion, but other than that, it looked the exact same as that creature, even lacking a lower body.


    As the ghost slowed down, Aurelia pressed her advantage. Her ghostly shape twisted around its form, attacking the ghost in ways Red was simply unable to catch with his vision. It was having its effects, though, as the being started to run away, to no avail.


    The youth continued to kill the zombies in the room, until eventually he heard a screech. He turned around and saw Aurelia, in her ¡°human¡± form, floating in the air, holding onto a small white orb in her hand. She looked at it with a disdainful expression and squeezed it with force. The orb shattered, and wisps of smoke escaped from between her fingers before dissipating into nothingness.


    She looked over at the perplexed Red with an angry expression. ¡°What are you waiting for?! Are you just going to leave your friend to die?!¡±

 Chapter 331 - Fighting the Necromancer

    Red frowned as he looked at the woman. His hesitation, however, lasted for only a few seconds before he turned around and ran towards the only corridor connected to the cave which he assume was where the exit would be. Sure enough, as he sprinted forward, he saw the light of the sun shining from an opening.


    The sounds of battle became clearer. Though, to be more accurate, all he heard was the sound of crackling, followed by an explosion that shook the earth beneath his feet. The youth reached the opening and stepped outside, taking in his surroundings.


    This was still the dead forest. Yet, in some way or the other, it seemed that Red found himself in a different place from the blocked entrance to the underground. He could still hear the rushing river, which meant he probably didn¡¯t travel too far, but he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what happened after he lost consciousness.


    Such worries could wait for later, though.


    He turned around in a hurry and looked to the area where he felt Domeron and the other individual¡¯s fluctuations. Their figures could be seen moving amidst the dead trees a few hundred meters away. His one-armed companion was there, moving with extreme speed as he sought to dodge beams of dark green lights shot his way, which travelled as fast as an arrow. The explosions and crackling noises the youth heard earlier came from these beams, as they caused trees and earth to be blown apart wherever they crashed.


    The one shooting the beams was, of course, the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. A man, wearing a black robe that covered most of his body. His hood was pulled back, however, revealing the sallow expression of the individual beneath. His skin was pulled taut against his cheek bones and his eyes were sunken in, while what remained of his hair and eyebrows were completely grey, all combined to make for a sickly and thin appearance, not much different from a skeleton¡¯s.


    Yet, despite appearances, he was alive. This Red could feel through his crimson sense.


    ¡®The necromancer.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take much for him to guess as to the identity of this cultivator.


    The man was in the process of shooting beams of dark green energy out of his index finger, releasing an unrelenting barrage at Domeron. However, it seemed these beams were unsuccessful in hitting the swordsman as he continued to dodge and weave through the trees for cover with swift and practiced moves.


    The youth was surprised at this, but then again, maybe he shouldn¡¯t have been. This was the man that taught him everything he knew about footwork, after all.


    Still, even if he looked fine for now, there was no telling how long this was going to last. This was a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator he was dealing with, after all, and Domeron had yet to even draw his sword from his sheath.


    So it was that Red decided to intervene. He took out a talisman from his pouch, a fireball, and prepared to use it against the necromancer. There were still two hundred meters between them, though, so he would need to get closer if he wanted any hopes of hitting his target.


    This was a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, so sneaking close enough without getting noticed was very unlikely. Instead, he decided to close the distance as fast as he could and act before his opponent could react.


    He took a deep breath and started to sprint towards the necromancer while chanting the preparations for activating the talisman. The special acupoints in his leg activated, giving him a temporary boost in speed that made him approach his target even faster. Red tried to approach him from a blind spot, but as soon as he was within a hundred meters of the necromancer, the man turned around to look at him in surprise.


    His opponent pointed his finger at him, intent on shooting an energy beam, but by that point, the youth had already completed his talisman¡¯s incantation. He waved the talisman forward, and a fireball no bigger than a fist flew towards the man.


    The necromancer was alarmed and redirect his finger towards the incoming fireball. He shot out a beam, and it clashed against the flame midair. A hellish explosion ensued, consuming the trees within ten meters, and even as the man avoided direct impact, he was still within the blast radius and the flames enveloped his being.


    Red couldn¡¯t see the aftermath through the dust and flames, but he felt the cultivator was still alive through his crimson sense. In fact, he was retreating from the explosion area.


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    The youth was disappointed.


    ¡®Not enough.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t linger on his failure to kill his opponent in a single blow. Instead, he took the opportunity to regroup with Domeron, who had already spotted him and was also heading in his direction.


    ¡°You distract him! I¡¯ll try to approach him for a fatal blow!¡± The swordsman didn¡¯t waste time before diving straight into strategy.


    Red frowned. ¡°What about the talismans?¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°He¡¯ll see it coming. I¡¯ve tested the range of his attacks and he can-¡±


    A shriek interrupted their conversation.


    They both looked in the direction of the sound. Through the settling dust, they saw the figure of the necromancer, sporting no discernible wounds and staring at them with a hateful gaze. What caught their attention, though, were the threads of green energy emanating from his body. These wisps were quickly converging on the air in front of him, forming the translucent shape of a large, green, lizard-like skull.


    Red had a bad premonition.


    Domeron stared at him with alarm. ¡°The shielding talisman, quick!¡±


    The youth was quick to follow his instructions. He took out the talisman and started to activate it, but even then, it would take some seconds for the process to complete, during which they started to retreat.


    The necromancer, however, wouldn¡¯t watch this in silence. He dashed in their direction, the floating lizard skull following right in front of him. The conjured imaged opened its maw, and from what was once the emptiness of its cranium, a gout of dark purple, dense gas spewed forth.


    It shot out in a wide cone in front of the skull, consuming everything in front of it and spreading faster than the duo could run. The trees this gas touched didn¡¯t seem to be affected by it, standing there as if nothing happened. However, Red would be foolish to think the danger of this attack lay in the brute force of the gas, so he continued to run side by side with Domeron while activating the talisman.


    Thankfully, a few seconds before the gas could reach them, the shielding finally took effect. An omnidirectional translucent barrier formed around the duo, protecting them from harm.


    Mere moments later, the gas reached them, crashing against the shield. The barrier stood firm, barring the purple smoke from passing through, but it didn¡¯t take more than a few seconds for small cracks to start showing on its surface.


    In the meantime, the necromancer continued to chase them, gaining ground every passing second, all while the skull in front of it kept spewing this gas at the duo.


    Red frowned. ¡°The shield won¡¯t last!¡±


    Domeron gritted his teeth as he looked over his shoulder. He fished something from his pouch before handing it to the youth.


    Another shielding talisman.


    ¡°Use mine!¡± the swordsman said.


    Red shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t solve the problem!¡±


    ¡°We just need to buy more time! Either he spends everything keeping this attack up and we get an opportunity, or I will be forced to do something reckless!¡±


    The youth hesitated. Still, he knew he had no other choice, so he got ready to activate the other shielding talisman as soon as the current barrier showed signs of collapse.


    The gas had completely enveloped their shield by now, clouding their way forwards and slowing them even further as they were forced to dodge obstacles they couldn¡¯t see until they were right in front of them. The necromancer took this opportunity to shorten the distance between them even further.


    At this rate, they would be caught in his grasp before their shield was even used up.


    Red warned Domeron. ¡°He¡¯s almost caught up with us!¡±


    ¡°Damn it all!¡± The swordsman''s hand reached for the sword at his waist. ¡°Tell me when he¡¯s in melee reach! I¡¯ll attack through the shield, and you activate the other talisman and run away!¡±


    The youth frowned and was about to protest against this reckless strategy, when he felt a very faint fluctuation suddenly appear within his crimson sense. It wasn¡¯t further than fifty meters from them, and it was approaching the necromancer from the rear at an incredible speed.


    A sense of recognition crossed his mind.


    Suddenly, this fluctuation charged forward at the necromancer, clashing with him. The man stopped moving in his crimson sense, and immediately the gas surrounding them started to wane.


    Domeron looked at the youth in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The necromancer is not moving.¡± Red said.


    They both slowed down upon this realization and looked back at where they were just running from. As the gas dissipated, the scene in front of them was revealed.


    The necromancer was there, standing still as a corpse, with the conjured skull having long since dissipated. Wrapped around his head, though, was an elongated creature, its colors as grey as the surrounding forest, with six glowing eyes. A serpent.


    Domeron looked stupefied. ¡°Is that¡­ your pet?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond. Upon closer examination, he noticed that the snake¡¯s fangs were digging into the necromancer¡¯s neck, its jaw dislocated to find purchase in his flesh. From his fluctuation, the youth could feel that the man was not dead, and yet as he stared at him, his body showed no movement at all.


    ¡°He is paralyzed.¡± the youth said.


    Domeron stared at him, still baffled. ¡°How did it find you here?¡±


    Red shrugged. ¡°¡­ It probably has a good sense of smell.¡±


    Right as he said that, the snake retracted its fangs from the necromancer¡¯s neck and uncoiled from his head and crawled along its body to the ground. The man remained standing there, his face and body completely paralyzed. The serpent didn¡¯t pay him any mind, though, creeping its way to Red with what he could only assume was eagerness to be reunited.


    Its path was cut short, though, as it hit the translucent barrier head first with a bump. As soon as it saw this, the frustrated creature didn¡¯t hesitate to open its mouth and try to dig its fangs into the cracked shield. It only managed to slather its venom and saliva all over the barrier, though.


    Domeron sighed as he saw this. ¡°¡­ You were right to untie its mouth.¡±


    Red was compelled to agree.

 Chapter 332 - Dagger In Hand

    The shield dissipated ten seconds later, and the snake wandered over to Red with extreme eagerness. It wandered up his leg before settling into its usual position around his shoulders and camouflaging with his dark clothing. Its fluctuation disappeared from his senses again, and the creature acted as if nothing happened.


    The youth considered tying its mouth shut again, but he decided against it. The serpent proved itself to be of essential help to him, so he thought it earned at least this amount of trust. He was still wondering how it found him, but this matter could be left for latter.


    Red looked over at the paralyzed necromancer. ¡°What do we do with him?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°I would like to interrogate him, but¡­ He¡¯s a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. It¡¯s too risky.¡±


    The youth agreed with his assessment. Cultivators were resilient and resourceful people, armed with tricks and contingency plans for all kinds of situations. Even if they found all kinds of ways to restrict him, how could either of them guarantee that the necromancer wouldn¡¯t turn this situation around? By then, they might die without even knowing what happened.


    Although the necromancer was paralyzed, his eyes could still move, and he evidently seemed very nervous as soon as Domeron said that.


    ¡°I can finish him off.¡± Red said, his grip tightening around his sword.


    ¡°No.¡± Domeron cut him off. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get close to him. Just use a talisman and kill him in one blow.¡±


    The youth was surprised. ¡°A talisman? Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± The swordsman insisted.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s my last one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth it if we can kill a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator without getting hurt.¡±


    The youth sighed. He knew Domeron was right in his caution, so he didn¡¯t protest any more. He took out his last offensive talisman, one that he brought specifically because it had already proven to be effective against the ghouls in the past.


    A wind blade.


    He started to chant, and the talisman glowed. Although the necromancer was paralyzed, his eyes could still move, and there was panic mounting in them. Yet there was nothing he could do to defend himself from this.


    Red waved his hand, and a large blade of condensed air appeared in front of him, shooting towards the necromancer. It cut right through his body, splitting it in half at the waist. Blood splattered out from the open wound, although there seemed to be far less than one would expect to find in a bisected human body.


    Both halves of the man fell to the ground, and even after the wind blade hit him, he still seemed unable to move or struggle. To his credit, the necromancer didn¡¯t die immediately, as they were expecting. Instead, it took almost a full thirty seconds before his fluctuation disappeared from the youth¡¯s crimson sense.


    Suffice it to say, such injuries were fatal even for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, even if they could last for longer than any mortal would in their situations.


    Red looked at Domeron and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    The swordsman sighed in relief. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll look through his body.¡±


    Red was more than okay with letting him search through the necromancer¡¯s skeletal body. A bit later, though, Domeron turned back to him with an ugly expression.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± he said.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± The youth was confused. ¡°He¡¯s a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. How could he walk around with nothing at all?¡±


    ¡°Necromancers often store their belongings in their thralls.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears, startling him.¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened to him before this. Maybe he stored his belongings somewhere else to protect them.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What happened exactly?¡±


    ¡°You tell me.¡± The swordsman stared at him. ¡°You started to run away as soon as you got close to that cliff face. I noticed something was strange and considered knocking you out to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t catch up to you.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°Either way, I followed you here to that cave, but before I could do anything, the necromancer attacked me. Can you tell me what happened to you now?¡±


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    Red paused. ¡°¡­ I was caught in an illusion.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°No, but now is not the time. There¡¯s something inside that cave.¡±


    ¡°What is in there?¡±


    ¡°The dagger¡­ And a lot of bodies.¡±


    Domeron¡¯s expression became stern. ¡°Take me there.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Red half-expected Aurelia to say something here and tell him if he was right to worry or not, but she remained quiet. This left him at a loss.


    Domeron pondered for a bit before unstrapping the sword from his waist. He threw it towards the youth. ¡°Take it. If something happens to me, at least I will be disarmed.¡±


    Red grabbed the sheathed sword with some hesitation. He could still remember the feelings that flame evoked in him, or more specifically, in the crimson mist in his body. However, no violent reactions happened to his relief.


    ¡°Just follow behind me and don¡¯t hesitate to attack if I show any signs of possession.¡± Domeron said, before walking ahead.


    The complete lack of hesitation from the swordsman¡¯s part in putting himself at risk for the sake of others was still jarring for Red. Still, he had learned better in this journey than to try to convince his tutor otherwise.


    They both walked into the cave, though soon enough Domeron was forced to light a torch so he could see in the darkness. The youth was ready to strike and knock out the man if he showed any strangeness, but even as they arrived in the chamber, no such thing happened to him.


    Once Domeron laid his eyes on the room, he immediately paused. The corpses of the zombies Red killed were still there, all with their heads cut off, and the skeleton holding the bone dagger was in the back of the room, the centerpiece to the whole macabre image.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°They were giving the dagger its power. I needed to kill them.¡± Red said.


    He obviously couldn¡¯t explain everything that had happened since it involved Aurelia, so he hoped this explanation would be enough.


    Domeron didn¡¯t comment on it, instead looking over at the few remaining living undead in the room. ¡°There are some left.¡±


    Red frowned. He didn¡¯t have time to kill all of them before he went over to help the man. The remaining zombies seemed all to be in a catatonic state, no longer chanting and instead just laying on their knees and looking down at the ground.


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s the mother?¡± Domeron pointed at one of the still living undead.


    The zombie was a rather young woman, dressed as a peasant. She looked to be in a rather conserved state compared to some of the other undead, yet signs of rotting were already evident all over her skin.


    Red shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. She¡¯s gone.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Will you kill them off?¡±


    The youth nodded and set about putting the zombies out of their misery. He felt comfortable doing this after noticing his companion showed no signs of possession.


    Once every undead in the room was dead, their attention came back to the item they were looking for this entire time. The white dagger was being held in a skeleton¡¯s hand, which, unlike the other corpses in this room, showed no signs of reanimation.


    ¡°He died with the dagger in his hands.¡± Domeron said.


    Red nodded. ¡°His skeleton seems well preserved, too. Either this happened recently or something is keeping it in that state.¡±


    ¡°A cultivator¡¯s body will always decay far slower than a mortal¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Does this look like a dagger made out of the bones of a near-ascendent cultivator?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Maybe if it was carved from the finger bone of a giant.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything special about it. No spiritual energy, no natural manifestation, nothing. Still, it¡¯s clear it is related to what happened to all these people.¡±


    The duo trailed off as they continued to examine the dagger in silence. They both wanted to grab the dagger and investigate it more closely, but neither of them were foolish enough to take such a risk after everything they saw. So they were waiting and trying to discern something that would tell them if it was safe to approach, but it was clear that no such indicator would be forthcoming.


    ¡°You can take it.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The ghost inhabiting the dagger is gone. It¡¯s just an empty vessel now.¡±


    Red frowned. The woman sounded downtrodden, but he couldn¡¯t ask what had happened at this moment.


    Still, without saying anything, he started to approach the dagger. Domeron seemed surprised at this, but he didn¡¯t try to stop the youth.


    Red stopped in front of the dagger, half-expecting to see that same many-armed ghost appear in front of him. No such thing happened, though. He then inspected the skeleton, but he also found nothing out of the ordinary with it, and he couldn¡¯t see anything in its bones that would indicate a cause of death.


    His attention finally turned to the dagger. No matter how hard he stared at it, though, nothing strange popped out from the dagger, and none of his senses reacted to it either. It looked just like a normal dagger, just carved out of bone instead.


    With no more hesitation, he reached down and grabbed the weapon by the rough handle. He felt the cold and coarse sensation of filed down bone, but other than that nothing else happened. His touch revealed nothing special about the dagger, either.


    Red was surprised for a moment. Yet, it seemed Aurelia would provide no explanation, so instead, he tried to pull the dagger away from the skeleton¡¯s grip.


    To his surprise, though, its hand didn¡¯t budge. The youth applied more force, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to pry the dagger away from its skeletal hands. It had an iron grip around it.


    This was not to mention that just by moving the skeleton around, he could feel how heavy it was. It should weight at least a hundred kilos, something that shouldn¡¯t have been possible for a human skeleton of this average size.


    Domeron¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s the skeleton of a cultivator.¡±


    Red frowned and took out his sword, trying to use it for leverage to pry the fingers from the dagger. Even that didn¡¯t work, though, so instead he tried to saw the finger bones. This felt like trying to cut through an iron ingot. There was visible progress with his superior weapon, but it was simply too slow for his liking.


    The youth then decided to hack at it. He didn¡¯t hack at the finger bones, though, since they were wrapped around the dagger and he was afraid to damage it. He instead opted to cut at the wrist.


    It took him a good minute of hacking at the ligament before he finally managed to hack it off. Finally, the dagger was free - with a skeleton hand wrapped around its handle, that is.


    ¡°So, do you feel anything?¡± Domeron asked with some eagerness.


    Red frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t. It just feels like a normal dagger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it is a normal dagger.¡± Aurelia said with an angered tone. ¡°All the power inside it is already spent.¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t sure whether to be happy or disappointed upon learning this.

 Chapter 333 - Establishing Communication

    Domeron frowned as Red revealed this to him. ¡°That can¡¯t be a normal dagger. Look at everything that has been happening around it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like this.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It had plenty of remaining spirituality inside of it, but once the ghost inhabiting it died, that all dissipated. Now it¡¯s useless.¡±


    The woman still sounded bitter as she spoke of the dagger.


    Red turned the weapon over in his hand and looked back at the man. ¡°I think all the Spiritual Energy inside it is spent.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s just a normal dagger.¡± Domeron paused, deep in thought. ¡°¡­ Try hitting it.¡±


    The youth was at a loss. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If it was made out of the bone of a cultivator near-ascension, then it must be sturdy enough at the very least.¡±


    ¡°What if it breaks?¡±


    ¡°Then it was just an useless piece of junk in the first place.¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°In that case, the bones of that skeleton will probably be more useful for us.¡±


    Red frowned. No matter how he looked at the bone dagger, it seemed like it would crumble to dust with just a single strike of his sword. Yet he knew better than to trust external appearances in the cultivation world, and what the swordsman said was correct at the end of the day.


    He held the bone dagger against a rock with one hand, and with his other, he grabbed his dark short-sword and hacked down against it without holding back. To his surprise, the weapon bounced off of the surface of the dagger and he felt his arm trembling from the rebound of the strike.


    The bone weapon didn¡¯t have even a mark on its surface once he looked back at it.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°Like I thought. Even if it¡¯s not a magical treasure anymore, it still is just as strong as one on the outside.¡±


    The youth was surprised by the dagger¡¯s hardness, but that quickly faded away as he thought further upon it. ¡°The only thing it has going for it is its toughness. It has no sharp edge, and it is too light to be used as a blunt weapon.¡±


    ¡°It can always be reforged.¡± The swordsman shrugged.


    Red sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t a metal. Neither me nor Goulth know how to forge proper weapons out of bones, much less from something this strong.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t to say it couldn¡¯t be done, but it was neither of their specialties, and the most they could do was file down the bones into appropriate shapes. It was likely only a crafting master who already opened their Spiritual Sea could forge and manipulate a material like a bone without wasting any materials. Even then, it was up in the air whether they could do anything with this bone.


    After all, there was a reason as to why one would rarely find treasures made out of bones, and it wasn¡¯t just because metals were easier to manipulate. Some factions saw the practice as sacrilege, not to mention that weapons fashioned of bones would often produce spirits with undead tendencies.


    Domeron, however, still looked unworried about this. ¡°What we do with this doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that we now have something valuable we can use to exchange for whatever we need.¡±


    Red frowned, looking over the dagger. ¡°Is this really that valuable?¡±


    ¡°In the right hands, I¡¯m sure it is.¡±


    The swordsman¡¯s implication were obvious. He probably wanted to sell it to some nefarious people, which left the youth somewhat worried.


    ¡°¡­ If you want to keep the dagger, you can feel free to.¡± Domeron said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have gotten it without your help, so it¡¯s yours to do as you please.¡±


    Red hesitated as he stared down at the bone dagger, which still had a skeletal hand attached to it.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°What are you even considering? It¡¯s useless as it is, so might as well exchange it for something more valuable.¡±


    This was what he felt too, but the more he looked at the dagger, the more a certain feeling arose in his mind. A sensation that he would regret giving away this weapon. There was no logic behind it, but the compulsion behind this feeling was so strong that Red just couldn¡¯t ignore it.


    He looked over at Domeron and nodded. ¡°I will keep it for now, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The swordsman looked somewhat surprised. ¡°¡­ You know, I don¡¯t know if we will find a buyer so soon, but if we do, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to exchange this dagger for a Parting Sea Pill.¡±


    The youth was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ I just want to keep it for a while. I feel like there is still something I can learn from it.¡±


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    He was being sincere. For one, Red still felt like there were a lot of mysteries behind the existence of this dagger that needed to be clarified before he could feel comfortable in giving it away, and those mysteries might be connected to the Moonstone Mines. Even if he couldn¡¯t see anything from it now, he still felt it was worth it to investigate it in more depth once he was back in town.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°If you say so, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Aurelia barked in his ears. ¡°You are a stubborn fool! There¡¯s nothing to see in this dagger - I checked it myself!¡±


    Red ignored her, though he did find the last part of her sentence to be curious. Still, he couldn¡¯t question her here.


    With the matter of the dagger settles, the duo was left in a room full of zombified corpses.


    ¡°What do you want to do about this?¡± the youth asked.


    Domeron frowned in thought. ¡°We will warn the Baron through anonymous sources once we are back in town. He can deal with this and warn the families of the victims about what happened.¡±


    ¡°He will definitely not be fooled by that.¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°He won¡¯t, but what matters is to keep our nose out of whatever happens next. Even if others suspect us, the last thing we want is to give them a reason to come after us.¡±


    ¡°It might be too late for that.¡± Red said, thinking about the imperials who were likely behind the necromancer they just killed.


    ¡°Maybe, but it is best to be cautious in any case.¡±


    The youth wouldn¡¯t complain about that.


    With their most immediate concerns settled, the duo searched through the room for anything else of interest. More specifically, they searched the skeleton holding the dagger and the previously zombified mercenaries.


    They found nothing of interest. In fact, most of the mercenaries were carrying very little, and what they did have seemed to be partially rotten. Red wondered how he escaped this fate as he approached the dagger in the same manner as them, but maybe the Moonstone energy inside his body protected him from that much in the same way it protected him from undead infection.


    The skeleton carrying the dagger didn¡¯t have anything, either, which didn¡¯t surprise him, considering what happened to the equipment of the mercenaries.


    After they looked through the cave, the duo went outside, and the youth returned Domeron his sword.


    The swordsman smiled at him. ¡°We should probably get out of here before the imperials send someone after us. Still, I¡¯d say this is a successful mission.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°There are still a lot of things left unsolved.¡±


    For one, there was the matter of the ghouls. The youth was sure he saw three ghoulish sets of footprints back then, and yet they had only found one of them. Then there were the mercenaries and the necromancer, whose attitudes still left them puzzled. Not to mention, there was still the message the peasant woman left in the village, which they weren¡¯t any closer to figuring out.


    This was all without including everything about that many-armed ghost and the illusion Red saw, which he didn¡¯t tell to Domeron.


    Too many loose threads that left the youth feeling rather uncomfortable.


    The swordsman patted his shoulder and smiled. ¡°We can investigate all those things in due time. For now, just be glad we got out of this with our lives.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t disagree with his logic.


    Without further delay, the two started to move again. This time, though, they decided to cross the river and make their trip back to town in a more roundabout way, all to lose anyone who could come looking for their tracks after the fact.


    Crossing the river and its strong currents wasn¡¯t an easy task, even for people like Red and Domeron. Still, after they moved towards an area where the river was thinner and the water was shallower, they managed to swim to the other side without any issues. The swordsman, to the youth¡¯s surprise, managed to swim to the other side despite only having one arm, though his strange movements to compensate for it did make for a rather embarrassing image.


    Finally, after crossing the water, they were back in the living part of the forest - without the air of oppression and death they had been breathing for most of the day. Now there was only the long trek back home, which would take even longer, considering they were trying to take a roundabout route to throw off any potential pursuers.


    This also meant that, like Red feared, he would need to tackle the curse drainage during his trip back.


    ¡°We will need to make a stop in a few days.¡± the youth said to Domeron.


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°That is rather dangerous after what we did. Who knows what they will send after us?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°We will do as you say, then.¡±


    He was relieved the man didn¡¯t press him on the matter, though at this point he was not surprised. Domeron had been more than accepting of his secrecy during his whole stay at the sect, and considering his own secrets, this was an understandable stance, to say the least.


    Red also wished to speak with Aurelia and ask her questions about what happened, but after his confrontation with the skeletons back then, he didn¡¯t have his notebook with him to ask questions any longer. The woman, for her own part, didn¡¯t seem too interested in conversation either, remaining silent for the following hours, which left the youth even more uncomfortable.


    He needed to speak to her, and yet how could he do so without alerting Domeron of her presence?


    ¡®Maybe I can try that¡­¡¯


    An idea came to his mind. While he was walking, Red entered a meditative state, which he managed to maintain even while moving without issue. He checked his body, finding everything to be in order, with the crimson mist still sleeping, and, satisfied with what he saw, moved on to execute his plan.


    He had just found out through that individual in the supposed Soul Realm that he could use his expanded awareness to communicate with others, something he could only do with the crimson mist before. He didn¡¯t know if this type of communication only worked in that place, or if it could even reach Aurelia, but this was his opportunity to try.


    Of course, the youth still couldn¡¯t make this awareness leave his body, but maybe he didn¡¯t need to do that for what he was planning.


    His hand reached into his pouch, grabbing the Insectoid Core, which, to his surprise, was shining far stronger than it was before the confrontation with the many-armed ghost. He didn¡¯t bring the crystal out into full view, but he kept a firm grip around it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aurelia asked in confusion.


    Red didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he focused on his expanded awareness, moving it towards his hand that was in contact with the insectoid core. There was an evident barrier he felt once he reached the surface of his palm, but beyond that, as faint as it was, he also felt a connection to something else.


    Another consciousness.


    With some effort, Red tried to control his awareness to speak just as he had learned from that individual.


    ¡°Can¡­ you hear me?¡± His voice came out sluggish, but still comprehensible.


    ¡°W-What?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s shocked voice reached his mind. ¡°Since when do you know how to do that?!¡±


    For the first time since Red met her, the woman seemed truly taken aback.

 Chapter 334 - Lifting the Veil

    ¡°You can hear me then?¡± Red asked through his expanded awareness.


    Aurelia grunted in annoyance. ¡°I can hear you just fine! Now tell me, when did you learn how to do this?¡±


    ¡®So she can communicate like this too.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a surprise, considering she was once the prodigy of a sect. If anyone would know how to train and communicate through their consciousness, it would be them.


    ¡°I learnt it a long time ago.¡± The youth lied without hesitation.


    ¡°Stop lying!¡± The woman sounded angry. ¡°If you knew how to do this before, why would you wait to speak with me until now? You must have just figured it out!¡±


    ¡°When would I have the time to learn such a thing recently?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°That¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it? I was by your side the entire time and I would have noticed if you were practicing something like this, so this can only mean you figured it out while your mind was trapped inside the ghost¡¯s domain. I thought you only managed to escape from the illusion because of a lapse in its focus, but it turns out you did something inside there, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Like Red had come to expect, the woman was able to see straight into the heart of the matter.


    Still, he remained unmoved. ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? I thought we were beyond the point of shallow suspicions between each other!¡± Aurelia seemed taken aback.


    ¡°So did I. However, you have been keeping something from me, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t respond.


    Red continued to walk while he discussed with the woman through their consciousness. He needed to maintain his meditative state active while doing this, and as such, much of his external awareness was diminished. However, he could still at least maintain his vision to keep himself from hitting any trees as he followed behind Domeron.


    Finally, a few seconds later, Aurelia spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything from you that you don¡¯t already know or suspect.¡±


    ¡°That might be true, but it doesn¡¯t mean I will accept these lies either.¡± Red said. ¡°Were you after the dagger?¡±


    There was a pause.


    ¡°Not after the dagger, but the power inside of it.¡± She said.


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised as he heard this. ¡°Is that why you told me to come looking for it? You were after undead energy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only useful thing I could possibly get from it. It would help me replenish all the undead energy I spent saving you from those ghouls and elevate my own ghostly strength.¡±


    ¡°And help you get free from the core, I presume?¡± He completed her sentence.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°If only it was that easy. Despite what you¡¯d like to think, I have come to terms with my situation and I am serious about trying to help you through your cultivation journey so that one day you can help me back.¡±


    ¡°Then why hide this from me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re too cautious for your own good! Would you have let me come here if I told you my intentions?¡±


    Red was skeptical about her reasoning, but he had to concede to her in this matter. He was already suspicious of her before, and if he knew she intended on strengthening herself through the dagger, he would never have allowed it to happen, even if she didn¡¯t intend to betray him. The gap in strength and knowledge between them was already too large, and the youth couldn¡¯t let it get any larger.


    Only when the two parties were close in capabilities could a truly fair cooperation be created.


    ¡°What went wrong, then?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Nothing went wrong. There just wasn¡¯t even a small fraction of the energy I was expecting to find inside that dagger.¡±


    The youth was confused. ¡°If that is the case, how come it was able to affect the entire region like this?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the dagger, that was the ghost inside of it.¡± she said. ¡°It was using it as a host, or perhaps it was imprisoned there by someone. In any case, it was trapped in there, and without a way to replenish its strength to free itself.¡±


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    Red had a realization. ¡°That¡¯s why it was trying to attract people to it?¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡± She grunted in affirmation. ¡°Something must have happened for this ghost to have awakened when it did, and as soon as it could, it started to attract unknowing victims with its limited but far-reaching influence - mortal lives that could be corrupted and whose life force could be turned into undead energy it could use. An extremely slow but still proven method of energy conversion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all that happened.¡± Red said. ¡°I remember in the illusion, I wasn¡¯t affected in the same way as the others. The ghost was trying to make me grab the dagger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. It must have felt the pure moonstone energy circling in your body and decided that you would make for a perfect host for possession. One that wouldn¡¯t have started decomposing in the mere presence of its undead energy.¡±


    Things were starting to make sense. Still, the youth had plenty of unanswered questions in his mind.


    ¡°What happened when I fell under the illusion?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It all happened like your friend told you.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You just started moving towards the cave, and nothing I did made you snap out of your daze, so I decided to stay hidden and see what happened. When we got there, I saw the ghost, and when it tried to attack you, I intervened.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have helped with the necromancer outside, too? Domeron could have died.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°The only reason I managed to help against the ghost is because it is a being just like me. With my current powers, I am still limited in how I can interact with the physical realm. Besides, I would still have prioritized your safety in any situation.¡±


    The woman¡¯s words might have been misinterpreted as conveying genuine concern for Red, but the youth knew she only acted in that way because her own life depended on him.


    ¡°I saw something else.¡± he said. ¡°A woman with white floating in front of me before I fell into that illusion. The same thing a lot of the other peasants were reporting.¡±


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything myself, but I assume this must have been the image of the cultivator whose bones were used to make the dagger. The ghost must have appeared to its victims as that woman, or else it would have scared them with its real form.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I found that form to be more frightening than the ghost itself.¡±


    He could still remember that pale face, and the horrors it carried beneath it, so he described it to the woman.


    ¡°That¡­ does sound strange.¡± Aurelia also seemed perplexed. ¡°It might be the work of that tumor of yours. It could have seen through that image¡¯s true nature and warned you about the danger it represented, just like the villagers back then.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡±


    The uncertain explanation was not satisfactory for him, but he couldn¡¯t come up with any better ideas himself. All he knew was that the image of that pale, white-haired woman wouldn¡¯t disappear from his mind any time soon.


    ¡°Was the dagger made from the bone of a near ascension cultivator?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°For it to be that sturdy, it must have certainly been made from the bones of a very strong cultivator, but you don¡¯t just find the bones of someone near ascension just lying around. Besides, no one¡¯s finger bone is that big, so there must be other materials mixed in.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I checked it myself. It¡¯s all bone.¡±


    ¡°Then it can¡¯t have been made from a finger bone. It¡¯s that simple!¡±


    Although the woman said that, the youth could tell she seemed annoyed. From experience, he knew this was an indicator that she wasn¡¯t so sure about her assumptions, but she couldn¡¯t find any other explanations for the discrepancies in her theory - that being how a finger bone was even connected to all of this in the first place and why it was mentioned by several people under the influence of the dagger.


    It was frustration, plain and simple.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really know what is going on, do you?¡± he asked.


    She snorted. ¡°Bah! Everything I say is based on the knowledge and experience I gained in my sect!¡±


    ¡°Yet you don¡¯t sound confident.¡±


    Aurelia hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not a specialist in undead. My experiences in life with them were limited, and most of what I know comes from reading books in my sect that, while useful, were evidently lacking in certain kinds of informations.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve never seen this kind of thing before, is what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±


    ¡°You can put it in whatever way you want.¡± she said. ¡°But yes, I have never dealt with this before. I¡¯ve never seen a ghost like that before, and I most certainly have never seen the strange kind of possession it put those people under. Even as far as undeads go, what is happening here isn¡¯t normal¡­ Everything that is happening here is strange.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Are you scared?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Scared?!¡± The woman sounded insulted. ¡°Of course I am scared when I have no choice but to act under the whims of a reckless mortal who can¡¯t help but attract disaster at every turn! I¡¯m regretting leaving that floating head already!¡±


    Before Red could do anything else, he felt a sudden force repelling his awareness back into his body. The youth was confused for a second, but when he tried to reach the core through his palm with his expanded awareness, he felt himself being blocked by a barrier that wasn¡¯t there before.


    No matter what he tried to do, he was unable to pierce through that blockade and was forced to give up.


    It seemed like Aurelia wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk for now.


    ¡®In the end, I didn¡¯t even tell her what happened in that sea of stars.¡¯


    The youth was still debating whether or not he should tell her about his experience there. On one hand, it was always good to keep some secrets from someone who already knew almost everything about him and whom he couldn¡¯t fully trust, but on the other hand, her knowledge on the matter could prove useful if he was to visit that place ever again.


    ¡®That person said it was dangerous for me to go there without opening my Spiritual Sea, so maybe it¡¯s wiser to wait.¡¯


    Suddenly, a voice snapped him out of his meditative state.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Domeron stopped walking and turned around to face him. ¡°I forgot to ask you about something.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Red looked at him in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The gray aura around my body - is it gone?¡± The swordsman asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He trailed off, at a sudden loss for words. A veil seemed to have been lifted from his eyes, as if his vision was suddenly capable of detecting something that was there all along.


    The gray aura was indeed gone, just like he thought. Howeve, what replaced it instead was the rotting visage of his companion.


    Red felt a shiver run up his spine.

 Chapter 335 - Twist of Fate

    The youth stared at his companion, taking in the changes in his body even as his mind tried to process what he saw. The skin on his face was almost melted away, revealing bone and squirming flesh underneath it, where maggots made their home. Domeron¡¯s eyes were clouded over even as he stood there, looking at Red - the marks of the deceased - yet in his crimson sense, the man was still very much alive, contrasting with the sight in front of him.


    This could only mean one thing.


    ¡®Another premonition?¡¯


    It was hard to tell, but the more the youth stared at the man, the more he felt his stomach turn as if he was looking at something terribly wrong, something that shouldn¡¯t exist. A violation of nature.


    Out of instinct, Red gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, refusing to look at his companion for even one more second.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Domeron¡¯s confused voice reached him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Red hesitated.


    ¡®Should I tell him?¡¯


    If their earlier discussions held true and Red¡¯s visions were a premonition of sorts, then what did this mean for the swordsman? How would it affect him to know what could be waiting for him?


    ¡°¡­ You saw something bad, right?¡± The man¡¯s voice brought him out of his thoughts.


    Unfortunately for him, it seemed his hesitation in the context of their conversation was already telling enough for Domeron.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t hold me in suspense, kid.¡± He said in a light-hearted tone. ¡°Could it be that you saw me as a corpse, too?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s exactly what you saw, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Domeron asked.


    The youth frowned, still not opening his eyes. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this moments ago. Only when I focused on you did I see it.¡±


    The swordsman was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ You know what this means, right?¡±


    He knew it all too well. ¡°The effects of the dagger are not gone.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Or maybe the dagger was never the one responsible for what you saw.¡±


    It was rather logical for Red back then to assume that what he saw in Rimold, Domeron, and the rest of the villagers were all connected to the dagger. After all, it had already affected the entire region in some manner, attracting people from a dozen kilometers away, so it wasn¡¯t farfetched to assume it was also behind these strange things the youth saw.


    He thought that maybe this was a sign of the dagger, or rather the ghost possessing, trying to influence these people to become its next worshippers. Yet now, this was all in question.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask.¡± Domeron spoke up. ¡°Did you see that gray aura around that mercenary or the necromancer?¡±


    Red shook his head, realizing what the swordsman wanted to say. ¡°They looked normal.¡±


    The man grunted. ¡°Hm, I thought that this was a case that whoever came in contact with things related to the dagger would get infected, but¡­ This doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡±


    ¡°What else could be causing this?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t claim to understand the things you see, but I know better than to ignore them with everything that has been going on.¡± Domeron said. ¡°There¡¯s only one way we can confirm what has been happening.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ You want to go back to the village?¡±


    ¡°We need to see if something happened to them.¡±


    ¡°The imperials could be waiting for us there.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but if we don¡¯t investigate this, I might die without knowing what happened. Even if you don¡¯t really like me, you wouldn¡¯t want that to happen, would you?¡±


    The youth sighed. It seemed like they were forever destined to bounce back and forth when it came to taking risks. ¡°Do you need to ask?¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree. Still, do you plan on walking the entire way with your eyes closed? I know it can¡¯t be nice looking at corpses the entire time, but it can¡¯t be so bad that you need to close your eyes, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t care about your appearance.¡± Red shook his head. ¡±It¡¯s an uneasy feeling that bothers me every time I look at you. I won¡¯t be able to focus this way.¡±


    ¡°Then how about I walk behind you?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°That won¡¯t solve things, but we can¡¯t just stay here and wait for the problem to solve itself, right?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do it this way.¡±


    He heard and felt through his crimson sense as Domeron moved towards his back. A few seconds later, Red opened his eyes. He reflexively thought about looking back at the man, not comfortable with anyone at his back, but he stopped himself.


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    ¡°Relax.¡± Domeron said. ¡°I¡¯ll walk further behind if it makes you more comfortable.¡±


    Red wouldn¡¯t complain about this suggestion.


    After everything was settled, the two of them started to travel again towards the village. They would need to cross the river again to reach that place, but this time, they decided to make their way around the dead section of the forest. With the youth leading the way, they would manage to move without leaving many traces or calling attention to them, but even that didn¡¯t make him too confident in avoiding discovery if the imperials were really keen on sending someone after them.


    A few hours later, after they already crossed the river once more, Red noticed something strange.


    ¡®She still hasn¡¯t said anything.¡¯


    The youth understood Aurelia¡¯s temperament and how she wouldn¡¯t budge on certain things, but if there was one thing the woman always did was to make her opinion known whenever he took a course of action. The fact she still hadn¡¯t spoken about his decision to return to the village worried him in more ways than one.


    Red was about to reach into his pouch and try to communicate with her, but he stopped himself. He forgot for a second that Domeron was behind him, probably watching his every action. Wouldn¡¯t it be suspicious if he all of a sudden shoved his hand inside his pouch and continued to walk like that?


    Yet, when he thought about it, he noticed how silly he was being.


    ¡®Why am I even worried about making him suspicious any more?¡¯


    The man knew about many of his secrets and probably suspected about many more. While the youth didn¡¯t feel comfortable revealing everything to him, would the man even nag him if he saw something strange?


    This was just Red¡¯s natural suspicion towards everything and everyone getting the better of him. He couldn¡¯t let that stop him from learning valuable information.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He was about to reach into his pouch again when he heard Aurelia¡¯s voice. His hand froze and he continued to walk as if nothing had happened.


    She continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you still see that. If it is a premonition, then it should have been solved once the root cause of what you saw was dealt with. Since that didn¡¯t happen, then that means the dagger wasn¡¯t responsible for it.¡±


    Red frowned. Wasn¡¯t it still possible the dagger was dangerous?


    The woman seemed to be able to guess his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s not the dagger. I checked it many times over. If it was still dangerous, I would know¡­ And before you say anything else, don¡¯t even question my abilities! If there¡¯s anything wrong I can¡¯t outright detect with the dagger, then it¡¯s definitely not something you have any hope against!¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t argue against her point.


    ¡°Now think about it yourself.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°With everything we know about these strange events, what stands out to you the most as not making sense?¡±


    Red thought about it, but it didn¡¯t take long for something to come to his mind.


    ¡°The peasant woman.¡± He said out loud.


    ¡°You think so too, huh?¡± Domeron asked from behind him.


    The youth stopped walking and was about to turn around, but he stopped himself.


    The swordsman continued. ¡°What happened to her does not fit how we know this dagger or whatever was possessing it operated. It always whisked away its victims in the dead of night, with no one noticing, yet with her it had a conversation in front of her own daughter and seemingly convinced her to escape rather than forcing her to. Not only that, but it also left a message for someone¡­ None of it makes sense.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°It convinced her by speaking about her missing husband. It still knew about the disappearances.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean what took the woman was responsible for them, does it?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°You tell me yourself, you were the one in there with that dagger and whatever was behind this. What kind of being did it seem like to you?¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ It seemed like a being that was only interested in recovering himself by using innocent people.¡±


    He still remembered the many armed ghosts. Although it spoke eloquently to him in his illusion, there was a savagery beneath its appearance and the way it acted against Aurelia that wasn¡¯t befitting a particularly rational being.


    Domeron grunted. ¡°So, why would a being like this leave such an obvious message behind if it was trying to be so stealthy before? More so, why would it do it now, and why would it do so by attacking a village it already targeted in the past, something it never did before?¡±


    Red¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Domeron said, and the youth could only imagine the smile he had at that moment. ¡°And where does that leave us?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It means that it¡¯s likely something else was responsible for abducting the woman.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and maybe it¡¯s the same thing that is causing you to see those premonitions.¡±


    The moment these words were spoken, Red was filled with skepticism. Two ghostly presences, acting in the same region and in their own interest, with one making use of the other to go by unnoticed. Yet, the logical conclusion was there, and there was reasonable suspicion to think that it could be indeed what was happening.


    Instead of getting answers, however, they only got more questions.


    ¡°We need something more concrete to assume that.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we are risking going to the village.¡± Domeron said. ¡°In any case, I only plan to take a look around and see if anything changed. We have overstayed our welcome around here.¡±


    The youth was compelled to agree.


    ¡­


    They arrived near the village during the night, which was preferable to Red. Before they even got close, though, they tried to scout it from afar, something that proved to be rather difficult with no hills nearby and plenty of trees in their way.


    Still, after spending half an hour circling around the village from afar, they were reasonably sure that there were no ambush parties waiting for them inside. They then decided to approach.


    However, Red was quick to notice something strange once he extended his crimson sense.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any fluctuations inside the village.¡± he said with a frown.


    Domeron grunted. ¡°Something happened here. I can feel it even without any powers.¡±


    The youth wanted to ask Aurelia if she noticed something weird, but since she didn¡¯t say anything, he decided against it. They entered the village without issues, and even then Red couldn¡¯t feel any fluctuations around him, not even from the animals in their sheds.


    Other than that, nothing looked to be out of the ordinary in the village. No signs of attacks or of swift escapes. Everything seemed to be in its place, much like how it was when they first visited.


    He turned towards Domeron, looking at his feet so to avoid meeting his gaze, and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡±


    The man seemed hesitant. ¡°Let¡¯s look inside this house.¡±


    He pointed at the small shed closest to them. Red nodded and followed him inside.


    The door wasn¡¯t locked, so they entered without problem. They immediately froze as they saw what was inside, though.


    A family of three, a father, a mother, and their young son, were all motionless, sprawled over their dinner table. No signs of attack were present in their bodies, and yet there they were, their life snuffed out for no apparent reason with their eyes rolling back into their heads.


    Their faces were frozen in horror, twisted into shapes that shouldn¡¯t be humanly possible. It seemed as if they were in the middle of having dinner.


    Upon seeing this, Red regretted having ever come back.

 Chapter 336 - Terror

    Despite his body¡¯s apparent rejection at seeing this sight, Red tried to force himself to stare at these people. Domeron walked by his side, and even his decomposing appearance didn¡¯t phase him at that moment.


    ¡°They died¡­ of fright?¡± The swordsman didn¡¯t sound too confident.


    The youth frowned. ¡°I feel like this goes beyond simple fright.¡±


    Just staring at their expressions sent shivers up his spine. He had seen plenty of horrifying sights in the past, but that didn¡¯t make him immune to their effect. Rather, it just made him even more sensitive when it came to detecting when something was wrong, even if he couldn¡¯t tell necessarily what it was.


    In this case, however, it was more obvious.


    These people¡¯s mouth were opened up far past what it should be humanly possible, their brows were scrunched up at an exaggerated angle, and their eyes were rolled back into their head. An expression of fear, of screaming in fright, of a terrible death. Whatever it was that got them, they saw it quite clearly, and it was probably the most terrifying moments in their lives.


    ¡°They were just eating dinner, so whatever got them must have done so by surprise.¡± Domeron said with a concerned tone. ¡°Can you examine their bodies?¡±


    Red, who would have been eager to offer his help in the past, now hesitated. Just looking at them was already hard enough, but searching through them? That was even worse.


    ¡°There¡¯s no lingering energy in their bodies.¡± Aurelia tried to assuage his worries. ¡°You can look through them without concern, but I can tell you already that you won¡¯t find anything else.¡±


    The youth frowned. Even if the woman was correct, he knew this was still something they should do.


    He braced himself and approached the corpses. He first examined their body temperature, the coloration of their skin, the tightness of their muscles, everything necessary to determine how long they were dead for. The results, however, concerned him.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t been dead for more than a day.¡± Red said.


    Domeron grunted. ¡°Matches up to when we got the dagger, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ So it seems.¡±


    ¡°What about any wounds?¡±


    Red hesitated once more, but he knew he needed to go through with this. He examined their corpses, lifting their shirts and clothes in search of anything out of the ordinary. He didn¡¯t go so far as to perform a full autopsy, but what he saw was more than enough for him.


    He shook his head. ¡°No abrasions, no cuts, no blood¡­ They didn¡¯t die to any weapons or something similar.¡±


    In retrospect, this was rather obvious to conclude, but if there was indeed something they could find in their bodies, then the duo would have been kicking themselves for not looking for it.


    ¡°So, no weapons or anything similar.¡± Domeron hummed to himself. ¡°No sign of struggles and judging by everything in the room, they were clearly taken by surprise. Yet, their expressions of fright seem to indicate they died from a scare, which contradicts that¡­ So where does that leaves us?¡±


    Red closed his eyes in thought. ¡°Something that target their minds and made them see a sight horrifying enough to kill them.¡±


    ¡°That does seem to fit.¡± The swordsman said. ¡°Attacks that target the mind and soul are almost always invisible and intangible, so they couldn¡¯t have seen it coming. Yet I know for certain that things like that are the sole domain of powerful ghosts and cultivators at the Spiritual Awakening realm and above.¡±


    The youth knew this from experience. Thinking back on it, Aurelia¡¯s wail against the ghouls back then should have been a similar attack, although that one seemed to be mixed in with a physical aspect too in the form of her screeching sound. This one didn¡¯t seem to have left any traces behind, though.


    ¡°I assume you don¡¯t see them as rotting corpses anymore, do you?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°Just common corpses now.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s examine the other houses.¡±


    The youth nodded and walked out in front.


    The duo started to go through every single house in the village, being met by similar sights. It all seemed to have happened during dinner time, which meant most of these families were sitting at a table together, only to be surprised by whatever had killed them. They ended up finding the body of the elder, too, who seemed to have died alone at his own home. Not even the animals escaped this fate, as they died in a similar manner to their owners inside their sheds.


    At first, Red and Domeron were still thorough in their search, but they soon noticed that they wouldn¡¯t be finding anything different with the victims. They gathered in the center of the village again.


    ¡°That¡¯s dozens of people, dead just like that.¡± Domeron said with a grim tone. ¡°Children, adults, elderly, even animals. An indiscriminate murder and we have nothing to indicate what could have done it.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ There¡¯s still one more place we haven¡¯t checked.¡±


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    The swordsman sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. Lead the way then.¡±


    The youth did as much. They started to move towards the edge of the village, where the house of the disappeared peasants was located in, and where their now likely orphaned child lived. As soon as they got close enough, though, they paused.


    Red frowned. ¡°The door is open.¡±


    This much wouldn¡¯t have stood out in a village this size, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact every door before this was closed.


    Domeron grunted. ¡°Be on your guard.¡±


    The youth rested his hand on his sword and walked inside. A cursory glance through the two-room house didn¡¯t reveal anything out of the ordinary, looking just like they left it a few days ago. Yet that by itself immediately caught their attention.


    ¡°The girl is not here.¡± the swordsman said.


    Red was also surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her in any of the other houses.¡±


    ¡°It could be that she wandered off into the night. With no parent supervision, I can¡¯t imagine she would¡­¡± Domeron trailed off.


    Red looked over at him, holding back his body¡¯s violent reaction at seeing this walking cadaver. The man stood looking over the table, where the message was previously carved. He frowned and approached him, and it was then that he noticed what Domeron seemed to be fixated with.


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The message on the table had changed. Instead of the multiple lines once carved on its wooden surface, now there was just a single line, with no trace of the previous message. Unfortunately for them, it was still an incomprehensible mess of letters.


    Or so he thought.


    ¡°H-How could this be?¡± Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice reached his ears.


    ¡°What do you think this could be now?¡± Domeron asked the youth.


    Red frowned, forced to tackle and parse through two conversations at once. He shook his head at the swordsman. ¡°I¡­ Need a minute.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Domeron seemed confused.


    Still, he didn¡¯t try to stop Red as he walked outside.


    Once he was out of the room, the youth reached into his pouch and grasped the insectoid core in his hand, reaching towards it with his expanded awareness.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The message¡­¡± Aurelias seemed hesitant.


    ¡°You can read it, can¡¯t you?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything, but her silence was more than enough confirmation for him.


    A few seconds later, she spoke up again. ¡°It¡¯s written in the secret language of our sect.¡±


    The youth frowned even as he kept his meditative state. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°It says ¡®Do not interfere.¡¯¡±


    Red was quite confused at this. ¡°Interfere with what?¡±


    The woman snorted in anger. ¡°Does it matter? What matters the most is that whoever left this message behind clearly knew that about my associations and that I would find it!¡±


    ¡°How could they know that?¡±


    ¡°If I knew about it, I wouldn¡¯t have been so disturbed! It is one thing to know about my presence, as any ghost or powerful cultivator would be able to, but it¡¯s another to know about my origins!¡±


    Before Red could ask anything else, he felt the connection between them being severed. He opened his eyes in confusion, only to find Aurelia¡¯s human image conjured in front of him in the real world.


    She had her arms crossed and was staring at the house with a look of anger and concern.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They would need to probe my soul, but I would have definitely felt it if that happened. Unless¡­ Did they recognize me?¡±


    The youth could only stare at the woman as she talked to herself.


    ¡°No.¡± Aurelia shook her head again. ¡°It¡¯s been so long. How could anyone from that time still be alive? But if not that, then, how else?¡±


    Red was about to say something before he saw Domeron walking outside. He averted his gaze from the man¡¯s rotting visage in a hurry.


    ¡°Did you find out anything?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± The man sounded disappointed. ¡°I was thinking, though¡­ Could it be that whatever abducted the girl¡¯s mother also took her?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°The method of leaving a message behind fits, and if it managed to convince an adult, a child shouldn¡¯t be much harder. However, that doesn¡¯t explain why it would do this, and how this connects with what happened here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we should find out. Look,¡± Domeron pointed at the ground not too far from the house. ¡°Tracks leading into the forest.¡±


    Red looked over in surprise. He had been so preoccupied with whatever happened in the village he forgot to take into account the simplest thing.


    ¡®I need to focus.¡¯


    He approached the area Domeron pointed at and observed the tracks. The footprints seemed to have been made by a child, barefooted, and since the village didn¡¯t have any pavement to speak of, they were quite clear even in the dark.


    ¡®This easy, huh?¡¯


    Red was surprised at this, but perhaps he shouldn¡¯t expect a normal child to take such considerations when moving about. Like Domeron said, the tracks seemed to lead deeper into the forest.


    ¡°We should go after her.¡± The swordsman said. ¡°Maybe we can still save her from whatever is about to happen and figure out what is going on at the same time.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ We don¡¯t know what we are dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Even still¡­ Do you feel comfortable just leaving an innocent child to die?¡±


    Red frowned. Of course he wasn¡¯t comfortable with that, but this didn¡¯t mean he was eager to jump into a situation against a being that had already killed an entire village through some nefarious means.


    ¡°Go after her.¡± Aurelia, whose form was still out and about, looked at him with a resolute expression. ¡°We need to find out what this being knows. For the both of us, or are you forgetting that they also knew about the place where you came from?¡±


    These words were convincing, but Red still felt an unexplainable hesitation deep inside his mind. It was as if something within him was telling him not to proceed, but whenever he pursued this feeling he came up with nothing to justify it. It wasn¡¯t just fear for his life - that accompanied him everywhere he went.


    No, it was something else.


    ¡°Do not concern yourself.¡± she cut him off before he could even say anything else. ¡°I have examined the bodies, and I am certain this being must have used a terror spell on them. I can¡¯t claim to be able to do the same, but with the energy I gathered from the dagger, I can at least protect the psyche of you and your friend.¡±


    Although she said that, Red ignored her, still searching his mind for a reasonable explanation for what he felt. It felt like he was forgetting something, but he didn¡¯t have any idea as to what it could be.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you if you don¡¯t want to go, kid.¡± Domeron said. ¡°But we need to make a decision soon.¡±


    Red sighed, unable to come up with anything. ¡°We will go. We have no choice but to go if we hope that you can avoid your fate.¡±


    Domeron laughed. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you still care about your teacher, kid. Besides, you were a child just like her once in need of help, weren¡¯t you? Now you can pay the favor forward.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being haunted by a powerful ghost back then.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Maybe, but when I first saw her back then, she reminded me of you somewhat. The same intense flame in her eyes, the same unyielding attitude¡­¡± Domeron shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s something special about that kid, so it would be a shame if we can¡¯t save her.¡±


    As soon as the man said that, Red froze. Something seemed to click in his mind, and he suddenly remembered what it was his mind seemed incapable of recalling.


    The girl. Her clouded eyes when she looked at him and how he felt uncomfortable staring at her.


    All familiar sensations.


    A shiver ran up his spine.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go.¡± he shook his head. ¡°If we go, we will die.¡±

 Chapter 337 - Hidden Threat

    Domeron looked over at him, and this time Red didn¡¯t avert his gaze. The maggots in his face seemed to have multiplied, popping out of all orifices, and his eyes were nowhere to be seen. It felt as if it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to eat up what remained of his walking corpse. Despite all that, he was still able to form words even as his lips hung onto his mouth by thin threads of flesh.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± The swordsman asked with a curious tone.


    Red took a deep breath to calm himself down as he looked at this grim sight. ¡°The girl... There was something wrong with her.¡±


    Elisabeth. The youth still remembered the name she gave them. He couldn¡¯t see her true appearance back then beneath her rotting flesh, but he knew that just looking at her made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He thought this was just his body¡¯s natural rejection towards the sight of seeing a child in that state, but after everything Red went through, he could look at that interaction with new eyes.


    Domeron seemed skeptical. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything strange about her.¡±


    Aurelia was also staring at him with a frown. ¡°You asked me about her before. I told you, I didn¡¯t feel anything wrong with her, and I checked multiple times.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°The look she gave me¡­ There was no reason to suspect it as anything more than passing interest at the time, but I never managed to shake off this uncomfortable feeling I got from it. We still had better things to do, though, so I chose to ignore it back then.¡±


    The youth could feel through his crimson sense that Domeron was still confused, but he seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°What changed?¡±


    Red could also feel Aurelia giving him a quizzical and intense look from the side, waiting for him to elaborate.


    He continued. ¡°Before I entered the¡­ illusion, I saw the woman in white hair and black dress.¡±


    ¡°The illusion produced by the dagger all those people who disappeared saw, I presume.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Yes. It was a terrifying sight looking at her eyes, and now I know why I felt uncomfortable looking at the girl, too¡­ Both of their gazes looked very familiar.¡±


    There was silence following that. Generally, mentioning such an outlandish reason as grounds for suspicion would be absurd and laughed at in most situations. Yet, they were all cultivators. They dealt with outlandish things all the time, and their instincts were well-honed to detect certain strange things before their conscious self could even pick it up.


    How the air felt, how the light bounced off of a surface, the feelings behind a stare. Minute things that most people would miss, but they were things that cultivators, who had a deep connection with Spiritual Energy, were very attuned to. As such, they would notice the slightest changes from what they were used to.


    The youth, most of all, was very used to those sensations, and they had saved him and his companions many times in the past. He was a rational person above all, which was why he had learned to pay attention to his instincts.


    As he mentioned this Aurelia expression became ugly, while Domeron seemed to be in deep thought.


    ¡°I inspected her myself.¡± the woman said with a severe tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel any undead presence inside her body.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have definite proof of what I¡¯m implying, but when we look at things from a different perspective, you will find many curious aspects.¡± Red said. ¡°Back then, she looked at me for a long time and I felt her¡­ surprise through my detection powers. It was only after this that she decided to mention her mother, as if she noticed something about me.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s expression became even uglier. ¡°It could have been mere infatuation!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the fact she is the only witness to her mother talking to ghosts and carving a message on the table.¡± He continued. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s lying, but it is a convenient opportunity to come up with a lie.¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression continued to worsen with every passing second.


    The youth shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not everything. The place she mentioned her mother was heading to was also very convenient. Where the Moon meets the earth¡­ It was as if she knew exactly what to say to capture my attention, a place that only I could possibly know the location of. And yet when we got there, we found nothing, and I was instead captured under an illusion that led me to the real location of the dagger. It feels as if I was set up for a trap.¡±


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    Perhaps Red had misinterpreted the message and there was another place where the Moon met the earth that he didn¡¯t know about. Yet, that seemed too convenient to be true. One might argue that she could have sent him instead to the exact location of the cavern with the dagger, but she wouldn¡¯t have been able to provide a convenient landmark and attract his attention in that case.


    Both Domeron and Aurelia were now silent with contemplating expressions.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the matter of the grey aura.¡± Red said while he looked at Domeron. ¡°It didn¡¯t affect you until we got to this village. Previously, we thought this was the product of the dagger¡¯s far-reaching influence, but what if it¡¯s instead something that came from this village? We don¡¯t know when Rimold got it, but we know for certain that he passed through here, too. What if this was its way of marking its victims?¡±


    Domeron grunted in thought. ¡°The mercenaries and the necromancers didn¡¯t have these auras on them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were working together¡­ Maybe the ghost left this message behind for the necromancer himself.¡±


    The swordsman fell silent again, his head hanging low in thought.


    Red took a deep breath to calm himself down from staring at his companion¡¯s terrible visage and continued. ¡°We previously assumed that these disappearances were all a product of the dagger¡¯s influence throughout the region, but the being possessing it was in a weakened state when I found it. What if, instead, someone was sending sacrifices over to the dagger, perhaps in an attempt to free it?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°I thought that maybe the ghost was using the image of the cultivator the bone came from to attract its victims. However, it would also make sense if it was a separate being doing these abductions. It would explain why none of the victims saw any images of this many-armed ghost.¡±


    The youth nodded at her invisible figure, an act that would have been strange in Domeron¡¯s eyes, but the man was too preoccupied with his thoughts. ¡°This being, likely unable to take the dagger itself, might have thought that the only way to free it was by sending more sacrifices in its way. The ghost possessing the dagger certainly seemed to have gotten stronger from feeding on all the bodies there. The necromancers, the mercenaries, they might have all been unknowing sacrifices to the dagger, too.¡±


    Domeron laughed, maggots falling from his open mouth. ¡°But then, it met you, and it saw something in you that convinced it there was a better way to accomplish what it wanted.¡±


    ¡®And I suppose I proved it right.¡¯


    The man stopped laughing and shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s a lot that still doesn¡¯t make sense. If this girl and this ghost that abducted people are one and the same, how would it have taken people all over the region? Rimold would have noticed if the same girl was in all those places.¡±


    ¡°Ghosts can shed their bodies on a whim.¡± Red said. ¡°The girl might have been recently possessed, but in any case, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°What about her mother?¡± Domeron asked. ¡°Why change her methods right now?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Maybe she wanted to attract someone¡¯s attention, or perhaps she used her mother to lead the way for the necromancer to the cave or to send him a message. I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the dagger?¡± the swordsman asked. ¡°It¡¯s free now, isn¡¯t it? Why hasn¡¯t the spirit come to take it? Why wait here in the village and set up this kind of trap?¡±


    Red hesitated and looked over at Aurelia. The woman scowled at the ground as the conversation got to this point.


    The logic was evident. Since the ghost left a message for Aurelia telling her to not interfere, this meant that the woman could potentially mess up its plans, in which case it wouldn¡¯t opt for a straightforward assault. Instead, planting the seeds of doubt in her mind and preparing for an ambush instead would have been a far more effective method.


    ¡°It probably has some reservations in taking me on a straight forward confrontation.¡± Red said, looking back at Domeron.


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°While what you proposed is indeed possible, there is no evidence to support that things happened as you are proposing.¡±


    ¡°None of what I said is what matters.¡± the youth shook his head. ¡°It could have happened in many different ways, and there are still a lot of details that don¡¯t add up. What matters the most is what I saw - the girl¡¯s eyes and the eyes of the ghost I saw invoked the same feeling within me¡­ If we go after her, we will probably die.¡±


    The more Red spoke, the more confident he was in this. Everything he said up until now was a way to convince both Domeron and Aurelia about how things could have happened if the girl and the ghost were the same being, but what mattered the most was the same feeling of dread that he felt in the child that was then multiplied tenfold in the white-haired woman. They belonged to the same being.


    Despite all he said, the swordsman still seemed hesitant. ¡°You know, if you are wrong, we could end up leaving an innocent girl to die, right?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Even if she is indeed possessed by a ghost, it doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t have a moral obligation to try and save her, does it?¡± Domeron asked.


    The youth frowned. ¡°The being is probably banking on this exact reasoning to ambush us, even if its intentions were to be made¡­ Truth is that she was likely already doomed.¡±


    There was no guarantee they would be able to exorcise her, not even with Red¡¯s abilities or Aurelia¡¯s help. After someone has been possessed for long enough, their original consciousness would be wiped out, and even if the ghost was removed from their bodies, their minds would be ruined. Who knew how long the girl was possessed for already?


    The swordsman sighed. The conflict he was going through was evident even past his rotting visage. Red never took Domeron to be someone with a strong moral compass, much more so with his past. However, the decision of leaving an innocent girl behind was weighing on him, even if all logic told him that she probably couldn¡¯t be saved.


    The youth knew that nothing more he said would serve to convince him, so he simply waited. It took almost a full minute for the swordsman to make a decision.


    He nodded in a severe manner. ¡°We won¡¯t go after her.¡±


    As soon as he said that, Red felt his vision twist. He was in a daze for a few seconds, but it quickly passed. When he looked up at Domeron again, though, he was at a loss for words.


    The swordsman¡¯s human appearance seemed to have been restored.

 Chapter 338 - Matters of the Soul

    When Red saw this, it was like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. The pressure the situation was putting him under only became clear to him now that it was gone, and he even felt light-headed after this change. He couldn¡¯t help but sit down on the ground.


    Domeron was staring at him in confusion. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back to normal.¡± Red said.


    ¡°You mean I¡¯m not a corpse anymore?¡±


    The youth nodded.


    Domeron smiled in relief. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡­ No, wait, doesn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± His expression fell.


    Red nodded again. ¡°Your decision to not go after her might have saved you.¡±


    The swordsman frowned in dismay. ¡°I can¡¯t claim to understand what any of this means, but if your words were the thing that saved me, then I suppose I owe you my life.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°None of that matters. Just because I saved you from imminent death, it doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t reach you yet.¡±


    In truth, he was somewhat confused about why he had these premonitions. What was it about the girl, or rather, the being possessing her that cause him to have these visions about its victims? Was it just because of his connection to anything related to the undead?


    Then again, he was told these premonitions weren¡¯t something that made a lot of sense. One couldn¡¯t force them to appear, and sometimes they could mean a myriad of different things that could only be interpreted by cultivators with deep knowledge in the machinations of faith. Thankfully, it seemed like Red¡¯s premonition was pretty straight-forward in nature, and if anything, the youth now knew they weren¡¯t set in stone.


    He got up and looked around. Aurelia was still there, unseen by Domeron, and still pondering to herself in silence.


    ¡°We need to leave.¡± Red said. ¡°Even if we avoided going into a trap, it doesn¡¯t mean that she won¡¯t come after us.¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°We need to do something about the corpses first.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to bury them.¡±


    ¡°I know that. However, we can still spare them the indignity of having their corpses violated after death.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°You want to stop them from turning?¡±


    This was something he hadn¡¯t even considered. This village was inhabited by a ghost, located right next to the dead forest, and all of its inhabitants died under conditions he didn¡¯t dare to imagine. Even without the intervention of any necromancer or outside forces, it was likely that this could become the spawning grounds for undead, as the Spiritual Energy in the surroundings was influenced by everything that occurred here.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Even if we destroy all their heads, this doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t still be turned into undead.¡± The youth said.


    ¡°Maybe so, in which case we can be more thorough.¡± Domeron paused and looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s burn this place to the ground.¡±


    ¡­


    At first, Red was still hesitant about the idea, but he knew the swordsman was right. If they left all these corpses here, they could become problems for the town and, in turn, their sect later on. To burn everything to ash was the only guarantee that these bodies wouldn¡¯t become threats to the town in their afterlife.


    There was, of course, still the possibility that their souls would be corrupted and become ghosts, but there was nothing the two of them could do about that. This wasn¡¯t the funeral any of these innocent people deserved in the first place, but it was the only way the duo could provide some sort of dignity to them in their afterlife.


    They acted swiftly. Red and Domeron went from house to house, pouring lantern oil that they found scattered around the town over the corpses and wooden appliances. Some minutes later, they gathered at the center of the village before the youth used a fire steel to strike a fire at every single house.


    Everything here was built out of wood, so it didn¡¯t take long for the flames to catch and spread. Neither of them planned to stick around and watch the fires burn, though.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Domeron said. ¡°We have done what we can here.¡±


    Red nodded, but before he followed behind the swordsman, he looked over at Aurelia.


    The woman was still there, in her human form, pondering something with a focused expression. The youth was reflexively compelled to urge her to follow them, before he noticed how silly that would be. Instead, he just turned around and walked behind Domeron as they left the village.


    ¡°You think that ghost will come after the dagger?¡± The swordsman asked as they walked away.


    ¡°Most definitely.¡± Red nodded. ¡°If I¡¯m right and it is behind everything that happened, then it makes sense that it would also stop at nothing to get the dagger.¡±


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    Domeron grunted. ¡°Hm, maybe it¡¯s better if we just give it to them.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°You think so?¡±


    In fact, this was something he considered, too. No treasure was worth his life when it came down to it.


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We can¡¯t be sure the ghost will leave us alone, and besides, it marked both me and Rimold with something, as you claimed, and that was before we even had the dagger. As far as we know, it might have been planning to kill anyone that it ever came in contact with.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Quite likely.¡± Red nodded.


    The fact it had already exterminated every villager in this place was proof enough of its ruthlessness.


    ¡°In any case, if we are already in danger, we might as well make a profit out of it.¡± Domeron looked at Red and smiled. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    Red nodded again. ¡°I do.¡±


    Rewards and risk came both in equal measure.


    ¡­


    They continued to travel for a few hours until dawn arrived. Thankfully, through it all, they didn¡¯t come across anything else. No ghosts, no imperials, no necromancers, no mercenaries.


    It was a peaceful trip, but they still didn¡¯t drop their guards down.


    ¡®The New Moon will arrive tomorrow.¡¯


    The night before, the green shooting stars were still increasing in frequency. They would have made the darkness of the night look far too bright for Red if he wasn¡¯t already accustomed to this with his dark vision.


    However, the imminent arrival of the New Moon still worried him. He would need to find a proper place to go through the drainage of the moonstone energy from his acupoints, not to mention he still needed to refill those before then, which should be possible now, considering how bright the insectoid core looked. Even then, this was the first time he was about to undergo this process after opening his special Third Eye ¡°acupoint¡±, and he had a distinct feeling something different would happen this time around.


    He already warned Domeron about this, so the man wasn¡¯t surprised when he mentioned it.


    ¡°What kind of hiding place do you need?¡± he asked.


    Red hesitated. ¡°Somewhere hidden by hills, preferably. However, I won¡¯t be too picky.¡±


    He knew the chances of finding a hiding place like the one Rog showed him before were close to nothing, so he couldn¡¯t afford to be selective.


    ¡°When exactly do you need to do this little¡­ ¡®stop¡¯?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°During the night.¡± Red said. ¡°We can continue moving until the sun starts setting, though, or at least until we feel like we won¡¯t find a better hiding place.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Alright. When the time comes, I will just follow your lead.¡±


    The youth was thankful that his companion didn¡¯t question him about the purpose of this stop. When it came to being discreet and understanding of his secrets, there was no one better at it than Domeron.


    They continued walking, before a voice suddenly interrupted Red.


    ¡°I figured it out.¡± Aurelia said.


    The youth almost wanted to ask her what this was about out loud, but he held back. Instead, he reached into his pouch and grabbed the insectoid core before reaching towards it with his expanded awareness.


    ¡°What did you figure out?¡± he asked.


    ¡°How they knew I was a part of the Amber Saber Sect.¡± Aurelia said.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    She continued. ¡°First, you need to understand what kind of existence I am.¡±


    ¡°You are a ghost, right?¡± Red was confused.


    The woman scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s right, but there¡¯s more to it than that. Ghosts are the souls of humans that were corrupted by undead influence. We are limited in the ways we can interact with the physical realm, and even our existence is unseen by most people. In some ways, we can live without a body, something that most souls wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish, but in the end, that doesn¡¯t change the nature that our existence is based on¡­ We are still just corrupted souls.¡±


    The youth was familiar with the concept, though some things stood out to him.


    ¡°You are saying that some souls can live without a body?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They can, but that¡¯s not the point.¡± She shot his question down. ¡°Look, a soul is a collection of both mind and consciousness. It contains your sense of self as well as every memory and thought you retain in your head. That is why, when your soul is wiped out, you will cease to exist even if you heart still beats, while if your body is destroyed, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean the end if you¡¯re a cultivator at a high enough level.¡±


    Red had a realization. ¡°So that¡¯s why you survived and retained your memories, even after dying?¡±


    ¡°Well, my soul was probably captured and sold to necromancers, but the point still stands.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t reached the Spiritual Awakening Realm and started to cultivate my soul, I would have never have retained my memories and sense of self after being corrupted by the undead energies¡­ Still, I want you to understand that I didn¡¯t even spend ten years in the Spiritual Awakening realm before being killed, so my experience with matters of the soul is still limited.¡±


    The youth was confused. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±


    Aurelia was silent for a while. ¡°As I said, ghosts are basically just bodiless and corrupted souls. Every part of our being is basically made up of our consciousness and memories, and every time we extend our powers and reach, it¡¯s like we are exposing a part of ourselves¡­¡±


    Red was starting to understand where this was going. ¡°You mean that you might have exposed yourself when you tried to investigate that girl?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what might have happened.¡± She said, confirming his suspicions. ¡°Granted, in most situations I would have felt if someone was trying to probe me for information, but since I exposed myself in trying to investigate them, they could have likewise gleamed information from me without me noticing.¡±


    The youth was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ You didn¡¯t know this could happen?¡±


    ¡°Of course I knew this could happen!¡± Aurelia snapped back at him. ¡°However, I have limited experience in matters of the soul. Besides, for someone to be able to avoid my detection and still probe into my memories without being noticed can only mean that they have much more experience and knowledge in this field than I ever had!¡±


    ¡°So, they learned that you were from the Amber Saber Sect and what your secret language was through that?¡± Red followed her logic.


    ¡°Only one of these things is true.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°They definitely learned my identity as an inner disciple, since it is a core of who I consider myself to be and thus could be easily detected in my surface memories. However, they would never be able to learn the secret language of my sect through some ordinary probing. This I can assure you!¡±


    Red wanted to ask her how she could know that, but the woman sounded very confident in her assumptions. However, this brought about another question.


    ¡°How could they have known your secret language, then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There are a few possibilities.¡± Aurelia said in a serious tone. ¡°They may have been part of my sect once upon a time, the secret language of my sect could have been leaked after its destruction, or they may have deciphered it themselves.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that these languages were made so as to be undecipherable to outsiders.¡±


    ¡°This is indeed their purpose, but you should know that there are no absolutes in the cultivation world.¡± she said. ¡°It happened before in the past once, though not with our sect. An extremely powerful cultivator who was a step away from ascension was able to decipher the secret language of the Crystal Sky Sect, compromising all of its secret operations and causing their sect to go through one of their biggest crisis.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Do you mean¡­¡±


    A shiver ran up Red¡¯s spine as a terrifying possibility crossed his mind.

 Chapter 339 - Preparing for the Curse

    Aurelia grunted in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t go off always assuming the worst! I said that was just one of the possibilities, and it¡¯s the most unlikely one out of the three of them.¡±


    ¡°There is already a reason for us to suspect a connection to a near-ascension cultivator, isn¡¯t there?¡± Red asked. ¡°The dagger is supposedly made out of the bones of such a cultivator.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°I still don¡¯t believe that, but even if we assume that is the case, this ghost is most definitely not one such cultivator.¡±


    Red was confused by her certainty. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°You and your friends say that word a lot - ¡®near-ascension¡¯ - yet none of you can possibly comprehend what that means.¡± Aurelia said with a derisive tone. ¡°That is an all powerful being, a demigod capable of accomplishing almost anything they want. Even during my time, there were no more than three such beings alive, and every time they acted, the whole world shook, and they have no need for subtlety when they do something¡­ Now tell me, do the actions of this ghost match up with that?¡±


    He hesitated. ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t sound like it.¡±


    ¡°Hence why there is no reason for you to worry about that.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°If - and it¡¯s a big if - this is somehow the ghost of a deceased near-ascension cultivator, it is probably no more than a lingering fraction of their soul, drawn here by its mortal remains as ghosts are wont to do. It would have even less than a fraction of its original power.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s not dangerous?¡±


    Aurelia laughed. ¡°Not at all! Even if it has less than a small fraction of the powers it had when it was alive, their knowledge and wisdom alone would probably outstrip my own in every conceivable way.¡±


    ¡±¡­ Then why aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°It was cautious enough to leave a warning message for me, which means it knew I could disrupt its plans.¡± she said. ¡°Not to mention, it obviously couldn¡¯t have predicted you would be able to see through its ruse. Although I¡¯m sure it¡¯s probably still a very dangerous being, we both have already proven to be capable enough to put it on the back foot. As long as we are careful, we can deal with it.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I truly don¡¯t understand where all your confidence comes from. We still know next to nothing about our enemy, so how can you claim we can deal with it?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed at him. ¡°It¡¯s called natural confidence. A cultivator has no need of modesty, and in many cases, being humble can work against their own interests. One day you will learn this yourself.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know what to say at this, so he removed his hand from the insectoid core and exited his meditative state. Still, a few seconds later, he heard Aurelia¡¯s voice again, this time in his ears instead of his mind.


    ¡°Now that I know a bit more about what we are dealing with, the ghost won¡¯t be able to avoid my detection again.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°However, I suppose I don¡¯t even need to tell you to be on the lookout for anything strange. If they are really dead-set on acquiring this dagger, then we can¡¯t be sure what it might try to do to trick it out of you or your dead body.¡±


    That was hardly comforting advice. Still, Red was already aware of the kind of being a ghost was too. If they were as smart as Aurelia, this being would probably rely on all kinds of schemes to get the dagger if forcefully taking it wasn¡¯t an option. He would need to be on the lookout for any signs of possession on those close to him.


    The youth would need to sleep with an eye open and be meticulously aware of his surroundings at every second. In other words, it would just be another normal day for him.


    ¡­


    As sunset neared, Red chose a suitable spot to undergo the New Moon curse. It was a small chain of hills, located far from the road and covered in thick vegetation. He investigated the place for the presence of any monsters, and after finding no such thing, decided it would be a suitable spot. It wasn¡¯t as isolated as he wished, and others would probably still be able to spot the green trail leaving his body from afar, but it was the best he would be able to find on such short notice.


    After making his decision, the youth now had to speak to Domeron about what would happen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen.¡± Red said with honesty. ¡°In most other situations, I would feel confident, but this time I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    ¡°Does this have to do with your nightly escapades?¡± Domeron asked in a curious tone.


    The youth wasn¡¯t surprised that the man noticed this. After seven years of him leaving the sect at the dead of night every two weeks or so, it would have been weird instead if no one noticed it.


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    Red nodded. ¡°More or less.¡±


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Are you at risk of death?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The youth didn¡¯t deny the possibility. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°Then what can I do?¡±


    ¡°Be on the lookout.¡± Red said. ¡°What I¡¯m about to do could create a lot of¡­ flashing lights, so it¡¯s likely anyone in the vicinity could notice it.¡±


    ¡°I can do my best, but I can¡¯t guarantee I will be able to stop everyone that comes after you.¡± The man said. ¡°Will you be able to stop and run if things get dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± The youth shook his head.


    Domeron gave him a helpless smile. ¡°Then I suppose we stand our ground.¡±


    The two discussed the specifics, of which there were not many. Red would undergo the affair at the space between the two hills, while Domeron would be on the lookout at the apex from up above. The swordsman promised he would not be snooping on what the youth was doing, and while Red believe him, he couldn¡¯t afford to be concerned about it.


    Soon enough, he was left alone amidst the trees by himself as Domeron walked away. Aurelia told him with her recovered reserves, she would be able to keep his spiritual emissions disguised from farther away, so that meant Red was afforded a bit more privacy. Only when the youth felt the man stop walking and settle himself on top of a hill a hundred or so meters away did he turn his attention to the matter of hand.


    After sitting on the ground, he took out the insectoid core and put it on top of his lap. A few seconds later, Aurelia¡¯s image materialized out of thin air in front of him.


    She looked down at the youth with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m absorbing the energy from the core.¡± Red said without looking up.


    ¡°¡­ How much do you need?¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Does it matter?¡±


    ¡°I worked really hard to recover the energy to this point.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want it to be all gone just like that.¡±


    ¡°You have been watching me for the last seven years. You know very well I need just a fraction of this energy to fill my acupoints.¡±


    She grunted. ¡°I do, but you didn¡¯t have that thing on your forehead before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend on messing with that before opening my Spiritual Sea.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The curse may be getting stronger, but right now it should still be manageable with just my acupoints.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but what if something goes wrong? You don¡¯t even know that thing works!¡±


    ¡°I thought that it was your responsibility to figure that out.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Just remember that if the core gets drained, it¡¯s not just me that is going to die!¡±


    She disappeared with those words. Red knew she was telling the truth.


    The insectoid core was like his personal storage of Moonstone Energy, capable of storing far more of it than his acupoints were. In the future, as the curse got stronger and required more of the energy, Red would likely need to rely on the core to fight it off, so he didn¡¯t plan to put it in any kind of dangerous situation.


    He was also hesitant to absorb this energy after opening his new third-eye ¡°acupoint¡±, but he didn¡¯t have a choice on the matter, considering the Moon Gaze would draw upon his life force otherwise. That being said, he would try to be as cautious as possible during the process.


    The youth put both of his hands on top of the bright green crystal core and felt his skin tingle with the familiar sensation of dense Spiritual Energy. In most situations, Red used his vein opening technique to absorb any kind of energy inside his body, but all his acupoints were already open and he didn¡¯t intend on taking in enormous amounts of energy as the Rain Dance technique usually provided.


    This needed to be a more slow and controlled intake, and for that, he intended to use the limited control he acquired over Spiritual Energy after opening all his twelve veins.


    The youth focused and started to exert influence over the acupoints in the palm of his hand, which were in contact with the core. There was almost an immediate response as the Moonstone Energy started to be drawn into his Lower Arm Vein.


    It was an arduous and difficult process, and throughout it all, Red felt as if he was trying to guide these small strands of energy through a quagmire. However, for the first time since he started cultivating, the youth felt as if he was in control of the Spiritual Energy in his vein, rather than just doing his best to direct it.


    Control. It was slow, it was clunky, it felt unnatural, but it was there. He ordered the strands of energy to move, and they moved. He ordered them to stop, and they stopped. It was a wonderful feeling that Red would have been happy to relish upon, but he knew he needed to hurry before night arrived.


    One by one, he started to direct these strands of energy towards his special acupoints. It took no more than a few strands to fill each one of them, which were mere fractions of the energy inside the core. It took no more than ten minutes to fill every acupoint in his limbs and torso. When it came to the acupoints in his head, though, he hesitated.


    ¡®I need to focus.¡¯


    He took special care when filling these last few special acupoints, going even slower than his control allowed. There were three of them in his head, two in his Brain Vein and one in his Five Senses Vein. The first two were filled with no issues, but when it came to the last one, the youth hesitated.


    This special acupoint was located between his eyes, slightly above his nose, and it was extremely close to the ¡°tumor¡± on his forehead. Red held his breath and started to direct a strand towards this acupoint, determined to see this through with no accidents. However, as soon as the strand got close to this acupoint, it was suddenly pulled off course by an invisible force.


    Then, in a flash, it was gone. Red was bewildered, as he didn¡¯t even feel the strand move before it suddenly disappeared. It was as if the whole thing had happened in an instant, or at least fast enough for him to be unable to capture it with his senses.


    His immediate suspicion went to the thing in his glabella. However, before he could even do anything else, he felt another sudden pull. This time, it was coming from his hands - or more specifically, from the core they were in contact with.


    ¡®Oh no.¡¯


    Red removed his hands from the core in a hurry, but by then it was too late. An enormous flood of Moonstone Energy entered his body and was absorbed by the strange sac of energy in his glabella before it could even strain his veins. The youth fell back, trying to distance himself from it.


    ¡°NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s enraged voice reached his ears.


    He looked at the crystal in surprise. The core, which was teeming with energy just a few hours ago, was now back to the weakened state it had been in after the woman used it to slay the ghouls.

 Chapter 340 - Curse Flares

    Red didn¡¯t know what to say. However, when he stared at the core and noticed how weakened it had become, he was immediately alarmed.


    ¡°The disguise - can you still keep it up?¡± he asked the woman.


    Aurelia¡¯s enraged voice was quick to respond. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re concerned with?! You almost killed me!¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?!¡±


    Red frowned, but the implication behind her words was clear enough. The only reason Domeron was able to distance himself and afford the youth some privacy was because the range from which the woman could disguise his emissions was improved after she absorbed the energy from the dagger. Now, though, all that energy was gone.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let them find us here.¡¯


    If there was a chance the imperials were after them, then this would be the best opportunity they would get to kill both Red and his companion. He didn¡¯t hesitate to get up after storing the insectoid and run towards Domeron.


    The swordsman heard his approach from uphill and turned around to look at him with a confused expression. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We need to move.¡± Red said.


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your position was probably exposed. We can¡¯t afford to stand still.¡±


    From the outside, it might have seemed silly to be so worried about an enemy they didn¡¯t even know was pursuing them, but the youth knew better. All it took was one lapse in judgement or a lack of caution for them to die without knowing what hit them, and he wasn¡¯t about to let that happen.


    It was always better to assume your enemies were more competent than they truly looked.


    The swordsman, however, still looked hesitant. ¡°What about your problem?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I will still need to deal with it. We will try to find another place to settle in.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s run as quickly as we can.¡±


    They started to do as much.


    Red picked a direction away from town, and they started to run as fast as they could. The youth had to hold himself back for his companion to keep up with him, but even then, they were able to travel extremely far in just a matter of ten minutes.


    Red, however, still wasn¡¯t satisfied with their progress. From here, they could still see the hills they had been on in the distance, and he knew that this meant anyone searching for them there would be able to see the trail of green mist leaving his body. At the same time, he knew he didn¡¯t have much time.


    He looked up at the sky. Night had arrived, and with it the shooting green stars that had become commonplace in his vision. There were still only a few of them he could spot at a time, but he knew this would soon increase in number significantly as the Moon approached its zenith. When that moment came, his curse would strike at force too.


    The youth could keep running up until that moment, but it was important for him to prepare himself for when the moment came, much more so because he didn¡¯t know the state his body was in.


    With a frown, he reached into his pouch and grasped the insectoid core, extending his awareness towards it.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± he asked through this connection.


    An angry response came back to him. ¡°What do you think?!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly think I¡¯m responsible for what happened.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t blame you, I blame myself! I should have trusted my better judgment and stayed in that damn prison instead of offering to help in spying you! At least I wouldn¡¯t be at risk of dying!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Bah, not by a mile, but we both have better things to do!¡±


    Red ignored her outburst. ¡°Can you sense anything odd about my body?¡±


    The youth had done a cursory examination of it with his expanded awareness while he was running, but he hesitated to get near the special ¡°acupoint¡± in his forehead out of fear of having his consciousness dragged away to whatever dimension that led. At the very least, his other acupoints were still filled with the Moonstone Energy, with the exception of the one in his Five Senses Vein.


    She laughed with ridicule. ¡°You think I would try examining your body after what happened? What if that thing also absorbed me? I¡¯m not stupid!¡±


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    It seemed, however, that Aurelia had the same concerns as him. Even still, he had more bad news to give her.


    ¡°One of my acupoints wasn¡¯t filled.¡± Red said.


    Aurelia was shocked. ¡°What?! After all that, you weren¡¯t even able to fill your acupoints up?!¡±


    ¡°The accident happened while I was trying to fill up one of the acupoints in my head. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to do it before the¡­ thing on my forehead started to absorb the energy from the core.¡±


    ¡°Damn it all to hell! How are you going to resist the curse like that?!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ It will be cutting it close.¡±


    He was at a point where the draining force from the Moon had become strong enough to require almost every special acupoint in his body to resist. The youth, however, could never make a precise judgement on how much was needed at every turn, so now that he didn¡¯t have all of his acupoints filled, he was at risk of having his life force absorbed instead.


    It probably wouldn¡¯t mean his death, but it would cause him to lose even more life expectancy and make his future cultivation journey even harder. So, in a sense, it was the second worst thing that could happen to him.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help you with that!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I¡¯m barely holding this core together as it is, and I won¡¯t risk dying to that thing in your head!¡±


    Red would have liked to say that it wasn¡¯t up to her, but he agreed with her decision, even if not for the same reasons. He didn¡¯t want to risk draining the core dry and would rather suffer now than possibly dooming himself later. What came ahead could be extremely bad for him, but even in these situations, the youth knew he needed to look ahead for the future.


    A few minutes later, he started to feel it. The familiar pressure settling upon his mind.


    The Lunar Gaze.


    He slowed down and turned around to look at Domeron. ¡°We¡¯ll stop here.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± The swordsman frowned. ¡°There¡¯s barely any cover around us.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t delay it any longer.¡±


    Domeron looked at him with a worried expression. ¡°Should I go away?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t distance yourself further than fifty meters, but¡­ I would appreciate if you didn¡¯t stare.¡±


    The youth had already given up on hiding what was about to happen from his companion, but even then, he didn¡¯t want the man staring directly at him as it happened. That could interfere with his focus.


    Domeron nodded and looked over to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll be behind that tree.¡±


    The man walked off without saying anything else, leaving Red by himself. There were no more than fifty meters between them, which hardly made the youth feel ¡®alone¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t something he could afford to concern himself with right now.


    He sat down and entered a meditative state, focusing on his body. Red couldn¡¯t find anything that stood out, and he realized there was nothing else he could do but wait.


    ¡®This is it then.¡¯


    Although he tried to prepare himself as best as he could, the process itself was completely outside of his control. He didn¡¯t have any input on when it started or when it would end, and this was all left to the whims of the being in the Moon. Even after seven years, this moment that came around every month or so was still the most powerless and vulnerable he ever felt, and no amount of experience helped assuage these feelings.


    Red looked up with a heavy heart. This time, of course, there were a couple of different things.


    One was the ¡°tumor¡± of energy on his forehead, and the other was the lights in the sky. Right now, he could only focus on the latter.


    Individually, these flashes of green light were so quick and thin that it was hard for the youth to follow them, but at the moment, there were so many of them in the sky that they seemed to form multiple continuous streams that flowed towards the New Moon, ethereal and hard to place, but there all the same. These streams turned too thin for Red to see them make contact with the celestial body, but their destination was obvious, much more so with so many of them.


    What stood out to the youth was how many of these currents of flashing lights he could see. Every small strand seemed to converge into one of seven large streams, while the rest of the night sky seemed relatively free of its influence. The perspective and distance made it hard for the youth to discern where they were coming from, but he almost felt certain that all these currents of green light were formed in the earth below before rising towards the moon as these shooting stars.


    He wondered if there was a way to find where these lights came from.


    ¡®Could those be other entrances to the underground?¡¯


    Before Red could think any further, he felt a pull in his body.


    ¡®Here it comes.¡¯


    The youth looked down, and sure enough, the draining process had already begun. Small strands of misty green energy started to flow out of his body, unhindered by skin or clothing. They came from all parts of his body, more specifically from the parts where his special acupoints were located.


    There were eleven small green mist trails. There should have been twelve, but one of his acupoints was completely empty.


    ¡®Please, be enough¡­¡¯


    These trails started to rise up in a slow manner before disappearing into the night sky above. Red looked up again, staring at the dark surface of the New Moon. There, he saw the faint shape of the monstrous being responsible for the majority of his woes since coming to the surface.


    Its indescribable, elongated shape wrapped around the surface of the celestial body, the creature too big for the youth¡¯s head to wrap around. Amidst its indistinguishable form, Red could see what he thought were eye slits, staring at him from distances that were impossible to cross.


    They were always looking at him.


    The draining process seemed to be going as usual, but it was then that the youth felt it. Another pulling force, this time coming from within him. More specifically, it came right from the center of his glabella.


    For the second time, in a rather short interval, Red felt the same draining force coming from the thing on his forehead. This time, however, it directed its force over the strands of Moonstone Energy that rose from his body.


    ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯


    Unfortunately for him, he was still helpless to control it. The misty strands that were rising from his body suddenly stopped moving, frozen in midair. Then, slowly, they started to come back down, being drawn towards his forehead.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, Red?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s concerned voice reached his ears.


    Red gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t have the time nor the will to explain this wasn¡¯t his fault, and the woman likely knew that anyway, so instead he focused on trying to stop it from happening.


    However, suffice it to say, he still didn¡¯t have any idea on how to interact with this strange organ of his, and so he could only watch helplessly as the energy that was meant for the Moon started to be drawn towards it instead.


    All of a sudden, the pressure of the Lunar Gaze intensified by tenfold. Even Red, who had become used to the feeling, couldn¡¯t help but grasp his head in pain as he keeled over, grunting in pain.


    He could feel it - a sensation being transmitted to his mind. Indignation, anger.


    This energy belonged to the Moon alone, and the being wouldn¡¯t let these transgressions stand.

 Chapter 341 - Blood Moon

    The strands of energy that were moving towards his forehead stopped mid-air once more, as the force the Moon exerted over them increased. For a second, there seemed to be a deadlock between the forces, but slowly the upwards pull prevailed as the misty strands started to fly away once more.


    ¡®Is this it?¡¯


    Red felt the pressure of the gaze diminish as it regained control, and he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief. Even if the organ on his forehead was strong, it still wasn¡¯t capable of taking away this energy from the Moon being.


    Or so he thought.


    All of a sudden, a splitting headache attacked him. Its source, however, wasn¡¯t from the lunar gaze, but rather from the strange organ in his glabella. It started to pulse from inside his head, as if it was expanding, and for a second Red felt as if his head was about to explode. His heart started to pulse faster in rhythm with the strange organ, and the edges of his vision began to darken as blood was pumped faster and faster through his body.


    As it turned out, despite having plenty of experience dealing with this sort of incapacitating pain, the youth didn¡¯t suffer any less from it.


    He gritted his teeth and reached out for his glabella. To his surprise, he didn¡¯t feel anything there with his hands, despite the prevailing sensation in that area he felt from the inside, as if something wanted to burst from beneath his skin. Once more, Red was at a loss about what to do.


    While he was dealing with this pain, the strands of energy that were floating upwards slowed down again as the absorption from the organ on his forehead strengthened. Sure enough, a few seconds later, these misty trails started to be pulled back towards him once more.


    The youth was dismayed as he saw this. With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and braced himself for what was about to come.


    The Lunar Gaze fell back on him with renewed anger, its crushing pressure exerting itself upon his mind as it tried to pull back the strands of energy. While that was happening, though, the pain he felt from his glabella hadn¡¯t diminished, and suddenly Red found his head being torn apart by two opposing forces.


    Even for him, this was too much.


    He grunted in pain. ¡°Ugh¡­ I-I can¡¯t-¡±


    Blood started to flow down his nose from his exertion. The youth could almost feel his brain spasm and contract as it tried to resist these forces, to no avail. His senses started to weaken and his body began to give out as Red felt the darkness of unconsciousness surround him. He couldn¡¯t even pay attention to the situation with the strands of energy any longer, focusing instead on finding a way to stay alive.


    ¡®All this fight¡­ for a meager amount of Moonstone energy?¡¯


    His special acupoints could barely hold a small amount of the energy. It was a small fraction of what was contained in the insectoid core, which in turn paled in comparison to the unending stream of energy moving towards the Moon up above. And yet, here he was, fighting for his life because of it.


    He didn¡¯t understand why the organ in his head behaved like so. Was it a natural reaction? A reflex, perhaps? He didn¡¯t know, but what puzzled him even more was the attitude of the being in the Moon. It was willing to fight even for these insignificant strands, which the youth couldn¡¯t imagine would be of much importance to it.


    Yet, it wanted it. Not because it needed it, but because this energy belonged to it. No rational thinking would help Red understand it. This he understood, and yet he felt bewilderment and indignation all the same.


    ¡°What are¡­ doing?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s muffled voice reached his ears. ¡°You need to¡­ awake! You¡­ die!¡±


    Even if he barely understood her words, he could guess what she meant. The youth couldn¡¯t fall unconscious. There was no guarantee the organ in his head would stop afflicting him even if he wasn¡¯t there to feel it, so falling unconscious instead would be leaving his fate to things outside of his control.


    Yet, that was exactly what was happening right now. Awake or not, he couldn¡¯t do anything to resist these forces.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Red said in a weak voice.


    ¡°You¡­ focus!¡± Aurelia said, her voice even fainter. ¡°¡­ use¡­ consciousness!¡±


    ¡®Consciousness?¡¯


    Red was confused at these words, however, they gave him a sudden idea. He closed his eyes and started to chant the mudra for his meditation technique out loud while executing the hand seals. He had gotten to a point where he didn¡¯t need to do these preparations to enter a meditative state, but that was under normal conditions where he could focus.


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    Right now, the situation made that almost impossible, so Red reverted to executing the technique in the normal way. His senses were so weak that he couldn¡¯t even tell if he was being successful, but that didn¡¯t matter. As he found out a long time ago, intent and visualization were the most important thing to grasp when executing this technique, and this was something the youth grasped instinctually.


    Sure enough, a few seconds later, he felt his expanded awareness inside of his body, and an immediate sense of clarity appeared. What concerned him immediately, though, was how disconnected he felt from his physical senses after doing this. The Radiant Current technique allowed him to enter a meditative state, expanding one¡¯s own consciousness to regard one¡¯s own body as if from the eyes of an outsider. It created a sense of aloofness regarding your motor skills and senses, but the connection would still be there, even if faint at best.


    Right now, though, Red felt almost disconnected from his body, as if he was back in that Sea of Stars. This time, however, he could sense through his awareness that he was indeed still inside his physical form, and that¡¯s where his concern grew.


    ¡®Is this because I¡¯m on the verge of unconsciousness?¡¯


    The youth couldn¡¯t tell, but he knew this couldn¡¯t mean anything good. What if he fell unconscious while he was in this state? What would happen?


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not what I should concern myself with.¡¯


    He was almost dying right now. The first thing he needed to worry about was how to stop that from happening.


    His expanded awareness reached towards his head, where the main war was being fought. The situation there was drastic indeed, as Red felt his brain spasm and the blood in his head flow at an increased pressure and speed. It all was centered around this strange organ of energy, which now pulsed with renewed intensity.


    ¡®Aurelia wanted me to use my consciousness, but how?¡¯


    Even through this state, he could feel the extreme suction force the thing in his glabella was exerting. It didn¡¯t affect his physical body, but Red was almost certain that if he got close to that, his consciousness would be swept up and sent to who knows where, and there was no guarantee it would end as well as it did when he forced himself asleep. It was why he was so hesitant to approach it with his expanded awareness.


    ¡®¡­ then how?¡¯


    It was clear that this organ still interacted with his physical body, or else his head wouldn¡¯t have been in so much pain as soon as it started to flare. Red thought that maybe there was a way to use his physical functions to contain it, but he didn¡¯t have any idea how to do that. This meditative state was just used to control his emotional state and inspect his body, not to exert minute control over his bodily functions.


    ¡®Wait!¡¯


    Red had a sudden idea. He might not be able to exert control over his bodily functions, but he knew something that could.


    His awareness moved towards the pit of his stomach, finding his target in a hurry. A small floating sphere of crimson mist, resting unmoving in place. It had been that way since Full Moon after expending its energy to keep his body from collapsing, and the youth had left it alone to recover.


    Now, however, he didn¡¯t have any choice but to request its help.


    ¡°Please, wake up¡­ I need your help.¡±


    There was no response other than a small stirring in the crimson sphere.


    Red was starting to feel hopeless. ¡°If you don¡¯t help me, I am probably going to die.¡±


    There was finally a response, as that weak, calming voice responded. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m too weak.¡±


    This was exactly what the youth was afraid of hearing.


    ¡°Then teach me¡­ Help me put a stop to this.¡±


    There was a prolonged silence as the mist continued to stir, as if in deep thought.


    ¡°There is¡­ no time.¡± it said. ¡°But for you¡­ I give it all. You¡­ my last and only hope.¡±


    The mist suddenly fell still again, leaving Red confused.


    A few seconds later, though, the youth felt his body undergo a change. A lot of the pressure he was in suddenly disappeared, and bit by bit, his senses recovered. The youth used his expanded awareness to inspect the area around his head, only to find out that the strange organ was still active, exerting its absorption even if its intensity had diminished.


    This, in turn, only left one option as to what could have changed.


    Red left his meditative state before opening his eyes again. As he came into full control of his body, he felt that the Lunar Gaze had indeed completely disappeared, and the mist trails were completely absorbed into his forehead.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ What did you do?¡± Aurelia asked in confusion


    Red, however, was also at a loss for words. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something chang-¡­¡±


    He trailed off as his vision trailed up. The night sky was still there, as well as the seven currents of energy flowing towards it. However, what stood out to Red was the Moon. Or rather, the being on it.


    The youth never could quite distinguish its form, but one thing he was sure of was that it was always ¡°squirming.¡± Yet now, when he looked at it again, it seemed to have fallen completely still. He was confused before something else caught his attention.


    The rivers of flashing light in the sky seemed to undergo a change. Amidst the endless flashing green lights, another color suddenly appeared.


    Crimson red.


    At first, it was just a few lights. But then, they started to grow in number, and soon enough, all seven of these green light rivers had hundreds of crimson light in their midst, all still flowing towards the New Moon and the being on its surface.


    Nothing seemed to be happening to the celestial body, but Red could feel deep in his bones that a change he couldn¡¯t yet see was taking place. A few seconds later, the lunar being started to move again. Its movements, however, weren¡¯t the same. Instead, it seemed to be more frenzied, as sections of its body that were wrapped around the Moon began to move all at once, in a chaotic and violent state.


    And that was when it happened. The dark, once shadowed Moon started to glow - but not in its usual, mellow white light. Instead, it seemed to glow with a faint crimson-light.


    ¡°You¡­ What have you done?¡± Aurelia asked, her voice tinged with genuine fear.


    It was at that moment that Red realized he wasn¡¯t the only one that could see it. Indeed, it was dawning on him now that the whole world, far and wide, could probably see what was happening.


    A blood Moon, bathing the entire world in its maroon color. An omen of destruction and horror untold.

 Chapter 342 - Potential Apocalypse

    Red froze, enraptured by the otherwordly sight in the night sky. Suddenly, a cacophony of howling and roaring rose up through the forest from every conceivable direction - a discordant and chaotic assortment of noises that indicated the distress every being living in these trees was going under. Even the snake in his shoulders, so quiet until now, was shifting around and hissing in nervousness as it stared at the Moon in the night sky.


    The lunar being was still moving in a chaotic frenzy, but its movement started to slow down all of a sudden. The trails of light in the sky all disappeared at once, and the intense crimson light covering the celestial body started to dim. It completely disappeared once the being stopped moving, the Moon returning to its original dark state.


    The howls and noises of the forest also died down, as the snake in the shoulder lied down once more. Even then, there was an almost palpable feeling of dread and discord in the air, a reminder that what had just happened was very real.


    Red didn¡¯t avert his eyes from the Moon, staring at the being that now laid completely still, something it only did on Full Moons. He then made a startling discovery.


    ¡®The gaze is gone.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t feel its pressure on him any longer. Yet, the youth couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel relief at this.


    ¡°Red! What have you done?!¡± Aurelia repeated her question, this time with more alarm.


    Red shook his head, still in a daze. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    She cut him off. ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done?!¡±


    He didn¡¯t pay her any mind, entering his meditative state once again. His expanded awareness reached towards the crimson mist in his body.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, his nervousness coming through his tone.


    There was no response from the being. Red repeated the same questions a few times, still receiving no answer from the mist.


    He had no choice but to give up and exit his meditative state. He looked around with some alarm, looking for someone.


    ¡®He¡¯s still there.¡¯


    Domeron hadn¡¯t moved from behind the tree he said he would remain at. He kept his word, even if it must have been hard to contain his curiosity, even after hearing Red¡¯s grunts of agony.


    The youth got up and ran towards that spot. Domeron was standing there, looking at the sky with a perplexed expression. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice Red¡¯s approach.


    He tried to get the swordsman¡¯s attention by shaking his shoulder. ¡°Domeron! Are you alright?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Domeron looked at him with a confused expression and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, but¡­ You saw it too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Red frowned and nodded.


    The swordsman seemed relieved at this. ¡°Then I¡¯m not going insane¡­ Wait, that¡¯s actually even worse! Do you know what that means, kid?!¡±


    The youth nodded again. How could he not know?


    Even most peasants knew that the Blood Moon was an omen of terrifying proportions. It was sung of in tales to make children scared and spoken of as a harbinger for the end of everything, and there was a good reason for that too.


    The Blood Moon was the phenomenon that preceded a demonic invasion into the world.


    ¡°We need to hurry back to town.¡± Domeron said with a severe expression. ¡°Before something bad happens.¡±


    Red was compelled to agree.


    The two of them started to run back towards town, the silence heavy between them. The severity of what they saw wasn¡¯t lost on any of them, and they suddenly felt like every other concern was minor compared to what they just saw.


    Even the youth couldn¡¯t pay attention to the aftereffects of the painful battle that had been fought in his head, fighting through the discomfort and pain.


    Aurelia¡¯s dismayed voice reached his ears. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­ What kind of accursed existence are you? Is your entire purpose to bring calamity into the world?¡±


    Red frowned and reached his hand into his pouch before extending his awareness towards it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± he said.


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Aurelia snapped back at him, this time on his mind. ¡°It was that damn thing in your body, wasn¡¯t it?! What kind of demonic being have you let inside of your body?!¡±


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    Not even the youth knew that, unfortunately. The demonic presence inside of his body was a topic that Aurelia had never breached before, very likely out of fear and caution. However, her words made it clear that it wasn¡¯t something that had escaped her notice and now it seemed she wasn¡¯t worried about keeping her mouth shut any longer.


    ¡°Tell me what happened and don¡¯t leave any details out!¡± Aurelia prompted him.


    Red did as she asked. He described himself asking for help from the crimson mist, and what happened to the trails of light in the sky and the being on the Moon. When he got to this last topic, though, Aurelia immediately cut him off.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know!¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened then?¡± Red asked.


    She scoffed. ¡°How would I know?! That thing quite clearly infected the Moon with demonic energy and caused this phenomenon to happen, but I can¡¯t claim to understand how it came to happen or even want to know about it.¡±


    The youth already had his own ideas on the topic, but he knew now was not the time to discuss them.


    ¡°Does this mean there will be another demonic invasion?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Aurelia said in an uncertain tone. ¡°This is different from everything I know.¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    She snorted in anger. ¡°Do you even know what a Blood Moon is and how it is connected to demons?¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ I only know the basics.¡±


    Specific knowledge about the ancient times of demonic invasions was rare to find. However, there was one phenomenon that was engraved in every history book, and that was the Blood Moon that preceded the beginning of a demonic invasion in their world.


    From what Red understood, after this omen appeared, it meant a passage to the Infernal Realm would be opened, and hordes of demons would pour out into their realm to raise hell. Back when this first happened, humanity was barely a few hundred years removed from conquering the world from the ancestral monster, and the first few cultivation sects had barely been established.


    This alone almost wiped the human race from the face of the world and was the first time they were exposed to demons and demonic corruption as a concept. They eventually managed to fight this invasion off at a terrible loss to life and close said passage, but that wasn¡¯t the end of their woes. Over the next millennia, demonic worshipping and devilish sects would spread all over the world and two more similar invasions would happen, both preceded by a Blood Moon.


    It was a dark period in human history, of bloodshed and endless war, and one where barely any specific information was available. It is said that this period only came to an end because of the rise of a Saint that managed to expunge the demonic influence pervading the continent, and since then no more demonic invasions happened, at least as far as Red knew. Coincidentally, there were no more Blood Moons recorded since then.


    ¡°The Blood Moon isn¡¯t caused by any demonic influence, it is a natural phenomenon.¡± Aurelia said.


    ¡°Natural?¡± Red was at a loss. ¡°What is natural about it?¡±


    She continued. ¡°Look, the reason why the Blood Moon is an omen is because it is a reflection of the infernal influence seeping into our realm. It means that the barrier separating our world and the Infernal Realm is at its weakest, hence why it precedes the establishment of an opening between both worlds.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s natural, why have there been no occurrences since the last demonic invasion?¡±


    If the record books were any indication, there had been at least a couple millennia since the end of these wars, and yet there were no more recorded occurrences of this phenomenon.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°The Blood Moon does not happen at set intervals. Many cultivators have theorized it is a phenomenon related to the position of the stars in the sky and the alignment of certain celestial bodies, but that is besides the point¡­ It has happened at least 7 other times since the last demonic invasion.¡±


    Red was perplexed. ¡°But the demonic invasions-¡±


    ¡°Would have happened if there wasn¡¯t a dedicated effort of the sects to stop them from happening.¡± Aurelia cut him off. ¡°Over the years, this has always been a major priority for them, so as soon as the Blood Moon happens, they will always be quick to move and located the possible position of the convergence between our realms to seal it. They have even found a few ways to predict when this event could likely happen and prepare beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Why are these occurrences not recorded, then?¡±


    ¡°Because the sects don¡¯t want them to be and suppress the information at all costs.¡± the woman said as if the matter was obvious. ¡°There are already plenty of demon worshippers still remaining in the world, so how much worse would it be if they knew there was always a chance to bring their idols into being in our realm? This kind of information is best left off of history books for the good of everyone.¡±


    Red was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ If that¡¯s the case, why do you still sound so concerned?¡±


    Although the woman still spoke with her confident voice, the youth could still detect a hint of nervousness that pervaded every word she spoke.


    ¡°I already explained it to you!¡± Aurelia sounded angry. ¡°The Blood Moon is a natural event! Natural! I have never seen or heard of anything that is capable of artificially inducing this kind of thing on its own!¡±


    Red was starting to realize the problem.


    Aurelia continued. ¡°No one really knows for sure what the root cause of this event is, so it¡¯s impossible to tell if what you did here will forcefully create a converge between our world and the Infernal Realm. Worst-case scenario, the sects could be taken completely off guard and we get a new demonic invasion on our hands, and even in the best scenario that there is no such invasion, the Blood Moon alone will be enough to prompt demonic worshippers and devilish cultivators into action as it always did in the past to create slaughter and chaos all over the world¡­¡± She paused, letting her words simmer for a while. ¡°Do you understand now why I am concerned?¡±


    It was already all too clear to Red. Even if the situation was potentially not as bad as he was expecting at first, it could still lead to chaos all over the world.


    ¡®All of this to save me.¡¯


    If Red was left with such a choice in his hand, he didn¡¯t know if he would have been able to sacrifice who knows how many lives to save his own, no matter how selfish he was. Yet the crimson mist in his body made this decision without hesitation, all to save one person, whom it claimed was its only hope.


    Did it know what it was doing?


    Did it know the disaster it could potentially cause when it made that decision?


    Did it care?


    At the end of the day, Red didn¡¯t know whether to feel relieved that his life was saved or to feel dismayed at the potential cost of his salvation.

 Chapter 343 - Unlucky Tides

    Unfortunately for them, this wasn¡¯t the end of the bad news either.


    Red looked up at the New Moon in the night sky. ¡°¡­ There¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Aurelia asked in a resigned tone.


    ¡°The thing in the Moon still hasn¡¯t recovered.¡±


    Although he was discussing the events with Aurelia, he was still keeping an eye on the situation up above. Up until now, however, the being in the Moon showed no signs of movement, and there was also no trace of the usual pressure of its gaze on his mind. Either it had fallen asleep or it was completely dead.


    Whatever the case, its ever present influence couldn¡¯t be felt any longer.


    The woman was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t that good for you? Now you don¡¯t need to worry about dying every month when you don¡¯t have enough Moonstone Energy to provide.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°You know where I come from, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ How would I know? You have never spoken about it with anyone, and the only thing you have to indicate your origins was that old paper you keep in your room.¡±


    ¡°Yet you have your own guesses, right? You saw the entrance to that place yourself.¡±


    Although the woman said that, it was obvious she was keeping her true thoughts to herself.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°I can guess this is an underground cavern system, and it is a place that either I never heard about or didn¡¯t exist while I was still alive. Other than that, I can only assume it is a place abundant with these things you call Moonstones, which must be made up of the same energy of this core I am imprisoned in.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, but there is more to it than that¡­ The demonic energy inside my body comes from that place, and it is not the only terrible thing in there.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The woman seemed ready to snap at him, but she held back. ¡°What other kind of horrible things are in there? Other demons?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No! Gods no!¡± she cut him off. ¡°Just tell me why that is something we should worry about. If they are in there, then it must be because they have no way of coming out, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so too. However, the thing keeping them in there might be the same thing that was haunting me the entire time on the surface.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You mean the curse?¡± Aurelia seemed to have a realization.


    ¡°Yes. However, now the main proponent of the curse is no longer doing its job, and this might mean some of these things might be free to travel to the surface, just like me.¡±


    ¡°I understand why you¡¯re concerned.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Still, do you really think a Blood Moon is enough to kill a primordial being like the one on the Moon? I mean, who knows how long that thing has been there, or how many Blood Moons it has gone through while being bombarded by demonic influence? It would surprise me if it didn¡¯t eventually recover, at which point it will continue absorbing energy as it always did.¡±


    Red had to admit that her words made sense.


    She continued. ¡°Besides, who¡¯s to say the entrance to those places is not guarded? And even if they do manage to get out, you don¡¯t really need to concern yourself with it. It¡¯s not like any of those demons will come looking for you, right?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond, evidently thinking about how to answer her question. It seemed, however, that his silence was more than enough to leave Aurelia dumbfounded.


    ¡°¡­ There is someone, isn¡¯t there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There is.¡± Red didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°¡­ How dangerous?¡±


    The youth remembered the offer that eldritch being had made to him back then.


    ¡°Enough to conquer the entire world.¡± he said.


    The woman¡¯s consciousness he was in contact with shook, as if to indicate her dismay.


    ¡°Why in the hell would it come looking for you?!¡± she snapped at him.


    ¡°It has no reason to.¡± Red said. ¡°However, I can¡¯t claim to understand its thought process. If it got free, for however brief of time it may be, it most likely will come looking for me.¡±


    ¡°To do what, exactly? Kill you?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ It wants something from me. Something I can¡¯t give to it.¡±


    Aurelia let out a laugh of frustration. ¡°Great! I must have truly insulted my ancestors to end up stuck with someone like you!¡±


    ¡°This is just all speculation.¡± the youth said. ¡°There are probably other factors that keep it from leaving the underground, but the curse must have been one of them.¡±


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    Red still remembered what that thing told him, the being he refused to refer to or imagine directly since learning it could detect when people thought about it. It violated the laws of their world when it forcefully tried to enter this plane and was pursued by a golden and a blue-skinned being into the underground, where it was able to hide but ultimately became trapped in. If what it said was true, it would probably still have plenty of concerns other than the curse once it tried to leave that place.


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°I hope you are right. Honestly, I have a hard time telling if you¡¯re the luckiest or the unluckiest person in the world. To be surrounded by so many beings more powerful than you and yet still just manage to eke out some kind of functional life out of it¡­ You are pretty smart for a mortal, but achieving that is not something skill alone would be capable of.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t want to rely on luck.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    The woman was probably right. Simply being born a mortal without backing in this world was already enough to put your life at the whims of others. A measure of luck would be necessary for you to grow up to even have the opportunity to cultivate and take control of your own destiny. For Red, this was doubly so, with him being surrounded by individuals and organizations much more powerful than him.


    Yet luck wasn¡¯t reliable. It was impossible to control, and it swung both ways all the time. One would find as many bouts of good luck as they would find bouts of bad luck in their life, and it just so happened that all it took was a single instance of particularly foul luck for Red to die without knowing what hit him.


    Often, the youth found himself wondering if he would have preferred a clean slate, free of all the advantages and disadvantages granted to him throughout his life. An opportunity to cultivate in peace without any of his baggage. Yet, soon enough, he would throw those ideas aside.


    ¡®A true cultivator creates opportunity out of adversity¡­ There is nothing in this world they can¡¯t solve.¡¯


    These were the words the hawk spirit spoke to him - the words his own master offered to him as the most important piece of wisdom he could give. Red couldn¡¯t have guessed back how much they would help him in moments like these.


    Aurelia interrupted his thoughts. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Red said. ¡°Keep an eye out on anything strange, please.¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°It would have been much easier if you hadn¡¯t absorbed all the energy in the-¡±


    The youth took his hand off the core, cutting their conversation short.


    ¡°I can still talk to you this way, you bastard!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Unfortunately for him, he had yet to find a way to block his ears from her voice.


    ¡­


    The journey over the next couple of days was uneventful. The duo continued to take a very roundabout route towards the town, trying their best to avoid any routes while sneaking through the thicker parts of the forest. It seemed, however, that there were no imperial ambush parties waiting for them, and they managed to make their way closer to town without any issues.


    To Red¡¯s relief, there was no sudden rift opening in the sky from which demons poured out of, but the crimson mist in his body remained unresponsive, and there were no signs of recovery from the being in the Moon, with the pressure of its gaze still absent. On top of that, the monsters in the forest were much more aggressive than he was used to, and they were forced to kill quite a few beasts that threw themselves at them without any regard for their lives.


    Even the snake on his shoulder was agitated and jumping at opportunities to kill anything that got close to them. Thankfully, it was able to identify that Domeron wasn¡¯t an enemy, or at the very least, it wasn¡¯t interested in human flesh.


    Aurelia told him this was a side-effect of the Blood Moon, and that it might last for a few weeks. Red was rather worried about this, and so he decided against bringing the serpent into town to try to train it. Instead, he decided to release it far before they even got close to the settlement, and the serpent was all too eager at the opportunity to go off and hunt on its own.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about it?¡± Domeron asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a monster, an infant one at that. It can only grow by hunting and eating other monsters. Besides, I don¡¯t think it can be detected by anything in this forest.¡±


    The serpent would probably feast on the other monsters in this forest, and even if it couldn¡¯t kill everything it came across, it would probably be safe with its disguising skills. If something were to happen to it, the youth would feel some disappointment, but he knew it would just be nature taking its course. The two of them both needed to grow in their own ways, and Red just couldn¡¯t provide what the snake needed to develop, so it would need to look for it on its own for now.


    He would only come looking for it again later.


    With this matter settled, the duo continued to approach the town. It wasn¡¯t until the next morning that they finally saw it on the horizon. At this point, the two of them felt rather comfortable walking on the road.


    Domeron sighed in relief. ¡°It¡¯s not on fire, so it means no demons have struck us yet.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be much movement in or out of town.¡±


    ¡°Where would they even go?¡± the swordsman shook his head. ¡°They all came running to this town for protection against the Empire. Now they can only hope it also holds up against a demon invasion.¡±


    The youth hadn¡¯t told him about what happened back then or the information he learned from Aurelia, so the swordsman was still under the assumption of the worst. In any case, this kind of information was probably something Hector knew about, so he would leave the explanation up to the elder.


    They continued to approach the town until they spotted something weird.


    ¡°There are too many guards at the entrance.¡± Domeron said with a frown. ¡°Something must have happened.¡±


    Indeed, there were at least ten guards setting up some kind of barricaded checkpoint at the town¡¯s entrance, as well as six mounted guards that seemed to be scouting the perimeter of the settlement, galloping around the fields. One of those was quick to spot the duo¡¯s approach.


    He trotted over to them, his stance showing a lot of nervousness, which was further reinforced by what the youth felt in his fluctuation. This was clearly a man on edge.


    The soldier stopped his horse some five meters away from them and put his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. ¡°Identify yourselves!¡±


    Domeron seemed surprised. ¡°Huh? Oh, of course!¡±


    In most situations, the visage of the members of the Water Dragon Sect would be easily identified, but they had lost most of their travel supplies during this trip, and they had barely stopped to sleep or clean themselves. There was plenty of grime and dust in their clothes at the moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s Domeron from the Water Dragon Sect.¡± the swordsman said and pointed to Red. ¡°That is Red.¡±


    The soldier squinted, staring at them with suspicion. Domeron looked over at the youth and nodded, as if to give him a signal.


    Red sighed and pulled back his hoodie, revealing his head of dirty but still recognizable crimson hair.


    At that moment, the soldier visibly relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I didn¡¯t recognize you at first.¡±


    ¡°Is all of this because of the Blood Moon?¡± Domeron asked, pointing at the soldiers moving about.


    The guard seemed to shudder but managed to retain his calm. ¡°No¡­ well, maybe. I can¡¯t say for sure if this is all connected.¡±


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Connected? What do you mean?¡±


    The soldier¡¯s expression seemed to twist into a mix of grief and anger. ¡°It¡¯s our Captain¡­ We found Captain Orvin¡¯s dead body this morning.¡±


    Both Domeron and Red were at a loss for words.

 Chapter 344 - Murder in Town

    Domeron was quick to rein in his shock, staring at the man with a serious expression.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    The soldier shook his head in dismay. ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure¡­ Well, most of us don¡¯t know. The Baron has restricted entrance to his room.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°He was killed in his room?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, we believe so.¡± The man looked anxious as they broached the topic. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened. Most of us didn¡¯t even get to see the body itself, and there were no sounds of battle, so we¡­¡± he trailed off.


    Domeron looked around at the soldiers doing the rounds on the town¡¯s outskirts. ¡°You haven¡¯t found the culprit?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± The soldier shook his head with an ashamed look.


    ¡°Do you have any suspects at least?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°N-No.¡± Every question seemed to make the guard recoil even more. ¡°We were just told to look for suspicious individuals¡­ No one knows who could have done it.¡±


    Domeron and Red exchanged knowing looks.


    Captain Orvin was someone who had opened all twelve of their veins. In the entire town, other than Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, perhaps only Domeron could be considered stronger than him. This made the list of possible suspects very small, and in truth, the man never seemed afraid of those stronger than him either. He stood his ground when one of Gustav¡¯s bodyguards tried to strong-arm Red and Allen, and the youth was quite sure he must have had his own trump cards to fight against a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.


    As such, while he could have definitely been killed by such a cultivator, it was hard to think he would have been dispatched without offering any resistance. This meant the killer was either a sublime assassin or someone much stronger than Orvin.


    Red could have fit this description if he wasn¡¯t out of town. However, even beyond that, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure that he would have been able to kill the captain in an ambush, or at least not without making a ruckus and putting a lot of effort and preparation into it. This meant there was only one person in town that fit this description that he knew about - that being Hector himself.


    ¡®I can¡¯t think of any reason as to why he would do this.¡¯


    The elder had the means, but he lacked any sort of motive for doing something like that. This meant that this was very likely done by an unknown individual, which was much more dangerous for their sect.


    From Domeron¡¯s expression, it seemed like the swordsman might have arrived at a similar conclusion.


    He looked back at the soldier. ¡°Do you know if the members of our sect have been informed?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± The guard shook his head. ¡°I have been here since the break of dawn.¡±


    Domeron paused, thinking to himself for a few seconds, before speaking up again. ¡°¡­ Could you have someone bring us to the crime scene?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The soldier hesitated. ¡°I can ask one of my superiors about it, but I can¡¯t do it without permission.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just tell him to come speak with me if he has any reservations.¡±


    The guard nodded and galloped away towards the barricade at the entrance of town, leaving both Red and Domeron alone.


    The youth looked at his companion. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we speak with Hector before doing anything?¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to waste any time. Someone might try to interfere with the crime scene and every passing second there is a chance that precious information could slip between our fingers.¡±


    ¡°We should still try to communicate with Hector and our sect to let them know about our arrival.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡± Domeron nodded. ¡°Well, I will. I will return to the sect while you go and inspect the crime scene.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°You have a good eye for details. Besides, who knows if one of those strange powers of yours might reveal something that we can¡¯t see?¡±


    The youth wanted to argue against that, but he had to admit that the swordsman was probably right. Before they could part ways, though, he wanted to ask Domeron something.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The man looked at him with confusion. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    The youth hesitate. ¡°¡­ I can tell the news shook you.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how well an individual was at hiding their emotions, their fluctuation would always tell the truth to Red. Even Domeron¡¯s faint and hard to detect fluctuation was still trembling in a strange way since they had learned of the news despite his outward expression and speech not changing one bit.


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Why would I be shaken? We weren¡¯t really friends.¡±


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    Red shook his head. ¡°And yet, you clearly are in the most perturbed state I have ever seen you in.¡±


    Domeron continued to stare at him with a scowl before sighing in resignation. ¡°It¡¯s just that we have known each other for over a decade. We even fought side by side on a few occasions and I thought of him as a peer and always admired how he managed to keep the order in town despite our sect and Gustav being at each other¡¯s throats all the time¡­. He was a great warrior, and it just never crossed my mind he could die just like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid that you¡¯ll end up like him?¡± the youth asked.


    The swordsman looked at him with a smile. ¡°Does it seem like I am afraid of death?¡±


    Red shook his head. If anything, this trip proved how willing Domeron was to put his life in danger for just about any reason.


    The man continued. ¡°No, if anything, it just surprises me that this happened in the middle of town. Mind you, deaths happened every now and again in this place, but Orvin¡¯s death is just about the biggest one that has occurred since we arrived in this place. It means things have changed and our peace is gone.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I thought we were all under the assumption that something like this could have happened at any time.¡±


    Domeron shook his head. ¡°I was expecting this change to start in a more explosive form. Maybe an invading army or another monster horde, something that would force our hand to do move or die¡­ Not this game of shadows and assassinations. This means that things will be even more complicated than we first thought.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were always training me to take part in that kind of environment.¡±


    The swordsman smiled. ¡°I am sure you will thrive. The rest of us, though, not so much.¡±


    Before they could continue their conversation any further, the soldier from earlier returned to them, galloping on his horse.


    ¡°My sergeant has given you permission to go to the crime scene.¡± he said. ¡°He will personally escort you.¡±


    Domeron nodded and pointed at Red. ¡°Only he will be going. I will be returning to my sect and joining him later.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± The soldier nodded, looking at the youth with some hesitation. ¡°Then if you will follow me.¡±


    Red exchanged glances with Domeron one final time.


    The swordsman nodded at him. ¡°Make sure to be thorough.¡±


    With those words, the two parted ways, each going in different directions as they entered town.


    ¡­


    The sergeant that was escorting him was someone the youth was faintly familiar with. They fought side by side against the monster horde many years ago, and he stood out as one of the stronger soldiers under Orvin¡¯s command. Now, however, he probably couldn¡¯t even measure to Red in strength.


    The man himself didn¡¯t say much, only exchanging short greetings with the youth before escorting him uphill on foot.


    The townsfolk were clearly on edge, and the presence of the guard in the streets was even heavier than normal. Red was able to catch some conversations, the news of Orvin¡¯s death quite clearly already spreading through town.


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon worshipper, I¡¯m telling you! They have already begun their sick rituals!¡±


    ¡°A cultist?! B-but doesn¡¯t that mean they could be hiding in the guard too?¡±


    ¡°They might be everywhere! If not even the Captain himself is safe, which of us is?¡±


    Such discussions and speculations were rampant wherever they passed. The Blood Moon was still fresh in people¡¯s minds, and as such, they immediately assumed their captain¡¯s assassination was related to demons. The worst thing was that the youth couldn¡¯t discard the possibility either.


    If what Aurelia spoke about the Blood Moon emboldening demon worshippers was true, then it wouldn¡¯t be farfetched if one of those was behind Orvin¡¯s death. Still, Red refrained from making any assumptions until he had seen the crime scene.


    The location, it seemed, was at the guard¡¯s barracks right by the Baron¡¯s castle - a fenced off building with a large courtyard for training and housing the soldiers. There were plenty of guards and other people at the entrance of the courtyard, staring at each other and talking in nervous and hushed tones.


    From afar, Red could sense the presence of even more people inside, including the Baron himself. As he approached, the crowd gathered at the entrance went silent as they slowly recognized his figure and the sergeant bringing him along. No one tried to bar their entrance, and they entered the courtyard.


    Inside, there were far fewer people, all spread in the yard filled with training dummies and equipment boxes. Amidst them, Red recognized a few other high-ranked guards and personnel that served the Baron. They were all standing around with grim expressions on their faces, as if unsure of what to do. Likewise, none of them tried to stop the duo as they moved further in.


    They were only stopped at the entrance to the large main building, which was fashioned like a small fort with its structure made up of a chaotic mixture of stones as most of the other structure in town. Two guards stood at the entrance, holding large halberds on either side of the large wooden door.


    One of them greeted Red and his escort as they approached. ¡°Sergeant. The Lord Baron has ordered that no one is to enter the building for now.¡±


    ¡°Tell him I have brought someone of the Water Dragon Sect with me.¡± the sergeant said.


    The two guards exchanged glances and nodded. One of them opened the heavy wooden gate before wandering inside and closing it behind him. A few minutes later, the same guard came out and nodded at them.


    ¡°He can come inside.¡± the guard pointed at Red. ¡°You will have to wait here, sergeant.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t protest and simply nodded at the youth.


    Red walked inside, and the guards closed the door behind him before he had even taken in the environment. The inside of the building wasn¡¯t much different from the outside - lacking in any sort of decoration or fancy furnishing as one would expect from military men. The place itself was big, containing a mess hall and plenty of rooms and ladders that led to a basement and to an upper floor. There was no one in any of these rooms at the moment.


    ¡®They didn¡¯t tell me where I was supposed to go.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a problem for Red with his crimson sense. He detected that the Baron was upstairs and made his way to him.


    The second floor seemed to be where the soldiers slept as the stairs led directly to a wide corridor with plenty of doors and rooms on both sides. Some of these doors were open, offering a gaze into the messy dormitories that were left undone in a hurry - where the common guards lived most likely. Towards the back, he found individual bedrooms, and at the very end of the corridor was a closed door.


    Red could detect the Baron¡¯s fluctuation from behind this door, and the smell of blood became clear to his improved senses before he even got near it. As he approached, he wondered whether he should knock, but soon enough, a voice came from the inside.


    ¡°You can enter.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. He opened the door and walked inside.


    His gaze was immediately drawn to the Baron, who stood in the middle of the room with a deep frown, turned towards a wall. He was looking at something in front of him, and Red followed his gaze, already knowing what to expect.


    Captain Orvin¡¯s lifeless body slumped over and sat on the ground against a wall, a pool of blood beneath him and staining his nightshirt crimson, making it impossible to tell the cause of death at first glance.


    Red frowned at the sight. This was truly an assassination, just as the guard from earlier told him. Before he could do anything else, though, the Baron spoke up.


    ¡°Did you do it?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you kill him?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t quite know how to respond.

 Chapter 345 - Crime Scene

    Despite his accusatory question, the Baron didn¡¯t turn to look at him. His fluctuation didn¡¯t indicate any suspicion or ill-will either, which left Red even more confused.


    A few seconds later, the youth shook his head. ¡°I was out of town. I couldn¡¯t have done it.¡±


    The Baron frowned. ¡°You are sneaky enough. If you wanted to wander back into town without anyone noticing, you could have certainly done it.¡±


    ¡°Could I?¡± Red asked with skepticism as he looked around the room. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the skills to have killed him like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not on your own, but with the aid of magical treasures and talismans, it would have certainly been possible.¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°Then do you think I did it?¡±


    There was a pause after he made this question.


    ¡°No.¡± The Baron shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you did. I don¡¯t think Hector did it either.¡±


    ¡®So he came to the same conclusion.¡¯


    ¡°Then do you have any idea who might have done it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Plenty of people have motives to do it, but few have the means in this town. It¡¯s clear this was done by an external force, but that shouldn¡¯t be possible either.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± The youth was confused.


    The man shook his head and smiled at him in resignation. ¡°This is not something I can tell you right now.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t press the matter. He examined the Baron¡¯s appearance, impressed by the fact he barely seemed to age from seven years ago, still resembling someone in their thirties despite the fact he was likely in his fifties or sixties. This wasn''t surprising when one took into consideration the fact he was at the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Cultivators that opened their Spiritual Seas could easily live beyond one hundred years of age, and the aging process of their body would be slowed down considerably. For the Baron¡¯s body, seven years might as well not differ from one year to a common mortal.


    Despite that, the posture and expression of the regal man didn¡¯t match to the noble air he usually carried himself with. There was an immense and obvious weight of pressure on his shoulders, something that he didn¡¯t bother masking in front of Red.


    His fluctuation told the youth just as much.


    ¡°Do you know what happened?¡± Red asked.


    The Baron shook his head. ¡°Not any more than any of the guards. They found him like this, and there was no sound of combat or any cry for help. It was a swift and silent assassination.¡±


    The man sounded downtrodden as he spoke of the death of his captain, but he didn¡¯t spare any details.


    Red looked around the room once more, his gaze stopping on the corpse. ¡°Do you mind if I inspect him?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± The Baro nodded. ¡°I have already taken a look myself, but I want to see if you can gleam something I¡¯ve missed.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    He approached Orvin¡¯s corpse. The old veteran was sat on the ground, slouched with his back against the wall where a vertical trail of blood stood, indicating he most likely slid down from a standing position as he was struck. There was no blood anywhere else in the room, meaning that he was attacked in killed in this exact spot.


    ¡®One fatal blow, with no room for reaction.¡¯


    A perfect assassination, with the attack piercing straight through his body and staining the wall crimson - or attacks, judging by the multiple splotches of blood. Although, when Red looked at the smeared stone surface, he didn¡¯t find any collision marks of a weapon or whatever else could have pierced through the captain¡¯s body. Either the old man was struck a few meters away from the wall before stumbling back into it, or the assassin was careful enough not to have his weapon strike against the stone bricks.


    After examining the wall, Red¡¯s gaze was drawn to the corpse below. The old man was slumped over in a pool of his own blood, making it hard to see his expression or the state of his body. The youth was about to lift his upper body up, but he then hesitated as if remembering something.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t touch his blood.¡¯


    He took a pair of gloves out of his pouch, which he kept for exact situations like these. Over the years, he had learned how to stop absorbing blood as soon as it came into contact with his skin, or at the very least, he convinced the crimson being in his body to stop doing it. However, he thought it was better to be safe than sorry, much more so considering the current weakened state of the being.


    It just so happened that it wasn¡¯t uncommon to use gloves when handling corpses, so the Baron didn¡¯t say anything about his actions. With his preparations done, Red lifted Orvin¡¯s slouched upper body, setting it against the wall so he could examine it.


    ¡°I closed his eyelids.¡± The Baron said before the youth could even start his examination. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to see him like that.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Did he seem surprised?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Even if the blow was fatal, he still had an instant to process and understand what was happening, but didn¡¯t have the opportunity to react.¡±


    The youth let the matter go and continued his examination. The man was completely soaked in blood with his clothes sticking to his body, yet now that Red could look at him more closely, he was able to identify where he was struck.


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    They were actually multiple blows, just as he assumed earlier. In fact, there were five of them, all puncture wounds roughly 3 to 5 centimeters wide, that seemed to have pierced the old man¡¯s body straight through without exception and left gaping holes on his flesh. What surprised Red the most, though, was the fact that each of these blows seemed to have been aimed at a vital part of Orvin¡¯s body.


    One at the throat, one at the heart, one at the right lung, one at the liver, and one at the stomach - all made with pinpoint accuracy. The work of a true assassin.


    Red frowned at this sight, but he continued to examine the flesh around the wounds, hoping to find something that might indicate what could have inflicted these punctures. He didn¡¯t have any luck, though.


    Whatever killed the man punched straight through his body with almost no resistance, shattering bones and organs alike as if it was nothing. It left no discernable marks going in or out.


    The youth examined the rest of the body, but after finding nothing else that caught his attention, he stood up. The Baron was there, looking at him with a serious but expectant gaze.


    ¡°Any luck?¡± the man asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing. The blow seems to have been made with extreme force and speed, and it left no traces behind. They must have been made by someone at the Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Only someone that strong would have enough strength to punch through a human body with that much strength.


    The Baron sighed. ¡°I came to the same conclusion. However, you do notice what stands out about this, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The youth nodded and looked over at the wall. ¡°Judging by the height of the blood spatters against the wall, Orvin was struck all five times while he was still standing up.¡±


    The problem with this was the fact that, from what they understood from the situation, Orvin didn¡¯t even have the time to react before being killed in an instant, making no noise to alarm his soldiers. This meant that the five blows, each of them fatal in their own right, were dealt before his body lost its strength to support itself and death probably embraced him while he was still standing.


    This, in turn, told them that either the blows were made in extremely fast succession or they were all made at the same time. Either possibility was terrifying enough for Red.


    The Baron nodded. ¡°To do five such attacks all carrying the same strength in such a short interval¡­ I fear not even I would have been able to survive such an onslaught.¡±


    Of course, the caveat with that statement was that the Baron probably wouldn¡¯t have been taken by surprise like Orvin, but this was still a testament to the strength of whoever did this.


    ¡°Do you know of any cultivators that could accomplish something like this?¡± Red asked.


    The Baron shook his head with a resigned expression. ¡°Only someone like Hector could accomplish something like this with his control and cultivation. No one else in this town could get even close to it.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t suspect him.¡±


    The man gave him a helpless smile. ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m only offering you a perspective on the kind of power whoever is behind this has.¡±


    In other words, he was saying only someone as strong as Hector could have accomplished this kind of feat.


    ¡°It could have been done with a magical treasure or a talisman.¡± Red offered another perspective.


    The Baron sighed. ¡°That would be even more problematic. These kinds of items are far harder to detect than a living cultivator.¡±


    The youth was inclined to agree. He could detect if a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was in his vicinity, but he couldn¡¯t detect if someone was carrying a powerful magic treasure or a talisman.


    ¡°So we have no suspects?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Everyone at the Lesser Ring Realm in town will be treated as a suspect.¡± the Baron said.


    ¡°Other than Hector, there are only two people that fit that criteria.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is not outside of the realm of possibility that one of Gustav¡¯s bodyguards could have been hiding their strength.¡±


    Red frowned at this. It wasn¡¯t that he disagreed with the man, but there was something else bothering him.


    ¡°How can you be so sure it is not an outsider?¡± he asked.


    It all came back to his initial question.


    The Baron sighed. ¡°Do you remember that Crystal Sky Sect cultivator?¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Do you remember what realm she was at?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°The Greater Ring Realm.¡±


    The Baron nodded. ¡°That is right, and not even she was able to escape my detection inside of town.¡±


    This came as a huge shock to the youth.


    A possibility immediately came to his mind. ¡°Is it the formations?¡±


    The man nodded again. ¡°The very same. It is the reason why this town is still standing to this very day. Not even a Spirit Core Realm cultivator would be able to escape its notice.¡±


    Red finally understood where the Baron¡¯s confidence was coming from. However, upon further thought, he recognized an inconsistency with this claim.


    ¡°Are you certain that there is no way to escape its notice?¡± the youth asked.


    ¡°A cultivator in the Spiritual Awakening Realm could probably do it, but someone like that has little need for subterfuge.¡± The Baron stared at him. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Red hesitated at this. ¡°¡­ Hector claims he felt someone spying on him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± This time the Baron seemed legitimately shocked. ¡°Since when?¡±


    ¡°Since a few weeks ago.¡±


    Red assumed this person might have been the necromancer his serpent had killed. Yet, after learning that another Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was likely behind the death of Captain Orvin, he wasn¡¯t so sure.


    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± The man frowned. ¡°Is Hector certain this is a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°He is fairly certain. Not only that, but he thinks it¡¯s someone very strong too since he has been unable to locate them even if he can feel their gaze.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s expression continued to worsen. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he tell me this? Even after he cause a ruckus in town a week ago he didn¡¯t mention it!¡±


    ¡°He was probably considering the possibility that you were involved in it.¡± Red said. ¡°There is a precedent for it... However, above that, he was probably reluctant to get involved.¡±


    The fact his stalker made themselves known to Hector while still being able to hide their location was as overt of a warning to the elder as possible in the situation. It meant someone was watching his every move and that if he did something reckless, they would act. In that situation, the one more likely to pay wouldn¡¯t be Hector, but the ones around him.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that the old man would keep this information to himself and adopt a passive stance, much more so when his main concern was the safety of his sect and not of the townsfolk. It was a selfish choice, but one that those who knew him wouldn¡¯t be surprised by.


    Judging by the Baron¡¯s angered expression, he was coming to the same realization. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I was expecting anything different¡­ All these years, and that bastard won¡¯t hesitate to forsake his allies in their time of need. I must thank you for telling me this, or else I might have still been in the dark about a terrible danger in town.¡±


    In truth, the youth was also reluctant at first to reveal this information to the man after noticing he was unaware of it. However, considering the situation, it was the most sensible choice, even if Hector would likely scold him for it. There was still more, though.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ There¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± The Baron looked at him in surprise. ¡°More terrible news?¡±


    ¡°No, not that.¡± The youth shook his head. ¡°Actually, I think I know who might have been responsible for killing Orvin.¡±


    This individual almost escaped his mind after such a long time, but after hearing their name again, the connection between them and the assassination method became too strong to ignore the possibility they were involved.


    The Baron¡¯s expression became severe. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Rickard.¡± Red said. ¡°I think it was him.¡±


    The bandit leader from seven years ago, and the person who almost killed him at the final stretch of the trial back then.

 Chapter 346 - Potential Culprit

    ¡°¡­ Rickard?¡± The Baron seemed surprised at hearing this name. ¡°He hasn¡¯t appeared for more than seven years already. I was under the impression he died in that hidden realm.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°No one saw his body. Besides, most of his bandits probably died in that place too, so there was no reason for him to appear in public any longer.¡±


    This was the youth¡¯s sensible assumption that he offered the man. In truth, though, he knew Rickard was definitely not dead, considering he was shooting him full of holes moments before the trial ended.


    ¡°Be that as it may, why do you think Rickard was the one responsible for this?¡± the Baron asked.


    ¡°The wounds,¡± Red pointed at Orvin¡¯s body. ¡°They remind me of his abilities.¡±


    The man frowned at this. ¡°As far as I remember, Rickard¡¯s abilities consisted of causing explosions at the tip of his spear. While I have to admit that a spear could have certainly caused these wounds, I don¡¯t see why it reminds you of him.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°That is his most known ability. However, I happen to know of another ability of his - one that he most likely never used in public, or at least wasn¡¯t forced to do so while fighting your men.¡±


    These words seemed to catch the Baron¡¯s attention. ¡°What ability is this, exactly?¡±


    ¡°He can shoot Spiritual Energy projectiles capable of piercing through someone¡¯s body like paper.¡± Red said. ¡°Not only that, but he can do it in extremely quick succession.¡±


    The reason the youth knew that was because he felt it in his own skin back at the last stretch of the trial. He managed to dodge past the heavily wounded bandit, only to be pierced from the back almost a dozen times by what felt like arrows ripping right through his body and destroying his organs and bones. If it wasn¡¯t for his strong regeneration and reaching the water orb first, he would have certainly died a few seconds later.


    This rather inconsequential detail at the time was mostly forgotten by Red, but looking back at it, that was certainly an extremely strong ability even for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.


    The Baron frowned at this revelation. ¡°That is not conclusive evidence.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but it is something to consider.¡± Red said. ¡°Rickard was a Late-Stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and after seven years it is not far-fetched that he could have reached the Peak of the realm. This would make him as strong as Hector in cultivation base and, in turn, make him capable of achieving this kind of assassination.¡±


    The man seemed to be in deep thought, considering his words. ¡°That would explain a lot. However, at the end of the day, whether or not this is Rickard makes little difference. They are still completely undetectable to us, as far as we can tell.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ I might have a way to spot them.¡±


    The Baron raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.¡± Red nodded. ¡°However, it is hard to tell how viable it will be. It¡¯s entirely possible they know about my methods already, and I can¡¯t necessarily predict where the killer will appear next.¡±


    If the assassin was indeed Rickard, then he was most likely working alongside the imperials - considering he already did as much back in the trial. The imperials already knew about his ability to detect people from hundreds of meters away, so the man would most likely be avoiding the youth with all his power.


    The Baron sighed at this. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can¡¯t possibly know where he will strike next, and I can¡¯t, in good conscience, put you in harm¡¯s way just like this, considering what we are dealing with.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I am most likely already in harm¡¯s way. You know they have people following us, and if I were them, I would probably be a top priority target.¡±


    In fact, the youth wondered if he wouldn¡¯t have been the one to be targeted if he was still in town. Certainly, he had found a way to avoid the imperial¡¯s tracking, and this was all the more reason as to why they would want to target him.


    The man frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t know why they did this or if the imperials are involved.¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°Who else would be so bold as to do something like this and find a means to avoid the detection of an ancient formation?¡±


    It was evident the Baron was in denial, but it wouldn¡¯t change the truth of the situation. Their peaceful town, which had avoided conflict for the most part these past seven years, would not remain peaceful any longer.


    The Baron shook his head with a sorrowful expression. ¡°All of this for what? Our town never provided much of value to the kingdom, and there is nothing remarkable about us. Even the ruins we live on top of have been stripped of everything valuable many millennia ago. So why break an armistice over this?¡±


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    The war between their kingdom and the Empire had never stopped all those years. However, the sects had decided to intervene after the royal army was routed in combat, and the Empire agreed for an armistice that would last for an indefinite amount of time. They weren¡¯t in a hurry to continue their invasion, much more so after conquering most of the northern regions of their kingdom where most of the valuable natural cultivation resources were located.


    As such, they were afforded a precarious peace, with the clear knowledge that the war could resume at any point if the Empire decided to ignore the sect¡¯s threats. These threats were, of course, the entire reason why the Empire hadn¡¯t conquered the whole continent yet, so they weren¡¯t unreliable, but this didn¡¯t make the citizens of their kingdom feel any safer.


    With this in mind, the Baron¡¯s bewilderment was a very reasonable one. Red had his suspicions, but he couldn¡¯t really voice them in front of the man.


    ¡°They might know something we don¡¯t.¡± the youth said. ¡°We didn¡¯t even know about the hidden realm before it opened up, so it is sensible that there could be more hidden from us.¡±


    The Baron gave him a sad smile. ¡°You are right. I can¡¯t possibly claim to know everything about my own barony when such a large secret was kept hidden right under my nose for who knows how long.¡± He looked back at Orvin¡¯s corpse. ¡°I thought we could weather this crisis safely for the rest of my reign. I thought that even if the kingdom fell, we would have enough time to evacuate our townsfolk with the defenses afforded by our formation¡­ How na?ve I was! Now, my dear friend has paid the price for my incompetence.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know what to say at this, so he kept silent and waited.


    The Baron looked at him. ¡°You should leave this town before it¡¯s too late. Gather your companions and leave this place before it¡¯s too late. Despite everything, your sect has saved us countless times, so you don¡¯t deserve to be dragged down by the incoming storm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What about the rest of the town?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°These people have nowhere else to go. They came here seeking refuge due to war, choosing our town because they were turned away everywhere else. Even if I wanted to send them away, they would have nowhere else to go¡­ They aren¡¯t cultivators like you, and if I forced them away for their safety, they would be preyed upon by monsters and bandits in the road or perhaps even worse now that a Blood Moon has appeared. Both these people and I have no choice but to stay here and fight.¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t find any words to refute the Baron. In fact, judging by the fate of the village he went through, he knew that there were even more dangers than the man knew about expecting them out there. To leave the fort that was this town would be insanity, even if it wasn¡¯t as safe as it was in the past.


    ¡°¡­ Can I inspect the rest of the room?¡± Red asked after finding nothing else to discuss on the matter.


    ¡°Feel free,¡± The Baron nodded. ¡°But I can already tell you that there is nothing else the assassin left behind.¡±


    The youth knew the man was probably right, but he wanted to see for himself either way.


    The window to the room was ajar- the probable opening the assassin used to enter. The window faced the courtyard, and there were almost five meters to the ground, a small height for a cultivator. There were no markings on the windowsill or anywhere else on the stone floor. The assassin didn¡¯t leave any trace of his existence behind that Red could see, other than the corpse of the Captain of the Guard.


    The only thing the youth could tell is that Orvin was probably killed right as he was going to bed. The assassin might have already been hidden in his room at the time rather than barging in, considering that the window it was to the left side of where the corpse fell and all the blows were struck from the front. There were probably other details they could gleam from the guards that might have been in the courtyard at the time of death, but it was all likely pointless.


    None of them would have seen the assassin if not even Orvin detected their presence.


    There were absolutely no leads other than wounds on the corpse.


    A few minutes later, Red returned to the Baron and shook his head. ¡°There is nothing.¡±


    The man sighed. ¡°Never have I felt so powerless in my reign before. To know that a powerful assassin is probably in town right now but to be completely incapable of finding them¡­ It is a terrible position to be in.¡±


    The youth was about to suggest something before he felt something enter his crimson sense. A couple of familiar fluctuations, both walking towards the fort. Soon enough, the sound of voices coming from the courtyard below reached them.


    Red and the Baron exchanged glances, both recognizing who the voice belonged to. They then waited in silence, and a few moments later, a guard came wandering up the stairs towards their room.


    He stopped short of entering it, though, seemingly hesitant to take a step forward. ¡°My lord¡­ Hector has come to see you.¡±


    The Baron nodded. ¡°Let him pass.¡±


    The guard gave a slight bow before going back.


    Soon enough, the sound of footsteps reached them again, and down the corridor Hector appeared approaching the room, with Domeron walking behind him, who hadn¡¯t even bothered to clean himself. The elder had a frown on his face, and it only deepened once he set foot inside the room and spotted Orvin¡¯s body.


    He didn¡¯t say anything though, and a heavy silence settled in the air as the old man stared at the corpse and the Baron stared at him with a severe expression.


    Domeron was the one to break the silence, looking over at Red. ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°No traces in the room.¡± Red said. ¡°An extremely strong and skilled assassin, likely near the Peak of the Lesser Ring Realm, or carrying a magical item of equivalent power. Orvin didn¡¯t even have time to react, and was struck by five powerful perforating blows all at once or in extremely quick succession that pierced straight through his body. All of these blows were targeted at his vital organs, and he died almost instantly.¡±


    The swordsman was silent for a bit, digesting his words with a difficult expression. ¡°¡­ Is that all?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I think Rickard might have been responsible for it.¡±


    Domeron frowned at this. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The blows are similar to an attack I have seen him perform before.¡± The youth said. ¡°His cultivation level would fit the power required to execute this, and we know he was likely working with the imperials, which are the only people who could have figured out how to trick the town¡¯s formation from detecting his presence.¡±


    Another long silence happened after he finished his explanation. This time, Hector was the one to break it.


    ¡°Both of you can leave.¡± the elder said without even looking at them. ¡°I need to speak with the Baron.¡±


    Neither Red nor Domeron protested, and they both walked out of the room, leaving the two men alone to discuss matters that would likely decide the fate of this town.

 Chapter 347 - Aftermath

    Red and Domeron walked downstair and out of the fortified building. The youth was uncertain whether to wait for Hector here, but the swordsman shook his head at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the sect.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Hector will probably be there for a long time.¡±


    Red frowned. The man seemed troubled by something, but this wasn¡¯t the place to ask about sensitive matters.


    They walked out of the barracks, under the gaze of many curious people. However, no one tried to speak to them, so they left without issues.


    The streets were still abuzz with talk of the murder and the Blood Moon on the way back towards the sect, and it was clear that fear already had the town in its grip. Like the Baron said, though, many people felt lost and hopeless, aware of the fact that fleeing somewhere else wasn¡¯t an option, simply because there was no place in the kingdom that would be completely safe either.


    ¡®I wonder how Gustav is reacting to all of this.¡¯


    The merchant¡¯s attitude regarding the news of this assassination would be something they needed to watch closely. While they didn¡¯t have any evidence of the man working alongside the imperials, it would be remiss of them to ignore the possibility. This, however, was something that they would only be able to discuss once Hector came back.


    Soon enough, they arrived at the street of their sect.


    ¡°How is Rog?¡± Red asked Domeron as soon as no one was around.


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°Nothing has changed as far as I can tell. However, I didn¡¯t have time to observe him.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°And Rimold? Is he still in the sect?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The swordsman nodded. ¡°Allen has taken his responsibility very seriously, it seems.¡±


    Red was relieved to hear that. In truth, he was worried about the mark the ghost had left on his body, and he wondered if the man would be targeted before they could return.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t explained or told them about the dagger and what happened out there.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Rimold was very interested in it, but I thought it better to wait until we settled the matter of the murder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Red nodded.


    They soon arrived at the gate of the sect, upon which the youth detected only two fluctuations waiting for them in the main hall - Allen and Rimold. Rog was off in his room, while his master Goulth was inside his workshop as usual. Everyone¡¯s fluctuations showed that they were on edge, without exception.


    Domeron opened the gate and walked inside, while Red followed behind him. They entered the main building, finding Rimold and Allen sat at a table with unnerved faces.


    As soon as the rogue saw the youth, he leapt up with an expectant expression. ¡°Did you get it?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead examining the man. The gray aura was no longer around his body, and he didn¡¯t seem to have transformed into a rotting corpse like Domeron. However, his eagerness was a clear indication that his mind still lingered on the matter of the dagger, which concerned the youth.


    In the end, Red nodded. ¡°I got it.¡±


    A wide smile formed on the rogue¡¯s face. ¡°Great! Where is it?!¡±


    ¡°I hid it outside of town.¡±


    ¡°You what?!¡± Joy turned into anger in a second. ¡°Why did you do that?!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Because of you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Rimold seemed taken aback.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s clear that your mind is still affected by the dagger, so how could I bring it to you when I have no idea about what will happen?¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± The rogue glared at him. ¡°My mind is not affected by anything! It¡¯s just- it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    The man trailed off as he stared at Red¡¯s icy gaze.


    ¡°Bah, forget!¡± Rimold threw his hands up in resignation. ¡°As long as you have it, then it¡¯s fine!¡±


    The youth nodded, satisfied.


    Of course, what he told about hiding the dagger was a complete lie. It was right here with him in his pouch, but he hid the fact from Rimold exactly to gauge his reaction. He intended to discuss matters through with Hector and Goulth before deciding what to do with the dagger, whether he would keep it or sell it would depend on their advice.


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    Domeron, who knew he was lying, didn¡¯t expose him to Rimold, instead just watching their interaction with interest.


    Allen, however, was quick to interject once the topic was done. ¡°What happened?¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°Red can explain. He was the one who examined the scene.¡±


    The young master looked at Red with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Even Rimold, whose primary concern was now addressed, stared at him with interest.


    The youth shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to tell¡­¡±


    He explained the details of the murder, as well as his suspicions that Rickard was involved. Even with the little details he was able to provide, it was enough to create a huge amount of concern in Allen and Rimold.


    ¡°How can he still be alive?¡± The rogue seemed skeptical. ¡°I spoke to the surviving bandits over the years and none of them spotted him during all this time.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t claim to be completely confident that it is him,¡± Red said. ¡°But for now, he is the primary suspect other than Hector.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Hector!¡± Allen said with a confident tone. ¡°Why would he even do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s him either, hence why my suspicions towards a third, unknown party.¡± the youth said. ¡°It is impossible to know for sure who it is in that scenario, though. In any case, as the Baron explained to me earlier, discovering who killed Orvin in the first place doesn¡¯t really matter. What matters is how they managed to infiltrate the town without being discovered, considering that the formation should have been able to detect anyone above the Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    There was a silence following these words, the implications of such a murder only now setting in.


    ¡°¡­ Do you think they could target us?¡± Rimold asked with a frightened tone.


    Domeron sighed at this question. ¡°It is certainly possible, which is why none of us are leaving the sect without Hector¡¯s supervision for now.¡±


    The rogue seemed surprised. ¡°Hector said that?¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°No, I did. I assure you he won¡¯t protest, though.¡±


    Allen frowned at this. ¡°Are we just going to hide in our sect? We should try to get justice for Orvin, at the very least. We might not have always seen eye to eye, but he always helped us and the people of this town when it came down to it.¡±


    The swordsman sighed. ¡°I will not be the one to decide this. Once Hector is back, we can speak about how we will proceed.¡±


    The young master seemed unsatisfied with this, but he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    As no more questions about the topic were made, Red saw the opportunity to ask about something else that was on his mind. ¡°How is Rog doing?¡±


    Allen shook his head with a conflicted expression. ¡°He is fine for now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t really leave his room much.¡± Rimold interjected. ¡°When he does, it¡¯s just to eat or to take care of the chickens.¡±


    The young master nodded. ¡°I saw him trying to skin some animals or work on making more arrows, but with one hand, it was almost impossible. I tried to offer him my help, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Rog ran him off.¡± The rogue cut him off again. ¡°I told this moron that the last thing he wants is pity, but he needed to find that out on his own.¡±


    Allen gritted his teeth and looked at Domeron with a pleading gaze. ¡°Can¡¯t you talk to him?¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why? Just because I also only have one arm?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡°I was never one for delicate practices when I had both arms, and I definitely didn¡¯t pick them up after losing one of them. Rog is a far more stubborn person than you know, so if he wants to do this on his own, just let him. He certainly knows how difficult it will be in his current condition to do what he did in the past, so nothing we say will stop him.¡±


    None of them could argue against Domeron¡¯s logic. The hunter had always been hard to read, even for someone like Red, but one thing was for certain - he was very headstrong in his ways. It was better to approach him and try to understand him on his own terms than to try to convince him to give up the only kind of lifestyle he knew.


    The youth, who still felt somewhat responsible for what happened to him, decided he was going to talk to the man later. He didn¡¯t know if whatever he said was going to help, but he just wanted to understand what Rog was going through, at the very least.


    Right now, though, he decided to move on to another topic.


    ¡°What about the Blood Moon?¡± Red asked. ¡°Did you see it here too?¡±


    Allen and Rimold exchanged apprehensive gazes.


    In the end, the young master nodded. ¡°We did.¡±


    ¡°The whole town went into a panic when that thing appeared in the sky.¡± Rimold said. ¡°Even in the middle of the night, we heard screams of terror and children crying. We thought that demons were attacking us.¡±


    Allen nodded. ¡°I was¡­ I mean, we were very afraid, but thankfully Hector explained what that meant to us. He said that even if a Blood Moon appears in the sky, it doesn¡¯t mean a demonic invasion will happen. It just means that there is a chance.¡±


    Domeron frowned at this. ¡°How so?¡±


    The young master seemed at a loss. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure¡­ He just said that a location for a possible portal to the Infernal Realm would be revealed, and that the sects and demon worshippers would rush to find it.¡±


    ¡®So Aurelia wasn¡¯t lying.¡¯


    Allen continued. ¡°Either way, he said that the sects are much stronger than the demon worshippers these days, so it shouldn¡¯t be a concern for them to find and seal this portal before it even opens.¡±


    Rimold scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something. He also said that even if no demon invasion happens, a lot of demon worshippers and devilish cultivators will be spurred into action to cause chaos around the world.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that may be the case, but¡­ It does feel like we have bigger concerns right now, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Allen asked.


    The rogue hesitated. ¡°¡­ I suppose you are right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, there is something else, but¡­¡± Allen hesitated as he looked at Red. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s my place to say it.¡±


    The youth frowned at this. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Goulth.¡± the young master said. ¡°He has been acting weirdly since the Blood Moon.¡±


    Red immediately had a bad feeling about the situation.


    ¡°¡­ Weird in what way?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He seems on edge all the time.¡± Allen explained. ¡°Even after Hector explained that there was no need to be too alarmed, he still didn¡¯t relax. We tried speaking to him, but he refused to tell us what was wrong.¡±


    ¡°We thought that you would have some better luck in reaching him.¡± Rimold said.


    Red nodded with a deep frown. ¡°I will speak to him about it.¡±


    Domeron was staring at the youth with a curious expression, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    With no other urgent matters to discuss, the four of them sat around the meeting hall table, waiting for the return of Hector. The elder only came back a few hours later.


    He entered the hall with a severe expression, which wasn¡¯t entirely uncommon for the old man. Still, Red could tell that this time something was different.


    His gaze passed over everyone in the room, then he took a deep breath.


    ¡°We are leaving this town.¡± Hector announced.

 Chapter 348 - The Future

    Red was expecting something like this to happen, but when it finally came out of Hector¡¯s mouth, he still couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    Allen, too, seemed taken aback. ¡°We¡¯re really leaving? Just like that?¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°We are. Though we will need to make preparations.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just-!¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Hector cut the young master off. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have plenty of complaints, but I won¡¯t discuss this until we have everyone gathered here. Go gather the other two.¡±


    Allen nodded and walked off with a frown.


    A few minutes later, Goulth and Rog entered the meeting room. The hunter seemed in good condition considering the circumstances, with no signs of his undead infection apparent in his body just yet. The blacksmith, though, had a pale and sallow countenance, indicating he hadn¡¯t slept for who knew how long.


    His face lit up in surprise once he spotted Red in the room. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±


    The youth nodded with a frown. ¡°I am.¡±


    Goulth seemed to want to say more, but he fell silent instead and walked to a seat around the table.


    Soon enough, they were all sat around the meeting table, with Hector at the head. The elder was wearing a far more severe expression than normal as he regard the rest of them.


    ¡°As I said before,¡± he started. ¡°We are leaving this town.¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Rog raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    Goulth also seemed surprised, but he looked too tired to express it.


    ¡°It is no longer safe here.¡± Hector said. ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been safe here for quite some time, but up until now, I still had the confidence of protecting you all as long as you stayed in town. This is no longer the case.¡±


    ¡°Is this because of Orvin¡¯s murder?¡± The hunter asked.


    ¡°It is.¡± The elder nodded and looked over at Red. ¡°The kid read the crime scene perfectly. The killer was most definitely someone around the Peak of the Lesser Ring Realm and skilled in assassination arts. Not only that, but the Baron is also completely unable to track their presence inside the town. Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Rog frowned. ¡°They can kill us even inside of town?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This is no longer the sanctuary it once was.¡±


    Allen scoffed at this. ¡°So what? Are we just supposed to run away and leave the Baron to his own means?¡±


    ¡°I gave him my advice. Even if we stay, there¡¯s nothing we can do to stop what is coming, and the only thing we will accomplish is to get swept up in the tide.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t even hesitate to run? Is there even any point to our supposed alliance?¡±


    Hector glared at the young master. ¡°I have done more than enough to repay the Baron for his kindness, even when my trust was betrayed more than once. If you¡¯d liked to know, though, I don¡¯t intend to abandon him.¡±


    Domeron frowned at this. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that I will stay behind to help him while the rest of you flee.¡±


    A wave of surprise ran through the room at this.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay behind?!¡± Rimold stared at the elder as if he had gone insane. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Because I have made an agreement a long time ago to support him and his town in times of crisis.¡± Hector said. ¡°I intend to stand by it, as much as I¡¯m sure that might surprise some of you.¡±


    Allen, above everyone else, seemed completely shocked by the revelation. This went against everything they knew about Hector, who only concerned himself with the good of his sect on most occasions.


    In fact, Red didn¡¯t really believe the reason the elder gave for one second, and judging by Domeron¡¯s expression, neither did he.


    Rog grunted. ¡°So you¡¯re going to die here?¡±


    Hector scowled at the hunter. ¡°Who said anything about dying?! I will help him deal with the situation over here as long as it remains manageable. Once it spirals out of control, I will just leave this place.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure you are going to be able to leave?¡± Rimold seemed skeptical. ¡°What if they kill you, too?¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m worried about acting is because of you lot. As long as I don¡¯t need to worry about protecting you, then I will be able to act freely and no damn assassin will be able to hold me back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°The imperials have been paying special attention to you, and they most likely know about your Deep Sea Sword, too. If they act against you, then you won¡¯t survive.¡±


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    Hector seemed angry at the swordsman¡¯s words, and Red noticed his fluctuation waver for a moment. ¡°What do you know about my strength? Not even you have seen me go all out before, Domeron.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but I know the enemy you are dealing with. They won¡¯t leave a margin for error.¡±


    The elder frowned, glaring at the man. Domeron, however, didn¡¯t turn away, meeting his gaze without hesitation. It was evident that the swordsman¡¯s protests had taken Hector by surprise. It didn¡¯t seem like the elder disagreed with his words, but rather that he didn¡¯t want them to be brought up in the first place.


    Before the argument could go any further, though, Rog spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Everyone around the table turned to stare at the hunter in surprise.


    Hector frowned. ¡°What do you mean you are not going?¡±


    The hunter shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it.¡±


    ¡°You bastard! Do you think this is a joke?!¡±


    ¡°No, but I am already dying anyway. I¡¯d rather do it somewhere I know.¡±


    These words made Hector be at a loss for words. The anger and insults he had been preparing to throw the hunter¡¯s way died in his throat. It seemed only now that the elder realized the weight of what he was asking Rog to do.


    Red didn¡¯t know how long the hunter had lived in this town. The story of how he met Hector was unknown to the youth, but he was under the impression Rog lived here even before the elder established his sect.


    This was probably the place he had grown up in. It was the forest he had learned how to hunt in, that he had explored throughout his entire life. It was the only thing he knew his entire life.


    ¡°¡­ If you stay here, I won¡¯t be able to focus on my duties while trying to protect you.¡± Hector said.


    ¡°No one is asking you to protect me.¡± Rog shook his head. ¡°You just worry about your own problems and I will make myself useful in other ways.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°How exactly will you do that in your state?¡±


    The hunter shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll just throw myself in front of your enemies. My life should buy you a few seconds, at least.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere either.¡±


    Another voice spoke up, this time belonging to Goulth.


    ¡°You too?¡± Hector stared at him in anger.


    Goulth laughed. ¡°What, do you think I would be okay with just abandoning you? Have you forgotten what I promised you when we first met?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to have you sacrifice yourself for me when you joined the sect.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but without you, I wouldn¡¯t be here today, would I?¡± The blacksmith shook his head. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still a master blacksmith, you know? Even if I can¡¯t craft artifacts, I can still be useful for the Baron and the town.¡±


    The elder expression worsened. ¡°And what about your disciple?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Goulth looked over at Red. ¡°He has learned everything I could teach him already. I can rest easy knowing my legacy will live on in his hands.¡±


    The youth frowned at this. The implication seemed to be that he was going to be running away while his master remained behind.


    Hector sighed at this. ¡°You will probably die if you stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but at least we will die serving our sect, won¡¯t we?¡± Domeron spoke up.


    The elder snorted. ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me just do this one thing by myself?¡±


    ¡°You said you can¡¯t concern yourself with protecting your own sect members, right? So if I remain here, you can rest easy in the knowledge they will be safe.¡±


    ¡°And what about what you told me earlier? Do you think that if I can¡¯t survive what¡¯s to come, you will be able to?¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I have the element of surprise on my side. They might know about what you can do, but they certainly don¡¯t know about me.¡±


    The swordsman''s hand rested on the hilt of the sword by his waist, causing Hector to frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, old man!¡± Allen slammed the table with his fists and stood up. ¡°None of us are abandoning you!¡±


    Hector¡¯s expression fell. ¡°No. They can make their choice to stay, but you are definitely going.¡±


    ¡°No way! Do you expect me to just leave while the rest of you risk your lives fighting against the Empire?!¡±


    ¡°I expect you to do exactly that! It¡¯s your responsibility to make sure the sect lives on in case we die!¡±


    Allen gritted his teeth in anger, but before he could say anything else, Hector waved his hand at him.


    ¡°Stop being childish!¡± he said. ¡°You are the future of this sect and the whole reason we have fought so hard for so long! What do you think Narcha and Eiwin would say if they knew you wanted to risk your life like this?!¡±


    As soon as these two names were mentioned, it was as if the air around the room changed. Allen¡¯s expression paled, and it seemed as if he couldn¡¯t believe what came out of the elder¡¯s mouth.


    In more than seven years, this was the first time that the elder mentioned the two women by name. No one in the room seemed to know how to process it.


    ¡°Listen to me, Allen.¡± Hector stared at the young master. ¡°You have a responsibility to the people that raised you up to what you are today. The people that sacrificed themselves so you could live and one day see the glory of our sect returned to what it once was. You have a duty to them, and to throw your life away in stubbornness is to betray all the hopes and expectations they placed on you.¡±


    Allen trembled at these words.


    Hector looked over at Red and Rimold. ¡°The two of them are going with you, too. If we don¡¯t get out of this alive, you three will be what remains of our sect, and you have a responsibility to protect each other and to make sure our name lives on. Do you understand?¡±


    Rimold, who had been quiet for a long time, seemed to have an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders at this. The rogue still had an important reason to live, and seeing all his older companions offer themselves up to stay behind must have made him feel conflicted and ashamed.


    He nodded with eagerness, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes in relief. ¡°I-I understand!¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± Hector looked at Red. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ I do not want to go.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you brat!¡± Goulth stood up and glared at Red, his apparent exhaustion completely gone at the moment. ¡°You will go even if I have to tie you up and shackle you! Do you understand?!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Really, do you want to bet on it?!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Hector interjected. ¡°Kid, do you still remember the thing I gave you back then?¡±


    ¡®The heron medallion.¡¯


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Then do you remember the duty I gave you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I do.¡±


    Hector gave him an arrogant grin. ¡°You always proved to be up to the task when we needed you¡­ Now, I¡¯m asking you to not disappoint me.¡±


    The others seemed confused at this conversation, but Red knew what the old man meant very well. His duty to protect Eiwin, Narcha, and Allen, to serve his sect from the darkness, something he had already failed before he even had the opportunity to step up. Now, Hector wanted him to keep by his word for the only one that remained behind.


    ¡°I have promised to protect all of you to someone else, too.¡± Red said.


    That someone else was no longer in the sect, but his promise to her was still very real to the youth.


    ¡°You have already done your best on that front, kid.¡± Hector said. ¡°Without you, all of us might have died ten times over. Now, I¡¯m asking you to protect the future of this sect.¡±


    The youth was silent for a while. He looked over at all of his companions. His master and Domeron were staring at him with looks of conviction, while Rog just nodded with his usual expressionless face. Allen, on the other hand, still seemed uncertain, and it felt as if whether he would go along with the plan or not all depended on the answer Red gave.


    ¡®In the end, it always comes down to these promises¡­¡¯


    The youth nodded. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±

 Chapter 349 - Siphon

    <div>


    Red¡¯s response made Goulth sigh in relief, while Hector nodded with a satisfied expression.


    The elder looked over at Allen. ¡°Do you still have any objections?¡±


    The young master gritted his teeth, but in the end, he shook his head with a resigned expression. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Great, then we can-¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Allen cut him off. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m okay with you throwing your lives away! I want all of you to live. Do you understand me?¡±


    Hector frowned at these words. ¡°Who are you to give us orders now, you little brat?¡±


    ¡°I am your sect master. Or have you forgotten the title you gave to me?¡±


    It was the elder¡¯s turn to be unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself, Allen.¡± Domeron said. ¡°While we recognize the possibility of death, no one here is eager to throw their lives away.¡±


    Rog grunted as if he wanted to say something, but a glare from the swordsman was enough to silence him.


    ¡°Then, if everything is settled, when exactly do we depart?¡± Rimold asked with eagerness.


    ¡°When your escort arrives.¡± Hector said.


    The rogue seemed confused. ¡°Escort? I thought it was just the three of us that were going to leave.¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°What, did you think that I was just going to send the three of you out on your own? You would definitely be captured or killed before you even arrived in the next town. No, I intend on asking for a favor from someone who can not only escort you somewhere safe but can also grant you sanctuary as long as necessary.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The Crystal Sky Sect.¡± Red was able to guess who the old man was referring to.


    Hector had kept this trump card for years on end, refusing to use it even when the situation might have called for it. Back then, he helped that female cultivator deal with the Beast Tamer and the monster horde, and without his help, the culprit could have likely escaped. This all resulted in one of the most powerful sects in the world, or at least one of its elders, in owing Hector a favor.


    The elder smiled. ¡°It¡¯s time they pay back what they owe me.¡±


    ¡°How long have they promised to protect them for?¡± Domeron asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°The details will be discussed tomorrow with their representative.¡±


    ¡°They have a representative in town?¡± the swordsman seemed surprised.


    ¡°Yes. Probably one of their mortal agents. I can only imagine how many of those they have spread throughout the world.¡±


    This was the first time Red was hearing about this, too. He was under the impression that the sects didn¡¯t get involved in mortal matters, but it seemed like this was a na?ve outlook on things. Even if they chose not to interfere with certain matters, that didn¡¯t stop them from keeping tabs on everything that happened on the continent, and employing agents for that was much easier than making use of their limited number of cultivators.


    ¡°Are we going to be brought to Skycrown Peak?¡± Allen asked, displaying undisguised curiosity.


    Hector, however, didn¡¯t look too happy at the question. ¡°Entrance to the peak is only granted to members of their sect. Do you intend on joining them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I-¡±


    The elder raised his hand to cut him off. ¡°I know what you mean. The answer is no. The favor they owe me is not enough for them to grant you entrance into their holy land. It¡¯s more likely you will be taken to one of their subsidiaries around the foot of the mountain chain.¡±


    Although these sects were rather isolated from the world, they still maintained settlements around their holy land to house Outer Disciples and mortals that provided tasks most cultivators considered menial. Upon learning this, one might think that these mortals were kept as slaves, but the truth couldn¡¯t be further from that. These settlements provided a quality of life for them that they would struggle to find in any secular country, and a lot of people would kill to have the opportunity to move there, since that meant the security of them and their future generations would be assured. Not only that, but if someone in their family eventually displayed talent for cultivation, they would be offered priority in joining the sect rather than having to wait for another recruitment wave.


    It was a dream for any mortal to be able to move into one of these places, but such an opportunity didn¡¯t come by just any day.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Even knowing that, though, Allen still looked somewhat disappointed.


    Hector, however, chose to ignore his expression. ¡°There is not much to discuss for now. I suppose I don¡¯t need to say this, but while we are preparing these matters, no one is allowed to leave the sect for their own safety. Not even you, Red.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I might have no choice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Rimold seemed to remember something. ¡°The dagger is still out there, isn¡¯t it?! We need to go collect it!¡±


    Hector looked somewhat confused at this.


    He looked over at Domeron, but the swordsman just shook his head. ¡°We can discuss this later.¡±


    The rogue looked dismayed. ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I said we will discuss this later. I can assure you that the dagger is very safe.¡±


    Domeron glared at him, causing Rimold to fall silent.


    Hector watched all of this with a frown, but he didn¡¯t interject. Only when the matter seemed settled did he move on.


    ¡°The representative of the Crystal Sky Sect will visit us tomorrow, according to the Baron.¡± the elder said. ¡°Until then, you are all dismissed.¡±


    Although there was a general air of uncertainty around the room, most of the sect members seemed to be in relatively high spirits, which was not how these meeting usually ended. All of them still had things they wanted to ask about, but none of it seemed important enough to cause them to discuss it right now.


    Well, all of them other than Rog, who walked away from the meeting with not a concern in his mind. Goulth, however, once more gave Red a strange look, but walked away without saying anything.


    Just like that, they all started to leave the room.


    ¡°Domeron and Red, you can stay here for now.¡± Hector called out to them before they could leave. ¡°We need to talk about what happened out there.¡±


    Domeron nodded. ¡°We really do.¡±


    Red, however, hesitated, looking through the door that Goulth had just left. ¡°¡­ Can this wait for a bit?¡±


    Hector scowled at this. ¡°Why? Do you have more important matters to attend to?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what his master wanted with him, but there was a certain sense of urgency in his gaze that the youth thought better than to ignore.


    The elder seemed to have his own guesses about the youth¡¯s intentions, so he grunted. ¡°Fine. I suppose I can have Domeron brief me on this, then.¡±


    The swordsman shook his head. ¡±It¡¯s better that the kid is here to explain it.¡±


    ¡°Bah, let¡¯s do it at night then!¡± Hector threw his hands up in resignation. ¡°We are less likely to get interrupted that way.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, just go and do what you must! It¡¯s not good for a cultivator to leave any unfinished business behind before they move on.¡±


    The youth nodded again and turned around to leave the room. No one stopped him from leaving, but as soon as he stepped foot in the courtyard, he saw Rimold and Allen outside. Both of them were waiting for him, by the looks of it.


    ¡°Red, I need to talk to you!¡± Allen said with a concerned expression.


    ¡°Did you talk to Hector about the dagger?!¡± Rimold asked, just as worried as the young master.


    Red frowned. ¡°We will talk about this later.¡±


    He ignored their protests and pleading and walked towards the workshop of his master. He could feel the blacksmith¡¯s trembling fluctuation inside of the house. The youth could tell he was waiting for him, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to walk in.


    He found the man sitting by his forge, looking at something he had set on top of the table. Red was unable to see it from this angle with all the other equipment and material blocking his sight, so he walked around the table, peering over the man¡¯s shoulder.


    A square greyish hide was laying there, with a familiar-looking rune inscribed on its surface in golden-tinted dye. It was one of Red¡¯s infernal runes, yet right now there was something different about it. It was glowing with a soft crimson light, and just by setting his eyes upon it, the youth could feel the potential power hiding beneath its surface.


    A shiver ran up his spine as something in his body seemed to resonate with that power.


    Before he could do anything else, though, Goulth spoke up. ¡°It has been like this since the Blood Moon.¡±


    As if to show his point, he dragged out another piece of hide from a nearby box, unfurling it upon the table. Another infernal rune was there, of a different kind, and yet it was glowing in a similar manner. The blacksmith set a few more of them on the table and they all were in a similar state, without exception.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do with them.¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°I examined them, and couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. I thought about dropping my own blood onto them to see what could happen, but I decided to wait for you before doing something so reckless.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°¡­ You did well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± The blacksmith said. ¡°I have been having¡­ Strange nightmares since the Blood Moon appeared.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°What kind of nightmares?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not the ones you have been having. They are all kind of a blur, and it¡¯s hard to remember what they were about. I just remember there being a lot of crimson colors involved.¡± Goulth said. ¡°I have only slept twice since the Moon, so it¡¯s hard to say it¡¯s a pattern, but¡­ I felt even more tired after every time I woke up, so I thought it better not to sleep and risk it.¡±


    Red was unsure of what to think about this, but a troubling possibility crossed his mind. He shoved his hand into his pouch, grabbing the core and extending his awareness into it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Goulth asked in confusion.


    ¡°Just give me one minute.¡± the youth said.


    In his head, he started another conversation.


    ¡°Can you check his life force?¡± he asked Aurelia.


    ¡°In my state? That will be hard.¡± Aurelia seemed hesitant.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Red urged her. ¡°I need to know.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t expect me to be able to do this many more times before recovering.¡±


    The youth was relieved at her accepting his request, and he pulled his hand away from his pouch.


    Goulth looked at him in confusion. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Just wait a bit more.¡±


    It took almost a full half a minute of awkward silence before Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    ¡°I have done as you asked¡­¡± she said, her voice taking a severe tone.


    Red was ready for the worst.


    She continued. ¡°¡­ It is not good. His vitality seems to be the equivalent of an old man nearing the final stages of his life, which certainly didn¡¯t seem to be the case when I last checked. He might not have sensed it yet, but I can only tell you that it is a matter of time before his body starts feeling the effects of it and he ages the equivalent of thirty years in a matter of weeks.¡±


    The youth¡¯s frown deepened. It was truly as he suspect.


    Goulth seemed concerned as he looked at Red. ¡°What is it, kid? Is it really that bad?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ The runes have been absorbing your life force.¡±


    The blacksmith¡¯s expression fell. ¡°¡­ Oh. It¡¯s actually even worse, huh?¡±

 Chapter 350 - A Masters Legacy

    <div>


    The blacksmith was silent for a while, digesting the information that he had just learned. ¡°¡­ Can you tell how much of my life force was stolen?¡±


    Red hesitated again, but he knew there was no point in hiding the information from his master. ¡°¡­ Three decades at least.¡±


    The youth was expecting Goulth to show shock or dismay at this revelation, but instead, the man let out a small laughter.


    ¡°Bah! To think I was worried about dying against the imperials¡­¡±


    Red frowned at this reaction. ¡°Are you not worried?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to me earlier? I have already accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish anyway, so why would I worry about dying?¡±


    ¡®This same speech again¡­¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to die.¡± the youth said. ¡°Life force isn¡¯t impossible to recover. If you come with us, we can seek a way to help you in the Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    The blacksmith snorted. ¡°What nonsense is this? You think I want you to waste your time with an old man like me? Even if there was a way to heal me, it would be extremely expensive, and I would rather kill myself than to become a burden on my disciple!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Why must you be like this?¡±


    The youth just couldn¡¯t comprehend how people like Rog and Goulth felt so compelled to embrace death. Even if one lost the main joy in their life while the other accomplished everything they wanted to, he just couldn¡¯t understand what would push someone to seek their own death in such a way. In this cultivation world where everything was possible, Red thought it only natural that one should seek to struggle for as long as possible for even the faintest possibility to recover that which you lost or to find purpose anew.


    It was what drove him back then in the underground when survival was his only reason for living and freedom didn¡¯t seem possible. This hope was made him unable to understand the oblivion these two walked towards willingly.


    ¡°You¡¯re too young to understand it.¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°The drive that kept me going when I was young has burned out a long time ago¡­ I accomplished what I wanted to do, and now the best end I can hope for is dying a worthy death. It¡¯s the only sort of dignity I have left of my cultivator spirit.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is that what a cultivator spirit is? To seek a worthy death?¡±


    The blacksmith smiled. ¡°For me, yes. For you, this is clearly not the case, which is why I know you will accomplish great things in the future, and why I feel at ease letting go.¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t any closer to understanding Goulth¡¯s mentality, but he also accepted the fact this was something he probably would never comprehend. In spite of that, when he looked into his master¡¯s eyes, he saw a resolve that gave him no choice but to respect the man¡¯s decision, as doing otherwise would be an insult to what the man stood for.


    It was the same kind of gaze that Red saw in Viran¡¯s eyes on the day he left him to die in the underground.


    He looked over at the runes on the table. ¡°¡­ I should never have tried to study them.¡±


    Goulth laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I was the one with far more experience and that still decided to help you. The knowledge we gained is something no one else in this world knows about, and that alone makes it worth pursuing. Besides, we couldn¡¯t have predicted this could have happened with the Blood Moon.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a demonic rune. We should have expected the worst.¡±


    ¡°If you knew this could have happened, would that have stopped you from studying it?¡±


    ¡°If I knew it came at the cost of your life force, I would have not done it in your presence¡­ but I probably wouldn¡¯t have given up on it.¡± The youth couldn¡¯t bring himself to lie in front of the man.


    Goulth nodded, as if he was expecting this response. ¡°Then let this be a lesson: don¡¯t underestimate the demonic powers you are dealing with, even if you feel like you have absolute control over them. It¡¯s better that it came at the cost of an old man¡¯s life like me rather than your own.¡±


    The way the blacksmith put it didn¡¯t make the youth feel any better, but he knew what his master wanted to say. Even after taking every safety measure necessary, there was no guarantee that these demonic powers he was dabbling in would be safe for himself and for those around him. After all, there were a lot of cultivators far more experienced and stronger than him in the world that still refused to use demonic powers despite the enormous advantages it provided. Were these people stupid or just extremely righteous in their ways? Could they not find a way to combat the corruption, not even in small quantities? That was unlikely, which meant that there were obvious drawbacks other than the pollution of their being and morals that pulled them away from it.


    The unexpected and violent way these infernal runes reacted to the Blood Moon was likely one such reason. Demonic powers were unstable and unpredictable, and the way they reacted to the world and its elements was not something that was documented to any extent - or if it was, such records were lost with the destruction of the demonic sects.


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    Red was walking blindly on this path, and this lesson he learned came at a great cost to someone close to him, even if the blacksmith wanted to tell him otherwise. This wasn¡¯t something he would ever forget.


    ¡°We should destroy these runes.¡± he said, making a decision.


    ¡°No!¡± Goulth grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°They might still be useful!¡±


    ¡°If I leave them as they are, your life force will probably be drained completely.¡±


    In fact, Red was rather afraid of just standing close to these glowing runes. He didn¡¯t feel like his life force was being drained at the moment, but the mere possibility was enough to frighten him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to leave all of them,¡± Goulth shook his head. ¡°Just leave this one.¡±


    The blacksmith pointed at a particular rune. This symbol was the first infernal rune they drew, and the one that had left the biggest mark on them.


    ¡°The blood explosion rune?¡± Red asked.


    The blacksmith smiled. ¡°Yes. Its power might not be as good as a proper talisman, but it is capable of something no other rune I know can do. With this, I can take anyone by surprise.¡±


    Goulth was, of course, referring to the ability they named this rune after. As with every infernal rune, it was fueled by blood, but it also made said blood explode once it had fed on enough fluid.


    Red and his master theorized in the past that a powerful way to use this rune was to plant it over an opponent¡¯s bleeding wound, which would likely cause the flesh in that area to explode. They didn¡¯t test this theory in combat before due to fear of revealing these highly demonic powers to the public, not to mention they couldn¡¯t necessarily mass produce these runes.


    Now, however, this wasn¡¯t as much of a concern with his master impeding life or death conflict.


    ¡°Even a single rune might still absorb a lot of your life force.¡± Red said.


    ¡°It still won¡¯t be enough to kill me overnight, will it?¡± Goulth asked.


    The youth looked around the table. There were about twelve runes, so if the math stood true, keeping just one of them would be equivalent to a twelfth of the life force-absorption. Considering Goulth lost about 30 years¡¯ worth of vitality in the course of three or four days, this would mean he would lose about 2 and a half years every three days with just one of them.


    This was still an enormous loss by any accounts, which made Red hesitant to agree to this.


    Goulth, however, looked at him with a resolved expression. ¡°Come on, kid. I¡¯m not as good in combat as Domeron or Rog. I need something to take my enemies by surprise.¡±


    ¡°What if battle doesn¡¯t come for weeks until after we are gone?¡± the youth asked.


    ¡°Then I will destroy the rune myself. I don¡¯t intend on falling dead before the battle comes.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Then do as you will.¡±


    At this point, he knew better than to try to stop the blacksmith.


    Goulth smiled with his pale expression. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll destroy the rest of them myself.¡±


    He was true to his word and started to tear the rune hides apart with a knife. The glows of the infernal runes were quick to disappear as their form was damaged, and soon enough there was just one of them on the table, which Goulth swiftly stored inside of a chest.


    Red was relieved as he saw this, but his spirits weren¡¯t totally settled. Something the two of them had yet to acknowledge due to the problem with the runes was that this might be one of the last opportunities they would have to meet as student and master, and the youth didn¡¯t quite know what to say or how to react.


    Back then, he didn¡¯t feel so hesitant to part with the dying Viran, partly due to the lack of guarantee of his own survival and also due to the fact that his relationship with the old warrior was based on mutual-benefits from both parties. With Goulth, though, this couldn¡¯t be more different.


    The blacksmith took Red on with open arms from the first day he arrived in the sect, wanting nothing but to impart his knowledge upon an inexperienced but ambitious child. Even when he didn¡¯t display the same passion for crafting as his master, Goulth didn¡¯t give up on him, willing to accept the youth as he was rather than trying to shape him into the idealistic image he had for a disciple.


    This was the man Red knew he could count upon when he needed help - the man who was willing to accept and teach him despite his dark secrets and the danger he represented to others. He was the youth¡¯s most trusted confidant, someone whom Red never felt the slightest need to suspect or be on guard against right from their first meeting - perhaps the only such person in his life.


    Goulth was his trusted and loyal master, and only now did it seem to dawn on the youth that he was about to lose this connection very soon. He didn¡¯t know what to say, but he didn¡¯t want to leave without saying anything either, so instead he just stood there, looking at the table with a blank expression.


    Goulth, however, broke the silence a bit later. ¡°I have something for you.¡±


    Red snapped out of his daze and looked at the blacksmith. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± The man handed over a leather-bound book to him.


    The youth grabbed it and stared at the rather heavy and old tome that seemed on the edge of falling apart. He recognized it almost instantly.


    This was the same book the blacksmith showed him the first time they met. The accumulation of the knowledge of a lineage of master blacksmiths that originated all the way back when the Amber Saber Sect was still alive.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to pass you this.¡± Goulth said. ¡°I know you might not pursue blacksmithing in the future, but this will still be useful for you either way if you ever plan to forge your own artifacts. Who knows, maybe one day you might have a disciple that is interested in blacksmithing and you can give this to them so they can add their own pages to it.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything, staring at the book in silence.


    The blacksmith continued with a shrug. ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t really care either way. I think as long as this book serves you well in your journey, it doesn¡¯t matter to me if someone adds any more pages to it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Red put the book on the table and bowed towards his Goulth, something he had learned other disciples did towards their master, but something he had never done before this moment.


    Goulth seemed taken aback. ¡°What are you doing?! I don¡¯t want any kiss-ass disciples!¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°But I thought-¡±


    ¡°Bah, just get out of here already if you¡¯re done!¡± The blacksmith waved him off. ¡°I have better things to do than to have you grovelling at my feet!¡±


    Red was confused, but he still walked away as he was told.


    Despite his words, though, the youth could feel a change in his master¡¯s fluctuation. Even in his weakened state, his fluctuation didn¡¯t flutter or tremble.


    It seemed like Goulth was at complete peace.

 Chapter 351 - The Hunters Promise

    Red¡¯s discussion with his master didn¡¯t last longer than an hour, so by the time he left the workshop, it was still day. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t find Allen or Rimold waiting for him outside of the building


    The youth, however, still had matters he wanted to talk about with other people before the time ran out. It just so happened that there was someone whom he wanted to talk to about what just happened.


    He entered his room and sat cross-legged on his bed, grabbing the insectoid core from his pouch and setting it on his lap.


    ¡°Is his life-force the only thing wrong with him?¡± Red asked as his awareness reached towards the crystal.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Do you still want to save him?¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°There is still a possibility they could come out of this, though I do not delude myself about how slim it may be. I just wanted to know if the life-force is the only thing he needed to worry about.¡±


    The enemy they were fighting against was the Empire. A cultivator like Hector, as strong as he might be compared to other in his level, was still just a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. There was no way that such a large faction wouldn¡¯t have their own ways to deal with him, though the elder probably knew about that himself, and yet still chose to stay behind.


    Hector wasn¡¯t as selfless to put his own life at such enormous risk, which meant he had a plan or a hidden trump card that could give him hope. Whether that would be enough to turn the tides was debatable, but it meant there was a chance that he and his companions could live, as slim as it may be.


    The woman was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ I checked the rest of his body, and everything seems to be in order, other than the fact that his vitality is in a constant state of depletion.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°You mean there is no sign of corruption?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I was surprised too, much more so after he spoke about his dreams.¡±


    These dreams Goulth mentioned were the reason why the youth suspect he might have been affected by demonic corruption. Learning that this wasn¡¯t the case was a relief to him, but it only left him puzzled as to why he was having these dreams in the first place.


    ¡°Does the Blood Moon strengthen demonic powers?¡± Red asked.


    This was something he thought the woman would have mentioned before, but it was still wise to clear his doubts.


    ¡°No, it has never done it as far as I know.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Maybe if it stayed in the sky for a long enough time, it would have some kind of effect, but it barely remains in that state for more than a minute. Even when the demonic invasions were ongoing, the Blood Moon didn¡¯t make a return.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What else could have caused the talismans to do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too much of a coincidence to not be related to the appearance of the Blood Moon. However, I have no idea why it happened. For now, the only advice I can give you is to refrain from studying these runes until you have opened your Spiritual Sea.¡±


    Establishing the cause and effect between the infernal runes and the Blood Moon was easy, but it didn¡¯t mean that they were any closer to understand the underlying reason behind these phenomena. The youth thought about questioning the crimson mist, but it was still unresponsive. Not to mention that when they spoke about the runes in the past, the being didn¡¯t seem to know too much about them, either.


    It was yet another matter Red had to shelve for now.


    The youth decided to change topics. ¡°You were a disciple of the Amber Saber Sect, correct?¡±


    Aurelia seemed to hesitate for a bit. ¡°¡­ That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Have you looked through the book Goulth gave me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I have taken a few glances while he leafed through it in the past, yes.¡± The woman didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°It seems genuine enough and contains a few secret forging techniques of my sect that I recognize. However, I can¡¯t possibly tell you if it was written by a true disciple or if it was leaked after my sect¡¯s destruction.¡±


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    ¡°Does it not bother you for me to have it?¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Why would it bother me? If you remember, me and my sect didn¡¯t part in the best of terms and now they no longer exist. It would be a pity instead if their techniques were lost to history.¡±


    Red was expecting this kind of response from the woman, but he thought better to confirm in case he terribly misjudged her personality.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame about your master, though.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°If my sect was still around and he had even a bit of cultivation talent, he could have definitely become an Inner Disciple solely based on his talent for crafting.¡±


    This time, the youth was genuinely surprised. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why would I lie?¡± She seemed somewhat insulted. ¡°It¡¯s not just your master either. Everyone here in your sect are all very talented and skilled in their areas for mere mortals. I can only praise your elder¡¯s eye for talent.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Red had heard praise for his sect member¡¯s prowess. This time, though, it came from someone who had reached the fourth cultivation realm in the past and who had probably been around some of the most talented genius in the world. Her words carried far more weight.


    ¡°Of course, while it is impressive, it is ultimately inconsequential.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The only talent that matters is the talent in cultivation. Even if you are a genius in other areas, you will be unable to reach your full potential if you can¡¯t even open your Spiritual Sea.¡±


    The youth sighed at this, and without ceremony took off his hand from the core, finishing their conversation. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had heard these damnable words either.


    Red got up from his bed and walked outside, searching around for a specific member of his sect. Like he expected, the man was in his cabin, as he was most of the time he was in town.


    The youth approached the door and knocked on it.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Instead of a voice welcoming him in, though, he received a crass response from Rog. The hunter didn¡¯t open the door to him either.


    Red thought about asking the man to open the door so as to speak to him face to face, but after remembering how his efforts in convincing his own master went, he gave up on it. If anything, Rog was even more stubborn than Goulth, and the youth wasn¡¯t someone particularly skilled in persuading others through anything other than pure logic.


    ¡°¡­ Are you really planning on dying?¡± Red asked after a long silence.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rog responded with no hesitation from behind the wooden door.


    The youth frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m too tired to keep fighting.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What if there was a way to recover your arm?¡±


    ¡°Do you have it on you right now?¡± Rog asked.


    ¡°Well, I could-¡±


    ¡°No, actually, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The hunter cut him off. ¡°Even if you did, that isn¡¯t the problem.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about your undeath disease? It won¡¯t take effect until-¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that either.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°What is the problem, then?¡±


    ¡°I like this place and it seems like too much of a bother to have to move away right now.¡± Rog said.


    ¡°¡­ So you would rather die than move away?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ¡±


    Red didn¡¯t quite know what to say about this. The hunter was always one of the people he understood the least in the sect, and the only one capable of leaving him at such a loss.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine, kid.¡± Rog said. ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t lost my arm, I probably would¡¯ve chosen to stay either way.¡±


    ¡°Then what if you live through this?¡± Red asked. ¡°What do you plan on doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I suppose if I do live, then it means this place and the forest will still be here, so at that point I might try to repair my arm or something so I can keep hunting before I turn into a zombie.¡±


    The youth frowned at this. ¡°So you mean you won¡¯t escape even if you have the chance?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And there is nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Not, really¡­¡± Rog hesitated. ¡°¡­ Well, you could defeat the imperials and save this place. That would convince me to live.¡±


    Red shook his head.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Narcha. This is yet another one of our companions I couldn¡¯t save.¡¯


    Rog continued. ¡°Look, even if I die here, I will live on through you.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I taught you how to hunt and how to shoot a bow. Maybe in the future you can name a Spiritual Art after me or something.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will focus on archery in the future.¡±


    Red had become quite good at it over the years, but his talent with the bow paled in comparison to Rog¡¯s and didn¡¯t fit his preferred combat style.


    Rog grunted from behind the door. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t need to be archery. Just name anything original you come up with after me. Maybe even your child, if you ever have one.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ Rog seems like a rather strange name to give to a child.¡±


    The hunter let out a small laughter. ¡°Look who¡¯s speaking!¡±


    Red supposed the man had a point.


    ¡°Very well. I promise that one day I will name something I create after you.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Rog interjected. ¡°It needs to be something that will become famous, or else there¡¯s no point!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I promise that I will name something that I create that will become famous after you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The hunter seemed satisfied. ¡°Now leave me be. I have to figure out how I¡¯m going to fight with one hand.¡±


    The youth shook his head and walked away. He supposed that at the very least, the hunter didn¡¯t intend on going down without a fight.

 Chapter 352 - The Hidden Deal

    Red waited in his room until night arrived, to avoid the incessant questions of Domeron and Allen. Thankfully, though, none of them came looking for him, and the youth managed to pass these hours in peace. He still kept an eye on his companions through his crimson sense, but none of them tried to leave the sect during this time, and no one from outsiders came spying about either.


    He even tried to extend his detection range in a few directions, too, but he didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. If there were people spying on them, Red was unable to spot them, even with his power.


    ¡®Is Rickard in town right now?¡¯


    The youth had half a mind to go wandering about and use his crimson sense to search for the bandit, yet he knew this was a stupid idea. There was no telling who was an imperial agent in the streets, and it was likely that Red would be spotted and targeted even if Aurelia could hide his spiritual emissions.


    In the end, he needed to come to terms that his part in this fight was probably over and there was nothing he could do to help his companions in their plan. Yet, no matter how much he tried, there was a part of him that still refused to accept this outcome.


    For all the talk about knowing his own limits when facing against an overwhelming opponent, Red just felt an enormous sense of hesitation at abandoning his companions and accepting defeat - and it wasn¡¯t solely because of the promise he made to Narcha. Before he could spend any more time struggling with his own inner thoughts, though, he sensed two fluctuations gathering in the main hall.


    They were Domeron and Hector.


    ¡®¡­ Are they waiting for me?¡¯


    The youth thought they would have called him before starting to talk, but since no such thing happened, he felt confused. Were they speaking in private before calling for him? Did they have something they wanted to hide?


    He decided to check it for himself.


    He exited his room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He knew how perceptive Hector was, so he didn¡¯t think the man would fail to notice him. Still, Red tried to approach the building and listen in through one of the windows.


    ¡®I can¡¯t hear anything.¡¯


    He was uncertain if this was because the duo wasn¡¯t talking or because Hector had blocked the sound waves from leaving the room, as he always did when he wanted to discuss secretive information. The youth came to terms that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to spy on them, and instead approached through the front door.


    He knocked on it.


    ¡°¡­ Who is it?¡± Domeron¡¯s voice came from behind the door a few seconds later.


    ¡°It¡¯s Red.¡±


    Another long pause, and Red felt a slight change in Domeron¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°You can come in.¡±


    This time, it was Hector who broke the silence.


    Red opened the door and walked inside. The first thing he saw was Hector and Domeron sitting at the meeting table, staring at him. The swordsman had a frown on his face, while the elder looked as cranky as usual.


    The youth immediately felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere.


    ¡°Were you discussing something behind my back?¡± he asked.


    Hector snorted. ¡°Were you spying on us?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I was under the impression that all three of us were supposed to have this discussion, not just you two.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°We weren¡¯t plotting your demise, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    ¡°Then what were you doing?¡±


    The swordsman fell silent and exchanged glances with Hector.


    The elder pointed to a chair by his side. ¡°Just sit down and I¡¯ll explain.¡±


    Red nodded and sat on the chair across from Domeron, while Hector remained at the head of the table, as usual.


    ¡°Does this have to do with what you were hiding from the others earlier?¡± the youth asked.


    Hector frowned. ¡°Why do you think I was hiding something?¡±


    ¡°It seems strange to me that you would put your life on the line in this town for no good reason.¡± Red said. ¡°We already went through this in the past, and you told us before that you wouldn¡¯t hesitate to leave this town behind for the good of our sect.¡±


    The elder grunted. ¡°I had a change of heart when I saw how pitiful the baron was.¡±


    The youth frowned and stared that the old man.


    Hector sighed. ¡°Fine! While I wasn¡¯t lying about feeling pity for the Baron, there was another reason why I chose to stay behind. It¡¯s part of the reason why I wanted to speak with you, not only because of the dagger you found.¡±


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    ¡°We should address that first.¡± Domeron interjected. ¡°It¡¯s the more important issue.¡±


    The elder nodded and looked over at Red. ¡°Do you have the dagger with you?¡±


    The youth nodded and pulled the weapon out of his pouch before putting it on the table. The skeletal hand was still attached to its handle, as he didn¡¯t plan to fiddle with the dagger before Hector could see it.


    The elder looked at the item with a frown and, displaying rare hesitation, grabbed the dagger to inspect it.


    ¡°Did the hand come with it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The dagger was in the hands of a skeleton. His bones were very strong, and it took me a lot of effort to cut the hand from the rest of the arm.¡± Red explained.


    ¡°You are not wrong.¡± Hector said. ¡°These bones are very sturdy, so they must have belonged to a strong cultivator in life.¡±


    As the old man spoke, he started to pry apart the skeletal hand from the dagger. It took some effort, but what was impossible for Red was accomplished in no more than ten second by the elder, and soon enough Hector had uncurled the bony fingers from the dagger, separating them from each other.


    Finally, the dagger was displayed in full, though there didn¡¯t seem to be anything hidden in the area where the hand was previously covering. Hector turned the blade around in his hand with a frown.


    ¡°This dagger¡­ It¡¯s even more durable than the hand.¡± Hector said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell for certain, but it seems to be as sturdy as the Deep Ocean Sword.¡±


    ¡°That strong?¡± Domeron seemed surprised.


    His reaction was warranted, considering the sword was apparently one of the signature treasures of the Ocean Bearer¡¯s Sect.


    ¡°Is it made out of bone, too?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It seems like it, but I¡¯m no expert.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°If it is made out of bone, though, it certainly gives credence to the theory that this might have been fashioned out of the skeleton of a cultivator near ascension.¡±


    The youth already knew this might have been a possibility, but getting confirmation from another source was still useful.


    ¡°Either way, tell me what happened.¡± Hector said. ¡°How did you acquire this dagger?¡±


    Domeron and Red exchanged glances.


    They both started to explain the challenges they went through during their journey. The swordsman also told Hector about how he had revealed his Spirit of Slaughter to Red, which caused the elder to frown.


    Domeron told most of what happened with a lot of detail, which the youth didn¡¯t complain about, though when it got to the end of their journey, the responsibility to explain things fell onto Red. He tried to explain the bizarre sequence of events that occurred, including his omens and the encounter with the ghost possessing the dagger.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t reveal the existence of Aurelia or the more sensitive details about what happened on the trip, but he didn¡¯t lie either. Instead, he just chose to brush over how some things happened, such as how the ghost died or how he knew where to look for where the dagger was. This lack of details made Hector upset, something that was evident by his expression, but to Red¡¯s relief, he didn¡¯t demand answers, either.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that another ghost might be looking for this dagger?¡± Hector asked. ¡°A ghost that is capable of using terror to kill an entire village of people?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I chose not to mention this to the Baron earlier, but yes. It is also entirely possible that this ghost will still be looking for this dagger.¡±


    ¡°So the ghost of a possible near-ascension cultivator might be seeking this dagger and you still chose to bring it back?¡± The elder frowned.


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps if I knew what was happening¡­ No, even if I knew what was happening, I would have still brought it back.¡± Red said.


    An item and opportunity like this wasn¡¯t something one came across often. Even in this time of crisis, the youth still believed it was worth the risk.


    Hector sighed. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t blame you, considering I was the one incentivizing this kind of behaviour in the first place. Still, you do know the kind of danger this represents, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± The youth nodded.


    Red at first planned on studying the dagger in the safety of town. Seeing as the ghost wasn¡¯t too confident in attacking him head on, he thought that at the very least he would be afforded some security as long as he remained inside the settlement. Obviously, this was no longer a possibility, and now Red was hesitant to bring it along with him, considering it could make him a target as they fled the sect.


    ¡°I would advise you to keep it here so I could sell it as soon as possible, but¡­ I can¡¯t guarantee its safety here either.¡± Hector said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we sell it to our Crystal Sky Sect escorts?¡± Domeron asked.


    The elder shook his head. ¡°This is not the sort of item that we should sell in the open, even to someone from a sect. They are merely repaying a favor that they own me, but it doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t be greedy when something like this appears in front of them.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the opportunity to sell it in the black market either, though.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hector nodded and looked at Red. ¡°I am about to suggest something you will probably not like.¡±


    The youth could guess what was coming. ¡°You want to keep the dagger here, right?¡±


    ¡°I do. I plan on hiding it so it can be recovered in the future, but even then I can¡¯t guarantee an invading force will be unable to find it.¡± the old man said. ¡°Still, I think bringing this with you right now is not a risk worth taking.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°You can keep it.¡±


    The youth thought it was a shame to lose such an opportunity, but he was not yet so blinded by profit to throw caution to the wind. His only hope was that Hector would have some way to sell the dagger before everything went to chaos, but that was wishful thinking on his part, it seemed.


    ¡°If I do make it out of this alive, I will bring this dagger with me.¡± Hector said. ¡°If I don¡¯t, you can return here in the future to collect it. Hopefully, no one will have found it by then.¡±


    Red nodded. This was as good of a compromise as he knew he was going to get.


    ¡°There are other matters I would like to talk about regarding this little trip of yours.¡± Hector gave both of them a meaningful gaze. ¡°But compared to the problems at hand, I can¡¯t bring myself to care that much.¡±


    Red was relieved to hear this, though when put into perspective, he would have found it unreasonable if the elder decided to press him on his secrets instead of focusing on the matter at hand.


    ¡°Now, to the thing you mentioned earlier.¡± Hector said.


    The youth¡¯s attention was piqued. ¡°You mean the reason you are staying behind?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Truth is that I spoke to the Baron, and he managed to negotiate a deal between me and the Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    Domeron didn¡¯t seem surprised at this, meaning he probably already spoke about the matter with Hector earlier.


    Red, however, was confused. ¡°I thought they owned you a favor.¡±


    ¡°They do, but this deal is separate from it.¡± The elder said. ¡°They had no issues bringing our sect to safety, but I decided this was a good opportunity to acquire some extra benefits on top of it. All I needed to do was to offer to help them protect the town, something they were in dire need of considering their forces were already stretched thin dealing with the consequences of the Blood Moon.¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ What extra benefits are these?¡±


    Hector smiled. ¡°I asked them to sponsor the growth of both you and Allen for the next three years. That is to say, during that period, you can consider yourselves as Guest Disciples of the Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    Red was at a loss at this revelation.

 Chapter 353 - To Take a Risk

    ¡°It¡¯s a terrible idea.¡±


    Before Red could even speak up, though, Domeron already protested the decision.


    Hector didn¡¯t seem too happy at this. ¡°It¡¯s the opportunity of a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity for another sect to poach our talent.¡± The swordsman shook his head. ¡°Even if Allen is not a consummate genius, he definitely has the potential to become an Inner Disciple of the Crystal Sky Sect. They will do everything they can to recruit him. In fact, I think they only accepted your offer exactly because of that!¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°I have been instilling the importance of continuing the legacy of our sect to him throughout his whole life. You might think of him as na?ve, but if there¡¯s one thing that I am sure of is that he is not ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about what he wants to do. If they want to recruit him, there are many ways they can go about it, none of which involves force. You should know yourself how crafty these people are.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, which is why it¡¯s important that he experiences what those places are like! If he can¡¯t keep from being manipulated by these people, then he can only blame himself!¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°This is not a test he can measure up to right now. You are simply throwing him into the den of lions and expecting him to come out on top.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly what he needs!¡± Hector pointed at Red. ¡°Besides, he will have this kid at his side. If someone knows how to handle these kinds of situations, it¡¯s him!¡±


    The swordsman didn¡¯t say anything and looked over at Red. The youth, however, was still processing what he had just been told.


    ¡°Red can¡¯t stay in that place.¡± Domeron said with a severe expression. ¡°You know that very well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide.¡± Hector looked over at Red. ¡°I know that you have a lot that you want to hide, but you have to understand the kind of opportunity this is. It¡¯s entirely possible you could earn a Parting Sea Pill during your stay with enough contributions - something that I trust you will be able to accomplish with ease.¡±


    This was the first time Hector had ever offered him such genuine compliments, and the youth knew he was speaking the truth about how rare an opportunity this was. However, the major problem was evidently the numerous secrets he had to keep from others, lest he be outed as some kind of threat to humanity.


    ¡°I have been able to hide my own abilities because I lived in a rather remote region of the world.¡± Red said. ¡°If the sect cultivators are as strong as I think they are, I have no confidence in being able to accomplish the same.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be in the sect proper, just one of the subsidiaries in their territory. It won¡¯t be much more different from a common town.¡±


    ¡°I imagine there will still be plenty of strong cultivators there, or am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong at all.¡± Domeron interjected. ¡°Even in one of these subsidiary settlements, there will probably be dozens of Lesser Ring Realm cultivators and at least one Outer Sect Elder, who must be at least in the Spirit Core Realm to acquire that kind of position. This is not even mentioning all the hidden experts that might be wandering around. It¡¯s an entirely different world compared to what you know.¡±


    Hector glared at the swordsman before turning his attention back to Red. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about your demonic corruption. It¡¯s not uncommon for cultivators to become infected by such forces during their travels, and as long as they are still of sound mind, their sects will provide all the treatment they need to cleanse themselves.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that.¡±


    His demonic tendencies were just one of the secrets he wanted to hide, and the elder also seemed unaware of how deep that aspect alone went. He had his curse to worry about too, alongside everything involving it, such as Aurelia and the Moonstone Energy in his veins - and even that wasn¡¯t the biggest risk for the youth. No, the biggest danger was the partial inheritance he carried with him from the trial.


    His master was a supreme cultivator of his era and was most known for winning a war against almost all the sects in the world. To this day, these sects probably remembered this affront to their supremacy, so much so that they pretty much wiped any knowledge of this defeat or the one who perpetrated it from the annals of history. To put matters into perspective, even knowledge about the demonic invasions of old could still be found in common history books available to anyone.


    The main difference was that the sects won the war against demons, while they lost the war against this rogue cultivator.


    This just went to show how much of a stain in their history this conflict against Red¡¯s master was. The spirit hawk told him that if any of these sects knew about his connection to his master, then the youth would most certainly be hunted down without qualms, perhaps even more so than if he committed some horrible atrocity. This, above demons and curses, was one of the main reasons as to why Red would never join a sect or stay near one for extended periods of time.


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    That and the fact he was strictly prohibited from doing it by the hawk as one of the conditions to become a disciple of his master.


    Hector frowned in thought at the youth¡¯s words. ¡°There are¡­ some people I know that can help you hide certain matters where you are going.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°You mean spies?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Some of them are just guest elders from my now-destroyed sects. I have a lot of pull with these people, so they could provide you a lot of cover, even in the territory of the Crystal Sky Sect.¡±


    ¡°Can you trust them?¡± The youth asked.


    ¡°Of course he can¡¯t!¡± Domeron interjected. ¡°Do you know in what kind of terms he parted ways with some of his old colleagues? While I¡¯m certain that a lot of them would be willing to help, it¡¯s impossible to trust them with such delicate matters. They are more likely to sell you out to their hosts than to risk their hide for you.¡±


    Hector glared at the swordsman, but he didn¡¯t refute his claims.


    He looked back at Red. ¡°Listen, what he says is not wrong. However, I can¡¯t stress it enough - this kind of opportunity to cultivate under the protection of a sect, for as limited of a time as it may be, is something that most cultivators would kill for. There are obvious risks, of course, but most of their attention will be placed on Allen because of his talent, leaving you to move as you please. If there¡¯s any possibility that you can hide your peculiarities in that kind of environment, then I advise you to take a chance - not only for our sect, but for your own sake, too.¡±


    Red was silent for a while. ¡°¡­ This is the kind of opportunity Narcha would have liked.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°Unfortunately for her, back then there was no compelling reason for me to put my life on the line in exchange for these benefits.¡±


    ¡®She would probably try to strangle you if she could hear this.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ If I go with them, will I still be able to leave?¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you wouldn¡¯t. In fact, I imagine that they would be eager to send you and Rimold on your way and leave Allen isolated to make his recruitment easier.¡±


    ¡°Or they could also kill them if they refuse to leave.¡± Domeron said.


    The elder snorted. ¡°For all you can say about the Crystal Sky Sect, they are still the most honorable sect out there.¡±


    The swordsman laughed. ¡°Considering some of the stories you told me, that¡¯s not a very high bar.¡±


    Red was expecting Aurelia to quip in with some observation, but the woman remained silent.


    After some thought, the youth came to a decision. ¡°As long as I can leave at any time, I might go and check the situation. If it seems like I can cultivate in that place without problems, then I will consider staying. That is the only thing I can promise you.¡±


    Beyond just hiding his secrets, Red also had matters he wanted to explore after he opened his Spiritual Sea that would make him reluctant to stay in one place for too long. However, just as Hector said, being provided free cultivation resources from a sect was the dream of any cultivator, so Red thought it would be worth to at least ascertain how viable this plan was.


    It just so happened that he had a former sect cultivator he could question before he made any final decision, too.


    ¡°If you decide that place isn¡¯t suitable, you might as well bring Allen away with you.¡± Domeron said. ¡°I don¡¯t fancy his chances in that sect by himself, even if Rimold also stays by his side.¡±


    ¡°He will do no such thing!¡± Hector glared at the swordsman. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it!¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t be there to stop him.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The elder looked at Red. ¡°You won¡¯t do that, will you?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Unless the situation is dire, then probably not.¡±


    Allen was a powerful and talented cultivator, but he was far too inexperienced for the youth. Dragging him along would instead put Red at risk for what he planned to do in the future, not to mention that he preferred being by himself in the first place.


    No one who had gathered as many secrets as Red would ever feel comfortable travelling alongside other people, not even with companions he trusted.


    Hector grunted. ¡°Hmm, if that¡¯s the case, then I guess I can¡¯t complain¡­ There is another matter I wanted to ask you about, though.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not responsible for what happened with the Moon, are you?¡±


    For a second, Red felt a shiver run up his spine. His expression didn¡¯t change, though, and neither Domeron nor Hector seemed to notice the shock the youth suffered.


    The youth stared at the elder with some confusion. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°It just seems strange, is all.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°Every time you leave for some quest or mission out of town, something odd happens.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°There is a difference between something odd and an apocalyptic omen, and I don¡¯t think he has the power to cause the latter. Besides, didn¡¯t you tell me the Blood Moon is a natural phenomenon? How could he be involved?¡±


    ¡°I was under the impression it was natural, but upon asking some of former companions, the timeline seems a bit off.¡± Hector said. ¡°The Blood Moon never had a fixed interval between appearances, but it also never appeared so soon after the last one. It should have taken another one hundred years, at least.¡±


    The swordsman also seemed surprised at this. ¡°They think someone might have caused it to appear this soon?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s far from a settled matter, but they would be fools to not consider the possibility when it concerns something so dangerous.¡±


    Domeron hesitated. ¡°¡­ Still, you don¡¯t think the kid would have something to do with it, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t responded.¡±


    They both looked at the impassive youth. The swordsman still seemed unconvinced, but after the elder¡¯s explanation, he was definitely recalling the strange ritual Red had been undergoing moments before the Moon appeared in the sky. Even if he still might think it was all coincidence, it was impossible that not even a bit of suspicion would arise after learning about this.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯


    A few seconds later, Red shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t cause it.¡±


    This was the simple truth. He definitely did not cause the phenomenon, but as for if he was involved in it in any way though, that was another matter.


    Hector nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so either, but I¡¯m glad to hear it coming from your own mouth.¡±


    The elder spoke as if he could tell Red was telling the truth - which probably wasn¡¯t outside the scope of his abilities. It made the youth glad he chose his words carefully.


    Hector waved his hands at him. ¡°Now go take a shower and rest. I want you to be in a presentable state when the Crystal Sky Sect agent comes here tomorrow.¡±


    Being excused out of the meeting, Red got up and returned to his room. Domeron and Hector remained behind, likely discussing even more behind his back. It left the youth wondering whether they believed what he said, or if the swordsman was revealing everything that happened during the trip to Hector. Surprisingly enough, though, Red didn¡¯t feel worried.


    It was the trust built over all this time, he supposed, that had finally made its nest in his mind. The youth wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he was comfortable with it.

 Chapter 354 - Meeting with the Agent

    When Red returned to his room, Aurelia spoke to him before he could even breathe.


    ¡°You can¡¯t stay there.¡±


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t planning to.¡¯


    ¡°Why not?¡± Red asked, despite his thoughts.


    ¡°I have been to the Crystal Sky Sect before.¡± she said. ¡°They have ways to spy on their territory even if you¡¯re not staying in their sect proper.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°What kinds of ways?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to study it at length, since my visit was short-lived. However, from what my elders told me and from what I witnessed, they have a formation that encompasses their sect and the surrounding mountain chain that they use to defend their territory.¡±


    Red was shocked. ¡°They surround an entire mountain chain with a formation?¡±


    He knew of formations that could envelop entire cities, but not one that could encompass a mountain range. That was thousands of kilometers of territory to cover, and the potential cost and materials necessary to build that kind of formation was hard to wrap his head around.


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°Well, not the entire mountain chain, but a good part of it, yes. I tested it in the past by causing a commotion a long way away from their sect peak, and they still managed to send one of their disciples to investigate in less than half-an-hour.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean they could spy on me at any time?¡± Red asked.


    If that was the case, then never mind staying in their territory, just stepping foot in there would be dangerous to him.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have any reason to.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°As far as I understand, this formation can¡¯t spy on everyone at all times, since even in their territory they still have dozens of thousands of people. Its main use is to detect strange or powerful sources of Spiritual Energy in their territory and swiftly respond against any invaders.¡±


    ¡°The energies in my body probably count as strange, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They most certainly do, but they¡¯re too small to catch anyone¡¯s attentions, and even then I can help you mask their emissions. The problem isn¡¯t the energies in your body, but rather the curse you have to deal with.¡±


    Red understood her worry. Even with the Moon Being in a slumber, there was no guarantee that state would last forever. In the future, he would need to undergo his same cycle of draining and absorbing under the lunar gaze, and it was hard to think that this kind of powerful formation wouldn¡¯t pick up on it.


    Aurelia continued. ¡°This is not even to mention the fact you will be surrounded by sect cultivators. They are way more perceptive and resourceful than the people you have dealt with up until now, so even with my help, there¡¯s no guarantee you will go by unnoticed. If you happen to come across someone in the Spiritual Awakening realm, then it¡¯s pretty much a guarantee they will notice the oddities in your body."¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ What do you suggest I do?¡±


    He trusted the woman¡¯s judgement on this. She spent her whole life in a sect, after all.


    She chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Go in there, get as many resources as you can from your elder¡¯s deal, and then leave as soon as possible. These sects are always in need of agents in the secular world, and someone as young and skilled as you would make a perfect candidate. Offer yourself for such a position and then get sent to another corner of this continent where you can cultivate in peace.¡±


    Red had to admit this was a rather good plan. Even if it meant abandoning Allen and Rimold, the youth had very little choice in the first place when remaining could mean he would be outed as some sort of aberration and end up implicating his companions too.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t believe the woman was suggesting this for his own sake alone, but it still didn¡¯t invalidate her argument.


    Red nodded. ¡°I will do as you say.¡±


    ¡°Good! You finally have some sense in your head!¡±


    The youth, of course, didn¡¯t intend to tell Hector this right after he promised that he would assess the situation first. However, there were other reasons as to why Red would prefer not to be bound in one place again other than for his own safety.


    For one, he didn¡¯t forget the requirement the spirit hawk had given him to become a true disciple of his master. He needed to break through to the Spiritual Awakening Realm before he turned thirty, and there were only thirteen years left for that. Even the support of a sect might not be enough for him to achieve that, so he knew he would need to search for opportunities in the wide world to advance as quickly as he could.


    He would need to make enemies for resources, explore dangerous places for hidden treasure troves, and put himself in danger for the slightest chance of advancing at every opportunity. It would be a perilous journey, but one Red felt eager about undertaking for his own advancement and to deepen his understanding of the world at large. This journey of his would begin as soon as he opened his Spiritual Sea, and to bind himself to another place would be a blow to both his future and his spirit.


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    Allen would be safe where he was, and beyond that, the young master also needed to pursue his own path. To have Red at his side on every turn would be undermining for both of their futures, while putting Allen¡¯s safety at risk too.


    The youth could only hope that his companion understood this when the time came to part ways.


    ¡­


    A few hours later, Red, who had been focusing on organizing his belongings he had gathered over the years, was surprised by a fluctuation entering his detection range - one that didn¡¯t belong to anyone in his sect. The youth frowned, and he immediately stood up with his sword in hand.


    It was still the middle of the night, so it was hard to imagine that a visitor or guard was coming to greet them at this hour. Upon further examination, though, Red felt that this fluctuation was rather familiar.


    ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯


    He hesitated. The fluctuation, however, continued to approach the sect, so he chose to walk outside to meet this visitor.


    They weren¡¯t approaching from the main road and instead were using the ruined and abandoned buildings surrounding the sect¡¯s street to sneak over. Red approached the area where he felt this individual coming from, and with a hand on his sword examined the surrounding area trying to spot where they were hiding.


    Even with his crimson sense and his dark vision, though, he felt it difficult to locate where they were with his eyes.


    ¡°Come out,¡± he said. ¡°I know you¡¯re here.¡±


    The fluctuation shivered slightly, and yet no one stepped out. Red was starting to feel a little uncertain, when he finally saw something shift amidst the shadows.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t speak too loudly.¡± A female voice reached him. ¡°I do not wish to awaken the others.¡±


    A middle-aged woman wearing a dark dress stepped out from behind the building. She was sporting a long, braided ponytail, and smiled softly at Red. This was a familiar face - someone whom Red and his sect didn¡¯t have much contact with over the years after Eiwin and Narcha disappeared, but who still always offered her services to sew them their uniforms.


    This was Frida, the seamstress.


    Red frowned. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡­


    Some ten minutes later, Red, Hector, Domeron, and their unexpected visitor were all inside the meeting hall.


    The elder was staring at the woman with a suspicious expression. ¡°You are the Crystal Sky agent?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    Hector¡¯s expression worsened. ¡°For how long?¡±


    ¡°Before you even arrived in town.¡±


    Red was faintly aware of the woman¡¯s background. She was here before Hector had even established himself in town.


    Hector snorted. ¡°I never pried into your background, but for someone like you to be able to maintain their own independence from Gustav for so long meant you had some strong backers. I never expected it to be an entire sect.¡±


    Frida smiled. ¡°Gustav didn¡¯t know either. He was just told to stay away from me and my business.¡±


    Domeron was massaging his temples with an exasperated expression. ¡°So, were you supposed to spy on us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a spy.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was merely meant to inform the sect of the situation in town¡­ But yes, I was meant to give special attention to your elder, considering his background.¡±


    Said elder was glaring at her. ¡°So all that preferential treatment back when we arrived was just a guise to spy on us?¡±


    Frida smiled at the old man. ¡°I was informed to establish a connection with you and your sect, but you know very well I didn¡¯t need to offer you discounts on my products to accomplish that. You all needed me more than I needed you.¡±


    Hector frowned. ¡°Then why did you do it?¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression fell. ¡°You know damn well why I did it.¡±


    Red, who was quietly observing the interaction from the side, was reminded of the supposed connection between Frida and his master Goulth, and how it might have ended in extremely bad terms. It was a taboo around the blacksmith, though, so no one in the sect dared to ask him about it. The youth himself was never too interested in the topic, so he respected Goulth¡¯s wishes and never tried to learn about it behind his back.


    Besides that, he was also surprised that the woman didn¡¯t seem afraid of Hector. In fact, the more Red stared at her, the more he felt as if there was something she was hiding right beneath the surface of a dignified merchant.


    Hector also seemed at a loss at being told off by the woman, but he held himself from snapping back. The last thing the elder wanted to do was to insult his new ally.


    Seeing this strange atmosphere forming, Domeron decided to interject. ¡°The escape plan - have you come to discuss it?¡±


    Frida looked at the swordsman with a smile. ¡°Not in the mood for a conversation about the good old times?¡±


    ¡°It was almost twenty years ago and there was nothing good about how that ended.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°None of us are in the mood for talking about it.¡±


    The woman''s expression turned serious, and she nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. None of us want to talk about it.¡±


    She took out a pouch from her waist before untying it and dumping its contents on the table. There were six small purple crystals, glowing with a faint light.


    Just a pure glance at it told Red that these were not ordinary items.


    Hector looked surprised at this. ¡°These are¡­¡±


    ¡°Concealing Magical Crystals.¡± Frida nodded. ¡°They will hide both your form and spiritual emissions from anyone below the Spirit Core Realm. You will use those to arrive at our meeting spot outside of town.¡±


    Red now understood how valuable these items were.


    The elder seemed at a loss for words. ¡°They brought these here just for us?¡±


    ¡°The Crystal Sky Sect always makes good on their promises.¡± she said. ¡°Besides, as far as I have been told, you still have some friends in there. Once they heard you were willing to put your life on the line for the safety of your own sect members, some of them decided to spend some of their own money to make sure the evacuation succeeded.¡±


    Hector scoffed at this. ¡°Friends? If they had stood by my side back then, none of this would have happened. They are probably just feeling the weight on their consciences.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t deny their assistance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°Where are we meant to go to meet the people of your sect?¡±


    ¡°I will guide you to it when the time comes.¡± Frida said.


    ¡°And when will the time come?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°That soon?!¡± The elder seemed surprised.


    Frida nodded with a helpless expression. ¡°The situation with the empire could worsen at any time.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°Why do you say that? Did something happen?¡±


    The woman seemed hesitant, but she sighed upon meeting the gazes of the trio in the room.


    She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s Bernard. He¡¯s on the move again, and we have reason to believe he could be targeting this town.¡±

 Chapter 355 - Old Lovers

    Hector¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Bernard? Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Frida nodded. ¡°Although he hasn¡¯t personally moved yet, we have spotted quite a few of his men making ventures into the southern part of your kingdom. We are under the impression these are mere scouts, preparing the way for another potential assault.¡±


    Domeron frowned. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would they circumvent the capital and target this region?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know either, but there are a few guesses.¡± she said. ¡°The general has always been someone very interested in ruins from ancient times, and he has always pursued them on the side. We suspect he must have found a lead of interest to him, hence why there¡¯s a reasonable chance they could target this town.¡±


    ¡®They aren¡¯t here because of the inheritance?¡¯


    Red was confused, but he thought better than to mention this in front of an agent of a sect. He didn¡¯t know how much information the Crystal Sky Sect had about that accident, after all. However, there was another matter he felt puzzled about.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these ruins from an ancient temple? Why would an Imperial be interested in that?¡± he asked.


    Imperials believed in the Celestial Gods, and this now ruined temple was dedicated to gods who no one even knew the names of in the present. For an imperial general to be interested in this was baffling, to say the least.


    Frida seemed hesitant to respond. ¡°¡­ This is not typical Imperial behavior by any means. As far as we are led to understand, these pursuits of his are of his own personal interest, and have caused him no small amount of trouble in the Imperial Court.¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you telling me he is disobeying orders and risking a war just to explore some useless ruins?¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°None of us can say for sure, but that¡¯s certainly the impression we have been given from the outside.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know what to think, and judging by the expression of those around the room, neither did his companions. The youth never had a concrete image in his mind to this once in a millennia talent, someone he had sworn to kill in the past. All he understood was that he was an incredibly strong knight, who was still barely starting in his path of ascension.


    To now learn that the most talented individual in the world was someone who had no problem defying the will of his own country just to pursue his selfish interests left Red unsure of how to feel.


    After a moment of reflection, Hector¡¯s expression twisted in fury. ¡°Do you mean to say that my entire life¡¯s work is at risk just because some damn brat that is not even half my age decided they wanted to go spelunking?¡±


    Frida shook her head. ¡°This brat has the power and prestige to do almost anything he wants in the world. You should know better than anyone that this is what matters the most.¡±


    ¡°And your sect? Are they not going to send anyone to deal with him?¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ That is not for me to say.¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°You mean they will let him do as he pleases?¡±


    ¡°Your town is not the only one with a ruin in this kingdom. The sect can¡¯t possibly have an elder watch every single one of these sites, and even if they did, it doesn¡¯t mean they would be able to stop the Imperial General.¡±


    ¡°Then go and attack him directly!¡± Hector slammed his fist on the table. ¡°You know he¡¯s planning on breaking a treaty he made with your sect, so what are you waiting for?! Does your sect¡¯s honor mean nothing any more?!¡±


    Frida frowned. ¡°Besides the fact this is not my decision to make, you know better than anyone else the answer to these questions. We have been having this same discussion internally for hundreds of years already.¡±


    Domeron sighed. ¡°They don¡¯t find our kingdom worth enough to declare war against the Empire.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened in history. The Empire declared war against a small kingdom, got told off by the sects, sometimes even paid reparations for their aggressions, only to repeat the same transgression a few decades later. This was how they had conquered half the continent already, and yet the sects didn¡¯t stop them, seeing as none of their actions crossed their bottom line. Or perhaps, for some of these sects it is better to say that by the time they thought to stop the Empire, they found out it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as straightforward of a task as it would have been in the past. So they hesitated, rife with internal disputes about how to proceed, and this hesitation afforded the Empire even more time to strengthen itself.


    There was an exception to this in the White Sun Sect, who was currently at war with the Empire, but unfortunately for Red and his companions, this sect was located in the north-western part of the continent, with their kingdom far beyond their range of influence.


    Hector shook his head in disdain. ¡°The same old story. When they finally decide to do something, the world will already be lost and cultivators will no longer exist.¡±


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    ¡°I have not come here to discuss the stances of my sect, Hector.¡± Frida interjected. ¡°We don¡¯t know if Bernard will act personally, but judging by what happened in town already, he doesn¡¯t need to be here himself to cause this place to collapse. A few of his subordinates would be more than enough to destroy this town, hence why the sect even agreed to this deal in the first place.¡±


    The elder seemed like he wanted to say something, but the woman cut him off again.


    She continued. ¡°You are this town¡¯s best chance to survive through this affair, and the sect is willing to put at least this much forward to acquire your assistance. Even with your sword, there is no guarantee that you will survive, but at the very least, you will be securing a future for your sect - and I know this is the most important thing to you right now. So instead of worrying yourself with the Crystal Sky Sect¡¯s stance towards the Empire, why not concern yourself with your disciples and how to prepare them for a life without your protection and guidance?¡±


    Hector glared at her in anger, but he remained silent. It seemed that her words rang true with him.


    Even Red was surprised. Other than Domeron, the youth had never seen anyone put the elder in such a state where he was unable or unwilling to argue back.


    Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere didn¡¯t remain for long, as the swordsman once more tactfully interjected.


    ¡°There is something you should know.¡± he said as he stared at the woman. ¡°There was a slight change of plans.¡±


    Frida frowned, staring between the Hector and Domeron. ¡°Do you mean to go back on your deal?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°However, only three people are going with your sect. The rest will stay behind.¡±


    There was a change in the woman¡¯s countenance, something she tried to disguise to no effect. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Red, Allen, and Rimold are going.¡± Domeron said. ¡°The rest will stay behind to help Hector.¡±


    Frida¡¯s expression twisted with distress, and she glared at Hector. ¡°Why make them stay? They are not like you - they will definitely die!¡±


    Hector snorted but didn¡¯t say anything, meeting the woman¡¯s hateful gaze in kind.


    ¡°This was not his decision.¡± Domeron said. ¡°Me, Rog, and Goulth have all decided to stay behind out of our will.¡±


    Frida¡¯s face fell, much more so at the mention of that last name. ¡°Why would you choose to do that?¡±


    The swordsman gave her a soft smile. ¡°We have loyalty to our sect, Frida. It might seem like what we did here is nothing more than playing pretend compared to what the Crystal Sky Sect is, but the truth is that this is our entire lives and we believe in what Hector was trying to build. If we can¡¯t stand up and put our lives on the line to defend this place and our elder, how would we be able to face ourselves in the mirror?¡±


    The woman seemed skeptical. ¡°You still have your disciples. Who is going to teach Red and Allen if all of you die?¡±


    Domeron chuckled. ¡°Have you seen them lately? I¡¯m certain both of them will open their Spiritual Seas soon, so what else will we have to teach them by then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not merely about teaching cultivation, it¡¯s about guiding them in life. They are not even over 20!¡±


    ¡°Life has to be experienced, not taught. If we tried to guide them through that too, then we¡¯d probably do more damage than good with our rotten views.¡±


    Frida was silent for a while, trying to digest these words.


    ¡°¡­ Is that what he said too?¡± she asked.


    It was evident to Red who she was referring to.


    Domeron nodded. ¡°Maybe not with the same words, but I¡¯m sure his thoughts are not too far from it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯d like to see him.¡±


    Hector scowled at this. ¡°That is not a good idea. If he wanted to see you, he would have already gone to visit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what he wants. If you don¡¯t let me see him, then I will refuse to guide your sect tomorrow!¡±


    The elder¡¯s expression fell. ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°I will take her.¡± Red cut the old man off before he could say anything else. ¡°I can convince him to speak to her if all else fails.¡±


    Both Hector and Domeron stared at the youth in surprise.


    The swordsman frowned. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    Hector had a reluctant expression, but he remained silent. The youth took this as silent agreement to his decision.


    Red looked over at Frida. ¡°Come. He is probably still awake right now.¡±


    If the youth knew anything about his master, he would probably be forging away in the middle of the night, unable to sleep with thoughts about the upcoming battle.


    Frida stared at Red with a surprised gaze, but eventually she nodded at him with a sincere smile. ¡°Then lead the way.¡±


    ¡­


    A few minutes later, both of them were standing right outside the door of Goulth¡¯s workshop. Just like Red expected, the lights were still on, and there was the noise of items being moved around inside.


    Frida¡¯s fluctuation was wavering as she approached, and the woman¡¯s expression faltered. The youth ignored this, though, and approached the front door.


    He knocked against it two times.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Goulth¡¯s annoyed voice came from inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s Red.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What do you want this late?¡±


    ¡°Someone wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Who wants to see me?¡± The blacksmith sounded confused.


    ¡°Frida.¡±


    As soon as Red said that, the sound of shuffling inside the workshop stopped. The youth also felt the man¡¯s fluctuation waver wildly, indicating his emotional state.


    It took almost half a minute before a seemingly emotionless reply came from inside. ¡°¡­ Is she there?¡±


    ¡°She is.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Tell her to come in.¡±


    The youth looked behind at the woman, who seemed on the verge of tears. She threw him a thankful gaze and opened the door, walking inside.


    Red decided to give them some privacy and walked away, sitting on the grass a few dozen meters away.


    ¡­


    Half an hour later, the woman walked out. Contrary to what the youth was expecting, there were no loud voices inside the workshop, and instead Red even heard the sound of laughter from inside every now and then. Judging by both of their fluctuations, it seemed like the conversation had gone well.


    Frida spotted the youth waiting by the side and approached him. She had a sincere smile on her face, and her eyes were red from shed tears.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of him.¡± she said. ¡°To think he was so happy all these years¡­ I should have tried to approach him earlier.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t quite know what to say, so instead he just nodded. ¡°He took care of me, too.¡±


    The woman smiled, looking back at the now closed workshop. ¡°Did you know that we were meant to marry one day?¡±


    The youth shook his head. This was the first time he was hearing about it.


    ¡°He decided to abandon our marriage once that damn old man called for his help.¡± she continued. ¡°He said he needed to repay his debts, and how this might be the only opportunity he would have to find a disciple. I resented him then, but only now do I understand how important that was for him. Seeing him happy and fulfilled¡­ That makes me happy too.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond. It seemed like the woman was speaking more to herself than to him.


    A few seconds later, she looked back at the youth. ¡°Please, make him proud. That is all I ask of you.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    This was one promise Red didn¡¯t feel pressure into making.

 Chapter 356 - Words of Wisdom

    Frida soon left the sect, and Red returned to the meeting hall.


    As soon as he walked inside, both Hector and Domeron were staring at him with expectant expressions.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± the swordsman asked.


    ¡°It went well.¡± Red nodded. ¡°They seem to have made their peace with each other.¡±


    Domeron smiled in relief. ¡°That is good.¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°Hm, at least that¡¯s one less thing to worry about.¡±


    Although Hector showed no satisfaction at hearing this, Red could feel through his fluctuation that the old man was truly relieved.


    ¡°So where is she?¡± Hector asked. ¡°Did she leave? We haven¡¯t even discussed our plans yet.¡±


    ¡°She told me what our meeting spot is going to be tomorrow night.¡± Red said. ¡°She also told me that we should pretend like nothing is happening and activate the crystal before we even leave the sect so we aren¡¯t tracked.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°That much is obvious. Did she tell you how long the crystals last, though?¡±


    ¡°A few hours. More than enough to reach our meeting place.¡±


    ¡°That is good.¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Then go and make your preparations. I will inform the others tomorrow.¡±


    Red nodded and walked away.


    He looked around at the pitiful courtyards and the mixture of stone and wooden buildings that had served him as a home for seven long years. The training field he first practiced with Domeron, the library where he had first learned how to write and read, the workshop he had learned how to smith, and even the room he had borrowed from Eiwin on his first day in the sect that ended up becoming his permanent residence.


    Red was never one to get attached to material things, but even he found himself pausing upon the realization this was his last night here. Tomorrow night, a new part of his life would begin, one where he didn¡¯t know what to expect.


    It made him both eager and apprehensive at the same time.


    ¡­


    Soon enough, morning arrived.


    Even from their isolated spot on the hill, Red and his sect were still able to tell that the town was in a state of chaos. Peoples buying supplies en masse, guards patrolling every corner of town - these people were able to tell that something big was coming, and the Baron didn¡¯t try to convince them otherwise.


    The townsfolk were just a step away from entering into a full-blown panic, and the only thing keeping them from doing so was the fact their enemy was yet to reveal itself. That, and the fact that the Baron had earned himself no small amount of respect over his long reign in the region.


    The surprise, however, came later when they receive some news.


    ¡°Gustav has left town.¡± Hector said to the gathered sect members.


    ¡°What?!¡± Rimold seemed shocked. ¡°What happened?!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°He left while it was still night, and he didn¡¯t bring anyone other than his bodyguards with him. His people didn¡¯t even know he was gone until this morning, by the looks of it.¡±


    Domeron frowned at this. ¡°He probably received the same news we did, but still¡­ Why would he leave just like that? Even with his bodyguards, it doesn¡¯t mean he would be safe out there.¡±


    ¡°Someone might have come to escort him,¡± Red said. ¡°Just like we are about to be escorted away.¡±


    Hector nodded. ¡°Gustav is a coward, but he is a smart coward. He would never flee the safety of town if he didn¡¯t have a secure exit plan. His faction must have sent an expert to escort him.¡±


    ¡°Or he might be working with the Imperials.¡± Allen suggested, with venom in his words.


    The elder looked like he wanted to rebuke the young master, but he held himself back and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but none of it matters. With the problems we have on hand, Gustav was hardly going to tip the scales against us. I¡¯m just glad this is the final time I have to see his bastard face.¡±


    None of them disagreed with Hector. The merchant had been a thorn in their side since the first day the sect was established, and at times, they came too close to outright declaring war against each other. If it wasn¡¯t for the Baron mediating between them, it most certainly would have already happened.


    Despite the fact that one of their biggest enemies was gone, none of them had the peace of mind to celebrate. Soon enough, Hector dismissed them to finish gathering their belongings, but not before telling Red to remain behind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve hidden the dagger.¡± the elder said once they were alone.


    Red was surprised. He didn¡¯t feel the old man leave the sect at all the last day, which could only mean one thing.


    ¡®It¡¯s hidden somewhere in the sect.¡¯


    He was about to say something, but he stopped himself. He was not sure if he wanted to know the exact location of the dagger, considering the potential risk.


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    Hector seemed to know his worries and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve hidden it very well, so it¡¯s unlikely any cultivator will find it. In the future, when you come back here, you will probably need to spend some effort to locate it and dig it up, if it¡¯s still there.¡±


    Red nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of method the elder used to hide the dagger, but if he was confident in it, then there was no reason for him to worry. The youth, however, was confused as to why Hector saw the need to pull him aside just to inform this.


    The elder seemed able to guess at his confusion, but he just shook his head. ¡°Do you know how cultivators have an instinct about an approaching crisis?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I have experienced it myself.¡±


    Hector grunted. ¡°I almost forgot about that. In any case, I have that exact feeling right now. It wasn¡¯t there when I made the decision to stay behind, but it suddenly appeared yesterday, after I went to sleep... Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.¡±


    ¡°I feel like something bad is already happening.¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°It¡¯s not like that! This feels different¡­ I feel like this is less about me and this town and more about the future of our sect.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°If I had any idea, I wouldn¡¯t be so worried. Either way, there are too many candidates that we know about, but on the off-chance this feeling of mine has to do with this dagger, I want you to know where to look for it. I feel like this is deeply connected to you, after all.¡±


    The youth was still hesitant, but he nodded. ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    Hector nodded, seemingly satisfied. ¡°Now go on your way. Since you¡¯re leading the evacuation later, you need to be prepared.¡±


    There was no heartfelt farewell from the elder, despite the fact that this could be the last time they saw each other.


    Red, however, wasn¡¯t expecting or desiring any more. He turned around and returned to his room.


    ¡­


    Night soon arrived, and the youth had already prepared all of his belongings. The crystal Frida had provided them with would hide any belongings on one¡¯s person, as long as it wasn¡¯t something like an extremely large backpack.


    Red brought no such thing, though, merely keeping the formation material he gathered over the years, the two remaining spirit stones from his trove, his manuals, and the items he already kept on his person, such as the Crystal Core and his sword. He considered feeding the remaining spirit stones to Aurelia so she could recover, but he recalled that it took six of them for her to return to normal last time. He thought it was better to just retain the ones he already had in case he needed them.


    The woman wasn¡¯t too happy, but it seemed like it was more about the fact Red couldn¡¯t provide for her rather than the fact he chose to keep the couple of Spirit Stones for himself. Of course, this also meant that she wouldn¡¯t be able to save him like the last time against, but as far as he understood, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do it even if she had enough Spiritual Energy. After all, she spent her very own soul to manifest such a power, and that wasn¡¯t something Spirit Stones alone could replenish.


    After he was done sorting through his belongings, Red sat on top of his bed and waited, fiddling with the Concealing Crystal in his hand. It would still take a few more hours before their plan was to begin, so he thought it best to retain his energies and relax until then.


    He thought he wouldn¡¯t need to worry until then, but that was when he felt someone approach his room.


    ¡°Enter.¡± he said before they could even knock on the door.


    The handle turned, and Domeron walked inside.


    The swordsman frowned as he stared at the dark room. ¡°Do you not like light?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just preference.¡± Red shrugged.


    In fact, since he had gotten his dark vision, the youth found himself completely abandoning the use of light sources. He forgot most of the time, however, that other people didn¡¯t share in the same abilities as him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± the youth asked.


    Domeron smiled at him. ¡°I came here to say goodbye. After all, I don¡¯t know if we will see each other again.¡±


    Red frowned, looking over at the sword sheathed at the side of his waist. ¡°Are you still planning on releasing that thing?¡±


    The swordsman nodded. ¡°If things get to a terrible point, then I most certainly will. Of course, even that is not guaranteed to turn the situation around for us, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s worth it as a desperate measure.¡±


    ¡°Will it discern friend from enemy?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Domeron shook his head. ¡°If I release it, though, it means everyone else it could hurt is probably already dead.¡±


    ¡°You should just run at that point. Frida left the other crystals with us.¡±


    ¡°If Hector decides to retreat, then I certainly will too.¡± the swordsman nodded. ¡°However, if we¡¯re already engaged against the enemy at that point, it might be too late. It¡¯s not like cultivators haven¡¯t developed ways to deal with invisibility in the past.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Then I suppose I can only wish you good luck.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I never took you for someone to wish others good luck.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done it if I believed you could get out of this on your own merits.¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°That sounds more like you!¡±


    He trailed off, and a few seconds later, a heavy silence settled on the room. Red looked over at Domeron, noticing that his casual expression had become conflicted, as if something was weighing on his mind.


    The youth frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Domeron hesitated. ¡°¡­ Do you remember what I told you about a mountain of corpses? How I told you this was how I became as skilled as I by killing?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ and I don¡¯t want you to follow my example.¡±


    Red was bewildered for a moment. ¡°¡­ Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it is not a fate that I would wish on anyone.¡± Domeron said.


    The youth waited in silence for him to elaborate, but that didn¡¯t come.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Because I know you.¡± the swordsman shook his head. ¡°If anyone else were to hear about how I became as strong as I was in the past, I wouldn¡¯t be worried about them trying to repeat my feats. They would lack the heart and mental fortitude to see it through, but you¡­ I know you could do it, and that scares me.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I had no plans to do it.¡±


    Domeron smiled. ¡°You say that now, but I said I know you. Chances are you are probably considering this as a backup plan in case your cultivation slows down in the future or you find yourself stuck in a bottleneck.¡±


    This, the youth couldn¡¯t deny.


    The swordsman continued. ¡°I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s not worth it - the kind of things you need to do to accomplish what I did will change you, even if you think yourself strong enough mentally to resist it.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t promise you anything.¡±


    To him, his cultivation was the most important thing in the world. If he ever found himself unable to advance in the future, he would explore every option possible, even those demonic in nature.


    Domeron smiled. ¡°I know you can¡¯t, and I wouldn¡¯t believe you even if you told me you wouldn¡¯t do it. Just remember what I told you here. Maybe one day you will understand the wisdom behind my words.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t know how to respond to this, but the man didn¡¯t wait for him.


    Domeron turned around and started to leave the room. He waved his hand at Red as he stepped outside.


    ¡°If you make it big in the future, make sure to never forget your one-armed instructor. Or else I will haunt you from beyond the grave!¡±


    The swordsman walked away, closing the door behind himself.


    Red, for his part, wanted to curse the man. This wasn¡¯t a time when he was supposed to be distracted by other thoughts.


    With no other choice, the youth closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, focusing for the hours to come until it was finally time to move.

 Chapter 357 - Concealed Trip

    <div>


    Some while later, Red knew it was finally time to move. He grabbed the purple crystal in his hand and squeezed it with some force.


    There was a crackling sound, and the item shattered into pieces. A moment later, some trace amounts of a purple mist started to slip between the cracks in his finger and dissipating as soon as they made contact with his skin and clothes. Red opened his hand, and the small amount of smoke turned into a strong current that expanded and covered his entire body in a matter of seconds, blocking his vision entirely.


    Before the youth could even react, though, the smoke disappeared. He looked down at his extended hand, and just as expected, it became invisible. He examined the rest of his body, and sure enough, there was no part of him that was visible, including the items he was carrying on himself.


    Red couldn¡¯t smell his own odor, and even the sound his foot made against the ground seemed muffled. It was truly a concealing spell, and in more ways than one.


    ¡®I need to move.¡¯


    Although the charm would last him hours, the youth still felt a sense of urgency to get going. After all, the long this went on, the higher the chances something could go wrong.


    He climbed on top of a desk and opened the small window that let the only bit of light into his room throughout the day. The passage was narrow, but Red had the bit of flexibility needed to squeeze through it without much issue.


    He landed on the ground of the courtyard and examined his surroundings. A cursory inspection with his crimson sense revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but even still Red remained alert.


    He started to move towards Allen¡¯s room first, and with every step he took, he found himself examining his own body to see if the invisibility was still there. He couldn¡¯t help himself, considering that if the magic disappeared, then all of their plans would be disrupted.


    No such thing happened yet, though, and soon enough, Red stood by Allen¡¯s room. He approached it from the windows side, and using some force knocked a few times against the wooden wall.


    The fluctuation inside shifted, and the youth felt it moving towards the window. He saw the window flap moving, though he couldn¡¯t hear any noise coming from it, until, a few seconds later, a very soft thud echoed by his side.


    Red promptly reached towards the invisible Allen before he could say anything and grabbed at his shoulder. The young master immediately tensed, but after the youth applied a bit more force in his grasp, he seemed to relax.


    Red then whispered to him. ¡°To Rimold¡¯s room.¡±


    He didn¡¯t hear any sound of acknowledgment, and if he knew Allen well, the young master was probably nodding. It was good enough for him, though.


    He moved towards Rimold¡¯s room, with Allen following behind him - or at least trying to. The youth repeated the same knocking sound against the window, and soon enough, the rogue was also outside.


    ¡°Where to now?¡± Rimold asked with undisguised eagerness as soon as he stepped foot outside.


    Red examined his surroundings. ¡°You probably won¡¯t be able to see or hear where I¡¯m going, and I don¡¯t want us to be too close together in case someone ambushes us, so just follow my instructions. I will tell you where we are moving, and once everyone understands the exact place that is, we move.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The rogue didn¡¯t seem the least bit hesitant to follow the youth¡¯s orders.


    As no questions seemed to be forthcoming, they began to move.


    They sneaked through the town, with Red leading the way and reining them in when they seemed to wander too far apart. It was slow going, much more with the youth having to plan each of their steps ahead of time, but it was the kind of menial work none of them complained about doing.


    At first, both Allen and Rimold seemed anxious and bewildered. They kept asking Red specific questions about the spot they were supposed to move to, afraid that even the slightest bit of deviation would be enough for the enemy to stop them. However, under the youth¡¯s impatient prompting, they stopped speaking so much and started to move faster.


    Unsurprisingly, sneaking through the town was an easy task. Even with the increased patrols, Red was a specialist on the matter, and with invisibility added on top of it, they didn¡¯t seem to be under any danger of being spotted. That being said, he also used this opportunity to scout around with his crimson sense.


    Who knew if he would maybe stumble on Rickard while wandering around?¡±


    It seemed, however, that he was too optimistic. He didn¡¯t find any Lesser Ring Realm fluctuations during this trip. In fact, he didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary, and he didn¡¯t have that powerful of a mind to memorize every fluctuation of the townspeople to discern who among them were foreigners.


    It was a disappointing result, but not surprising. The last bit of hope Red clung to of helping Hector and the others was extinguished. Now, he could only focus on escaping.


    Even with their slow movement, it didn¡¯t take them more than half an hour to arrive at the town¡¯s edge and into the farmland surrounding the hill. Only when they felt like they were out of the sea of buildings did Allen and Rimold seem to relax, even if only a little.


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    ¡°Where are we supposed to meet her?¡± Allen asked with a tone of undisguised nervousness.


    Although they weren¡¯t there when Frida came to visit, they were informed about her by Hector. After all, the last thing they wanted was for the duo to panic when they met someone familiar during their escape mission.


    Red looked around out of instinct, before realizing she was probably invisible, too. ¡°She said she would be around the cornfield at the very edge of town.¡±


    ¡°The cornfield is too big. How are you going to- Oh wait¡­¡± Rimold trailed off.


    The youth shook his head to himself. ¡°Just keep following my lead. Once I sense her, I will tell you.¡±


    Thankfully, no matter how large this cornfield was, Red¡¯s crimson sense allowed him to scout it many times over from every direction. It took him just a few minutes to sense Frida¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°She¡¯s there?¡± Allen asked. ¡°How are you going to be able to tell her we¡¯re here?¡±


    The youth could feel their gazes boring into his general direction even through the invisibility.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, though, and instead used the signal they had agreed upon. He cupped his hand around his mouth and, with practiced ease, simulated a bird¡¯s call.


    ¡°Wha- What are you doing?¡± Allen sounded alarmed.


    ¡°Be quiet.¡± Red shushed him and focused on the woman¡¯s fluctuation.


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t seem like he would need to repeat his call. She approached their location with measured steps, and once she was within thirty meters of them, she stopped.


    Red looked at the area she was supposed to be in, behind a toppled stone wall. Like the youth previously thought, though, she was also invisible.


    He wondered why she was waiting for so long, but a few seconds later, a voice reached them.


    ¡°Are you here?¡± Frida¡¯s voice said.


    ¡°Frida!¡± Allen seemed to jump for joy.


    ¡°Be silent!¡± The woman silence the young master, though in a much angrier manner than Red had used.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±


    ¡°This is not the time.¡± She cut him off. ¡°We can talk later once we reach safety.¡±


    Red imagined Allen was nodding profusely at this moment.


    ¡°Are the others also here?¡± Frida asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Rimold said.


    ¡°I¡¯m also here.¡± Red made his presence known.


    The woman seemed relieved. ¡°Good. Red, you said you have a way to follow me, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then make sure to bring up the rear. The other two can stay in the middle and you can redirect them in case they start to wander another way.¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s important that you stay at least within 30 meters of me at all times. Do you understand?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I understand.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why the woman said that, but it must have been important to request at such a conjecture. The others also expressed their understanding, and without further delay, Frida set off.


    From the farm fields to the forest line was a walk of less than a kilometer, and soon enough, they were amidst the trees. Even with the cover of foliage, Red felt he was more naked here than in town.


    There, they still had the protection of the formation and Hector, but here, no one would be able to save them, even if they wanted to. This was not to mention the sounds of breaking twigs under their feet - something that not even the concealing crystal could help them with.


    Frida, however, seemed entirely unbothered by the environment, her fluctuation not wavering for even a moment. In some ways, Red felt she was even more composed than people like Domeron, which left him perplexed.


    Despite the general tense atmosphere around the group, they continued their journey undisturbed. Red made sure his companions were always within thirty meters of the woman, and they didn¡¯t come across any monsters or imperials over the next couple of hours.


    It was around that point, though, that Frida spoke up.


    ¡°The crystal¡¯s effect is about to end. Do not panic.¡±


    Allen seemed surprised. ¡°How do you know when-¡±


    Before the young master could even finish his sentence, a soft purple light envelop their surroundings. Sure enough, as this light diminished, the silhouettes of all of them were revealed at the same time.


    Rimold eyes widened as he examined his visible figure. ¡°W-What happened? Why did they suddenly end?¡±


    Frida, who was wearing similar dark clothing to the one from yesterday, looked back at them with a calm expression. ¡°We are near our destination. They have already served their purpose.¡±


    Allen also seemed troubled. ¡°What about the imperials? Can¡¯t they track us now?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We are under the protection of another concealment.¡±


    Red frowned at this. ¡°Another concealment?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Frida nodded. ¡°We are close.¡±


    She turned around and started to walk again. Red and the others were hesitant about her enigmatic words, but they still decided to follow her lead.


    A few minutes later, a fluctuation entered his detection range, and Red finally understood why she was so confident.


    ¡®Greater Ring Realm Cultivator¡­¡¯


    The fluctuation flared like a burning pyre in his senses, immediately dimming everything else he felt in his surroundings. It caused him to pause, and the others, who were walking by his side, also stopped walking.


    Rimold looked at him with an alarmed expression. ¡°What is it? Did you sense something?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and just stared at Frida¡¯s back.


    The woman seemed to notice this and turned around to look at him with a serene expression. ¡°That is your escort. You have no reason to fear them.¡±


    The youth was still hesitant, but he just nodded and started to walk forward again. His companions were confused, but they took Red¡¯s silent approval to mean it was safe.


    Just a few steps later, the youth felt another fluctuation that almost caused him to stumble again. It was also another Greater Ring Realm fluctuation, but this time it didn¡¯t belong to a human, but rather a monster.


    ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯


    Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t going to be kept in suspense for much longer. They continued to walk forward until the trees started to become more sparse, and a clearing opened up in front of them.


    There stood a man of average height, wearing a dark purple martial robe, similar to the one the youth saw that female cultivator from long ago wear. It was impossible to discern this individual¡¯s figures, though, as he was wearing a wooden mask that hid his expression. The mask itself was also purple, and carved on its surface was the drawing of a seven-pointed star.


    The man just stood there, with his arms crossed and staring at them as they approached. The cultivator himself, however, wasn¡¯t what caught their attention.


    Rather, it was the six-meter tall, eagle-like monster standing right behind him. Its feathers were almost inky black, its tail extending at its rear like human-sized fans, and its talons dug into the earth below where it hid talons that could pierce into solid rock. In its head, two twisting dark horns grew from each side, like the branches of a tree, a fine but still giant gray-beak stood, and in the place where its pupils should be, there were only two empty white eyes similar to that of a blind person.


    Despite all that, Red could feel as if the bird was staring right at them, its head turning slightly in their direction. Upon setting eyes on the creature, all of them paused, and Allen and Rimold couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the sight.


    Suddenly, a voice broke the tense silence.


    ¡°You should get used to its appearance.¡± the purple-clad cultivator said. ¡°You will be flying on it to our mountain.¡±

 Chapter 358 - Crystal Sky Cultivator

<div>

 Chapter 359 - No Escape

    For a long while, the youth didn¡¯t know what to say, and this made the masked cultivator uncertain, judging by his fluctuation. The man, however, didn¡¯t approach Red.


    ¡°Are you alright, young fellow?¡± he asked.


    The youth looked over at him, seeing melted flesh seeping from beneath his mask. This wasn¡¯t just the slow, rotting state that he found Domeron to be in back then. Rather, it seemed like the flesh of everyone ahead of him was decomposing at an incredible pace, as if their doom was arriving quickly.


    ¡°Red, what is going on?!¡± Aurelia detected his unusual state and her voice reached his ears.


    He didn¡¯t respond to her, though, looking around the trees for something. He extended his crimson sense in every direction he could, even beneath their feet, but nothing seemed to appear in it. Nothing was heading their direction or waiting in ambush, and yet the vision in front of him continued to consolidate.


    A premonition, though more dire than the one from before. A sense of impending doom, and the simple knowledge he couldn¡¯t stop it.


    This wasn¡¯t a matter he could avert by just walking away like before. This was an unstoppable tide, one that wouldn¡¯t be denied.


    The deformed, terror-stricken faces of the villagers from before flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Red?!¡± Allen¡¯s alarmed voice also reached him. ¡°Are you alright?!¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t even paying attention to his surroundings any longer. Instead, he tried to think of a way out in the brief amount of time he knew he still had.


    In the end, only one thing came to his mind.


    Red exclaimed towards the darkness of the trees. ¡°I don¡¯t have the dagger!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s incredulous voice reached his ears.


    There was a sense of confusion coming from the fluctuation of his companions. The masked cultivator, in particular, seemed to have been put on guard and was looking around their surroundings.


    ¡°T-The dagger¡­?¡± Rimold¡¯s bewildered voice came from above the bird.


    Red frowned as he looked over at his companions. Their bodies were still in a state of quick decomposition, making it clear that nothing he said made this being change their mind. They were still all going to die.


    ¡®Damn it, of course they know I don¡¯t have the dagger!¡¯


    The being had found out about the dagger on its own before, so why would it be unable to now? The youth didn¡¯t know if he could even reason with them in the first place, but he knew this was the only way he could stop it.


    An idea came to his mind. A faint possibility, but still one worth exploring.


    ¡°I can get you the dagger!¡±


    His voice echoed through the clearing, his lung veins increasing its volume. A still atmosphere permeated around them, and the masked cultivator finally noticed there seemed to be something wrong with their surroundings. He looked around in alarm, but just like Red, he found nothing out of the ordinary.


    The youth, for his part, looked at his companion¡¯s bodies in a daze. The rotting slowed down to a crawl, though now they were mostly skeletons with bits and pieces of flesh and skin still attached to their bones. Whatever he said seemed to have worked to slow down the incoming doom, though it didn¡¯t reverse it as it did to Domeron once they changed course.


    The risk was still very much here.


    ¡°R-Red, what are you talking about?¡± Allen asked.


    Red could feel the young master¡¯s gaze on him, even with his absent eyes.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± The cultivator also looked over at him, though his tone seemed far less friendly.


    The youth, however, continued to ignore them. He could feel there was another gaze on him, one he could not pinpoint but that was still there all the same.


    They had made themselves known. They were listening.


    ¡°I can get you the dagger¡­¡± Red repeated his offer. ¡°Just let them go.¡±


    ¡°H-hey, who are you talking to?!¡± Rimold asked with alarm.


    ¡°Red, what do you mean by that?¡± Allen, on the other hand, sounded shaken and concerned.


    There was no response from whomever the youth was talking to. Yet, the silence and the fact his companions were still alive seemed to be the being¡¯s answer in its own way.


    Perhaps that was what it sought all along.


    Red sighed and looked over at the cultivator. ¡°Go. Leave.¡±


    There was some hesitation in the man¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°No!¡± Allen shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you alone!¡±


    The young master jumped from the bird¡¯s back before landing on the ground and running towards Red. His skeletal form had not disappeared, but the power and emotion in his movements were clear to see.


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    The youth frowned, still staring at the masked cultivator. ¡°Go! Take him or else everyone dies here!¡±


    The last bit of hesitation in the man disappeared. He pointed at Allen, and a rope made of blue light extended from his finger before wrapping around the young master¡¯s form.


    Allen didn¡¯t even have time to dodge before he was tied up.


    ¡°No!¡± He struggled against his constraints, to no avail. ¡°Damn you, Red! I won¡¯t forgive you, you hear me?!¡±


    The cultivator pulled back the rope, and Allen flew back into his grip as if he weighed nothing. Then, without hesitation, the man jumped onto the bird while carrying him, flying up over six meters to land right on its neck.


    ¡°Go!¡± He made a signal at the eagle.


    The monster let out a shriek that shook the trees around it and began to flap its wings. The wind generated by the movement was so strong that Red almost fell back, having to kneel just to not be pushed away.


    Soon enough, though, the bird was in the air above, and quickly distancing himself from the area as if its life depended on it. In truth, it probably did.


    Even from dozens of meters away, though, a desperate voice still reached him.


    ¡°You fucking bastard! I will never forgive you if you die, Red! You have to live! Do you hear me?! You have to¡­¡±


    The voice started to fade as the enormous eagle flew away in the night sky. It was so fast that Red quickly lost track of it, but even then, his heart wasn¡¯t at ease.


    After all, right up until the moment they had left, their bodies hadn¡¯t returned to normal in his vision. The threat was still there, and he could feel that even hundreds of meters above the air, the being could still reach them if it wanted to. Yet, it did no such thing.


    The surrounding air was still heavy with a stillness that the youth could almost taste. There were no sounds of animal, of wind, or of anything else. Only this oppressive silence that weighed down on his mind more than even the gaze of the Moon once did.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run with them?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s angered voice reached his ears. ¡°You stupid mor-¡±


    ¡°Stupid? No,¡± a foreign voice cut her off. ¡°I would say he is quite smart.¡±


    ¡°H-How are you¡­? The woman stumbled over her own words in shock.


    It was quite clear what surprised her. Everything she said was transmitted directly into Red¡¯s ears, not even travelling through the air like sound waves did. Yet, somehow, someone had intruded on their conversation, listening to everything that Aurelia said.


    ¡°Why act surprised?¡± the voice asked. ¡°I thought such tricks were commonly taught in your sect.¡±


    They spoke in a neutral tone, making it hard to discern whether the one speaking was a man or a woman.


    Red looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice, but he knew it was a pointless task. It felt as if the voice was coming from all around him all at once, yet it somehow reached his ears with clarity.


    ¡°Are you the ghost that killed the villagers?¡± the youth asked.


    He didn¡¯t feel nervous as he spoke, simply because he knew there was nothing he could do to get out of this situation. The crimson mist in his body was exhausted, the crystal core was depleted - all of his trump cards were exhausted, and even if they were still functioning, he was skeptical they would work against whoever this was.


    ¡°Ghost?¡± The voice chuckled. ¡°Is that what you think I am?¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°What are you if not that?¡±


    They sighed. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s too much to expect you to know even that... You¡¯re not even a necromancer proper, after all.¡±


    The youth frowned but kept silent.


    The voice continued. ¡°Still, you must be commended. I never expected you to be able to detect traces of my curse, much less see through my plans. You can count yourself amidst a select few that were ever able to make me feel frustrated¡­ Alas, it was nothing more than a fluke at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡®The way they speak¡­¡¯


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°This is not something you need to know.¡± the voice said. ¡°The only reason why I even deigned to speak to you is to make my intentions clear - get me my dagger and I will let your companions go.¡±


    ¡°Only my companions?¡± the youth frowned.


    ¡°You heard me. You, more than anyone else in this gods-forsaken kingdom, is someone who I just can¡¯t afford to let live.¡±


    ¡°Do you truly expect us to follow your com-?¡± Aurelia interjected.


    ¡°Be silent, maggot!¡±


    The voice boomed in Red¡¯s ears, and he heard a scream of pain from Aurelia.


    The voice laughed in derision. ¡°You think I am afraid of you? A mere core disciple of a defunct sect? If only you knew how many of your kind I killed. How I tore their arrogant tongues out of their mouths, how I defiled and used their corpses in death¡­ So confident and courageous in life, yet begging for mercy and bargaining in every way possible when I had them in my hand.¡±


    A maniacal edge touched the voice, which seemed to affect the youth¡¯s very soul.


    ¡°You should know your place. To me, you are as mortals are to you - no more than an ant.¡± They said. ¡°The only reason I hesitated to be so heavy-handed at first was because I saw that man¡¯s touch in you. Yet, now I can see that he has truly abandoned you as soon as he felt my presence in the region, like the coward he always was¡­ Worry not, though, he will get his due one day, only none of you will be there to see it.¡±


    Aurelia offered no remark to this, or rather, she couldn¡¯t do it as she suffered in pain.


    Red was in deep thought before he spoke again. ¡°The dagger for my companions¡¯ lives?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± the voice said.


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ Why not take it yourself?¡±


    They laughed. ¡°Draw your own conclusions, but believe me when I say this is a favor I¡¯m granting you out of admiration for your abilities, and not out of absolute need.¡±


    Red, of course, didn¡¯t believe this. In fact, he suspected that they were probably incapable of entering due to the formation surrounding the town, hence why they requested his help. At this, many plans started to form in his mind.


    ¡°Since I have clarified your situation, you can now go on your way.¡± the voice said. ¡°Once you enter town, I will give you half an hour to get this dagger, or else your friends will follow you in death, too.¡±


    Red nodded, turning around to walk away with dozens of calculations in his mind. Even if things were as bad as this, he would always search for a way out, no matter how slim it may be.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but I forget about something else.¡± The voice spoke up again, causing the youth to pause.


    Suddenly, he felt many fluctuations walk into his detection range. His expression paled, and he looked around. There, just peeking through the trees, he saw dozens of human figures of different shapes and sizes, all walking slowly towards him. Their flesh was charred until almost nothing remained but bones, and yet they were still walking.


    All of them, without exception, had fluctuations belonging to Lesser Ring Realm undead. That, however, wasn¡¯t even the thing that frightened Red to his very core.


    ¡°Many people in their day thought that burning corpses could prevent them from being resurrected as undead.¡± the voice said. ¡°They were right in some ways, but it was not a fool-proof method. Life force is not something that can be easily extinguished, and as long as trace amounts of it remain in these corpses, an experienced necromancer can draw it out of them¡­ There is no escape from our grasp.¡±


    The charred corpses stepped out into the light, and Red could even spot what seemed like children among them. He knew who these people were.


    The corpses of the villagers he and Domeron had burned.


    The voice continued. ¡°These will be your escorts. If you fail to come out of town in time, they will kill and convert every single being in there, including whatever friends of yours you still have in there¡­ Now, kill any thoughts of resistance from your mind and do as I say, and maybe you will still be able to die a dignified death.¡±

 Chapter 360 - Death in Tow

    <div>


    Red stood frozen in place, staring at the charred zombies surrounding him. Although they moved stiffly, the fluctuation he felt from them told a different story. They were brimming with power at the Lesser Ring Realm, and any of them could tear the youth from limb to limb.


    He counted no less than 30 of these around him.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    Red frowned, but before he had any time to think, the zombies to the west opened up a path to him. This path was, of course, leading back towards the town.


    ¡°Go.¡± the voice reached his ears. ¡°Struggle and plan all you want, but we both know you have no escape.¡±


    A croaking sound came from the burned throats of the surrounding zombies, as if urging him to move. Red could feel the distinct pressure of their gazes on him, as if they were just waiting for an excuse to pounce on him.


    ¡®There is no point in delaying this. If salvation still exists, it only lies in town.¡¯


    Red took a step forward, making his way back to town.


    The zombies didn¡¯t follow him immediately, and for a second, he thought they would remain behind. However, when he extended his crimson sense behind him, he still felt them.


    The undead army that would raze the town to the ground.


    ¡­


    A few hours passed by as Red made his way to the town. However, this felt more like an eternity to the youth - now alone with his thoughts.


    Aurelia said nothing the entire journey. In fact, he wasn¡¯t sure she was in a state to say anything. No escape opportunities appeared - the zombies forming a net around him and leaving only one way forward. His serpent didn¡¯t return to him, though he knew there was nothing the creature could do to reverse the situation.


    No brilliant plans came to him, and with every passing second, he took one step closer to his doom. So, like Red was wont to do, he thought and reflected to himself.


    ¡®Their plan¡­ It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    The more the youth thought about it, the more inconsistencies he found with this being¡¯s actions. For one, there was its threat to destroy the town. With all these zombies, they probably could accomplish that with no issues and recover the dagger on their own, and yet they asked Red to recover the artifact for them. Perhaps there was something in the formation stopping them from doing this on their own, but if that was the case, couldn¡¯t the youth just hole himself up in town and refuse to come out? They even said they would kill him, which made little sense if the being was expecting cooperation from his part.


    It was almost as if they were pushing Red to resist.


    ¡®No. There¡¯s something more to this.¡¯


    He remembered what Aurelia told him. This was a being split from a near-ascension cultivator - someone far smarter and more experienced than either of them. If they seemed to be doing something illogical, it only meant that Red hadn¡¯t figured out the true reason behind their actions.


    To have a chance at uncovering the truth, the youth needed to think further back - to how this being had tried to gain the dagger in the first place. They had done everything to keep their actions under wraps, using only peasants from remote villagers as offerings for the ghost possessing the dagger, possibly hoping these actions would free the weapon. The conclusion Red could draw from this was obvious - they were afraid of being discovered, meaning there were other forces in the region which could deter them from accomplishing their plans.


    The fact they didn¡¯t attack the Crystal Sky Sect cultivator was likely because of this, too - they were afraid of provoking this enormous faction - and not because of some deal they made with the youth. This meant that the being was still invested in doing things sneakily and was unlikely to use brute force unless it was the only option.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, why leave me no way out?¡¯


    Red could just walk into town and scream that there were zombies outside, and even if he died, that could ruin the being¡¯s plans. Unless, of course, they had a way to stop him from doing that.


    ¡®Could I be their passage inside?¡¯


    The youth wasn¡¯t fully aware of how possession worked, and this was why he thought this was a possibility. Perhaps the being couldn¡¯t enter the town themselves, but if they were attached to his body, they could walk through the formation without issues. Maybe once they were inside, they would fully possess Red and take the dagger, or perhaps they would wait for him to lead them to it, since Hector could have hidden it from their detection, too. There were also the imperials in town, which was probably another faction the being wasn¡¯t willing to be detected by, either.


    After all, if Bernard, who was interested in the region, heard about this dagger and this fragment of a near-ascension cultivator, would he remain still? It was hard to imagine that with what they already knew.


    At the end of the day, though, none of this changed the youth¡¯s situation. Either he did as he was told, or he died out here. In fact, Red was probably going to die either way, but anything that delayed that process was something that gave him hope.


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    ¡®I need to cooperate for now.¡¯


    If the ghostly being was indeed somewhere inside his body, waiting for a sign of rebellion to strike, then the youth couldn¡¯t show any for now. If it was not the case, then Red could hole himself up in town and look for another way out.


    If the former was true, it was best to make them think he was willing to obey for as long as possible before striking. How he was going to strike? He wasn¡¯t entirely sure.


    Of course, these thoughts of his were no more than conjecture. There was no solid evidence to back them, and in fact, he might have been completely misled by the being¡¯s actions. It could have other, deeper plans. Or perhaps it was being genuine in its offer after all, as unlikely as it was, and this resistance Red planned would get Allen and Rimold killed. This possibility ate away at the corners of his mind, casting doubt over his plans.


    ¡®No. I can¡¯t falter now. I need to stay true to my path.¡¯


    Even if he was going to die, he wouldn¡¯t do so quietly. If there was no way out, he would struggle with all his might to the very end. Even if his companions suffered because of his choice, he knew they would do the same in his place. His sect wouldn¡¯t take this loss lying down.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Narcha, Eiwin. I only hope you approve of my actions.¡¯


    With these thoughts in mind, Red saw the town peeking through the trees. The lights were still illuminating it in the dark night, and he could still spot the figures of guards patrolling the perimeter from afar. It would be hard to sneak by them, but the youth saw no reason to.


    He continued to walk forward. The zombies following him stopped just shy of exiting the shelter of the trees, and instead, they started to fan out, surrounding the hill from multiple angles. It was a large area to cover, but these were Lesser Ring Realm creatures, more than 30 of them. You could space one for every hundreds of meters and a mortal would still find it impossible to pass through the blockade in one piece.


    Whatever the being¡¯s intentions were, their thralls were ready for battle.


    With a deep breath, Red walked forward through the main road. One of the guards was quick to spot him, and their hand immediately went to their weapon.


    ¡°Halt, who goes¡­¡± the man trailed off. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you!¡±


    The youth hadn¡¯t covered his crimson hair, so the guard was quick to recognize him.


    The man chuckled to himself. ¡°I thought it weird that there was someone trying to enter town so late, but turns out it was a friend from the Water Dragon Guild.¡±


    The guard waved at his men, that seemed to have noticed the commotion from afar, and they all relaxed, continuing about their duty.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you so late, though.¡± the guard frowned. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure none of my men saw you leave town.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not their fault.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what do you-¡±


    ¡°Can I go?¡± the youth cut him off.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The man seemed confused. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any reason to stop you. But I must warn you to be careful of¡­¡±


    The guard trailed off as Red walked past him without waiting for his sentence to finish. The youth heard an unsatisfied mutter behind him, but he ignored it.


    These guards would probably be the first people to die if the zombies attacked, and yet Red couldn¡¯t warn them about it. He couldn¡¯t afford to deviate from his course, not now.


    The youth wasn¡¯t certain about the limits of the town formation, but soon enough, he stepped foot onto the paved streets and amidst the stone buildings, and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. He didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved that he wasn¡¯t immediately possessed or afraid that he might have missed the mark with his conjecture, but either way, he had no choice but to continue.


    The guards stopped him a few more times on the street, but they all let him go once they recognized him. They warned him of the danger of wandering the streets alone so soon after their captain was assassinated, but it didn¡¯t deter Red from his course. In fact, he was hoping Rickard or another imperial assassin would suddenly appear, if only to throw a wrench into the ghost¡¯s plans.


    However, he had no such luck.


    Ten minutes later, he arrived in the isolated street of his sect. His heart pounded like it had never done before, the weight of what he was about to try crushing upon his mind and body. Not even when he faced certain death in the underground did he feel such pressure.


    He counted his steps to arrive at the sect until he was finally in front of the gate. He detected the presence of everyone in there - Hector and Domeron were in the meeting hall, his master was in his workshop, still awake, and Rog was in his room, the only one asleep.


    Red didn¡¯t try to be sneaky, opening the gate and making plenty of noise. Immediately, the fluctuations of the duo in the main building trembled, but they didn¡¯t move. He walked up to the door and knocked against it.


    There was a moment of silence, and the youth couldn¡¯t help but feel that this scene was very similar to the one from a few days ago.


    ¡°Come in.¡± an elderly voice came from inside.


    Red opened the door and walked inside. He saw Domeron and Hector sitting in their usual spots, and they were both staring at him as if they had seen a ghost.


    ¡°I need the dagger.¡± Red said without ceremony.


    Hector frowned. ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t get it, then Allen and Rimold will die.¡±


    The elder¡¯s expression paled, a rare display of despair from the man. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the words were stuck in his throat. Domeron, on the other hand, closed his eyes and leaned back against the table, as if thinking about something.


    ¡°¡­ Give him the dagger, Hector.¡± the swordsman said.


    Hector tightened his fists that were laid on top of the table, his body trembling in both anger and helplessness. He was glaring at Red, though the youth felt as if his hate was directed at someone else.


    A few seconds later, he got up, his entire demeanor changing.


    ¡°Very well.¡± the elder nodded with a serene expression.


    Hector lifted his hand and made a grabbing motion at thin air. Red felt the ground shake beneath his feet as if something was digging its way towards them from beneath the earth.


    The youth looked over at Hector.


    ¡°Do you remember what you told me about your sword?¡± Red asked.


    The old man showed an expression of confusion.


    ¡°I wonder if it really is as sturdy as you claim.¡± the youth said.


    Hector¡¯s expression changed in realization, and a small smile formed at the corner of his mouth.


    Suddenly, something burst from beneath the ground of the hall, throwing wooden splinters every which way and flying towards the elder. It was a small ornate box, sealed with a talisman the likes of which the youth had never seen before.


    It landed on Hector¡¯s extended hand, and he offered it towards Red.


    ¡°Here, take it.¡± the elder said.


    The youth didn¡¯t move, staring at the box with a dazed expression. Suddenly, though, something seemed to flash in front of his eyes. A green light, and the form of a white-haired woman wearing a black dress. She extended her hand, reaching for the box faster than Red could even blink.


    Though not faster than Hector could react.


    Another light flashed from above, a deep blue one, resembling the color of the ocean. It flew down like lightning, leaving behind a sword shadow as it shot towards the box faster than the ghost could move.


    ¡°NO!¡± A scream came from the woman.


    An explosion happened as the blade struck, and everything around them seemed to be swept in a tempest of Spiritual Energy and debris.

 Chapter 361 - Battle in the Sect

    Red covered his face with his arms as he felt splinters and wind buffeting against him, almost lifting him off his feet. A tempest of dark blue Spiritual Energy blocked his vision, swirling outwards from the center of the room and dragging pieces of the building off the floor with its destructive force. The youth felt as if this whirling explosion wouldn¡¯t end, until - a few seconds later - it suddenly did.


    A shock wave came from within that maelstrom, dispersing the waves of blue energy into nothingness. The winds also died down, and the debris they lifted with it started to rain down upon Red and his surroundings.


    As his vision cleared, the destruction became apparent. There was no more meeting hall to speak of. The explosion blew apart the roof of the building, along with the entire second floor, its pieces being thrown all around the courtyard and down the hill. None of the wooden furniture had survived either, and even the building¡¯s foundations were uprooted from the ground, revealing the earth below amidst broken wood flooring.


    What caught Red¡¯s attention, though, wasn¡¯t the destruction. Instead, it was the figure at the center of it all.


    The white-haired woman was standing there, floating a few meters from the ground. Her face and bleeding, crimson eyes invoked a sense of fear and dread in the youth, just as it did the first time he saw her. Yet, at this moment, she wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    Instead, she was looking at something floating in front of her. White fragments, hovering just above her pale ghostly hands.


    It was the bone dagger.


    The weapon the woman sought so fervently for so long now laid in pieces. She seemed to be in a daze, staring at the remainders of the item.


    A few dozen meters away from her was Hector, with his arms crossed behind his back. A deep-blue sword was floating above his head, the runes etched along its blade glowing in an intense white light. Spiritual Energy suffused from the blade, reaching even Red from afar.


    This was the Deep Sea Sword, one of the defining artifacts of the Ocean Bearer¡¯s Sect.


    Indeed, the weapon had lived up to its name, shattering the seemingly indestructible bone dagger with a single blow.


    Hector glared at the ghostly woman. It seemed like Red wasn¡¯t the only one who could see her.


    The elder spat on the ground in front of him. ¡°Let this loss be etched upon your mind, foul ghost. It matters not where you came from, to threaten our sect was your biggest mistake.¡±


    The woman¡¯s figure trembled, and she raised her head, staring at Hector. A dark, almost invisible wave of energy started to expand from her body towards the elder.


    The elder¡¯s expression changed at this. ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡±


    He pointed forward with his right hand, and the sword floating by him vanished. A split second later, it reappeared above the ghost¡¯s head, its tip pointed right at her.


    The sword trembled, and Red swore he could hear the sounds of waves coming out of the artifact. A soft blue wave started to spread from it, encompassing the dark energy extending from the ghost before it could expand much further.


    The two energy waves clashed, and the air twisted and crackled at their meeting. Despite that, the dark energy¡¯s advance was stopped as the two energies seemed to come to a standstill.


    Hector had a deep scowl on his face, displaying the effort it seemed to take to maintain this stalemate. The ghost, however, just stood there, unmoving, as she stared at the elder with a calm expression.


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was using her full strength in that confrontation, which didn¡¯t fare well for the old man¡¯s chances.


    ¡°Red, the exorcism technique! Quickly!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice reached the youth¡¯s ears. As soon as he heard these words, a shock ran through his mind.


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    ¡®That can work?¡¯


    Back when the necromancer taught him that mantra, he was under the impression it was a simple technique, useful only against lesser ghosts. If Aurelia said this would work, though, he wouldn¡¯t doubt her.


    There was a caveat to this, though. That was, he needed to get close to the ghost for the technique to work.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to hesitate.¡¯


    Red grabbed the crystal core from his pouch and charged at the woman¡¯s back, his special veins activating to push his speed beyond his limits. If the ghost heard his approach, it showed no indications of it. Perhaps it didn¡¯t think the youth could hurt it.


    In any case, this afforded him the opportunity he wanted. As soon as he got close enough, he started to chant the mantra that went unspoken for so many years, but was still fresh in his mind.


    The dim crystal began to glow with a weak light. The ghost trembled, and she looked back at Red with undisguised shock in her blood-red eyes.


    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Aurelia¡¯s delighted laughter reached his ears. ¡°We¡¯ll see which one of us is the ant in the end!¡±


    A stream of green energy poured out from the ghost¡¯s body into the crystal in Red¡¯s hand. No more than a few strands of energy had entered the core that it seemed to regain its former strength, glowing with a bright light. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t last long as the woman reacted.


    She pointed one finger at Red, and suddenly the youth saw death flash before his eyes. He tried to retreat, but he knew there would be no time for that.


    ¡°Pierce!¡±


    Hector¡¯s voice echoed over the courtyard. The sword floating above the ghost¡¯s head disappeared, and there was a sudden explosion between the opposing energy waves as they both dissipated.


    The next thing Red heard was a scream of pain from the ghost as she bent over. A hole had appeared in her stomach, from which blue energy poured out of. Looking into that puncture, there were no flesh or organs inside of her body, only a translucent, pale matter made out of ghostly energy.


    It seemed that Hector¡¯s sword was capable of hurting her intangible form.


    The youth didn¡¯t waste this opportunity either, and retreated as far away as he could before the ghost recovered.


    The flying sword reappeared by Hector¡¯s side, resting with its tip pointed at the woman. The elder had a frown on his face, and it seemed he wasn¡¯t eager to press his advantage despite managing to wound the ghost.


    ¡°¡­ Very well.¡±


    A whisper came from the ghost¡¯s mouth, and Red felt a shiver run up his spine.


    The bone fragments that were floating in front of the woman started to evaporate into a thin white smoke that was absorbed into her ghostly form through the opening in her stomach. Tendrils extended from the hole, and the puncture closed like it was never there.


    After that, the woman seemed to undergo a soundless change. It was as if her body had become more tangible, more real, and the terror Red felt as he stared at her figure only seemed to intensify.


    Then, all of a sudden, her body seemed to turn into mist, dissipating into her surroundings.


    Hector¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he waved his hand. The sword by his side vanished, and a few moments later, an explosion of green and blue light happened in the air above him.


    The figure of the ghost appeared briefly in that explosion before dissipating into mist again. Hector waved his hand once more, and another explosion happened in another direction, a few dozen meters away.


    The same scene repeated itself with increased frequency and speed, each time the explosions occurring closer and closer to Hector¡¯s body. It was happening too quickly for Red to keep up with his eyes, and yet he could see and feel the strain the elder was under as he tried to fend off the ghost¡¯s attacks. It didn¡¯t seem like the old man would be able to keep this up for too long.


    The youth wanted to help, but how could he interfere in this kind of battle?


    Red looked down at the now glowing crystal in his hand, extending his awareness towards it. ¡°Aurelia, you need to help him!¡±


    ¡°I will! I need some time to absorb the energy!¡± The woman said.


    The youth frowned. ¡°He won¡¯t survive for much longer.¡±


    ¡°Just do everything you can to delay her! I¡¯m trying to be as fast as I can!¡±


    ¡®How am I supposed to do that?¡¯


    Simply being caught in the aftermath of those blows could probably tear his body apart.


    Just as Red was struggling to come up with a plan, he felt something stir within his body. He was quick to recognize its origin.


    ¡®The crimson mist? But why¡­¡¯


    A second later, the youth understood the reason. An arc of blood red flame flashed through the sky, striking at a seemingly empty spot in the air. A second later, the air seemed to shift in the area where this flame just passed through, revealing the figure of the ghost.


    She was looking down with a frown on her face. Red followed her gaze, spotting the origin of the sudden streak of fire.


    Domeron was there, standing upright with his sword in hand, its blade covered by a dark-red flame. In front of him, though, there was something else. An illusory shape of a large humanoid figure, its general form outlined by these crimson lines, only its upped body being visible from which four arms seemed to sprout. Its proportions seemed too large to belong to a human, resembling more of a muscle-bound ogre brimming with power.


    The most eye-catching feature of this creature, though, was its singular, straight horn sprouting from its forehead. This particular feature seemed more tangential than the rest of its body, the majority of this being¡¯s power concentrated at its tip.


    Staring at this made Red feel a sense of unbridled violence rise within his mind. Meanwhile, the crimson mist transmitted its fury and denial at the sight of this being.


    The youth immediately recognized what this illusory figure was.


    ¡®The Spirit of Slaughter.¡¯

 Chapter 362 - Slaughter Unleashed

    There was a lull in the confrontation as the Spirit of Slaughter appeared. Both the ghost and Hector stared at the illusory spirit with differing expressions on their face. The elder looked conflicted, while the woman seemed more curious than anything.


    ¡°You were the one who killed my thrall, then?¡± she asked. ¡°I must admit, I find it fascinating that such a backwater sect could gather so many curious individuals.¡±


    The swordsman waved his sword in response. The spirit in front of him let out a soundless roar, and punched with his two right arms in response, as if mimicking Domeron¡¯s movements. A beam of black-red flame shot out from the sword like an arrow, crossing the air in less than an instant to reach the ghost.


    The woman put her hand up, intent on blocking the blow with her pale palm. The pillar of fire clashed against her, causing an explosion to reverberate over the town. Shockwaves reached Red and blew him back, causing him to feel a tightness in his chest from the sheer power behind these blows.


    Fire consumed the sky above them, and there was no sign of the ghost in its midst. Neither Hector nor Domeron let their guard down, though, their heads raised as they waited for the dark-red flames to subside.


    Before that happened, though, there were other explosion sounds. These ones, though, seemed to come from far away.


    ¡®The zombies.¡¯


    Red frowned and looked downhill. He didn¡¯t have an angle to see what was happening at the foot of the mount, but he saw smoke rising to the sky near the edges of town, as well as screams of alarm from people being awakened from their sleep. Beyond that, though, there was something else.


    A shimmer in the air around town. It was similar to the shield talismans he used many times in the past, though this one seemed to cover a far wider area than normal. If the youth didn¡¯t have his dark vision, he would have missed it.


    ¡®The formation.¡¯


    Like he had been told many times, when they needed it the most, the formation was still there to protect them from the invaders. How long it would last, though, was an entirely different matter.


    His attention turned back to the battle, where the flames seemed to subside. The woman was still there, with her arm raised, and with no signs of damage to her ghostly body. There was, however, a change to her appearance.


    Something had sprouted from her upper back - a deformed, large, monstrous arm. It was dark grey and had darkened veins sprouting all over its length, resembling undead flesh, though not in a state of rotting like a zombie or ghoul. It had five fingers like with a human hand, but its nails were fashioned like sharp, pitch-black claws, which were even longer than its digits.


    The arm was raised above the ghost¡¯s head, as if in preparation to slash down.


    Domeron looked over at Red as his expression twisted. ¡°Take cover!¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t wait twice, diving behind the closest debris he could find.


    There was a flash of blue light from up above, as Hector¡¯s sword tried to pierce the arm before it could do anything. It seemed to work, as Spiritual Energy lacerated the ghostly limb, but before it could even fall apart, grey tendrils extended from its mangled flesh and repaired the arm in a matter of instants.


    There was nothing else Hector or Domeron could do before it slashed down.


    As it did, it seemed to meet resistant against the air, as if it was tearing into something invisible. A rift then appeared from nothing in the space where it clawed, growing in a matter of seconds to the size of a full grown man.


    There was nothing but darkness as Red looked into it. Yet, he felt a sense of terror, as if something was making its way through the other side to reach them.


    Domeron braced himself, the spirit in front of him roaring inaudibly at the woman.


    A cacophony of screams came from within the rift. An instant later, a torrent of mangled ghosts came pouring out of the portal, shooting towards the swordsman with the momentum of a waterfall. Their bodies were sallow and translucent, their skin pulled taut against their bones, and they all seemed to be merged together, forming a continuous stream of damned souls that fell down onto Domeron.


    The man held his flaming sword in front of him, and his spirit seemed to move. It clapped its four palms against each other, and the horn on its head glowed with increased intensity, before more dark-red flame twisted out of it. Said flames then condensed in front of Domeron, forming a barrier to meet the incoming attack.


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    The clash happened a second later, as the stream of ghosts threw themselves against the fire shield. They burned away into nothingness, though the impact of the clash immediately caused shockwaves to spread from the impact point. Gouts of flames and grey wisps were thrown every each way, reaching almost every corner of the large courtyard.


    Even behind some cover, Red was still forced to retreat lest he be caught up in the maelstrom of Spiritual Energy. The youth wasn¡¯t even able to see Domeron beneath all of that, only his Spirit of Slaughter remaining visible beneath the shield.


    The waterfall of ghosts didn¡¯t stop either, streaming out of the rift for more than five seconds, which must have felt like an eternity for the swordsman who was the target of its rampage.


    While this was happening though, Hector didn¡¯t stay still either. His sword flew high above the ghost¡¯s head, a long, floating stream of water manifesting around it from thin air. Then, the blade pointed down and started to spin.


    Red recognized this attack.


    The woman looked up too, her gaze meeting the artifact. The ghastly arm that sprouted from her back stood straight, its palm turned up as if to shield her from what was about to come.


    A few seconds later, the river stream started to converge downwards, before turning into a torrent of raging water that fell down towards the ghost.


    The woman¡¯s figure disappeared under the waterfall, and the cascade clashed against the ground of the courtyard. Whatever remained of the meeting hall was completely swept up in this attack, which seemed to even cave into the earth below.


    The youth, who thought himself safe almost a hundred meters away, was forced to retreat even further, until he was outside the sect. He could feel the fluctuation of Goulth and Rog nearby, and although he could see them, they seemed to have fled a safe distance away, too.


    At this point, Red was considering complete retreat, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡®The exorcism technique might be the only way to defeat her.¡¯


    Since Aurelia hadn¡¯t told him to retreat either, she must have a plan too. At the end of the day, he couldn¡¯t just leave his companions here fighting against this enemy by themselves when he knew he could help.


    The waterfall continued to strike down against the woman, and her own stream of ghosts disappeared. Domeron¡¯s figure also retreated so he wouldn¡¯t get swept up in Hector¡¯s attack, and he stared at the spot the ghost had just been.


    A few seconds later, the waterfall seemed to subside. A crater was located in the middle of the sect where the waters had struck, and the rift had also disappeared, but there was no sign of the woman anywhere.


    ¡°Domeron!¡± Hector called out to the swordsman.


    Domeron didn¡¯t respond, instead just swinging his sword towards the air. The spirit in front of him punched along with his swings, and large gouts of fire flew from his blade to multiple points of the sky up above. It seemed like the man was hoping to reveal their invisible enemy.


    He soon succeeded in the task. The air shimmered far above the swordsman''s head, revealing the ghost¡¯s figure. This time, however, she was flying towards Domeron.


    The man swung more flames towards her, but the woman, now prepared, weaved through the air like a bird, avoiding his attacks.


    Hector¡¯s sword that had been in wait vanished, flashing like lightning to meet the woman. The deformed hand that sprouted behind her back slashed towards it, causing a clash that deflected the sword away. Still, the impact seemed to be enough to make her fly off-course and give Domeron the opportunity to slip away.


    The swordsman¡¯s movements were much faster than Red remembered, approaching even Hector in pure speed. He relocated himself to another side of the courtyard, sending more flaming slashes in the ghost¡¯s direction.


    The woman disappeared into the mist before these could reach her, but Domeron didn¡¯t change his strategy. He continued swinging his sword and revealing her position in the sky, at which point Hector would send his sword her way, stopping her charge.


    Although they didn¡¯t manage to wound her, the duo¡¯s combination neutralized her offense, and for a delicate period of time, the battle seemed to have reached a stalemate. Yet, as Red looked at Hector and Domeron¡¯s worsening expressions, he knew this balance would soon be broken.


    ¡®They can¡¯t keep this up.¡¯


    Hector told him before that the energy within the Deep Sea Sword was limited, while he knew that the further Domeron¡¯s spirit stayed out, the harder it would be to control it. They were both using these tools to fight a being far above them in power, and as soon as either of them was spent, they would both die in an instant.


    Red needed to do something.


    ¡°Aurelia, are you done?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± The woman sounded as if she was struggling. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with her energy¡­ It¡¯s like it has a will of its own!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Will you be able to do it?¡±


    ¡°That necromancer taught me what I needed to do, but it will still take a bit!¡± she said. ¡°Just tell your friends to hold for as long as they can!¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t sure how to communicate this message to them, and he supposed there was no need to, either. They couldn¡¯t run, and as soon as their energy ran out, they would die. The only thing they could do was resist for as long as they could.


    Just as Red was considering what else to do, he felt one of his companion¡¯s fluctuation approach the battlefield.


    ¡®Rog?! What does he want to¡­¡¯


    The youth trailed off as he felt something strange about the hunter¡¯s fluctuation. It was as if another force was slowing spreading through it and overtaking what he usually felt in its place.


    A terrifying possibility crossed Red¡¯s mind. He looked over at Rog across the battlefield, and although he couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s appearance clearly, he noticed something was strange with the color of his skin.


    Suddenly, the hunter picked up his pace, and he shot in Domeron¡¯s direction with speed unbefitting his power.


    ¡°Domeron!¡± Red called to the swordsman.


    It didn¡¯t seem like the man needed his warning, though, as he felt someone approaching him from the rear. He swung his sword around to meet whoever it was, but when he saw the face of his attacker, Domeron¡¯s arm seemed to falter for a split second.


    Suddenly, the air above him shimmered, and the form of the ghost appeared, her clawed arm swinging towards him. Domeron¡¯s spirit raised his four hands above to block, manifesting a flame shield on its own. Its hurried attempts weren¡¯t enough to stop the attack in its entirety, though.


    One of the claws slipped through before the barrier could form, clawing into Domeron¡¯s arm. The man immediately buckled and fell on one knee, and then Rog dove in.


    The hunter¡¯s clawed hand dug into the swordman¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 363 - Ghostly Clash

    It seemed for a moment like the ghost and Rog were about to tear Domeron into pieces. Before that happened, though, the swordsman threw his head back and let out a guttural roar. The spirit mimicked his movements, and a wave of dark-red Spiritual Energy spread from its body.


    The shock wave pushed Rog back far away, crashing against the side of a ruined building, and even the woman who was floating above Domeron¡¯s head felt its impact, whirling through the air like a broken kite. She recovered quickly and seemed intent on diving and finishing the swordsman, but before she could do that, a wave of deep blue light came crashing against her.


    The hand behind her back shielded her from the blow, but the impact was more than enough to send her hurling even further away.


    Hector shouted in fury. ¡°Stay away from him, you damn ghost!¡±


    The elder made a hand sign, and the flying sword came to rest by him. Then, without hesitation, he hit his own chest with a fist, spewing out a mist of blood over the artifact with a pained expression. The sword absorbed this crimson mist and the glow surrounding it intensified.


    Red was quick to notice the elder¡¯s fluctuation becoming significantly weaker as he did this.


    ¡®He¡¯s using his life essence!¡¯


    The ghostly woman wasn¡¯t too keen on letting whatever Hector was doing happen, and as she recovered from the blow, she shot towards him. It seemed like she was too late, though, as a wave of deep blue energy spread from the sword like lightning, swallowing almost the entire courtyard in its radius, including Hector and the ghost.


    The woman¡¯s expression changed as this energy covered her, and an instant later it was made clear why. Her flying speed slowed down substantially, and it looked as if the woman was wading through water.


    For Red, who was looking in from the outside, it seemed as if a dome of darkened water had grown over the courtyard, making the surrounding few hundred meters its domain. This domain pressed around the ghost, slowing down her movements as it would anyone swimming in its waters. The youth then realized why the sword was called Deep Sea Sword.


    Only Hector¡¯s movements remained unchanged, and he pointed a finger at the woman. The flying sword swam through this domain unbothered, like a fish in the water, and in fact, its speed seemed to have increased even.


    The woman didn¡¯t have time to turn into mist, or perhaps she could not, and she used her fifth arm to block this attack. A flash of light passed her by, cutting a huge chunk off of the deformed limb. The appendage trying to regenerate, but before it could even do that, the sword struck again, cutting it apart once more.


    The ghost frowned, and she held her hands together as if in prayer. A stream of energy seemed to be poured from her body to this deformed limb, quickening its regeneration and allowing it to defend the woman from being directly struck by the sword. Still, she had no choice but to stay there and take the blows like a living target.


    For the first time, it seemed the ghost was at a disadvantage. Yet, looking at her and Hector¡¯s expression, one might think the situation was inverted.


    Even with this domain, the elder found himself unable to deal a fatal blow to her, while his energy and the one from the sword were being depleted by the second. If his fluctuation was any indication, it seemed unlikely he had enough life force to execute this technique again.


    For the first time since Red met him, Hector looked desperate.


    ¡®He needs help.¡¯


    The youth looked over at Domeron. The man was holding onto his bleeding chest, as if trying to close the wound. His spirit had turned around and was staring at the swordsman with a hateful expression, as if resenting his host for being this weak. The first sign of rebellion.


    Red frowned and looked to the area where Rog fell. The hunter, now possessed of undead powers, seemed to be recovering from the blow, his broken limbs twisting and mending. It was evident now that the infection had taken him over, causing him to transform into an undead. Yet, it seemed as if he had jumped in power to the equivalent of a ghoul, and not only that, but he also acted in unison with the woman, wounding Domeron.


    This could only mean one thing.


    ¡®She can control him.¡¯


    Not only that, but she also caused his infection to flare. The hunter then jumped from a common zombie to a powerful Lesser Ring Realm ghoul in less than a minute.


    The Rog he knew was gone. Domeron, though, didn¡¯t know that, and he evidently didn¡¯t have the time to consider it in that split second, hence why he fell prey to her trap.


    ¡®Wait! If she can cause the infection to flare, then¡­¡¯


    He looked back at Domeron. The first few signs of black vein appeared on his face, and it seemed as if the man was fighting with all his might to keep the infection from taking him over. This meant, however, that he was unable to help Hector with the woman.


    ¡®I need to-¡¯


    Red tried to take one step towards the man, but his body twisted in pain, and he felt a warning from the pit of his stomach. At that moment, the Spirit of Slaughter also turned towards the youth, its expression conveying a killing intent that caused the youth to tremble.


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    ¡®Damn it, why now?!¡¯


    The hateful feeling the crimson mist felt towards the spirit went both ways, it seemed.


    As Red was bent over and trying to think about what to do, he heard a roar from behind him. The undead Rog seemed to be finding its feet again and looked as if it was just about to charge at Domeron. In the meantime, the youth also noticed that the domain Hector¡¯s sword had conjured was visibly decreasing in size, and it probably wouldn¡¯t take much longer until the ghost was free from it.


    Their candles were burning on both ends.


    Red gritted his teeth and grabbed onto the Spirit Core in his pouch, extending his awareness towards it.


    ¡°You need to go help Hector.¡± he conveyed his thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done absorbing the energy!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to defeat her like this!¡±


    ¡°Help him now, or we all die! We can find another chance to use the exorcism technique later!¡±


    It obviously wouldn¡¯t be that simple, but this was the only plan Red could come up with on the spot.


    A grunt of frustration came from Aurelia. ¡°Gah! Fine!¡±


    Suddenly, a stream of energy poured out of the crystal core. This energy converged above the youth¡¯s head, revealing the image of Aurelia.


    She seemed to be in her banshee state - her hair turning completely white, her eyes filled with blood, and her skin sallow like an undead¡¯s. She resembled the very ghost they were fighting against, yet Red felt there was a fundamental difference between them he couldn¡¯t quite figure out.


    Aurelia let out a scream that pierced through the courtyard, and she shot towards the woman up above, just before the domain let her escape. Immediately, the ghost¡¯s expression changed, and she looked over at the banshee in surprise.


    Aurelia crashed into her opponent, sending them whirling through the air even while blocking with their ghostly hand. Before the ghost could even react, she was upon them again.


    The banshee¡¯s body seemed to be in a misty state, surrounding the black-dressed woman as her hands clawed with their destructive touch that seemed to corrode the very air it passed through. All her opponent could do to defend herself at the moment was to use her deformed hand to block her attacks.


    The appendage seemed incapable of regenerating from Aurelia¡¯s blows, though, and piece by piece, it crumbled into useless grey flesh.


    Aurelia let out a maniacal laughter at this. ¡°Hahaha! How is this for an-¡±


    Before she could even complete her taunt, another deformed hand sprouted out from the ghost, this time from her shoulder, though. It swatted at Aurelia, hitting her even through her misty state and causing her to fly back from the impact.


    The woman retreated in surprise, her shape reforming almost a few hundred meters away as she examined her opponent¡¯s new deformed hand. This limb was smaller than the last one, though it retained its shape and undead features.


    ¡°What even are you?¡± Aurelia asked in anger and frustration.


    The only response she got was a sneer, and her opponent, now outside of the ocean¡¯s domain, disappeared into the air around her like a mist. Aurelia followed her lead and also merged into her surroundings like an ephemeral mist.


    Red lost sight of the two of them, but almost an instant later, he heard an explosion in another area, almost a hundred meters away. When he looked over, the only thing he saw were misty remains, and the same explosion happened in another area. This repeated multiple times over the next few seconds, and soon enough, the sky was covered in this fog, leaving the youth unable to tell who exactly was winning the confrontation.


    Judging by Hector¡¯s shocked expression, the elder could also see it.


    ¡°She¡¯s on our side!¡± Red called out to the old man. ¡°Help her!¡±


    The elder frowned and nodded with resolve, even through his pale expression. The youth could see he didn¡¯t have much more in him, but he was going to fight to the very end. His sword traced through the sky, joining into the fray up above and assisting Aurelia in whichever way he could.


    Hector couldn¡¯t locate the ghost as easily without Domeron¡¯s help, but wherever he heard his explosion, his sword would fly over, swiping at the black-dressed woman¡¯s supposed location. He didn¡¯t hit anything, and yet the energy in his sword would swipe away at the fog up above and slow down the ghost from merging into mist after every exchange with Aurelia.


    Another delicate balance had been reached, though this one also seemed like it wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    That, then, only left one more unresolved matter.


    Red looked over at Rog, now completely recovered. The ghoulish hunter was just about to charge at Domeron, but the youth ran over to intercept him with no better plan in mind.


    Rog didn¡¯t slow down at all, and he raised its claw to swipe at the one that tried to stop it, all the power of a Lesser Ring Realm existence behind its attack. Red saw death approaching, but he didn¡¯t move away.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Rog.¡¯


    He focused the power in his muscles and special veins, and just as the hunter entered within range, he exploded forward with the gathered potential of the White Beak art. His short-sword stabbed into the Rog¡¯s chest before he could even swing its claw down.


    Yet, his power was lacking, and all this did to the undead was to make it pause for a split second. The next instant, the claw swung down, digging into Red¡¯s back through flesh and bone. The youth gritted his teeth and tried to hold on to his sword, dragging it across the hunter¡¯s chest in an attempt to stop him, but it was to no avail.


    Rog used his grip on Red¡¯s flesh to pull him off, tossing him aside like it was nothing, still with the short sword embedded in his chest. Then, it turned around once more to charge at Domeron.


    ¡®Damn it!¡¯


    Red ignored the burning wound in his back as he tried to get up. The ghoul had not even bothered killing him, so single-minded it was on its target. He didn¡¯t know if the infection would spread to him at this point from the wound in his, but since he didn¡¯t feel any immediate effects other than pain, he didn¡¯t worry about it either.


    However, only one idea remained in the youth¡¯s head at this point.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry for this Aurelia.¡¯


    ¡°Hey!¡± he called out to Rog, pulling the insectoid core out of his pouch. ¡°Over here!¡±


    The crystal shined in his hand, and immediately the hunter ceased his movement as if sensing something, turning around to stare at the object in Red¡¯s grip in a daze. Even through that woman¡¯s control, it seemed as if the undead¡¯s instincts were too strong to contain.


    The youth turned around and started to run before the ghoul recovered. The next moment, he heard a guttural roar from behind as Rog charged at him.


    Red fought through his pain to run as fast as he could, but even then, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun someone so much stronger than him. He would be caught soon enough, at which point Rog, or rather the ghoul he had turned into, would tear him apart from limb to limb and devour the crystal core in his hand.


    ¡®One last stand, then.¡¯


    As the youth made peace with himself and got ready to fight, he felt another fluctuation running in his direction. Red trembled and looked ahead, as someone emerged from behind a ruined building.


    There, he saw it, the pale figure of a large, bald man, still wearing his apron, and holding a smithing hammer in his hand. He was charging towards Rog and Red like a mad bull, none of the weakness in his body apparent at that moment.


    ¡°I will not let you touch him!¡± Goulth let out a roar of defiance that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

 Chapter 364 - Sacrifice

    When Red noticed he was bringing the ghoul straight to the blacksmith, he promptly tried to change directions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Goulth''s angered voice reached him before he could even move. ¡°I will deal with him!¡±


    The youth hesitated, and for a split second, dozens of thoughts floated through his mind. He knew what the man wanted to do without even exchanging a single word. His eyes and tone - they told Red enough.


    They couldn¡¯t stop this empowered undead Rog had turned to, at least not through any conventional means, and neither of them had cards up their sleeves that could turn the situation around in one move. They needed an opportunity, the kind that was created with the only thing they had to give - with blood and sacrifice.


    Red was willing to offer his own life moments ago, yet now Goulth stepped up.


    Logic told him that the blacksmith was the right choice. After all, if the youth died, it¡¯s likely his sect would follow him in death, too. Yet, the fact this was the correct decision didn¡¯t make it any easier for Red to take it, knowing what it would cost.


    Never had the weight of a life felt so clear in his mind - the struggle between the feeling of selfishness that came at choosing your own life over someone you cared about and making the right choice to win the battle. He thought he was above such internal conflicts when he chose to retreat from the incoming war the day before.


    He was wrong.


    Such thoughts crossed through his mind in a matter of seconds, and then there was no longer time to think.


    Red stared at Goulth, feeling the man¡¯s resolve through his gaze that left no room for discussion. His eyes wandered down, noticing the blacksmith¡¯s other hand balled up into a fist, and a small golden glow seeped between his fingers. He knew then that there was only one choice to make.


    ¡®The last gift I can give you, master, is purpose found in death.¡¯


    The youth continued to run in the same direction, straight at Goulth, with the ghoul in tow. The hunter was only twenty meters behind him, a distance it could close in less than five seconds, yet by then Red had already reached the blacksmith.


    He ran straight past the man, who didn¡¯t even turn to look at him as he charged with intent at Rog. The ghoul also didn¡¯t seem to register Goulth¡¯s presence, so enraptured it was with the crystal core in Red¡¯s hands. It looked as if it wanted to just run past him, but he had other plans.


    They clashed, the blacksmith bracing himself as he tried to tackle the undead hunter. Suffice it to say, even with his prodigious physique, Goulth lacked the strength to push a Lesser Ring Realm being to the ground, but he was able to wrap his large arms around Rog¡¯s torso.


    While the ghoul didn¡¯t fall down, its speed was severely diminished by this large lump of a man that it now had to drag along with itself. When the being saw Red getting further away with the crystal core, it let out a roar of anger.


    The undead hunter clawed down against Goulth¡¯s back, in the same way it did to the youth. Its claws dug into the man¡¯s flesh, but other than letting out a grunt of pain, the blacksmith didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rog¡­¡± the man said through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. This is not the end either of us deserves.¡±


    The only response he got was another angry roar. It pulled its hand out of Goulth¡¯s back, spraying a mist of blood in the air, before it dug down once again, in a different spot this time.


    The blacksmith let out another grunt of pain, but he still didn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°I will put us both¡­ Out of this misery.¡±


    He unclenched one of his fists, revealing a piece of animal hide, as well as a soft, golden light. Even in its crumpled up state, the infernal rune still glowed, full of unknown power.


    When Red saw this, he stopped running and turned around.


    The ghoul¡¯s hand dug down again onto Goulth¡¯s back, the undead now entering in a frenzied state at his refusal to let go while its prey got away. The blacksmith, however, seemed impervious to this pain as he dragged the rune by the undead hunter¡¯s chest and into the area where Red had carved a large gash with his sword.


    Goulth let out another roar as he shoved the rune into the open wound.


    The golden glow intensified into a blinding light, obfuscating its surroundings, causing Red to have to cover his eyes even with his dark vision. Then, a moment later, there was an explosion.


    When the light disappeared, a gory sight was revealed before the youth. Sprinkles of blood reached him even from dozens of meters away, raining down from above for a handful of seconds. The result of the explosion was much stronger than anything the youth had been anticipating, and this was evident by the aftermath at its core.


    What remained of Rog was a dismembered lower body, which fell down with no strength to support. What remained of his upper body was spread around the epicenter of the explosion, and no further movement came from them.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Red felt the hunter¡¯s fluctuation disappear for eternity. He was in a daze, but he didn¡¯t have time to process the weight of this loss.


    Goulth hadn¡¯t escaped the explosion unscathed either. His left arm had disappeared from the elbow down, caught in the explosion, only leaving a gory stump behind. The man, now covered in blood from head to toe, fell down to his knees before toppling to the ground.


    Red, however, could still feel his fluctuation, wavering like a candle¡¯s flame in the wind.


    The youth ran towards his side without hesitation. Yet, as he crouched down by his master¡¯s side to examine his wounds, he felt another force spread from his fluctuation. An infection.


    A pained groan came from Goulth¡¯s mouth, somehow still conscious despite all his wounds.


    ¡°¡­ D-don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t let me¡­¡±


    The blacksmith seemed to feel Red¡¯s presence by his side, but he was too weak to finish his sentence.


    Yet the youth knew what he meant to say. The undead malediction already spread through his master¡¯s bloodstream, and he wouldn¡¯t allow the man to have his rest violated by this curse.


    He took out a dagger from his pouch, holding it with both hands like a stake over the side of Goulth¡¯s head. The only way to stop an undead is to cause enough damage to their brains.


    Red took a deep breath and closed his eyes. ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t let your sacrifice be for nothing.¡±


    There was no response from the blacksmith.


    Then, the youth stabbed down. He felt his dagger pierce through to the hilt, and once it found purchase, he twisted the blade with a forceful movement. The blacksmith¡¯s fluctuation slowly disappeared, and with it, so did the infection Red felt spreading through his being.


    Only when it was truly gone did he open his eyes again. The youth pulled out his dagger, tossing it aside. He didn¡¯t look down at his master¡¯s body before getting up, and turned around to observe the ongoing battle in the sky.


    The situation seemed to have changed once more. No longer did Hector¡¯s sword interfere with the battle between the ghosts as often, and now the black-dressed woman¡¯s figure was not revealed any longer, merging fully with the mists. As for Aurelia¡¯s situation¡­


    Red picked up the crystal core and notice its light had diminished once more. In fact, it seemed to lose a bit of its brilliance with every clash in the sky. It wouldn¡¯t last much longer, by the looks of it.


    The youth put the core away before turning to look in another direction. Domeron was still struggling against his infection, though it seemed like this was destined to be a losing battle as the infection seemed to have spread even further. The illusory spirit in front of him seemed was roaring towards the skies with reckless abandon, resenting not being able to join the combat, and struggling against its invisible shackles.


    It felt as if it was just a matter of time until it broke free of Domeron¡¯s control.


    Red thought to himself for a second before making a decision. He started to walk in the swordsman¡¯s direction. The wound in his back flared in pain, but the youth, accustomed to much worse, fought through it and kept moving.


    A few seconds later, the same warning from earlier came to him, causing him to stumble. A warning of danger, of the doom that awaited him if he approached that spirit.


    This time, though, the youth didn¡¯t stop. He took another step, even as his own body seemed to reject the very idea of getting closer to Domeron.


    Yet Red knew this reaction wasn¡¯t from him. It was from the crimson mist hiding in the pit of his stomach. He now knew that despite its lack of response, the being was always very aware of everything happening in its surroundings.


    His expanded awareness reached towards it, as Red entered a meditative state while he still struggled to walk forward.


    ¡°I will do this, whether you help me or not.¡± He conveyed his resolve.


    ¡°¡­ You will die.¡± A weak response came from the crimson being. ¡°It will kill you.¡±


    ¡°I will die if I don¡¯t do this¡­ I need to take his sword.¡±


    Domeron wouldn¡¯t recover from his infection, this the youth knew very well. Yet, the enemy was still there, as strong as ever, while Hector and Aurelia were becoming weaker every second. The only hope Red had of getting closer to that woman and finishing this fight was with the swordsman¡¯s power.


    He needed to take control of the Spirit of Slaughter.


    Yet, the youth still sensed the hesitation from the crimson mist. Even at this juncture, something still held it back.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your anger from earlier?¡± Red asked. ¡°Your indignation? You hate this spirit, or what it represents. You have been wronged by it, I can feel it. So why do you still hesitate? Why not fight it and take control?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t win.¡± The mist said. ¡°I lost back then, and I will lose once more.¡±


    There was a melancholy behind its words that the youth felt deep within his mind. However, he didn¡¯t have time to comfort the being, and neither did he want to. Too much was riding on this, too many people and their wishes relying on him, and he wouldn¡¯t be stopped by its lingering emotions.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t help, then don¡¯t be in the way.¡± Red said. ¡°You might have lost, but I won¡¯t.¡±


    The crimson mist offered no response, so the youth retracted his awareness.


    He tried to take another step forward towards Domeron, and this time, there was no sudden sense of rejection from his body. It seemed as if the crimson mist had listened to his wishes.


    By this point, he was no more than a few dozens meters from the swordsman, and it seemed as if the Spirit of Slaughter had finally noticed him. It turned around, letting out a soundless roar in the youth¡¯s direction.


    Red felt his mind shake, and he stumbled on the spot. It seemed as if the crimson mist wasn¡¯t lying. This spirit was really going to kill him if he got any closer.


    ¡®¡­ Yet, it still hasn¡¯t attacked.¡¯


    The youth didn¡¯t know what this meant, but it led him to a single conclusion. He could still get closer.


    He recovered his balance and continued to approach Domeron. The ogre-like spirit seemed increasingly frantic as Red got closer, and yet, just like earlier, it still didn¡¯t attack him. Or perhaps it was simply unable to.


    He came to a sudden realization as he looked over at Domeron.


    The swordsman turned his head to stare at Red. He had a pained expression, the black veins having almost climbed all the way up to his forehead. Yet, the man still held on.


    A strained smile formed on Domeron¡¯s face. ¡°¡­ I-It wants to kill you.¡±


    Red nodded, his steps slowing down. ¡°I know.¡±


    The swordsman breathed through gritted teeth, as if gathering the strength to speak. ¡°It will¡­ It will try to devour you.¡±


    The youth nodded once more. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the only way.¡±


    Domeron let out what seemed like a laugh, followed by a grunt of pain. ¡°You need to be strong¡­ You need to win.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I will.¡±


    The man nodded and extended his trembling sword hand towards Red. ¡°T-Then take it, before¡­¡±


    He trailed off, the effort taking too much out of him to speak any more.


    Red approached Domeron, closing in the last ten meters between them. The illusory spirit struggled with all its might against its invisible bindings, raising its fist to smash the youth. Yet, it was unable to bring them down.


    Something held it back. Or rather, someone.


    Red met Domeron¡¯s eyes, sensing the resolve behind them. Then he extended his right hand and grabbed the flaming longsword with conviction.


    The next moment, everything burned.

 Chapter 365 - Taking Control

    Every part of Red¡¯s body felt like it was on fire. His skin boiled, his every breath was like drawing in an inferno, and even in his vision, he saw nothing but dark crimson. It was like fire was seeping into every pore of his body, cooking him alive from inside and outside.


    For a second, the youth¡¯s mind went blank. The sensation was so strong, so overwhelming, that he almost entered a catatonic state as soon as the pain assaulted him. No matter how much he braced himself, he couldn¡¯t have prepared for this raging inferno that swallowed his being.


    Yet, a piece of his mind, the one accustomed to such torturous pain, held onto his consciousness by a thread. Red almost regretted that, as this made him keenly aware of these sensations in his body, but he knew if he let go, it would be his end.


    So he held onto this thread. Bit by bit, this control grew, until he felt every part of his body again, beneath the pain and the fire that consumed it. Red entered his meditation state by pure instinct, inspecting every inch of his being as he sought to get this energy under control.


    Strangely enough, though, he didn¡¯t sense any foreign bodies inside of him. There was no fire consuming him, or an angry spirit ravaging his insides. However, his muscles and flesh contracted and spasmed all the same, indicating that the strain he felt wasn¡¯t imaginary.


    With no idea on how to stop this, though, the only thing Red could do was to steel himself to endure this torment, for as long as it would last - and endure it he did. This fire seemed impossible to control or extinguish, so instead, he waited until his body acclimated to it or the flames settled down on its own.


    His plan seemed to work. Every passing second, he felt the pain fade, until it became nothing more than a persisting ache, bothersome but easy to ignore. The fire was still there - he could feel it - yet its effects on him had almost disappeared.


    It seemed as if he had succeeded. However, Red doubted things would be this easy.


    ¡®I can still only see red¡­¡¯


    The crimson filter over his vision hadn¡¯t disappeared, and his senses didn¡¯t seem to capture anything of his surroundings, either. Something was still in his way, though he couldn¡¯t tell what it was.


    ¡°¡­ Kill.¡±


    A whisper echoed in his ears. The youth, however, couldn¡¯t tell where it came from.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    The same voice reached him, louder this time. A guttural noise, inhuman in nature and possessed of a hateful will that caused Red to tremble.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    He fell down on one knee, his head flaring in pain.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    The same voice, again and again. Its will, its desire to slaughter everything in its way, was overwhelming. The youth felt like an ant compared to the strength of this devotion, and as if his only choice was to surrender to it - to become an instrument of its will.


    To kill everything he came across and satisfy this never-ending hunger.


    ¡®So this is what¡­ Domeron meant.¡¯


    At first, Red thought the worst thing that would happen when he tried to control the being was death. He was wrong.


    The Spirit of Slaughter was a demon, and a demon would always be a corrupting influence. It swept those that came into contact with it in a frenzy, granting them strength and turning them into killing machines. Every murder would turn into an increase in power, a reward without the hard work and never-ending struggle of cultivation.


    An intoxicating feeling that few would be able to resist.


    One could only imagine Domeron¡¯s state of mind back then to give birth to such a dangerous and insidious being. It wasn¡¯t just about killing. It was about taking delight in it, immersing every part of your being into taking a life and comprehending the primal depravity that came at extinguishing another¡¯s flame of existence. A being, full of hopes and dreams, now just another mark, their death an increase in your strength.


    It felt similar to the will of the devil that hid inside Red¡¯s body, and yet there was something different to it. Two sides of a coin, or perhaps two parts of a single being.


    The youth felt like he understood the crimson mist a bit better after this.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡®If they are so similar, it means I can resist this will, too.¡¯


    Of course, the crimson mist never tried to exert its will over Red, but he had come to learn what its corrupting influence felt like.


    He closed his eyes and started to meditate again. The Spirit¡¯s will battered against his mind, threatening to consume him and making it almost impossible to form coherent thoughts or do anything else, for that matter.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t need to replicate mudras and mantras to enter a meditative state. The Celestial Current was second nature to him now, like an instinct, and mere intent was more than enough for serenity to overtake his being.


    This technique was once taught to him to calm his own mind against an overwhelming opponent, and this was what Red sought to achieve once more.


    ¡°Kill, Kill, Kill!¡±


    The hate-filled words kept reverberating in his mind, like a relentless storm. Red¡¯s mind, however, once a ship on the verge of capsizing, now stood firm, riding the waves as they hit against him.


    This, however, only seemed to frustrate the voice even further.


    ¡°KILL, KILL, KILL!¡±


    The assault against his mind intensified, and yet the youth didn¡¯t feel pressed. Nothing this mindless beast threw at him could make him waver.


    The Spirit was a demon who only took pleasure from one depraved act. Red, however, was a cultivator. His conviction was always his strongest weapon, so how could he lose?


    ¡°You are nothing more than a weapon.¡± He said. ¡°A tool for killing. Now, you will act like such.¡±


    A rage filled roar echoed in his mind. However, at the same time, the will assaulting his mind got weaker. It was as if this beast lost confidence and chose to cut its loss.


    ¡®Even if it¡¯s a demon, it¡¯s still smart enough to have a sense of self-preservation.¡¯


    As Red felt the spirit retreat from his mind, his vision also cleared up, allowing the youth to examine his surroundings.


    A wide crater had formed around him, and the ground was full of scorch marks and ash. It seemed like a flame had indeed consumed him, but it seemed to have spared the youth and his belongings.


    His gaze moved down to the longsword he now held in his right hand. It was still covered in black-red flame, though the spirit¡¯s avatar attached to it was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Not only that, but Red didn¡¯t see any signs of Domeron anywhere.


    He couldn¡¯t even feel the man¡¯s fluctuation nearby.


    ¡®Did he¡­?¡¯


    A thought crossed Red¡¯s mind, but he stopped himself. Whatever end the swordsman had met, it was something the youth could only deal with after the battle was over and won.


    He climbed out of the crater with the sword and looked at the battle up above. The situation didn¡¯t seem to have improved for Aurelia, though it seemed as if she was still holding on with all her might.


    ¡®I need to do something.¡¯


    Red looked down at the sword with a frown. Even though he seemed to have the spirit under control, it didn¡¯t mean he knew how to use its powers.


    He had no choice but to fumble around blindly.


    He felt the cold handle of the sword. The flame covering its blade was still flaring, but the youth couldn¡¯t feel any heat from it, as if it was incapable of harming him. There was a deep connection he could feel between himself and whatever was inside of this weapon, but he seemed incapable of drawing it out with simple contact.


    ¡®How did Domeron do it?¡¯


    Just as Red was wondering, he felt a resonance from inside his body. More specifically, from the pit of his stomach. This sensation spread upwards, reaching towards the hand he held the sword with.


    It seemed to be trying to guide Red¡¯s muscles to move. Yet, the influence wasn¡¯t forceful, but rather felt like a suggestion, an instruction on how to accomplish what he wanted to do.


    ¡®So you decided to help in the end?¡¯


    Red could not communicate with the crimson mist without his expanded awareness, but at this moment he felt an instinctual understanding towards what it wanted from him. He needed to swing the sword with intent.


    His attention was once more drawn towards the sky. Aurelia and the black-dressed woman were still merged within the mist, and he found himself unable to spot them.


    As Red thought about interfering, he felt something surge within him. A wave of strength seemed to flow from the sword into his body, a power unlike any the youth ever felt in the past. Not even absorbing the blood from a Lesser Ring Realm monster could compare.


    ¡®This feeling¡­¡¯


    He felt he could run faster, jump higher, punch harder. This was the strength of someone who had already opened their Spiritual Sea. Red felt enraptured by the sensation.


    ¡®No!¡¯


    He shook his head before the feeling spread any further. A roar of anger then echoed within his mind.


    The youth trembled. The Spirit had tried to draw him in with this power and take over his mind again.


    Although the being had accepted defeat for now, it seemed as if it still hadn¡¯t given up on overtaking his mind with its killing frenzy. The insidiousness of this power became clear to Red.


    Every moment he needed to use the Spirit¡¯s strength, he needed to give himself into this feeling, to let the killing intent in his mind surface. Yet, if he let himself go too far, then the Spirit of Slaughter would take over, and he would lose his mind to its influence.


    It was a balancing act, one too dangerous to attempt without absolute necessity.


    ¡®I need to end this quickly.¡¯


    He considered trying to hit the ghost up above with the flames from the sword, but decided against it. Not only would he risk injuring Aurelia like this, too, but Domeron had been trying the same thing earlier, and that plan didn¡¯t pan out well for them.


    Instead, Red decided he need to get closer to the fight, close enough so he could use the exorcising technique. However, from all the Spirit¡¯s abilities, the youth had not seen it grant the swordsman flight earlier.


    So how would he approach that battle being fought a hundred meters above him?


    ¡°Red.¡±


    Hector¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Red looked back in surprise, only to see the elder down on one knee a few dozen meters away from him, blood flowing down the side of his mouth. The old man¡¯s fluctuation was even weaker than before, but his sword still flew through the sky, interfering with the clashes as often as it could.


    ¡°You have the Spirit under control?¡± Hector asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°For now.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Can you defeat her?¡±


    ¡°I have to reach her first.¡±


    The elder smiled. ¡°I can still help you with that much.¡±


    He made a hand signal, and a blue light flashed before him. The Deep Sea sword came to a rest right in front of Red, hovering a meter above the ground.


    ¡°Hop on,¡± Hector said. ¡°And make sure you don¡¯t fall off.¡±

 Chapter 366 - Wielding the Flames

    Red examined the sword hovering in front of him. The blade was only five inches wide, and both of his feet were much too big to fit and find balance atop the sword. Even with his footwork expertise, he felt he would fall if the weapon did so much as a sharp turn in the air.


    That was, however, his assessment regarding his earlier strength. With the powers of the Spirit of Slaughter running through his vein, not only did he feel stronger, but he felt more confident regarding his skills in combat, too. Whatever this demon gave its hosts, it wasn¡¯t just an upgrade in power.


    Now, he felt confident in accomplishing what he would have thought impossible before.


    Red hopped onto the blade. The flying sword didn¡¯t even buckle under his weight, and continued to hover in the air, feeling like solid ground under the youth. He had to turn his feet at an awkward angle to find proper balance in the sword, but he still felt confident in his ability to stay atop it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to speak to you from down here,¡± Hector said. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry yourself above dodging or moving about. Just focus on doing what you need to do, and I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    Red nodded and looked down at his hands. On his right grip was the flaming sword, while on his left one was the green crystal core. These were the only two things he needed to win the battle.


    The elder nodded back at him with a resolute expression even through his weakened state. ¡°Then go!¡±


    Hector pointed at the flying sword.


    A glow came from beneath Red¡¯s feet, and he felt himself lurching forward as the blade moved. He was prepared for this, though, and bent his knees ever so slightly to lower his center of mass and help himself balance.


    The sword was fast. It was still slower than when it was moving earlier, but it still provided Red with the fastest speeds he had ever travelled under. The ground distanced himself from him and in a matter of seconds he was already a hundred meters above, in the mists that spread through the sky of their sect.


    Of course, this was no common water mist. Just by getting closer, Red could feel the pure undead energy contained in these small clouds, and for a second, he was worried about coming into contact with it. However, right before they touched him, a small blue shield formed from the tip of the sword, clearing the path ahead.


    The youth was relieved, but he was now faced with another problem. He couldn¡¯t see anything around him.


    He could still hear the clashes from Aurelia and the other woman not too far from him, and he could even somehow feel their Spiritual Energy with the help of the Spirit. However, whatever powers it granted him, it didn¡¯t make his vision obsolete.


    Red still needed to see to do anything.


    ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯


    He looked down at his sword, an idea coming to him.


    The youth twisted his wrist, and with intent to kill, swept his sword at the surrounding mist. A dark-red flame arc shot out from his blade, clashing into the fog and cleaving through it like it was butter. Wherever the fire passed, the mist dissipated, before the blade arc also disappeared.


    It was a success, yet the amount of fog the fire had dissipated was relatively small. Red was still surrounded by this sea of undead energy, unable to see anything.


    ¡®This will take too long.¡¯


    Earlier, he saw Domeron do more with the flames than just shoot fire from it. Yet the man had who knew how many years of practice with it, while Red was just using it for the first time. Proper technique wasn¡¯t something one could just improvise.


    Just as he was wondering what to do, he felt another resonance inside of his body. It was the crimson mist again, trying to guide his movements.


    ¡®Slower, more deliberate.¡¯


    It was what he felt from it. This time, Red didn¡¯t hesitate to follow its instructions.


    He waved his sword in a slow movement, as if painting the air around him. Flames trailed out from his blade, but instead of shooting out, they remained there, hovering by him without disappearing - a curved wall of fire. Red found this curious, but the crimson mist compelled him to continue.


    ¡®Every direction.¡¯


    The youth did as much. With the same painting movements, he drew these same flame walls in every direction. He was afraid the fire would damage the sword he was flying under, but if the weapon felt anything, it showed no indications of it. In fact, it seemed as if the blade had stopped moving too, as if Hector was waiting for him to complete his plan.


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    Soon enough, Red found himself inside a large semi-sphere of fire. The flames didn¡¯t dissipate, being fueled by no energy that the youth could discern, and instead every trail that the youth painted joined together to form a stable structure.


    ¡®Is this¡­ a Spiritual Art?¡¯


    The crimson mist gave him another direction.


    ¡®Spread. Wash away.¡¯


    Red followed its instructions and used the tip of his sword to touch the flame wall, commanding the fire to spread. As soon as he did that, the flame orb around him started to expand.


    It was slow at first, before it seemed to rage with energy. The entire sea mist started to be burned away into nothingness, the flames washing away the entire sky. The orb continued to expand for hundreds of meters, until the energy behind it dissipated too, the fire flickering and disappearing.


    By that point, however, the entire sky was cleared, and Red could see once more.


    He looked over at where the battle was being fought. However, it seemed the combatants had stopped fighting for a moment and were both staring at him while hovering in the air.


    Aurelia looked surprised, while the woman in black had a severe expression.


    Aurelia made to speak. ¡°How did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Help me keep her still.¡± Red cut her off.


    The youth had no problem saying his plan out loud because his intentions were obvious. He wanted to get close enough to use his exorcism technique, and if the woman didn¡¯t see through his plan, then he would have been surprised instead.


    Aurelia nodded with a frown, before dissipating into fog and charging at the other ghost.


    The woman in black, though, didn¡¯t remain still. She also assimilated with her surroundings, and in the next second Red lost track of both his ally and his enemy.


    ¡®I still can¡¯t sense them well, but¡­¡¯


    He spun around, swinging his sword to his left, shooting a flame arc in that direction. An invisible clash happened there the next second, before his blade arc swept through the area.


    Both Aurelia and the woman¡¯s figures were revealed for a moment as the fire passed through before they disappeared once again.


    ¡°Watch what you¡¯re doing!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°You¡¯re going to hit me too!¡±


    Red frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. He was able to detect their Spiritual Energy right as they were about to strike, but his reaction was too slow, and he wasn¡¯t able to discern friend from enemy either. He was still getting used to these powers, after all.


    He didn¡¯t attack again over the next couple of clashes, waiting as the flying sword took him closer to the combat. Its speed was impressive, but even then, it still wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with the two ghosts.


    Every time he got close, the next clash happened dozens of meters away from him. This was no coincidence, of course, since the woman in black was probably very intent on staying as far away from the youth as she could.


    He had no choice but to attack with the same flame arc from far away. The next few times, his aim was more accurate, as he was able to aim his strikes at the place where the other ghost would appear instead of Aurelia. However, his attacks were still too slow, and the woman was always able to dissipate away before his flames made full contact with her.


    They continued to fly in this chase, and by this point, they were already far away from the sect.


    The sky above the town flashed with lights. Explosions of mist, immediately followed by a flame sweeping it away. A show of fireworks for the townsfolk down below, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact they were likely terrified by the zombies attacking their formation right outside.


    ¡®My attacks are too slow.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter how accurately he could predict where the woman would appear. If his blade arcs couldn¡¯t reach her before she disappeared away once more, there was no point to it.


    On top of that, Red felt a mounting frustration from the sword in his hand. It seemed as if the Spirit wasn¡¯t happy at his failures, and its struggles against his mind started to become stronger once more.


    The youth started to formulate a plan, and he felt a resonance in his body. It seemed as if the crimson mist knew what he wanted before he even had the opportunity to ask it for help.


    ¡®Concentrate. Point.¡¯


    This time, its instructions were confusing. Red, however, did his best to interpret its intentions.


    ¡®Concentrate the flame on a single point.¡¯


    He held his sword up, exerting his control over the flame covering its surface. The majority of the fire shifted from the rest of the blade towards its tip, forming a dense orb of crimson flame.


    Red felt himself struggle to control this condensed power at the tip of his sword, and he felt as if it would explode at any moment. He gritted his teeth, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.


    Even with his extra power, what he was trying to do required more focus than the youth had imagined.


    The crimson mist guided him again.


    ¡®Thrust.¡¯


    The youth shifted some of his focus to detect the area where the woman in black would appear. Then, he felt it some dozens of meters away from him, a minute wave of Spiritual Energy that would have been impossible for him to detect before. Without hesitation, Red jabbed with his sword in that direction.


    The ghostly clash happened right as he was finishing his movement, and he saw the faint shadow of the woman in his vision. Then, a moment later, the orb of fire at the tip of his sword shot out.


    This time, however, it was no mere blade arc. Instead, the orb of fire exploded into a ray of concentrated black-red flame that seemed to sear the very air it crossed.


    It struck the woman in an instant before she could disappear again.


    For a moment, Red wondered if the ray of fire had done anything as it passed straight through her body before dissipating. Domeron hadn¡¯t managed to wound her much earlier, and he wondered if this concentrated fire would be capable of such.


    A moment later, he got his answer.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡±


    The woman in black let out an inhuman scream as a large, burning hole had appeared in her stomach. Black-red flames flickered around her wound, preventing it from closing like before.


    ¡°Red, now!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Before the youth could even say anything, the sword beneath his feet lurched, flying straight at the woman.


    This was the opportunity he was waiting on.

 Chapters 367 - Burn

    <div>


    Red shot towards the ghost atop his flying sword, leaving a trail of blue Spiritual Energy behind. The woman, however, seemed to notice his approach.


    She tried to fly back even as the wound in her stomach burned. The edges of her body started to merge into her surroundings, transforming into mist. It seemed that when pressed, the woman could still retreat even while wounded, and Red wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch her.


    However, this time, something was different.


    The majority of her frame turned invisible, and yet when the transformation reached her wound and met the flames burning around it, it halted. The fire seemed to prevent her midriff from turning invisible, and as such she still stood out even while the rest of her body disappeared.


    Red, in turn, didn¡¯t lose sight of her.


    He held his crystal core in front of him and started to chant the exorcism mantra. The flying sword beneath his feet accelerated, reaching the woman with a sudden outburst of speed. Finally, Red managed to get close enough to her.


    The effects were immediate. The core in his hand glowed, and a stream of Spiritual Energy poured into it from the invisible ghost.


    A shimmer appeared in front of Red, and the woman¡¯s figure revealed itself. The energy was coming out of every part of her body into the core, and even in the brief second the youth was within range, it seemed a substantial amount of her essence had already been stolen from her.


    The woman was staring at him with a mixture of hatred and surprise.


    Suddenly, the stream of blood pouring down her eyes seemed to glow, causing Red¡¯s mind to flare in warning.


    He continued to recite the exorcism mantra while holding the core up, but with his other hand, he brought the flaming sword to bear against the woman. Before he could swipe down, though, the extra appendage at her back shot forward, grabbing the blade bare-handed.


    The fire started to consume the deformed arm, yet its sacrifice was enough to arrest the momentum of Red¡¯s swing.


    At that moment, the youth felt as if something was pouring out of the ghost¡¯s eyes and reaching into his own. He tried to look away, but he found himself unable to. It was as if every muscle in his body ceased functioning all at once, and he couldn¡¯t react even if he wanted to.


    ¡®I was careless.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think that the woman had kept another trump card, not to mention one that could be executed by merely meeting her gaze. He was still too inexperienced when it came to fights at this level, and now it cost him this valuable opportunity.


    Yet, to his luck, he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. A shadow flashed by the corner of his eyes before a pale, clawed hand swept at the woman¡¯s face out of nowhere.


    ¡°Burn in hell!¡±


    The ghost tried to react, but she was too slow. Aurelia¡¯s sharp fingernails tore into her face, ripping out a huge chunk of flesh and causing her opponent to scream in pain.


    However, much in the same way, when the woman in black was wounded earlier, beneath her skin wasn¡¯t flesh and bone, but a grey misty substance that seemed to make up her body. This injury that would have killed any human was only enough to make the ghost recoil.


    As she did so, though, she broke eye contact with Red.


    The youth felt control over his body return, and he continued to swing his sword down, just like before he was paralyzed. The blade cut into her body, yet it didn¡¯t seem to find purchase on anything. It felt as if he was cutting into air, and her ghostly flesh split apart like mist to give way to his weapon.


    Not even his flames seemed to wound her, yet Red knew this wasn¡¯t because it wasn¡¯t effective. They just weren¡¯t burning strong enough.


    ¡®Burn! Burn!¡¯


    He felt the crimson mist¡¯s instructions, carrying a murderous will. The youth was all too glad to comply.


    He focused on the flames of the sword, ordering the spirit to fuel them with all of its power. The being, perhaps sensing the opportunity to kill their opponent, offered no resistance at this juncture.


    The sword, resting midway through the ghost¡¯s torso, glowed with an intense black-red light. The whole world around it seemed to dim in comparison, and a moment later, this energy exploded.


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    Red lurched back from the shockwave, but the flying sword remained steady beneath his feet, not allowing him to fall. A ball of dark-red flames spread from the epicenter of this explosion, but it quickly dissipate into nothingness, revealing the figure of the ghost.


    ¡°AHH! AHHHHHG!¡±


    The woman¡¯s entire body was engulfed in these flames. She flailed around in pain, looking like an avatar of fire flying in the sky.


    This scene gave Red pause. It was hard to imagine the kind of pain these flames inflicted on a person, but it was enough even to make this ghost of a near-ascension cultivator lose their mind from the sensation. Whatever the case, it didn¡¯t seem like she would be able to recover from this.


    ¡°The exorcism technique!¡± Aurelia called out to him from the side. ¡°Quickly! Absorb as much of her as you can!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if she was asking this of him for her own benefit or to make sure the woman in black died. However, even if the flames consuming were more than enough to kill her, Red also wouldn¡¯t take the chance.


    He leaned forward, and the flying sword brought him over to the woman on its own. He then held the crystal core up and started to recite the exorcism mantra.


    The woman didn¡¯t try to flee this time around, or perhaps she was incapable of doing it. In any case, a continuous stream of energy poured from her into the insectoid core, and her struggles became increasingly weaker.


    At some point, though, Red felt the core in his hand tremble, glowing with a light intense enough to be seen from kilometers away.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Aurelia came to his side as she looked at the item. ¡°The core can¡¯t take any more of her energy.¡±


    Red nodded and stopped chanting. The continuous stream of energy stopped pouring out from the woman in black, and the youth could do nothing else but watch as the flames consumed her.


    ¡°Is she dying?¡± he asked.


    ¡°She is.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°These flames are burning her soul away. She won¡¯t last much longer.¡±


    The woman¡¯s ghost continued to flail in the air, her screams becoming more and more inhuman and desperate as she burned to death. The youth didn¡¯t feel any pity for her, though.


    A few seconds later, though, her figure suddenly seized, freezing like a statue, and her screams died in her throat. Red immediately sensed something was wrong, and he held his sword up in preparation.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Aurelia held her hand in front of him. ¡°She¡¯s too weak to stand against us.¡±


    The youth was skeptical, but he listened to her advice.


    The woman in black stood frozen for almost ten seconds, her body contorted in an unnatural posture, before she moved again. She didn¡¯t continue to flail in pain, though, and instead turned around to the duo, even as the flames continued to consume her.


    The agony she had been suffering seemed to have suddenly disappeared, and the ghost managed to stand there as if nothing was happening. Red couldn¡¯t tell beneath all the fire, but he felt as if she was looking directly at him.


    ¡°I always had a hard time reading that man.¡± The woman said in a serene voice. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if this was all some elaborate plot of his to interfere with my plans or if this is all a coincidence. It was always rather vexing, even when I still had all my powers.¡±


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t respond to her. Even with her strange actions, he still didn¡¯t feel any sign of danger from her weakening self.


    ¡°I would have liked to learn what he was up to, but it seems I have found someone far more interesting.¡± the woman pointed her burning finger at Red. ¡°You, child, unremarkable in almost every aspect, but the target of an intersection of multiple different fates, each one far bigger than you could possibly imagine¡­ Is this also a coincidence or is this someone¡¯s plan in action, I wonder.¡±


    She brought her hand up to her face, examining the black-red flames.


    ¡°Learning of your existence¡­ It has made this humbling loss worth its price.¡± She said. ¡°Of course, reparations must be paid eventually. So grow strong, child, and make sure to explore each of these threads tied to your fate to their very end. Become someone remarkable and powerful, and make it worth my while when I come for your bones in the future¡­ Don¡¯t make this defeat of mine meaningless, is all I ask of you.¡±


    The youth¡¯s frown deepened. Before he could say anything else, though, the woman¡¯s body started to evaporate into ashes, scattering to the wind. The black-red flames also died out along with it, and Red felt her presence disappear once and for all.


    The woman was dead, and yet hearing her last words, he didn¡¯t feel contented with this victory.


    ¡®She mocked us earlier when we referred to her as a ghost. Could it be¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink her words, Red.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. ¡°Whether they were true or not, the only reason she said what she said was to plant the seed of doubt in your mind. Don¡¯t let her succeed.¡±


    Red looked over at his companion. The woman had reverted from her ghoulish form, turning into a young woman once more. Somehow, though, her figure felt way more substantial than the youth ever remembered it being in the past.


    ¡°I will return to the core.¡± She said. ¡°I need to refine the energy before it goes out of control.¡±


    Red hesitated, but he still nodded.


    The woman gave him one final deep look before her figure dissipated into light, returning to the core in his hand. The glow from the item diminished substantially as soon as that happened, but the youth could still feel its newfound power in his grasp.


    That was when he felt the flying sword beneath his feet twist around. Red didn¡¯t resist its movement, and eventually, the blade brought him back to the sky above his sect.


    The flying sword flew down in a soft arc before coming to a stop a few meters above the ground, right by Hector¡¯s kneeling figure.


    Red hopped down and looked around at the courtyard. The battle felt like it lasted a long while for him, and yet no more than ten minutes had passed by since the woman in black first attacked. During that time, though, every building in his sect had been destroyed, and three of his companions lost their life in battle.


    His entire life had changed in a brief but earth-shattering confrontation.


    Hector looked at him with a pale smile. ¡°You did it.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    Despite the death of his opponent, the youth felt like this couldn¡¯t have been further from a victory for him.

 Chapter 368 - Golden Host

    <div>


    Hector¡¯s expression changed as he looked at the sword in Red¡¯s hand. ¡°The sword! Sheathe it, quickly!¡±


    The elder made a grabbing hand and Domeron¡¯s scabbard which laid at the edge of the battlefield flew over to his hand. He handed it over to Red, who did not hesitate to sheathe the sword.


    Although he didn¡¯t feel like the spirit was going out of control, he knew better than to assume.


    As soon as the blade was covered, the flame surrounding it died out into nothingness, and the youth heard a faint roar of unwillingness in his mind. With the flames, so too did his strength disappear. The foreign power that filled his body evaporated, and the weakness of his mortal frame never was so clear to him at that moment.


    Never had a battle taken so much out of him, and he didn¡¯t even fight it using his own powers. He was exhausted, spent, both in mind and body.


    Yet, he still couldn¡¯t afford to relax.


    He looked over downhill. ¡°The fighting at the edge of town stopped.¡±


    Since the woman was dead, the zombies she controlled did not have a master whose commands to follow. He wasn¡¯t sure if this meant they would cease to function, but at the very least, they weren¡¯t attacking the formation any longer.


    Hector nodded, struggling to get up. ¡°It¡¯s not done yet, we need to¡­ You need to¡­¡±


    The elder stumbled, but Red rushed ahead to catch him.


    ¡°N-No!¡± The old man, his strength deflating, pushed the youth away. He struggled with himself, but finally managed to stand straight. ¡°We¡­ We don¡¯t have time for this. They are still here. You need to leave.¡±


    Red frowned. He, of course, knew who the man was referring to.


    ¡®The Imperials.¡¯


    Whatever connection they might have possibly had with that woman in black, their presence was never seen once throughout the battle. This meant there was still a Peak Lesser Ring Realm assassin somewhere around here, and both he and Hector were at their weakest at the moment.


    ¡°They have seen everything,¡± Hector said. ¡°The fight, the ghosts, the sword, the demon¡­ You need to leave this place before they decide to do something about it.¡±


    Red looked around the battlefield. ¡°We should bury them first.¡±


    What they could bury at least. Goulth was the only one with a whole body. Rog had his entire upper body destroyed, while Domeron¡¯s corpse was nowhere to be seen. Red still didn¡¯t know what happened to the swordsman, but judging by the fact his entire surroundings were consumed by flames as soon as the sword was passed to him, it was easy to come to a conclusion.


    ¡°Bury them?¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s of the least importance right now.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°They didn¡¯t deserve this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare cultivators get the ending they deserve.¡± the elder said. ¡°Your master, Domeron and Rog, died fighting for what they believed in. It¡¯s more than a lot of people can say, and now you need to make sure their sacrifices don¡¯t go to waste. You need to leave this place¡±


    Red hesitated, but he knew the elder was right. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Hector scoffed. ¡°Me? How much time do you reckon I have left?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond. Even through his crimson sense, he could feel the elder¡¯s fluctuation getting weaker by the second. At this rate, it would just be a matter of a couple of hours before it completely disappeared.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I will settle things around here.¡± Hector said. ¡°You need to escape and hide. Once everything has blown over, you need to make your way to the Skycrown Mountain and reunite with Allen.¡±


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    ¡°That will be difficult.¡±


    The trip over to the Skycrown Mountain was a dangerous one. That area itself was home to some of the strongest monsters in the world, and only the immediate area surrounding the Crystal Sky Sect was deemed safe for humans to live in. Even then, that place wasn¡¯t reachable by mortals, and only members from the sect were even allowed to enter and leave as they pleased.


    Hector shook his head with a pale expression. ¡°He needs your help. The only reason I felt safe sending him over was because I thought you would be with him, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡± Red nodded.


    The elder smiled. ¡°Good¡­ Still, don¡¯t forget your own safety takes priority. Until you feel confident, don¡¯t go that way and don¡¯t try to contact anyone from the Crystal Sky Sect for help.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust them?¡±


    Hector snorted. ¡°Bah¡­ They aren¡¯t a single entity. We can trust the elder we made a deal with, but anyone else might try to take advantage of your situation. If they somehow learn about what happened here, then¡­¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°I got it. I will be careful.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. If you breakthrough before then, things will be much easier¡­ I thought you would still have some issues without assistance, but I was wrong to doubt you after what happened. If anyone can open their Spiritual Sea without the help of a sect, it¡¯s yo-¡±


    The elder was interrupted as the sound of a horn echoed through the town. It felt incredibly loud, shaking their very cores. Yet, somehow, the sound didn¡¯t seem to hurt their ears, instead reaching into somewhere far deeper in their beings.


    Red was in a daze, confused. Then, a second later, he saw a light appear far above their heads.


    It seemed as if the Sun had risen, washing away the night in its golden glow. Yet, as the light dimmed and his eyes adapted to the glow, he saw the source of this brilliance.


    A human figure. Not just one, though, but dozens of them, all mounted atop pure white winged horses and wearing shining golden armor that made one¡¯s eyes hurt from looking at it for too long. Their faces, covered in helmets that hid their features, stared down at the town beneath their feet, like gods in their awe-inspiring presence that seemed to bear down on Red and the others.


    It was an oppressive feeling, as if divine punishment was to be dolled out upon them and a feeling of helplessness instilled in those aimed at by their gaze. There is no resistance. There is no purpose in opposing this fate.


    This was what Red felt as he looked at these figures, a strange sense of familiarity coming to him.


    Amidst these mounted flying knights, one figure was holding a pure golden horn, the source of the noise they had just heard. Said knight lowered the horn, and his booming voice reached the town down below, echoing through the entire region.


    ¡°Under the orders of His Radiance, Emperor Augustus the Third, we, the knights of the 7th Golden Legion under the command of our Holy General, Sir Bernard, have come to this town with the intention to liberate its people from the corruption of sectarian, demonic, and unholy influences.¡±


    The knight paused, as if letting them diggest the words that were spoken. Almost ten seconds later, he continued.


    ¡°Lower the formation and submit yourselves to the command of our holy knights. Any resistance will be met with swift and decisive retaliation. You have ten minutes to obey our commands, after which we will take it as your intentions to disobey our orders and will immediately attack the formation.¡±


    This time, it seemed that the knight was finished speaking.


    None of the legion seemed to have drawn their weapons, but each and every one of them carried a lance and shield at their back, as well as a longsword sheathed at their side. The pressure and absolute feeling of strength they emitted was evident even to those without sensitivity to Spiritual Energy.


    For cultivators like Red, it was much worse. He could feel the waves of energy constantly being emitted from their body, reaching him from hundreds of meters above. Each one of these knights seemed to be brimming with as much power as the ghost he had just defeat, and he counted at least thirty of them mounted atop these winged-steeds in an organized formation.


    This wasn¡¯t all, though.


    At the center of this squadron, there was someone else. Another knight, though this one brought attention onto himself by the fact their armor was silver, and they didn¡¯t seem to emit the same golden light as the rest of their companions. They only carried a longsword at their side, and they seemed almost too ordinary to fit amidst this golden host. However, their position at the center of the army spoke to the contrary.


    Red felt his gaze drawn to this person, sensing there was something special about them. The knight¡¯s expression was hidden behind this plated ornamental helmet that covered their entire head, and yet at that moment, their head shifted.


    The youth felt as if they were staring directly at him. Red felt his eyes sting, as if something was being transmitted from that person¡¯s gaze onto his very own. An intent, sharp, overwhelming.


    Impossible to look away from.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Hector called out to him and pushed him away.


    The elder¡¯s interruption made Red break eye contact with the knight. He reached up towards his face in a daze, sensing blood pouring down his eyes. His vision was blurry, and yet a regenerative force within his body acted at that moment, as if trying to repair the damage done to his vision.


    It took almost ten seconds before Red felt as if he could see things somewhat properly again, upon which he noticed Hector¡¯s alarmed figure standing by his side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t look at him.¡± the elder said. ¡°You will die.¡±


    Red was confused, still trying to process what had happened. ¡°¡­ Who is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s Bernard. He¡¯s here.¡±


    The youth shivered, feeling a sense of terror overcoming his mind.


    The man he swore to kill now arrived at the gates of his home. Except, now it was uncertain who would kill who.

 Chapter 369 - The Silver Knight

    Red could feel the pressure of the knights from above. Like a beating heart, waves of their golden Spiritual Energy bore down upon each and every person in town, like a beating heart, passing even through the shielding formation. Each wave that reached him was like a shock to his psyche, a display of the absolute strength this army wielded.


    This was the Imperial Army.


    What realm were these people at? Greater Ring Realm? Spirit Core Realm? The cultivation of the imperials had their own distinct methods and terms from normal cultivation, but there were still comparisons to draw upon. For instance, he knew Bernard was someone who was at least in the Spiritual Awakening Realm, the fourth realm of cultivation. That man alone was more than enough to raze this entire place to the ground, formation or no formation.


    This many strong cultivators, all gathered in one place. The concept seemed almost impossible to Red, but here they were.


    This army had the whole town under their purview, and the youth knew that any attempt to escape from them was pointless. It was likely some of them were paying particular attention to him and Hector, which made matters even more difficult.


    Red was at a complete loss at this moment.


    Hector snapped at him. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Come with me, we need to find the Bar- ugh!¡±


    The elder tried to walk off before stumbling down to one knee again. He clutched his chest in pain, coughing out blood.


    Red frowned and looked over at him. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°B-Bring me to the Baron¡­¡± Hector said. ¡°There is still¡­ a way out of this.¡±


    The youth was somewhat skeptical about this, but he knew better than to just wait around. He picked up Hector and put him over his shoulder before shooting off towards the Baron¡¯s Castle uphill.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Red ignored the man¡¯s complaints and kept running. The fatigue in his body made him feel weak, but at this moment, it seemed like Hector wasn¡¯t much stronger than a dying old man, either.


    They had ten minutes to accomplish whatever the elder had planned, and Red wasn¡¯t going to take any chances, either.


    ¡­


    In the sky above the town, the golden knights watched the townsfolk moving about like ants.


    There was almost absolute silence amongst them, only broken by the beating of the wings of their flying horses. At the center of it all was the silver knight, with his arms crossed. It was impossible to discern what he was thinking beneath all of his armor, but his subordinates knew what this posture of their commander meant.


    That being almost total disinterest.


    ¡°Those two are running towards the castle.¡±


    A female voice from a knight by Bernard¡¯s right side spoke.


    The silver knight grunted. ¡°I see.¡±


    He spoke in an uninterested voice, unbefitting the dominating figure most had come to associate him with.


    The woman¡¯s helmet shifted, looking over at her commander. ¡°They might try to escape.¡±


    ¡°And how would they do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they are probably the people the Bishop told us about. We shouldn¡¯t take any chances.¡±


    Bernard shook his head. ¡°I serve the Emperor, not the church. I have my orders to allow our enemies to surrender, and so that¡¯s what I will do.¡±


    The female knight hesitated. ¡°My Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°I said my part.¡± he cut her off. ¡°I was told by the court that the Empire wants more subjects, and not more dead bodies, so that¡¯s what we will give them.¡±


    There was a hint of undisguised derision in the man¡¯s voice.


    The woman didn¡¯t push the matter and fell silent once more. They could do nothing more than to count down the seconds as they waited for the town to surrender.


    ¡­


    Red made his way up the hill amidst the panicking townsfolk. People who were previously woken up by the explosion, now found themselves suddenly at the mercy of the enemy they had been trying to flee all this time. They were confused, but most of all, they were scared.


    ¡°Where is the Baron? Why is he not here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to kill us! We need to surrender!¡±


    ¡°The formation will protect us! It has never fallen before!¡±


    The youth heard many such voices in the street, and yet no one knew for certain what to do. The formation was their only protection, but how could they be sure it would stand against the might of the Empire? Fleeing the town wasn¡¯t a better option either, so the only thing they could do was stand around and panic.


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    The guards were just as confused as the rest of them, doing their best to contain the crowd. It was clear the knights had given them so little time to press them to a decision and, as such, it was unlikely the Baron would be able to mount any kind of plan in a rush.


    Yet, what confused Red was the need for an ultimatum in the first place. These people could probably crush the barrier without problems, but instead, they chose to wait outside for the town¡¯s surrender.


    This wasn¡¯t something the youth could focus on right now. The panic in streets allowed him and Hector to run by unnoticed, as everyone else was too worried about their own immediate future to concern themselves with this young man running with a flailing elder on his back.


    As he neared the top of the hill, though, Red was quick to notice something was wrong.


    There were about a dozen corpses strewn about near the entrance to the castle. The gate proper was completely broken open, hit by an incredible force by the looks of it. Some guards were standing around, examining the bodies of their companions in confusion and uncertain about what to do.


    It was clear that a battle had happened here.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red asked a guard that didn¡¯t even seem to notice his approach.


    The man looked over at him in shock, though his expression relaxed once he noticed it was Red. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. I don¡¯t really know- wait, who is that on your should-?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red cut him off before Hector said anything.


    ¡°Ah, we don¡¯t know. We were out to reinforce our companions downhill against those zombies, but they died all of a sudden. We just returned and found the place like this.¡± the man shook his head with a fearful expression. ¡°The Baron, we don¡¯t know if he¡­¡±


    Red didn¡¯t listen to the rest of his explanation, shooting off towards the castle. He extended his crimson sense towards the castle, surprised about his discovery.


    There were no more than ten fluctuations inside the castle, a place that once housed hundreds of people. Red could only shudder at the thought of the scene he was about to witness.


    ¡°Is the Baron alive?!¡± Hector asked atop his shoulder.


    ¡°He is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°He seems wounded, though.¡±


    ¡°Go to him quickly then!¡±


    The youth was, of course, doing his best already.


    As he walked through the broken gate, he was met with a grisly sight. Bodies of guards and servants alike were strewn about everywhere, blood painting the stone walls of their castle as a heavy smell of iron rose to his nostrils. Most of them didn¡¯t even get the opportunity to draw their weapons before being struck down, and the killing wounds in their bodies looked very familiar to Red.


    ¡®Puncture wounds.¡¯


    The assassin had struck.


    Red rushed through the slaughter scene, ignoring everything else as he made his way to where he felt the Baron¡¯s fluctuation. He saw even more bodies further into the castle, as well as a few survivors who seemed to have gotten lucky enough to not be killed. These people, however, seemed too scared to even notice his approach.


    Finally, he arrived at the room where the Baron was - the meeting room he had visited a long time ago. The door here was likewise struck off its hinges, and the whole place seemed to have seen the worst of the battle, cracked stones and debris spread all around the room.


    There were some bodies here too, including those of guards that Red recognized. At the center of the battlefield, though, stood the corpse of someone that didn¡¯t seem to belong to this place.


    A masked man, all clothed in black, an enormous hole in his back that seemed to have been his fatal wound. He was carrying a rapier in his right that he grasped even in death.


    The assassin.


    The Baron sat cross-legged not too far away, his body a bloody mess. Atop his lap, he held what looked to be a stone totem that glowed with white energy at the moment. The man seemed focused on the item, but he noticed the approach of Red in the room.


    He smiled towards the boy, blood pooling at the side of his mouth. ¡°You were wrong. It wasn¡¯t Rickard.¡±


    ¡°Let me down!¡± Hector struggled on Red¡¯s shoulders, and the youth decided to let him on his feet.


    The Baron seemed surprised to see the elder¡¯s figure. ¡°You¡¯re here? I wanted to help you once I heard the explosions from your sect, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Hector cut him off. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything.¡±


    The man gave him a sad smiled. ¡°Your sect, did they-¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I need you to do something for me.¡±


    The Baron frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I need you to send him away.¡± Hector pointed at Red.


    The youth was confused by this, but he remained silent.


    The Baron, on the other hand, looked completely shocked. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°A good friend figured this out a long time ago and told me.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°But none of that matters right now. I need you to do this for me.¡±


    The man hesitated. ¡°I can¡¯t. If I do it, the energy of the formation will be spent.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to destroy it either way, you fool!¡±


    The Baron remained steady. ¡°Maybe so, but they are in for a huge surprise if they think it¡¯s going to be easy.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of tricks you have prepared for this, all you¡¯re going to do is delay the inevitable!¡±


    ¡°If I delay long enough, the Crystal Sky Sect will arrive to help us.¡±


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°Bernard is here.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s expression paled even further. ¡°How¡­? Why did he¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that means even if your formation can delay him long enough, no one from the sects will come over to help you.¡±


    The man seemed to have fallen into despair at hearing this. ¡°Then this town¡­ My people¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do to save them.¡± Hector said. ¡°If they survive, they will be indoctrinated into the Celestial Church.¡±


    The Baron fell completely silent at this, trying to process this information.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, friend, but there¡¯s no time to grieve.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°I need you to send Red away.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why him? Why should I not send any of these other innocent people in his place?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s also innocent.¡± the elder said. ¡°And because I¡¯m asking this one last favor out of you.¡±


    The Baron shook, looking over between Red and Hector. He shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t work. It takes time to send someone away and they will notice what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°I can buy you time.¡± Hector said with a steely gaze.


    The man frowned. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I just need you to do this for me, as a friend.¡±


    The Baron went quiet once more until he eventually shook his head with a helpless smile. ¡°You are a very opportunistic man, Hector. To mention something like friendship only when it suits you most¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you do it?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°I will, but not for you. But for him.¡± The man looked at Red. ¡°You are a brilliant young man, and you don¡¯t deserve to die here. I will send you away from this place, but on one condition.¡±


    Red, who was listening to all of this in silence, knew what was about to come. ¡°What condition?¡±


    ¡°Make the Empire pay for what they have done here today.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond immediately. However, under Hector and the Baron¡¯s intense gazes, he knew that there was only one choice here.


    ¡°I promise that I will make them pay for this.¡±

 Chapter 370 - A Challenge

    <div>


    ¡°Good.¡± The Baron nodded with a smile. ¡°Then I can rest easy.¡±


    Red turned over to look at Hector, who was staring at him with a gratified look.


    ¡°This is goodbye then, kid.¡± The elder said.


    The youth frowned and looked over the old man¡¯s body up and down. ¡°How are you going to distract them in your condition?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t feel the slightest hint of Hector¡¯s earlier strength in the elder¡¯s body. He seemed to have spent most of his Spiritual Energy and vitality in the previous battle.


    Hector scoffed. ¡°My strength never laid in my cultivation base, kid. Do you think someone at the Lesser Ring Realm is worthy of wielding a treasure like the Deep Sea Sword?¡±


    This was indeed something that always confused Red. Hector was a very strong and knowledgeable cultivator, but it was hard to imagine a sect-defining treasure would be left in the hands of someone at the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡°I¡¯m one of the few people that this sword has acknowledged in centuries, and the only one to do it below the fourth realm.¡± the elder said. ¡°It¡¯s why even if my fellow sect members bemoaned about how this blade was wasted in my hands, none of them could ever do anything to take it from me.¡±


    ¡°Even with this sword, you won¡¯t be able to fight against these people.¡±


    If Hector was already struggling to fight against that ghostly woman with the sword, he couldn¡¯t imagine how he would fare against an imperial army.


    Hector shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t intend on fighting them. I just want to show them a single move.¡±


    Red did not know what the elder was referring to, but he trusted his judgement. If anyone knew the limits of his own powers, then it was Hector.


    The elder waved his hand, and a blue flash shot into the room. The Deep Sea Sword hovered in front of him, close to the ground, though its earlier glow was diminished substantially at this moment.


    ¡°Help me get on top of it.¡± Hector extended his hand to Red.


    The youth followed his instructions, taking the old man¡¯s wrist as he tried to find balance atop the sword. His legs were trembling, and it seemed as if he could buckle to one knee at any second. This made Red hesitate to let go of his arm.


    ¡°Shoo!¡± Hector shook him off on his own. ¡°I can do this much on my own.¡±


    The youth had no choice but to take a step back and watch as the elder tried to find balance on his own. It took the better part of a minute, but in the end he remained steady atop the sword.


    Hector looked over at the Baron. ¡°Make sure to not falter, no matter what.¡±


    The Baron nodded, a saddened look on his face as he stared at Hector.


    The elder then turned around to look at Red. ¡°As for you¡­ I know the life of a sect cultivator has never befitted you, and I won¡¯t resent you if you choose to walk away in the future. Still, even a rogue cultivator is well served of friends and companions, so if there¡¯s one thing I ask of you is to look after Allen in the future.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I always planned to.¡±


    Hector smiled. ¡°Good. Also, be careful with that sword! The seal will not last forever, even if you leave it untouched!¡±


    The youth nodded once more. Even with the sheathed sword, he could still hear the faint echoes of the spirit raging in his mind now and then.


    The elder seemed satisfied, and he waved his hand. His sword started to fly away out of the meeting hall with the old man on top of it. Red thought he was going to fall at any second, but that didn¡¯t happen. Even as a dying cultivator, as soon as Hector got on top of his sword, it seemed as if his confidence and strength returned on the surface.


    The youth knew this couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth, but it was at least enough to allow the elder to keep his balance.


    ¡°Did you know your elder is a grandmaster of water and ice?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I had my suspicions from the past, but seeing him wielding that sword today made it all clear to me.¡± she said. ¡°He has the mastery over two laws that would allow him to become a fourth realm cultivator, the only thing he lacks is the cultivation base. I suppose in that sense that makes him one of the strongest Lesser Ring Realm cultivators in the world, for all the good that does him.¡±


    The youth was digesting her words before he heard the Baron call out to him.


    ¡°Red.¡± the man said. ¡°Keep close to me. I will explain to you what will happen¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Above the clouds, the mounted knights still waited patiently.


    ¡°It has almost been ten minutes, sir.¡± the female knight said. ¡°Should we prepare to attack?¡±


    The silver knight nodded. ¡°Be sure to end this quickly. I don¡¯t want any cultivators interfering with our plans.¡±


    His subordinate nodded, and just as it looked as if she was about to give out an order, something happened down below.


    ¡°Someone is approaching!¡±


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    One of the knights warned the rest of them, though they all noticed this at the same time.


    A flying figure rose from the town below, passing unhindered through the translucent barrier. An old man, standing on top of a flying sword, riding straight towards the golden knights with a fearless expression.


    Immediately, the arms of every imperial knight went to their weapons, though they didn¡¯t immediately draw it. Only Bernard still kept his arms crossed as he stared at this approaching figure.


    ¡°It¡¯s the elder from the Ocean Bearer¡¯s Sect.¡± the female knight by his side said.


    ¡°Sir, should we allow him to approach?¡± Another knight close by asked.


    ¡°Let him.¡± Bernard waved his hand at them. ¡°I want to see what he has to say.¡±


    The army followed his orders, though they all kept their hands on the hilt of their weapons. Even against an ant, these knights would always bring their full might to bear and would never let their guard down.


    Hector continued to approach them until one of the imperials raised his hand to stop him.


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough!¡± the knight said. ¡°State your purpose, cultivator! Have you come to offer your surrender?¡±


    The elder didn¡¯t say anything at first, looking at the knights with a slight smile on his face. His gaze, though, eventually came to a stop on the silver knight at the center of the army.


    ¡°I want to speak to your commander.¡± Hector said.


    ¡°Our general can hear you.¡± the knight said. ¡°Speak your purpose and if he deems it necessary, he will respond.¡±


    The elder laughed, still looking over at Bernard. ¡°You are Bernard, right? The so-called Silver Knight of the Empire.¡±


    There was no response from the knights, though some of them shifted their hands. It was clear that Hector¡¯s tone had bothered them.


    The old man continued. ¡°I heard a lot about you, you know? They say you developed your own swordsmanship, on par with the masters from the Hallowed Valley, and that you like to test it against other powerful opponents. In some ways, I think you have more of a cultivator spirit than a lot of cultivators I know.¡±


    ¡°Insolence!¡±


    The knight in front seemed on the verge of drawing his sword and striking Hector down. Most of his companions also looked as if they were about to follow his example.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Bernard raised his hand.


    All the knights stopped in their tracks. No one dared to disobey their general¡¯s orders.


    The silver knight turned over to look at Hector. ¡°Continue. You will not be interrupted again.¡±


    Hector seemed somewhat surprised, but he maintained the fearless and provocative expression on his face. ¡°I hear that despite your willingness to test yourself against the strongest cultivators, you have never clashed against a sect cultivator. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    This was common knowledge among the sects. Direct combat between the empire and sects was rare in this part of the world, but it happened every now and again between the juniors of a similar realm. Most cultivators, however, avoided confrontation against Bernard like the plague, so much so that the knight had not even so much as traded blows against another sect cultivator.


    The title of being one of the most talented cultivators in human history wasn¡¯t an insignificant one, and a lot of sects were afraid of what would happen if they allowed the best of their own younger generation to challenge this man. If the best that the sects had to offer lost against Bernard, it would be a blow to their reputation and morale that would be even worse than losing a dozen kingdoms to the Empire.


    This fact, in particular, was something that Hector knew bothered the silver knight a great amount. He couldn¡¯t test against the strongest cultivators in the world.


    If Bernard seemed upset about his words, though, he showed no indication of it.


    ¡°Are you suggesting you want to challenge me?¡± the silver knight asked.


    ¡°Challenge you? I¡¯m not so insane.¡± Hector shook his head. ¡°I just want to offer you the opportunity to witness the best the sects have to offer.¡±


    ¡°From you? A Lesser Ring Realm cultivator?¡±


    Hector chuckled. ¡°You know better than to judge one¡¯s capabilities by their cultivation realm, Silver Knight. Besides, I¡¯m certain that you and your men have done your homework before coming here. You know who I am.¡±


    Bernard was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ The elder of the defunct Ocean Bearer¡¯s Sect, Hector. A man that taught dozens of talented young cultivators in his time, though destined to always remain in the Lesser Ring Realm due to an injury in their Spiritual Sea. An admirable accomplishment, though it doesn¡¯t speak well to your abilities considering the people you taught still all got killed.¡±


    The elder¡¯s expression faltered for a moment. ¡°My sect was headed towards destruction before I was even born. No one man could divert them from their fate.¡±


    ¡°On this front, we are in agreement.¡± Bernard nodded. ¡°So, what do you propose to show me, cultivator Hector?¡±


    ¡°A single sword strike.¡± Hector said. ¡°That¡¯s all I want to show you.¡±


    The silver knight sighed and shook his head. ¡°You are dying. Are you certain that you can show me anything worth seeing, even with the help of that sword of yours?¡±


    ¡°Must you even ask me? Someone at your level should be able to discern a person¡¯s resolve at a single glance.¡±


    Bernard fell silent. It seemed that he was in deep thought, examining the elder¡¯s unyielding spirit beneath his visor.


    ¡°My lord,¡± the female knight at his side called out to him. ¡°He is just trying to buy the people below time. There is no need to waste your breath with a dying cultivator.¡±


    The silver knight didn¡¯t respond. Anyone would be able to tell what Hector¡¯s intentions in doing this were, but it didn¡¯t mean his offer didn¡¯t interest the man.


    To Bernard, the slim possibility of seeing a worthwhile display of technique was worth the price of letting a few people escape his pursuit.


    ¡°Very well, cultivator Hector.¡± he said. ¡°Show me your sword strike.¡±


    The female knight turned to her commander in alarm. ¡°My lord-¡±


    Bernard held his hand up, and it was enough to silence her.


    ¡°Give us space.¡± he said.


    Even if they were unwilling, the knights didn¡¯t disobey his orders. They spread out far apart in the air, leaving the immediate space above the town free for both Bernard and Hector.


    The silver knight dismounted his own winged-horse, floating in the air on his own, before tapping the creature on the side and ordering it to fly away too. Soon enough, there were only two people in the sky - a silver fortress of a knight that invoked awe in anyone who looked at him, and a dying old man floating on top of a softly glowing flying sword.


    One didn¡¯t need a deep understanding of cultivation to choose a likely winner in their confrontation, but Hector didn¡¯t seem fazed. Instead, the elder looked glad that his plan worked in the first place.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing me this opportunity, Silver Knight.¡± Hector nodded towards the man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet.¡± Bernard shook his head. ¡°If I feel like this isn¡¯t worth my time, I will still have my men attack the town below and capture that young man for me.¡±


    The elder frowned. ¡°I promise you that you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    Hector didn¡¯t say anything else. He kneeled on top of his sword, caressing the blade tenderly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, old friend, but I must ask you to make this one last trip with me.¡±


    The sword¡¯s glow intensified, as if expressing its agreement. It would stand by Hector¡¯s side even here in the end.


    Hector¡¯s expression suddenly steeled. ¡°Invoke!¡±


    Suddenly, there was a rumble. Dark clouds suddenly started to manifest out of thin air in the sky above, covering the entire region as far as the eye could see in a vortex. The dark night seemed to become even darker, and heavy winds started to blow against the forest.


    The sword beneath Hector¡¯s feet began to evaporate into a soft blue energy that flew into the vortex above. Despite having lost his support, though, Hector didn¡¯t fall, standing floating there in a kneeling position.


    The energy of the sword continued to disappear into the clouds above until the blade was completely gone and the darkness swallowed the last bit of its blue energy. Nothing else seemed to happen for the next few seconds, until eventually, the clouds seemed to shift.


    Then a roar came from within this vortex.


    The roar of a creature long since extinct in this world.


    The roar of a dragon.

 Chapter 371 - Water Dragon

    The roar echoed through the region for what seemed like an eternity. When it eventually quieted down, it seemed like the entire world fell silent, until the clouds above stirred into movement again. Something moved inside that sea of darkness, pushing the gloom apart as it emerged from within the vortex.


    A gigantic snake like-life form emerged from the sky. Its body seemed illusory, its features standing out only by the intense blue light that displayed the contours of its frame. Scales covered its body, each one as big as an average human, with curved spikes along its spine and a segmented underside, much like that of a reptile. Its claws, however, resembled more those of a bird of prey, a pair of them at each end of its body. Its head, too, seemed more protruding than that of a snake, like a mix between a crocodile and a tiger. Two whiskers dozens of meters long grew out of its snout, curved horns crested out of its temples, and a majestic mane of hair flowed around its neck.


    These strange features would each stand out on their own, and yet at this moment, they came together in harmony in a single body to give birth to a creature that seemed to emit both majesty and power out of its hundred meters long frame. The dragon flew through the air like a fish taking to water, the sky its very own lake and the wind its waves to ride upon.


    Everywhere this creature¡¯s twisting and turning body passed, traces of blue ocean-colored Spiritual Energy would be left behind, dissipating into its surroundings like morning dew. Eventually, the dragon came to rest by Hector¡¯s side, its body coiling around the elder as it assumed a defensive posture. Its illusory but still shining reptilian pupils stared directly at Bernard, revealing its maw full of fanged teeth in a threatening manner.


    The elder¡¯s hand came to rest on the head of this dragon, which was almost as big as a house, and tenderly stroked one of its horns with a satisfied smile.


    The silver knight, however, kept his arms crossed as he stared at this scene.


    ¡°A spiritual spell?¡± he asked.


    Hector nodded, his attention returning to his opponent. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I tried it. It¡¯s not the kind of thing I can do more than once.¡±


    Bernard grunted. ¡°It lacks a solid foundation to be used in combat, but it¡¯s still impressive. I have never heard of anyone below the Spiritual Awakening Realm ever doing something like this. Who taught you it?¡±


    The elder smiled. ¡°I came up with it myself.¡±


    ¡°You came up with it?¡±


    For the first time since they started talking, it seemed as if Bernard displayed genuine surprise.


    Hector chuckled. ¡°Why, you don¡¯t believe it?¡±


    The silver knight was silent for a while. ¡°Flood dragons are extinct in this world. Where could you have seen such an accurate representation of one to come up with this technique?¡±


    ¡°I meditated for a long time at the foot of a lake where one said dragon was said to inhabit in the past.¡± the elder said. ¡°When I finally opened my eyes again, I saw its ghost in all its glory. In some ways, I suppose it was worth it being crippled just for that moment.¡±


    Bernard fell silent again for a while, as if pondering his words.


    ¡°We have a problem.¡± he said.


    Hector frowned. ¡°What problem?¡±


    ¡°You said you would show me a sword strike, but now you have no sword.¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°A true swordsman needs no sword to show his technique.¡±


    As if to exemplify this statement, Hector made a swinging motion with his hand.


    The dragon roared into movement, its body twisting and coiling as it started to fly through the air around the elder. It swam in a chaotic pattern, yet with every turn of its frame, the glow around its body started to intensify, and the traces of Spiritual Dew it left behind also started to solidify. Eventually, its motion seemed to reach a crescendo, until it stopped above Hector, its entire body pointed at Bernard like a snake ready to strike.


    The dew drops froze at that exact moment, and the entire sky was filled with gleaming icicles that reflected the light emitted by the dragon. An unmatched sharpness came from each of these droplets of ice, and suddenly it seemed as if countless swords were being pointed at Bernard.


    A sound that seemed to resemble laughter came from beneath the silver knight¡¯s helmet, and for the first time, he uncrossed his arms, pointing at Hector with his right hand.


    ¡°Come then! You have already bought yourself enough time!¡±


    Even at this point, it seemed like Bernard had no intention of drawing his sword.


    Hector frowned at the sight, but it wasn¡¯t an unexpected result. Although he flew up here with the intention of distracting the man, he was still a cultivator with his own pride, and this technique was the culmination of his life¡¯s work. He would make the man pay for looking down on him, even if he couldn¡¯t win this battle.


    The elder took a deep breath and close his eyes, raising his right hand above his head as if wielding an invisible sword. Then, a second later, he opened his eyes and swung down.


    The field of small floating icicles began to move all at once. At first, they were slow, almost crawling through the air, but in a matter of seconds, they picked up speed. Soon enough, they were like shooting stars flying through the sky, leaving behind only traces of light as they moved too quickly for the mortal eye to see.


    Their target was a single individual - the silver knight that did not seem like he would present any sort of defense against this attack.


    An instant later, the first icicle crashed into Bernard like a comet. A deafening boom echoed through the region as a mist of ice spread out from the point of impact, making it impossible to see the results. This was, of course, only the beginning, though.


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    Countless icicles started to crash against their target, creating a continuous chain of explosions that seemed to last for an eternity. Every single one of them seemed to hit their mark, if the sounds were anything to go by, meaning Bernard still hadn¡¯t moved. Soon enough, there was an enormous sea of icy mist surrounding the man, through which one wasn¡¯t able to see his condition.


    Eventually, the explosions slowed down until they ceased. All the icicles had been used in the attack, and yet the final part was yet to come.


    The dragon above Hector¡¯s head finally moved, springing into action. The glow surrounding it intensified until it seemed as if the beast had become its own sun in the night sky as it shot towards Bernard. Its movements, however, seemed to find some unexplainable resistance against the air.


    Like a mirage, an illusory ocean appeared around the dragon, slowing down its movements. Yet, instead of its power weakening, it seemed to only get stronger as a torrent of water formed around its body from its snout all the way to its tail as it broke through this ocean like a sword. Eventually, one couldn¡¯t see the creature¡¯s form beneath the tormentuous vortex of water around its body, and the dragon picked up speed once again.


    It felt as if the violent sound of the ocean muffled every sound in the world, and the entire region only seemed to darken at this bright blue light that cut through the night sky. An unimaginable sight, majestic and dangerous beyond belief, the culmination of the sacrifice of the energy of a divine weapon, all directed towards one target.


    The icy mist dissipated against this torrent of water, and a glimpse of the knight underneath it all was revealed before the dragon struck against him.


    An explosion happened, and for a moment nothing else seemed to exist but the bright light in the sky. Waves of energy and water spread from the clashing point, reaching even the forest far away as a lot of trees were uprooted from the impact. The dark clouds in the sky dissipated from the shockwave, and an aurora of blue Spiritual Energy spread through the region.


    The formation of the town below visibly shimmered from the impact, barely able to hold on against the blow. It was hard to imagine the destruction this would have caused to the settlement if it didn¡¯t have this formation to protect it.


    Almost a full ten seconds later, the light from the explosion seemed to dim and the shock waves from the impact died off. What happened next, though, was a sudden rain that started to fall down for kilometers around as the outcome of the attack became clear.


    Bernard stood there, in the same position he had been in before receiving the strike, a raised palm in front of him. His armor gleamed like always, not a scratch on its surface, and the man didn¡¯t seem to have moved an inch from a blow that could have leveled a town to the ground.


    He was completely unaffected.


    The silver knight lowered his hand as he stared at the figure across from him. ¡°Impressive.¡±


    Hector, on the other hand, looked as if he was the one on the receiving end of the attack. He seemed to have aged 10 years in less than a minute, his features sallow and almost skeletic. The light behind his eyes was quickly fading, and without the support of the Spiritual Energy, he started to fall down from the air.


    Bernard did nothing to stop this from happening, though.


    ¡°If anything, your presence here made this entire trip worth it, cultivator Hector.¡± he said. ¡°Take pride in the fact that you managed to impress me, Bernard, and go rest in peace.¡±


    The silver knight waved his hand, and a beam of light shot from his fingers, striking the elder¡¯s falling figure before it could hit the ground. Upon impact, a small explosion of light happened, and when the glow disappeared, Hector¡¯s body was nowhere to be seen.


    Just like that, the elder disappeared from this world, not a trace of his corpse left behind.


    ¡°My lord!¡±


    The imperial knights rushed over to meet their commander. It was clear that none of them expected that dying old man to be able to muster such strength, and they regretted their decision to step aside as soon as that dragon appeared.


    Thankfully, though, their general was the one left standing at the end of the day.


    The female knight flew over to him atop her winged horse. ¡°My lord, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Bernard shook his head. ¡°Just go deal with that formation already. We shouldn¡¯t waste any more time here.¡±


    The woman nodded, turning to look at the rest of her companions. ¡°Knights, prepare to charge!¡±


    As she said that, she drew her sword from her waist and raised it above her head. The others followed suit, and the air surrounding them glowed with their flaring energies.


    Before they could even move, though, the formation beneath them seemed to change.


    The translucent shield surrounding the town suddenly disappeared, and a bright beam of light rose from the castle atop the hill. This pillar of white light shot into the sky above, remaining there for a brief few seconds before it disappeared, as if it wasn¡¯t there in the first place.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The female knight seemed shocked as she looked at the sight.


    ¡°Teleportation.¡± Bernard said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed the formation was capable of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be.¡± she shook her head. ¡°Our agents examined it for years and confirmed its main utility. If it was capable of teleportation, we would have seen it.¡±


    ¡°Yet, we can¡¯t deny the sight in front of us.¡± the silver knight said. ¡°I suppose this must be the work of the Crystal Sky Sect. No wonder the old man seemed so keen on buying himself time.¡±


    There was a silence amidst the knights, as if they were unsure of whether to continue their attack now that the protective formation was gone.


    Bernard looked over at one of the knights near him. ¡°I assume they must have sent that young man away. You have taken a good look at his appearance, right?¡±


    ¡°I have, my lord.¡± the knight said. ¡°Do you want me to divine his location?¡±


    ¡°Do so. From the energy of the teleportation, he shouldn¡¯t have been sent very far. We can send some people after him while the rest deal with the town.¡±


    His subordinate nodded before taking out a medallion from his waist. The man made a few hand signs while holding this object and then held his hands together in prayer as he started to chant in an angelic voice.


    The medallion started to glow, and large, illusory golden eyes started to appear at the knight¡¯s back. This continued for almost half a minute before the man¡¯s chants died down. He lowered his hand and looked over at his commander with some hesitation.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Bernard asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense him.¡±


    The silver knight seemed surprised. ¡°You can¡¯t sense him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the man shook his head. ¡°I feel as if there is an obstacle barring my divinations¡­¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± the female knight asked. ¡°You are the strongest oracle in our army. How can a mere mortal escape your holy divination?¡±


    The oracle seemed unsure of how to respond, but his silence was enough confirmation for the rest of his companions. There was a solemn atmosphere as the rest of the knights tried to digest this information.


    Even as Bernard knew the old man was trying to buy time earlier, he wasn¡¯t too worried about the matter. In the worst-case scenario that some people in the town managed to escape, they still had their oracle to search for them, and divination was one of the methods in which the imperials could claim absolute superiority to any sect in the world. The majority of protection methods against their divination were completely useless, and the only place they had a hard time peering into was the sects¡¯ holy lands.


    It was why he allowed himself the opportunity to test Hector¡¯s technique, because of his trust in this ability of his army. Yet, only now did the silver knight notice how overconfident he had been.


    This was the first time in his life that Bernard¡¯s own ego had been played against him like so. In some ways, this was one of the few tastes of defeat he had ever felt in his life. His attitude had finally come back to bite him, and now he was unsure of what to think.


    ¡°Half of you will go with me and spread out through the region to search for him.¡± Bernard looked over at his subordinates. ¡°He hasn¡¯t gone far, so we may still be able to find him. The rest of you deal with the situation here. Do you understand?¡±


    His subordinates shouted in agreement, quickly spreading out as they prepared to go about their task.


    What Bernard knew, though, was that he wouldn¡¯t take this lying down.

 Chapter 372 - A Dream

    <div>


    A few minutes earlier¡­


    ¡­


    As the light of the formation enveloped Red, he lost track of his surroundings. He could only faintly hear the sounds of chaos from the town, as well as the muffled roar of a creature. He didn¡¯t know if that was Hector¡¯s doing, but at that moment, he couldn¡¯t afford to check.


    ¡°This kind of teleportation isn¡¯t meant to be used in mortals.¡± The Baron¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Someone who has all their veins opened might be able to sustain the side-effects, but I can¡¯t guarantee how you will feel on the other side.¡±


    Red could barely muster the strength to respond. The forces gathering around him already made his stomach twist and turn in protest, and the images in his vision felt distorted.


    ¡°Where are you¡­ sending me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Northwards.¡± the Baron said. ¡°Some hundreds of kilometers away from here in the direction of the capital. I can¡¯t tell you where exactly you will end up, but the imperials will be more hesitant to search in that direction if they do go after you.¡±


    The youth never explored much of the forest up north. It was foreign territory for him, but he knew the Baron was right in his choice.


    The man focused on his totem as he looked over at Red. ¡°Now, hold your breath and close your eyes. I was instructed that one should keep track of their senses while teleporting, so-¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, there was an enormous explosion outside. The ground beneath their feet rumbled, and the walls of the already destroyed room started to collapse even further. It felt as if the whole world was crumbling beneath their feet.


    Red almost stumbled to his knees at this sudden shockwave.


    The Baron looked up with a frown. ¡°Damn it, we are out of time! I¡¯m sending you now!¡±


    The youth felt the light surrounding him intensify until he could see nothing but this bright glow. He heard the Baron¡¯s voice reach him through this haze.


    ¡°Remember your promise, Red!¡± the man said. ¡°Good luc-!¡±


    A static noise suddenly attacked his ears, and the youth found himself unable to hear anything else. He felt himself losing the ground beneath his feet, and yet it didn¡¯t seem as if he was floating. His entire body was invaded by impossibility, as sensations the youth couldn¡¯t understand assaulted his senses.


    Colors, noises, smells. It was almost too much, and yet it didn¡¯t last for more than an instant.


    The next thing Red felt was complete darkness.


    Then, like the rising tide, everything returned all at once.


    The youth felt himself hit solid ground, a distorted vision of the world returning to him. The damp smells of the forest reached his nostrils, and he hear the crackling sounds of leaves and twigs beneath his feet.


    After that, he felt himself lose his balance, falling onto the ground on both hands as he vomited out the contents of his stomach. This sense of sickness and confusion kept him down for the next minute, but Red tried his best to regain his composure. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste time here.


    Just as Red recovered his balance, he felt a strange feeling come to him. It was an odd sensation he had never felt before, with no discernable origin, yet it was foreign enough for him to take immediate note of.


    ¡°What is the problem?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Red hesitated. ¡°There¡¯s something strange happening.¡±


    ¡°Strange how?¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t find the words to describe this sensation, yet just as suddenly as it appeared, it was soon gone again. It felt as if it was suppressed by something before it could grow enough to become a bother in his mind.


    Red was left bewildered by the strange occurrence.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± he said.


    ¡°Gone?¡± Aurelia sounded confused. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything strange in your body, but you should be careful. I don¡¯t know what kinds of techniques those imperials are able to conjure, so they could try to track you through all kinds of ways.¡±


    As she said that, a possibility came to the youth¡¯s mind. Yet, he couldn¡¯t afford himself any time to theorize about this.


    Now that he managed to recover his composure, Red was able to examine his surroundings. He was in the middle of the forest, however, and it was impossible to discern his exact location without some kind of landmark.


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    He used the stars above as a guide, and upon discerning where north was, started to move in that direction. The youth was completely exhausted, his body begging him for a rest, but he couldn¡¯t squander this earlier lead that had been afforded him.


    It took him the best part of an hour, but Red finally found a hill to climb upon that gave him a good view of the surrounding region. Unfortunately for him, what he saw was a mostly unfamiliar environment without any landmarks to speak of, only an endless sea of trees.


    ¡°Do you know where we are?¡± Aurelia asked, her form appearing by his side.


    The woman¡¯s lithe body seemed far more substantial than it ever did in the past, and Red was somewhat taken aback by that. Yet, he didn¡¯t show his surprise in his expression.


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t. The vegetation and terrain are familiar, so we are still in the forest, but I can¡¯t tell you where exactly.¡±


    ¡°So the teleportation worked?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It does seem like it.¡±


    Aurelia smirked. ¡°Great. So what are your plans now? You don¡¯t sincerely intend on searching for that friend of yours in the Crystal Sky Sect, right?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I will go to the capital first. I need to prepare myself to breakthrough.¡±


    The capital of the Kingdom was towards the north, and it was probably one of the safest places to hide himself into.


    ¡°The imperials probably have agents there, too. Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°Of course I am. However, it¡¯s the safest environment for me to disguise myself and they won¡¯t be so brazen as to assault me in daylight in there.¡±


    That was his hope, at least.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°The imperials won¡¯t be your only worry. There¡¯s no guarantee that news of what happened in town won¡¯t make its way there.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°If that does happen, I can only tackle that problem when it arrives.¡±


    There was little point in considering all the possible repercussions of their confrontation in town, and neither did Red want to do it. He put almost all of his secrets out in public for the sole purpose of defeating his sect¡¯s opponents, and he would have done it again without hesitation.


    His only regret was that he couldn¡¯t save his companion¡¯s lives.


    Aurelia stared at him. ¡°You should go to sleep.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t. They might be searching for me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to collapse if you keep trying to run. I can keep watch for you while you¡¯re asleep.¡±


    The youth was skeptical. ¡°How would you do that?¡±


    ¡°I absorbed enough energy from that ghost.¡± she said. ¡°Just trust me and go to sleep. I will be able to spot them from kilometers away.¡±


    Red was still somewhat hesitant, but he knew she spoke the truth. He hadn¡¯t relaxed for a second since that battle started, and both his mind and body were exhausted after that confrontation. He would find himself hard pressed to outrun those imperials while at full strength, much less in this condition.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded and made his way down the hill.


    Even though he agreed on resting, he wasn¡¯t going to do it just anywhere. It took almost another hour before he found an appropriate hideout to sleep in - an abandoned den by the foot of a hill. Red made sure to block the entrance before preparing himself to sleep.


    He thought the conditions surrounding him would make it hard for him to rest, but as soon as he set his head down against his bag, it was like a dam of exhaustion broke through. The pressure of the last day, the confrontation against that ghost, the death of his companions.


    Everything took a toll on him, bigger than he could have imagined, and as soon as he afforded himself time to relax, sleep came to him in an instant.


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡±


    A voice woke him up. Red looked around in a daze, his vision adapting to the surrounding environment.


    It was dark, too dark to see clearly, and not even his special vision seemed capable of breaking through this darkness. The youth squinted his eyes, trying to spot a wall or even the ground beneath his feet, but he saw nothing but an endless dark abyss.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    The same voice called to him again, and Red turned around to look at its source. In front of him was the only thing of substance he could see: a small wooden table, and a lit candle set up at its center. Across the table from him sat an old man with long, grey hair and a trimmed beard, wearing scholarly robes and dignified in appearance.


    Whenever wise old sages were referred to in books, this was what most people must think of. The air the man invoked was one of absolute calm and dignity, and he looked at Red with concern.


    ¡°Is everything alright, Azure?¡± the old man asked again.


    ¡®Azure?¡¯


    It was only now that a wave of understanding came to Red. He looked down at himself, noticing unfamiliar hands in the place where his own should be. He seemed to be wearing similar clothes to the old man across from him, and above all that, something strange stood out about his person.


    His skin was entirely blue.


    ¡°Ah, I see. You¡¯re not Azure.¡±


    The sage spoke in realization while Red was examining himself.


    The youth trembled, and he looked up at the elder as if preparing to defend himself, but the old man only stared at him with an interested gaze.


    ¡°I confess that this entire situation confuses me, but I assume things must not be any clearer to you.¡± The elder looked at his surroundings. ¡°Do you suppose we are in your dream?¡±


    ¡®A dream?¡¯


    Of course, it was a dream. The first one of this kind Red had in almost seven years.


    He nodded to the old man.


    The sage smiled. ¡°I see. May I ask your name?¡±


    Red hesitated.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no real reason to be concerned.¡± the sage shook his head. ¡°Since this is your dream, I won¡¯t be able to remember what you tell me in real life, if I¡¯m even still alive out there in the first place, I mean.¡±


    ¡°That may be so,¡± Red said in a voice unfamiliar to him. ¡°But I would rather not take the chances.¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s wise.¡± the old man nodded, unbothered by his refusal. ¡°In that case, I suppose we can use the color of your soul for reference¡­ What if I call you Red?¡±


    The youth trembled, the surprise in his face evident.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± the sage seemed confused at this reaction. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ that is your name?¡±


    Red frowned, immediately raising his guard.


    The old man smiled at him. ¡°That is certainly a big coincidence¡­ If I were to tell you I didn¡¯t know about it before, would you believe me?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t say anything, staring at this elder with a guarded expression.


    The sage sighed. ¡°I suppose it seems too strange for you, but knowing that this is your name now, I assume our meeting at least must not be mere coincidence. In which case, what if I told you my name instead?¡±


    The elder extended his hand to Red.


    ¡°Most people call me the Supreme Elder, but those close to me refer to me as Master Grey. It is a pleasure to meet you, Red.¡±

 Chapter 373 - Master Grey

    Red didn¡¯t return the man¡¯s pleasantries, staring at his extended hand in silence. This didn¡¯t seem to bother the sage, though, who retracted his hand and smiled.


    ¡°Are you aware of what lucid dreaming is, Red?¡± the elder asked.


    The youth shook his head. Although he was still cautious, he wouldn¡¯t refuse information offered to him for free.


    The old man nodded as if he already expected this. ¡°Well, you see, every living being dreams once they go to sleep. The issue, of course, is that most dreams are a jumbled mess of memories and feelings, with little sense or reason to them where one is more of a spectator taken along for a ride. They have little control over what happens and, in fact, most of the time they are not even aware that they are in a dream.¡±


    The sage drew his finger over the table as if writing something. He then looked down at the wooden surface with a pondering expression.


    The elder continued. ¡°A lucid dream is when one is aware that they are within a dream. That awareness affords them a certain amount of control over their dreams, and they can manipulate what happens in it.¡±


    Red frowned as he heard those words.


    The sage looked at him. ¡°Ah, of course, you must be wondering what this control entails. In most cases, lucid dreaming only allows someone to be conscious and make their own decisions in the scenario presented to them. In some other situations, however, lucid dreamers are able to control every aspect of their dream, creating their own reality to do with as they please. I would consider it a spectrum, and I presume you must be one of the former cases as of right now.¡±


    The youth considered the old man¡¯s words. ¡°Can what happens in a dream affect someone in the real world?¡±


    The elder¡¯s smile widened, seemingly happy that Red decided to ask questions of his own. ¡°In most scenarios, that doesn¡¯t happen. However, in the end, it all depends on the contents of your dream and how faithfully your mind is able to recreate contents from memory. Some powers in this universe transcend pure barriers of reality, and lucid dreaming can be a double-edged sword in this scenario¡­ Let¡¯s just say, for instance, that recreating the image of an archdemon in your dreams can be very dangerous for your mind.¡±


    ¡®Archdemon¡­¡¯


    Red heard the term before. Such demons were considered as the rulers of the Infernal Realm, and the fact this old man was aware of them helped the youth contextualize the kind of information he might know.


    ¡°Now, the next question you might be wondering about is how you are dreaming of a memory you never experienced before. Is that not correct?¡± the sage asked.


    He seemed able to read Red¡¯s mind. The youth nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Dreams are part of the realm of souls.¡± the elder said. ¡°Though few have delved into its intricacies since the birth of our realm, it is common knowledge that the contents of one¡¯s souls can wildly affect the kind of dreams we have. This means that one¡¯s soul connections in real life with other people may bring them to experience someone else¡¯s dreams.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What connections?¡±


    ¡°Many kinds. Souls can establish natural and forceful connections between two individuals. A pair of lovers, a parent and their child, a master and their thrall, a reincarnation and their past life - all of these can create invisible connections between souls where one¡¯s dreams might pour into another¡¯s sleep.¡±


    This didn¡¯t make matter any clearer, and the sage seemed to guess this by Red¡¯s expression.


    ¡°It seems that doesn¡¯t ring any bells for you.¡± the elder said. ¡°I would suggest that you could be a reincarnation of my disciple, but I can¡¯t sense any celestial energy in your soul¡­ In which case, I¡¯m afraid that I am also at a loss. How many dreams have you had in his body?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ None.¡±


    His dreams in the underground never happened in this person¡¯s body. In fact, as far as he knew, every dream of his happened in a different person¡¯s body, and the only interaction he had with a blue-skinned celestial was as someone else. He didn¡¯t know if the person who attacked him in his dream back them was the same person he was right now, though.


    ¡°None?¡± The sage seemed surprised. ¡°That seems strange. Who did you dream of before this?¡±


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    ¡°¡­ Armored soldiers. I was taking part in a war.¡±


    ¡°A war against armored soldiers? Can you describe it to me?¡±


    Red did as much. He didn¡¯t tell the specifics of his dreams, but he told the elder about the desert-like environment he found himself in back then, as well as the endless wall he seemed to be defending. He did leave out the part where his possible disciple tried to kill him, though.


    ¡°I have never heard of such a place before.¡± The sage shook his head. ¡°However, I think I understand what might be happening¡­¡±


    Red was surprised by this, and his eyes squinted as he waited for the old man to speak.


    At this instance, however, the elder showed some hesitation. ¡°Tell me, Red, did you meet my disciple in any of your dreams?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond, but his silence seemed to be enough confirmation for the man.


    The sage sighed. ¡°A war? This foolish disciple of mine. Such barbarism goes against everything I ever taught him, so why did he¡­?¡±


    He trailed off, looking over at Red.


    ¡°None of this is your fault, so I shouldn¡¯t throw my complaints at you.¡± he shook his head. ¡°In truth, I feel rather compelled to help you, but I¡¯m nothing more than a construct in your dream. My real self will not know of this interaction, and if we meet here again, I will have forgotten everything you told me¡­ There might be a way to help you out there, though.¡±


    The youth was on guard as soon as the elder said this, but he decided to listen to him at the very least.


    ¡°There is a way to communicate with me if you so wish.¡± Master Grey said. ¡°There are some caveats to this plan. I¡¯m uncertain if my real self is still alive out there, or if the place where you reside is somewhere that I can reach, but I feel like it¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What way?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± The elder drew something in the air. A complex symbol formed wherever his finger passed, made out of blue light. It seemed to form the image of an eye. ¡°Conjure this symbol with your third eye. I will be able to sense you if you do so.¡±


    ¡°¡­ My third eye?¡±


    The sage stared at him in confusion. ¡°Are you not aware of how to use your third eye? I¡¯m certain you are not a celestial, but I can feel that you have opened your third eye all the same.¡±


    Red was about to say something, but he fell silent once more.


    The elder seemed to notice his hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to teach you how to use your third eye if I¡¯m not there in person, in which case, this is something you will need to figure out yourself. The process itself is not entirely too difficult, so I¡¯m sure you will be capable of achieving it on your own.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t know where this confidence in his skills came from, but he didn¡¯t protest it.


    ¡°There is, however, one last thing I need to warn you about¡­¡± The sage hesitated. ¡°This symbol I taught you is something that only I should be capable of responding to. Even if I were dead, this is something no one can replicate or intercept¡­ Or so I¡¯d like to think.¡±


    Red frowned at this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much time has passed since this dream or what heights other celestials have achieved since then.¡± He said. ¡°I can¡¯t in good consciousness claim that my skills remain supreme since that day, and that no one would be able to steal my symbol for themselves.¡±


    ¡°You mean someone like your disciple?¡± Red asked.


    The elder gave him a helpless smile. ¡°Someone like him might be capable of achieving that one day if he reached my level, yes. Of course, I would like to think that he would never do something like this, but time moves ever forward. Not even the Celestial Emperor is immune to its changes.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°It seems to me that I should never use this symbol of yours if I prize my own safety.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong.¡± Master Grey nodded. ¡°However, sometimes we are left with little choice. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you don¡¯t know the way forward, I would advise you to use this symbol to ask for help. Even if someone has indeed stolen it from me, at most they will come to be aware of your presence and location¡­ That in itself can, of course, be disastrous, but it won¡¯t spell your immediate doom.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t present a compelling case.¡±


    The sage smiled. ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯s the only help I can offer for now, and I want to help you, Red.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you remind me of my disciple.¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t know how to respond to this. Before he could say anything else, though, he felt the table in front of him tremble. The whole space started to shake, and Red felt as if it this entire dream was on the edge of a collapse.


    ¡°It seems our time here has come to an end.¡± The elder shook his head. ¡°I tried to keep this space stable for as long as possible, but at the end of the day, this is your dream and not mine.¡±


    ¡®He kept this dream going?¡¯


    ¡°This is goodbye forever for us, Red.¡± the sage said. ¡°If you ever do find my real self¡­ Tell him to not give up on our purpose. Master White entrusted his dreams to us before he left, so it¡¯s our duty to see that through to the end, no matter what happens.¡±


    There was a certain melancholy in the old man¡¯s words. It seemed this conversation with Red had clued the old man on things that might have happened after his time, and what he worked out didn¡¯t bode well for his well-being.


    Before Red could say anything else, he felt his vision blur.


    The dream collapse, and only darkness remained.


    ¡­


    The first thing the youth heard was a muffled boom.


    His eyes shot open, and he found himself staring at the roof of a cave. He sat up in a hurry, looking around himself in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a storm.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°No need to worry yourself too much.¡±


    ¡°A storm¡­?¡±


    Red pondered these words, the interaction with that man still fresh in his mind. He heard the sound of thunder and blowing wind from outside, as well as the pitter patter of rain hitting the forest ground.


    ¡°¡­ How strong is this storm?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°How would I know? It¡¯s just a seasonal storm. Seems normal for this time of the year.¡±


    As the woman said that, an idea started to form in the youth¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I want to try something.¡± he said.

 Chapter 374 - A Lunatics Plan

    <div>


    Aurelia manifested out of thin air in front of him, her arms crossed and staring at the youth with a frown.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I want to use the storm to power my Parting Storm formation.¡± Red said.


    The woman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You want to break through right now?¡±


    The youth nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re being stupid or courageous.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What makes you think that you¡¯re in the best condition to attempt this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a feeling. Nothing else.¡±


    It was actually more than that. In truth, as Aurelia claimed, he wasn¡¯t in the best condition, even after a night of sleep - not to mention the strange dream he underwent. However, the physical condition of his body mattered little for this task, and instead, what mattered were the circumstances he found himself in.


    The imperials and who knows who else would be searching for him, meaning he would need to be far more capable to evade their pursuit. That in itself, however, went only second to the true reason he wanted to break through as soon as possible: that being his utter incapability of helping his companions when it truly mattered.


    Red faced people much stronger than him in the past and came out on top. Yet, his victories then were a mixture of opportunism and luck, and the battle with the ghost made it clear that no cunning plan could cross the rift between a mortal and a powerful cultivator. He didn¡¯t blame himself for the death of his companions, yet his pure helplessness to contribute to the fight on his own wore away at his mind.


    If he opened his Spiritual Sea back then, maybe his master wouldn¡¯t need to sacrifice himself to kill Rog. Maybe he would have been able to intercept the zombified hunter before he pierced Domeron. Those were two people he could have saved if he had crossed that rift before then, and even if their ultimate fate didn¡¯t change, it was a possibility that Red couldn¡¯t help but ponder about.


    This feeling, above all else, made him keen to strive to open his Spiritual Sea as soon as possible.


    ¡°Right.¡± Aurelia nodded, massaging her temples. ¡°There is, however, a big problem, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    This was, of course, the fact that the youth lacked the three aspect Spirit Stones to power the formation. Those were a Wind Spirit Stone, a Water Spirit Stone, and a Lightning Spirit Stone, each one far rarer than a common Spirit Stone.


    ¡°The elemental Spirit Stones.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I have a plan, though-¡±


    ¡°I can guess what your plan is - you want to use the storm to replace the energy from the Elemental Spirit Stones, correct?¡±


    The youth nodded again.


    Aurelia sighed as if she was staring at a child. ¡°Right, where do you want me to start about how many issues are with that plan?¡±


    ¡°I have some ideas as to what those are, but I would appreciate your insight.¡± Red said.


    She scoffed. ¡°First of all, in principle, your idea could work. A powerful storm would change the prevailing attributes of the surrounding Spiritual Energy, but that being said, this is over a huge area. You would need the total condensed energy of kilometers around you to have the equivalent of one Spirit Stone, not to mention dozens of them. Suffice it to say, I doubt you have such a method to accomplish this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but there is something I could use - Spiritual Leylines.¡±


    Much like the very air they breathed, the Spiritual Energy in the atmosphere of their world moved in certain patterns. Looking at it close by, one might only see chaotic streams of energy without rhyme or reason, but if one studied these movements in wider areas, they would notice the movement of large streams of energy was quite orderly and predictable.


    Sects used this knowledge in the past to construct their Holy Sites in places where these streams of Spiritual Energy met with large density, the best places in the world to cultivate. Many other factions that came after tried to follow their example, though they had no choice but to get the second best options, a whole level below what the Sects had to themselves.


    Some of these leylines, however, could still be found in the wild, too weak to attract the attention of any faction, but perhaps strong enough for Red¡¯s purposes.


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    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that much, but that doesn¡¯t make the problem any simpler.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°Even a leyline like this is rare in the forest, and if there is any nearby, there¡¯s probably a strong beast making their lair there.¡±


    ¡°That might not be the case.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The monsters of this forest prefer their dens to wide open lairs. If they are searching for any gathering of energy, they will look for Spirit Vein.¡±


    This term was, of course, not to be confused with the Spiritual Veins in a cultivator¡¯s body, though they were similar in a lot of ways. Opposite to leylines, Spirit Veins ran beneath the earth in large interconnecting channels that spread all over the continent. Particularly strong gathering of these veins gave birth to Spirit Stone Mines and Spirit Springs, and many monster made their lair near such places.


    The woman frowned. ¡°You know more about these monsters than me, so I can take your word for it. However, even if that¡¯s the case, how would you propose we find one of these leylines?¡±


    ¡°You can do it.¡± Red said, without hesitation.


    This gave the woman pause. ¡°¡­ What makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°You absorbed a lot of energy from that woman. I don¡¯t know how much of it you have assimilated or how strong that makes you, but detecting a gathering of energy strong enough for my purposes shouldn¡¯t be much problem.¡±


    This was, of course, more of a guess than anything, but Red didn¡¯t think he was off base, and judging by the woman¡¯s expression, he was right.


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°I can see you thought about this a lot. Yes, I can find something like that, but there¡¯s no guarantee we can reach it before the storm is over.¡±


    Red nodded, getting up. ¡°Then we should get moving.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± She stopped him. ¡°There¡¯s still another issue. How are you planning on absorbing this energy into your formation?¡±


    These words caused the youth to hesitate. ¡°¡­ I will make some modifications to the formation so it may absorb energy from our surroundings instead of from a Spirit Stone.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°You will modify it? You have never even built this formation in the first place, what makes you think you can modify it?¡±


    ¡°While I can¡¯t assure my success, I know what I need to do in principle. It should be possible, and it¡¯s something that I want to try.¡±


    Aurelia squinted at him. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s suppose that I can find a strong enough leyline and you manage to modify your formation by some miracle. There will be plenty of wind and water energy from the rain and gusts, but not nearly enough lightning energy near the forest floor.¡±


    ¡°We will find a tall hill nearby so we can be closer to the lightning.¡± Red said.


    ¡°A tall hill? Are you stupid?¡± She glared at him. ¡°Lightning happens kilometers above our head! Where will you find a hill that tall?¡±


    The youth looked at her. ¡°I will attract lightning to strike at the formation.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°It should be fine. I will launch a projectile connected to a metal wire high enough to conduct lightning to strike it and flow into the formation.¡±


    Aurelia looked baffled. ¡°Do you even have enough wire for that?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I have a few hundred meters of it. It should be enough for what I¡¯m doing if we pick a hill tall enough.¡±


    Before leaving town, the youth had, of course, brought along all the materials to build his formation. One of the materials just so happened to be a copper wire, a conductive material meant to draw the lightning energy from the Aspect Spirit Stone into the main body of the formation. Now, it could be used for a different purpose.


    ¡°¡­ How are you sure that will work?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The book my master gave me for crafting describes a similar method for attracting lightning energy.¡± Red said. ¡°Though the method is a bit different, it should still work with a conductive metal in principle. After all, it¡¯s from your sect, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°And how are you going to throw hundreds of meters of a copper wire straight up into the sky?¡±


    ¡°I have a pretty strong throw.¡±


    There was a silence as the youth said that.


    Aurelia was the one to break as she stared at him with bewilderment. ¡°There is so much that can go wrong with this plan that I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    ¡°Yet, if I play my parts right, it should work, correct?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I would certainly like to see you try.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Why do you need to do this now? Wasn¡¯t it your plan to search for the Aspected Spirit Stones in the capital?¡±


    ¡°There is no guarantee that I will be able to find any, much less afford it.¡± Red said. ¡°Besides, I need all the strength I can to disguise myself in that place.¡±


    ¡®And I can¡¯t wait any longer for this.¡¯


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°You know that if you fail, it could be disastrous, right? Even if I find a leyline, even if you somehow manage to make the formation work, even if you don¡¯t die from the lightning, there is simply no guarantee you will even be able to breakthrough on your first try. If you fail, then it¡¯s very likely you will need to gather the materials for your formation all over again.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Which is why I won¡¯t fail.¡±


    The youth was aware of the consequences, yet something changed in him after the confrontation at the sect. The willingness to take a risk, to put this enormous pressure on his back, it was what he needed to accomplish the impossible. It was what he always used to take a step forward and overcome overwhelming odds to come out on top.


    It was how he thrived, and it was how he would always find success in this cultivation. The only difference, this time, is that this pressure was partially self-inflicted.


    Aurelia stared at him, as if trying to see his true thoughts through his cold countenance. At the end of the day, though, she shook her head in defeat.


    ¡°You are a lunatic.¡± She said.


    ¡°Will you do it then?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded. ¡°Whether you succeed or you fail, it will be a sight worth seeing either way.¡±


    Aurelia pointed at the blocked off entrance of the den. The sound of the storm hadn¡¯t diminished since they started talking, and it seemed like it would last for a while still.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s be on our way.¡± she said. ¡°If we are doing this, then we are doing this right.¡±

 Chapter 375 - Setting the Formation

    As he stepped outside, Red was hit with the full might of the storm. Leaves and branches from the trees were flying everywhere, while a deluge of strong winds and almost sideways rain struck against him even under the cover of trees. The charged clouds darkened the sky above even though it was the middle of the day, and the brightness of the lightning followed by rumbling thunder could be heard overhead every second.


    It was a grim sight, rare in the region, but it happened a few times a year. This plan of the youth to use the storm to power the formation was something he considered in the past, except he never thought about doing it considering how risky it would be and how high the chance of failure was. To him, it would be better to wait for an opportunity to acquire the Aspected Spirit Stones, no matter how hard it would be.


    Yet, things changed. Not only regarding his circumstances but also mentally. It would be much harder to acquire these stones with an active pursuit from the Empire, and he thought it better to take his chances here at this moment than to hope another opportunity would present itself in the future.


    He didn¡¯t have the privilege of waiting any longer.


    ¡°Can you tell your directions?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Red looked up. It was impossible to see the Sun through the dark could, but the youth was always prepared for these types of situations.


    ¡°The den entrance was facing southeast.¡± He raised his voice to be heard over the storm. ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Good, then pay attention.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Searching for leylines is not as simple as you may think. Smaller Spiritual Leylines shift and disappear all the time, and we will need to follow one of them until we find a more stable stream.¡±


    ¡°Is that where we will find a place for my formation?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. These stable streams will only have the chance of leading us to a convergence, and most of them will just lead into nothing¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That sounds more difficult than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Bah, you have no idea! It could take days to find a convergence if we are unlucky, but thankfully for you, this forest of yours is located between a Forbidden Canyon and a Spirit River, so you should have more of a chance.¡±


    Red nodded, shielding his eyes from the rain as he looked around. ¡°Which direction?¡±


    ¡°To your northeast.¡± Aurelia said.


    The youth started to follow that direction without hesitation. Barely a minute later, though, Aurelia interrupted him.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°The leyline I felt is gone. It disappeared.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Was I too slow?¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°You are a mortal, so of course you are slow. Still, I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. You will never be able to outrun a shifting leyline, so just hope you get lucky.¡±


    Red could only swallow his frustrations and continue to follow her instructions. Even though she told him he couldn¡¯t outrun these leylines, he still tried to quicken his step.


    It was to no avail, though.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°It disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Bah! A false lead!¡±


    ¡°Behind you! There¡¯s a stronger one!¡±


    Aurelia continuously dashed Red¡¯s hopes. By the time five minutes had gone by, the youth was forced to change directions dozens of times, and he was still within a few kilometers of where he spent the night.


    Now he was soaking wet, looking like a madman running without purpose in the forest and wondering if his plan would fail at the very first step. Still, while the storm was still going strong, Red wasn¡¯t going to give up.


    When almost ten minutes went by, the youth finally found a promising lead.


    ¡°There, I can feel a stable leyline!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Keep going north!¡±


    Red followed her lead, and this time she didn¡¯t tell him to change directions. For the first time in a while, the woman told him to follow a direction in an almost straight line. This chase went on for almost three minutes, and the youth felt his hopes growing.


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    ¡°Damn, it led to nothing.¡± Aurelia said.


    Red stopped running, a slight frown forming on his face to indicate his frustration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand there moping around!¡± the woman said. ¡°Do you want to find this leyline or not?¡±


    The youth looked up at the storm; the rain hitting his face and obscuring his vision. This time of tempest didn¡¯t last very long in this region, and he didn¡¯t know for how long this one was going for already. Still, he knew he had no choice but to keep going.


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    ¡­


    Almost an hour had gone by with Red fearing that the storm would weaken. He found plenty of stable leylines with Aurelia¡¯s help, but most of them lead to nothing but dissipation. The fact the youth couldn¡¯t see what he was chasing only added to his frustrations, and yet he had undergone much more tedious tasks in the past.


    Eventually, his dedication paid off.


    ¡°I can feel it!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°There are multiple stable leylines around here!¡±


    ¡°Is it a convergence?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°There are plenty of those whenever leylines meet. Now we just need to find one strong enough for what you want to do.¡±


    The youth nodded, but he started to examine his surroundings with some concern. This area of the forest wasn¡¯t particularly hilly, and the tallest mount he could see in his surroundings was no more than a hundred meters tall.


    He couldn¡¯t concern himself with this right now, though, and kept following Aurelia¡¯s instructions until they hit gold.


    ¡°There!¡± she said. ¡°Near that pond!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t approach the place immediately, instead inspecting his surroundings with his crimson sense. He couldn¡¯t detect any traces of a monster nearby, but just because it wasn¡¯t immediately evident didn¡¯t mean none made their nest nearby.


    However, even if that was the case, no such creature was nearby at the moment, and that was the only thing the youth cared about. He approached the pond, almost hidden beneath the trees, yet now overflowing with the falling water from the storm.


    ¡°Right here?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia¡¯s image manifested by his side. ¡°It¡¯s barely enough, but it will do for three Spirit Stones worth of energy.¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t sense anything special about the place, but there was no reason for the woman to lie to him.


    ¡°How far can I from the pond?¡± he asked.


    The surface around here was overflowing with water, not a proper place to set a formation.


    ¡°No more than fifty meters.¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a stable convergence, but the further you go away from it, the weaker the Spiritual Energy will be.¡±


    Red frowned. The Parting Storm formation itself was pretty big, and while there should technically be enough space to set it up, the margin for error was significantly decreased with that.


    The difficulty, however, was already high enough, so one more added caveat wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.


    With this in mind, Red took out his dark short sword from his sheathe and started to chop at the trees surrounding the pond.


    Aurelia looked at him in confusion. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Making a clearing.¡± Red said, without even stopping to look at her.


    ¡°Do you mean to work under the rain?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I need the space to work. Besides, the rain and the wind need to hit the formation for the formation to absorb.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t the paint on your formation plates be smeared?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s proper arcane ink. It doesn¡¯t smear or mix with water.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to concentrate with this much noise and rain?¡±


    ¡°I will manage.¡±


    Concentration was the thing that worried Red the least.


    Aurelia didn¡¯t say anything, instead watching him as he cleared the trees, even uprooting the trunks at some points. Eventually, a large clearing was made in the area, with a relative plane, though the entire soil was muddied through and through.


    Aurelia scoffed as she saw this. ¡°I really want to see how you manage.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything, measuring the space he would need to set up the formation. Then, he took out the materials from his travel bag, setting them on the ground in front of him.


    There were three sets of different materials - one for water, one for wind, and one for lightning. Each of them made up one third of a circular formation that converged upon a central plate that would unite their forms into the energy Red would use to open his Spiritual Sea.


    Each third of this circular formation was, in turn, also commanded by a formation plate and dozens of smaller connecting runes. The wind plate was forged using clouded sky iron, the water plate using tempered lake silver, and the lightning plate using thunder-forged steel. The center plate itself was made up of a mixture of all three materials, something his master Goulth helped him forge some time ago. There were also plenty of bottled arcane inks, more than enough to draw the formation many times over, as well as some solvent to remove them in case Red made a mistake.


    This gave him some margin of error in making his runes, but not enough to make him feel comfortable. These were all relatively rare materials that took years for Red to gather, and now he was about to try something that could make them completely useless.


    Still, with no hesitation, he set the first formation plate aside - the water one - took out his brush and a bottle of ink, and sat down cross-legged in front of it, prepared to draw. He took a deep breath, and in a practiced motion, entered into a meditative state.


    At that moment, it felt as if the entire world became muffled to him, like a distant after-thought. Red focused on his right hand holding the brush, his extended awareness flowing into it as he tried to check if he was in proper condition. Upon seeing everything was in order, he then reached into the core of his body, to the being resting in his abdomen.


    ¡°I need your help.¡± he said.


    The crimson mist shook, as if urging him to go on.


    ¡°Help steady the movements of my muscles.¡± Red said. ¡°I can¡¯t make mistakes right now.¡±


    The mist shook again. ¡°I will help.¡±


    This was all the youth needed to hear.


    At first, he was somewhat hesitant to ask the being for help. After all, setting up this formation was something he would rather accomplish on his own, and yet every circumstance conspired against him to leave him at a disadvantage. Such being the case, why should he not rely on whatever help he could to draw these symbols?


    The hard work would still be left up to him.


    Feeling the muscles in his arm become steady like iron, Red left his meditation state and focused on the world around him again.


    The noise of the storm didn¡¯t bother him. In fact, the youth felt somewhat at ease where others might have felt bothered by the thunder. He wondered if this was a result of the technique he practiced, but now wasn¡¯t the time to let his thoughts wonder.


    With no further hesitation, he dipped his brush into a bottle of arcane ink and started to draw under the rain. As if by magic, the ink adhered to the surface of the wet bluish plate metal, ignoring the water droplets that covered the material.


    This property of the ink was a requirement of most formations. After all, no cultivator wanted to rely on something that got ruined by the effect of the elements.


    When the runes started to take shape on the plate, Red felt as if he entered an entirely different world. The symbols flowed with ease from his mind to the metal surface, practiced thousands of times over more than half a decade, so ingrained in his mind that they seemed like second nature to him.


    Then came the time to connect a rune to the other. The youth always expected this to be the hardest part, but instead, the process seemed to click with him. The method in that book, something he knew by heart, made complete sense to him at that moment.


    Parts that he thought would be difficult instead clicked in his mind like a natural reaction, and like a painting drawn one small spot at a time, the image of a complex network of runes started to form on the surface of that plate. The hardest part was for the youth to keep his hand steady at all times, but with the help of the crimson mist, he could ignore that problem.


    Almost ten minutes later, he was done, and he looked down at the bluish metal plate now covered with a partial formation on its surface. The youth double-checked his inscriptions, but he couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with them.


    Red wasn¡¯t entirely confident, though, so instead he decided to ask the opinion of someone with more experience.


    He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°How does it look?¡±


    The woman was staring at him with wide-eyes.

 Chapter 376 - Powering the Formation

    ¡°Is this your first time drawing a formation?¡± she asked after a long silence.


    Red was confused. ¡°This kind, yes. I practiced with others before¡­ Why are you even asking me? You were spying on me the whole time.¡±


    Aurelia squinted. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s just surprising. When most people write formations, take a lot of breaks to let their body relax, but you did this plate all in one go.¡±


    The woman was, of course, unaware of the kind of advantage the crimson mist provided to him.


    ¡°Does that mean the formation is right?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°How would I know? I¡¯m not a specialist in formations, and I only know the bare minimum.¡±


    ¡°But you have seen a lot of formations in your life, right? You should be able to at least tell if I have made any egregious mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine, let me see.¡±


    The woman¡¯s figure disappeared before manifesting in front of Red. She peered over the plate, examining it with a frowning expression.


    ¡°You are using a lot of symbols I don¡¯t recognize.¡± she said. ¡°The overall picture seems right, but I feel like there are a few problems with these connected symbols. Here and here.¡±


    Red examined the areas the woman pointed, but nothing immediately stood out to him.


    ¡°What are the exact problems?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain. I just feel like when I saw something like this in the past, they were drawn in a slightly different way.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That isn¡¯t helpful.¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not a formation specialist! I can only use comparison to tell you if something is right or wrong!¡±


    The youth sighed, looking down at the symbols. ¡°I will try to rewrite them and you tell me what you think.¡±


    At the very least, the problems Aurelia pointed out were localized, and he wouldn¡¯t need to redraw the entire formation to fix them.


    He used the solvent to erase the runes, before redrawing the symbols exactly as he remembered it from his mind. Aurelia watched the entire process intently, correcting him on his mistakes - or at least what she perceived to be mistakes.


    ¡°I feel like this line should be a bit more curved.¡±


    ¡°Here, you need to lengthen this.¡±


    After a few minutes of struggle and difficulty comprehending the woman¡¯s feedback, Red felt like he finally recognized the mistake he made and redrew the connecting runes one last time. Then he set his brush aside and looked over at Aurelia.


    ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± he asked.


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ It seems fine. I can¡¯t find any mistakes at least.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Then I will draw the other ones.¡±


    The entire process lasted for more than half an hour. Thankfully, Red¡¯s practice and the help of the crimson mist made it possible for him to draw the formations with minimal mistakes, and with Aurelia¡¯s help, he was able to correct what errors he did commit.


    As he continued to draw, his movements became more confident and practiced, as the fear of failure was unable to make him hesitate any longer. That being said, even with the crimson mist¡¯s help, he could still feel his fatigue catching up to him, as both his mind and muscles were drained by all the concentration and precise movements necessary to complete this formation.


    By the time the youth completed the central plate, the hardest part of the formation, he felt as if he had undergone a battle as arduous as the one he fought against the ghost in town. He set his brush aside, right by the pile of empty ink bottles, and stared at the completed formation plates as his right arm ached in pain.


    Aurelia looked over his work and nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve really done it. That being said, there¡¯s still plenty for you to do.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Red got up and looked around.


    Now was the matter of setting up the formation. Technically, this part was easier than drawing the formation itself, and even a normal cultivator could do it if they had the required materials and knew what they were doing. It did not mean, however, that it was easy, as it required precise placement of plates with calculations for distance and angles that could cause the formation to fail if they deviate even by a few centimeters.


    Compared to the difficult task of drawing the runes, though, Red welcomed this challenge in particular. With the central plate in the middle of the clearing, the youth started to spread out the other plates, so they stood equidistant from each other and from the center of the formation.


    ¡°This one is a bit off.¡± Aurelia pointed at the air plate, interrupting his work.


    The youth wasn¡¯t angry, however, and moved the plate slightly before looking at her.


    The woman nodded. ¡°That is good.¡±


    Red, for one, was glad that the woman offered her help without him having to ask. He was starting to get exhausted, and as such lapses in his focus and judgement would become more commonplace. Aurelia, on the other hand, was the ghost of a fourth realm cultivator, and she could catch these mistakes that the youth glossed over.


    After the plates were set, came the time to connect them using Spiritual Energy conducive materials. Some formations did not require this step, as the plates merely being close to each other was enough for them to work, yet this Parting Storm formation wasn¡¯t one of those. It required three different types of connective materials, wires of sorts, to conduct the energy between the plates.


    For the lightning energy, he needed the copper wire, for the water energy, he needed ocean-fiber thread, and for the wind energy, he needed cloud-sky silk.


    After setting aside these materials, he went about his work of connecting them. The formation plates had holes along their edges to tie these wires together, and after Red was done, a complex image of mish-mashing wires of different colors gave rise to the completed Parting Storm formation.


    Red took a step back, examining his work. The storm still beat down on him, and he felt cold and exhausted, but at this point, he couldn¡¯t even care.


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    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Red said.


    Aurelia looked at him with a frown. ¡°No, it¡¯s not done. You forgot the most important part.¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°Right. I need to power the formation now.¡±


    This was the part Red was dreading the most.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained to me how you will transmit the energy from the environment to your formation.¡± Aurelia said.


    Technically, this was where the Aspected Spirit Stones would come in. They would be set on top of each formation plate, and in turn be absorbed as energy to power it. Without them, however, this task got much harder, even if there was enough energy in their surroundings.


    The woman looked around with skepticism. ¡°You said you would change the formation to absorb energy from the surroundings, but I see no such thing.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Even if I could do that, I don¡¯t have the materials.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you plan to do?¡±


    ¡°I will use my own body to transfer the energy.¡±


    These words made Aurelia go silent.


    ¡°¡­ How?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The Rain Dance.¡± Red said. ¡°The energy it converts inside my body is the same as the one the formation uses. Now, I¡¯m surrounded by this same type of energy, so I should be able to absorb a lot more with much less effort.¡±


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°I understand that, but how are you going to siphon the energy from your body into the formation? You haven¡¯t opened your Spiritual Sea yet!¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond, instead picking up the wires from the ground. ¡°I will hook these into my Spiritual Veins.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°¡­ Do you want to become crippled?¡±


    ¡°It will work. I am sure of it.¡±


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where this confidence comes from, but I sure do want to see how you will do it.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too sure about the viability of this plan, but he knew that the more he thought about it, the less confident he would get. Before he went ahead, though, he had some other preparations.


    He took out his dark sword before tying it to a large spool of copper wire, with the other end tied to the lightning formation plate.


    ¡°You still want to try that stupid idea?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s necessary.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I fear if I don¡¯t do it, the lightning energy will be lacking.¡±


    The problem with his idea about using the Rain Dance to absorb energy was that it still didn¡¯t circumvent the issue Aurelia raised earlier. There would be plenty of wind and water energy around, but not enough lightning energy, and the amount that his technique was able to convert would probably be far from enough for the formation. As such, he would need a good jolt of power to cover that front.


    This was where his lightning-attracting idea came.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to throw the sword that high.¡± Aurelia shook her head.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I have a plan if I fail.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°You want to use that demon just for this? Are you just going to ignore what your elder told you?¡±


    ¡°If he was here, he would understand.¡± the youth said. ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t, I would still do it anyways.¡±


    Aurelia fell silent, staring at Red with a conflicted expression.


    Seeing as she wasn¡¯t going to raise any objections, though, Red set about his plan. The first thing he did was enter a meditative to communicate with the crimson mist. His plan, after all, still relied on its help.


    ¡°I need you to connect these wires to my Spiritual Veins.¡± he said.


    The crimson mist shook, seemingly listless. ¡°¡­ Tired.¡±


    ¡°This is the last thing I will ask of you for a long time.¡± Red said. ¡°But it¡¯s important that you help me right now¡­ I need your help.¡±


    The mist shook again, expressing its agreement. It would help the youth, even if it needed to spend every bit of its recently recovered energy.


    Satisfied, Red retracted his expanded awareness. Then, without hesitation, he picked up a knife from his belongings with his right hand, while grabbing the water and wind threads connected to the formation plates with his left one.


    After that, he rested the knight against the underside of his left forearm, ready to make a cut. A few seconds later, he felt something pulsate beneath his skin, a strange foreign force that didn¡¯t belong to his body.


    It was his signal.


    Red pushed the blade down, making a deep cut in his arm. Then he dropped the knife before picking up the white wind thread with his right hand and inserting it into the opening. To anyone looking from the outside, it seemed as if the youth had just shoved some thread into a widening pool of blood in his arm, but he could feel there was more happening than that.


    The blood pouring from his arm shook, and Red felt a pull from the wire in his hand. He let the thread go, and the material started to penetrate his arm on its own. An uncomfortable feeling spread through his left limb as the thread parted through vein and flesh to reach the Spiritual Vein deep in his body, but the youth gritted his teeth and endured the pain.


    Eventually, the pull seemed to stop, and the wound around his arm closed on its own. There was still plenty of blood smeared in there, but Red could feel the wire pulled taut against his skin, hitting something deep within his flesh that one would have a hard time sensing most of the time.


    The wire was attached to his Spiritual Vein.


    Aurelia watched this entire scene with a dumbfounded look on her face, but the youth couldn¡¯t pay attention to the woman. He still needed to repeat the process on his right arm, and so he did it.


    This time, he used the water thread to connect into his vein, and the sensation was just as painful and unpleasant as the first time, but by the end of it, he succeeded. Now two wires were hooked to each of his arms, the other ends attached to the formation plates, and Red was ready to proceed with his plan.


    Through ragged breaths, the youth moved to the center of the formation before starting to execute a familiar set of movements - the Rain Dance. Before he even finished the first set, though, a deluge of Spiritual Energy started to knock against his veins, eager to enter his body.


    This stream wasn¡¯t as strong as what Red felt when he consumed a cultivation pill, yet he felt it was far more compatible with his body and easier to wield than the energy from any medicine. He didn¡¯t even need to rotate the stream of energy inside his body for it to be in a suitable condition to open his acupoints.


    The difference surprised him to no end.


    ¡®So this is why Aspected Spiritual Energy is so precious.¡¯


    Red continued to let the energy accumulate inside his body, and once he felt he couldn¡¯t absorb any more, he moved it towards the veins in his arms. These streams of energy, bloating inside his veins, now seemed to have found an outlet in the wires hooked into his limbs.


    The formation, on the other side of the threads, reacted in the presence of this Spiritual Energy. The symbols on their surface started to glow ever so slightly, and the suction Red felt coming from the wires in his arms intensified.


    Red eyes opened as he continued to execute the Rain Dance movements. He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°Tell me when it is enough!¡±


    The woman seemed to snap out of a daze and nodded. ¡°It will still take a lot!¡±


    The youth knew as much, so he didn¡¯t complain. Even with all the favorable circumstances, the Rain Dance was still just a vein opening technique, and it would take a lot of effort to absorb enough energy into his body to power the formation. This was not to mention the exhaustion Red felt at this moment, his body acting out of pure reflex more than anything else.


    It took almost two full-minutes of this dance, through which the youth felt himself approaching the point of collapse, his movements slowing down by the second. His vision was blurry, his senses fading, but he kept focused on his movements, waiting for the signal Aurelia promised him.


    ¡°¡­ ready!¡±


    He could barely hear her muffled word through his collapsing senses. It was ready. The two formations were powered.


    Red stopped his dance, falling down to his knees in exhaustion. Still, he knew he couldn¡¯t stop now, so he searched for something he placed at his feet. He grabbed onto something cold and familiar - his dark sword, now attached to hundreds of meters of copper wire.


    All he needed now was to throw it towards the sky, but that was when a stark realization hit him.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have the strength.¡¯


    The youth wasn¡¯t too sad about this, though. Even if he was at his strongest, Red doubted he could throw a sword hundreds of meters straight up into the sky. As such, only one option was left for him.


    His right hand grabbed onto the dark shortsword, while his left one search for the other blade at his hilt. He heard a roar echo in his mind as he drew the longsword from his hilt, accompanied by a surge of strength that pushed away every ounce of exhaustion from his body.


    The entire world around him seemed to come into focus at that moment, but Red only had eyes for one thing - the sky above. His muscles tensed, and in a spin to gather momentum, the youth flung the shortsword like an arrow shot against the storm above.


    The blade rose and rose, until the air resistance and gravity started to make it lose momentum. Red held his breath as the sword with its wire, seemed to reach its apex hundreds of meters above him.


    ¡®Was it not enough?¡¯


    Then, at the next moment, the entire world became white as Red felt himself become momentarily blind. Something struck the sword, and an unstoppable barrage of energy was transmitted from it across the wire into the formation below.


    The lightning plate started to glow and, in turn, a change took place in the center of the formation.


    Red¡¯s plan had succeeded, and now he was ready to take on the opportunity of a lifetime.

 Chapter 377 - Opening the Sea

    The glow of the outer plates started to intensify, and then, a few seconds later, the central plate also began to shine. The air inside the circle crackled, and from thin air a dark mist ring formed along its perimeter. This small cloud of mist seemed to be charged with electricity, and a strong wind blew the surroundings away, overshadowing even the storm falling from above.


    Red, who was at the center of the formation, did not feel any of this, though. In fact, it seemed as if he was the only thing unaffected by the powers manifested by this spinning ring of dark mist.


    ¡°You did it!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached him from outside the formation. ¡°You really did it! Now sit down and focus, quickly!¡±


    Her voice snapped the youth out of his daze. Yet, before he sat down, there was one last thing he needed to do.


    He grabbed the wires hooked to his arm, and without hesitation, pulled them out of his flesh. Blood spilled down his arms, but the wound was quick to close even without the youth¡¯s prompting. The absorption from the formation stopped, and now Red could circulate the energy in his veins freely.


    He looked down at the longsword in his hand with some hesitation. The spirit roared in satisfaction in his mind, as if it wanted to continue fighting against the storm itself and kept providing a boon of energy onto Red¡¯s body. Strength filled every part of his being, an intoxicating feeling, and the youth felt the sweet taste of bloodlust filling his mouth.


    Yet, he knew this couldn¡¯t continue. What he needed to breakthrough was peace and calm, not the rage the spirit provided.


    In a single motion, Red sheathed the sword again. A roar of unwillingness and surprise echoed in his mind, but the being could do nothing to fight back against it. At the exact same moment, the youth felt his body deflate from the energy that filled it seconds ago.


    Strength and power left him, to be replaced against with weakness and exhaustion. His muscles pulled him down on their own, and Red collapsed into a sitting position on top of the formation plate.


    ¡°You- What are you doing?!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s urgent voice reached him from outside.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to¡­ breakthrough like that.¡± Red struggled to get the words out.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to breakthrough like this either!¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°My chances are still¡­ better like this.¡±


    The woman offered no retorts to this.


    Finally in silence, Red focused on the changes around him. The formation continued to gather force, the cloud ring spinning and growing by the second. The youth was unsure about what he was supposed to do next, but soon enough, the answer arrived on its own.


    The storm ring started to close in on him all of a sudden. Red almost panicked by instinct, but even if he intended to, he wouldn¡¯t be able to react in time.


    Soon enough, the storm swallowed him.


    The youth found himself inside a maelstrom of wind, rain, and lightning. The three forces buffeted against his body ceaselessly, and his entire world was consumed by the storm. He couldn¡¯t see anything but the sparks of lightning and he couldn¡¯t hear anything but the thunderous noises of wind and thunder in his ear.


    At first, Red felt overwhelmed. Yet, a few seconds later, he felt something strange.


    These forces, so destructive on their own, didn¡¯t seem to be damaging his body. Instead, the youth felt a sense of calm and comfort as he was embraced by them, something that helped him ignore the fatigue he felt at the moment.


    Then he felt something in his body resonate with his storm. At first, it was just a single point in his forehead, but then this sensation spread to the rest of his frame. It took him a second to recognize these were his acupoints reacting to the storm outside.


    Something was knocking against them, attempting to enter his veins from every direction. It was a deluge of energy, stronger than anything Red felt before, and this made him hesitate.


    However, he decided to trust the process at the end of the day.


    Like taking a deep breath, Red tried to draw in this energy. It took little effort.


    An endless stream of bubbling energy entered his body from all directions. The youth felt conflicting sensations spread throughout his body - a numbing, refreshing, and sharp feeling all combined in one. At the same time, these threads of storm energy started to travel through his veins, gathering into bigger streams as they met each other until almost every part of his body was full of them.


    They didn¡¯t damage his veins, to Red¡¯s surprise. Yet, at the same time, these streams seemed aimless, as if they had no idea what to do inside his body.


    This was, of course, the most important difference between this Parting Storm Formation and a Parting Sea Pill. The formation only provided the proper energy to open a Spiritual Sea, while the pill did that and also assisted with the entire process.


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    It was an added difficulty that Red took on willingly, and that was because the rewards for opening the Spiritual Sea on one¡¯s own were far too enticing - the possibility of an epiphany. For that alone, he was willing to take a risk.


    Red focused on his veins, trying to draw in these streams of energy together. The spiritual organ ached in pain, also affected by his efforts from earlier, yet it still offered him a sluggish response. One by one, the youth gathered these streams into one big current circling through his veins, as even more energy entered his body from outside.


    Once the youth felt he was at the limits of his control, he stopped gathering energy and tried to move it in a certain direction.


    The Spiritual Sea, a half-illusory organ, was located at the center of the human torso, just above the stomach and below the ribcage. Its main and only connection to the rest of the body was through an acupoint in the Spinal Vein - the very first acupoint cultivators were supposed to open.


    Red himself tried to sense this organ many times in the past, to no avail. Yet, if the formation was working as intended, then this energy would help him reveal its form and, in turn, break apart the walls that blocked it from fully manifesting in his body.


    As the youth direct this large stream of energy towards the end of his vein, he felt the energy hitting a wall. However, like a blade cutting apart its enemy, a path seemed to open to this current, which traveled further into the core of his body.


    Then, for the first time, Red felt it. The energy seemed to hit something, circling around a small sphere that wasn¡¯t there moments before. This sphere was smaller than a fist, and if the youth wasn¡¯t focusing on it, he would have missed it.


    This was his Spiritual Sea.


    Red didn¡¯t let his elation at the formation¡¯s success get to his head, however. Instead, he examined the orb, inspecting it with this energy in preparation for breaking its wall. He couldn¡¯t see the organ as much as feel it, however, and what he felt wasn¡¯t promising.


    The difficulty in opening a Spiritual Sea was determined by how complete was the barrier surrounding it. Some people were born with many cracks and openings along this illusory barrier, meaning their difficulty in breaking through these obstacles would be severely diminished. Others were born with almost a full barrier, however, and this would make the task a very daunting one.


    Red happened to fall into this last group. The barrier blocking his Spiritual Sea was almost intact, and this meant that the level of difficulty in breaking through would be about as high as it got.


    Yet, he was already expecting such a result.


    No longer hesitating, Red directed this energy against the organ. He attacked the barrier, starting from the few cracks that were already there, as most cultivator manuals instructed one to do.


    To his surprise, the barrier in that area crumbled with almost no resistance as his energy slipped through. The youth was surprised by this, but he continued his assault in another area nearby, shifting his focus. This next area also crumbled through without resistance, and Red continued to destroy this barrier bit by bit.


    The task seemed too easy as to make Red suspicious. Was opening the Spiritual Sea really this easy?


    Seconds later, he realized that was all wishful thinking.


    As he twisted and turned his energy, he came back to examine an area of the barrier he had already broken before. To his surprise, though, the barrier seemed to have reappeared in that place without him noticing it.


    Red examined the rest of the areas he broke before, only to realize they had also regenerated.


    To confirm his suspicions, the youth tried to break the same section of the barrier again, except this time, he kept the energy in the same place to examine it. Sure enough, in a matter of a second, the barrier regenerated like it had never been broken before.


    It was only then Red realized the true difficulty of the task. He needed to break through all the barriers quickly enough before any part of it could regenerate.


    This meant that not only did his full Spiritual Sea barrier make the task harder, it meant that his talent in controlling Spiritual Energy would also play a large factor on if he would succeed. In this case, he would need to move these currents of energy much quicker than he was doing currently, maybe even manipulating multiple of them at a time.


    ¡®This seems... unreasonable.¡¯


    It was no wonder why this was such a bottleneck for cultivators. Without the talent and the means, how many people would succeed? For this reason, a Parting Sea pill was almost invaluable to these people.


    At that moment, Red felt a bit of the hopelessness Narcha must have felt in the past.


    The youth, however, still wasn¡¯t out of aces up his sleeve.


    With his eyes closed, Red entered a meditative state. His expanded awareness reached to the center of his torso, where he could see and feel what was happening. There was a slightly glowing orb pulsating with energy, a few shafts of light poking through the cracks, and a large stream of dark blue energy swimming around it.


    With his expanded awareness, Red eliminated one enormous obstacle in his way - perception. Most cultivators would need to fumble around blindly while breaking through, using their limited senses into their inner body to control and judge the situation of the barrier. The youth, however, had his meditation technique, which allowed him to observe his inner body and even somewhat control its condition.


    If he was going to break through here, it would be by relying on this single advantage of his.


    Red continued to gather the energy in his veins towards his Spiritual Sea. At the moment, the supply didn¡¯t seem to be diminishing, a requirement that his master must have certainly considered in building this formation.


    Once the youth felt he had gathered enough energy, he started his assault. This time, however, he used a different strategy.


    He amassed the energy into a large clump surrounding the Spiritual Sea, and instead of making it move as one, he detached smaller streams from this clump and shot them against the barrier. This way, he would still have enough energy to assault other areas if the need arose, avoiding wastage and being far more efficient.


    Of course, such a task was easier said than done. Through a lot of trial and error, Red figured out the minimum amount necessary of the energy to break through the barrier, and as such, his plan began in full.


    Like an artillery, his energy bombarded the Spiritual Sea from every direction as fast as the youth could muster. Red couldn¡¯t command all these streams all at once, however, and timing became vital in his success as he needed to keep breaking the same area again and again.


    He met failure after failure. Yet, he made progress in every attempt, so he kept trying.


    Soon enough, he forgot himself in the process. He became a machine, repeating the same movements without end. Gather energy, spread energy, assault the barrier.


    His veins ached. His thoughts were muddled in a mire. Yet, beneath it all, his will persevered. This was his chance, and he wouldn¡¯t waste it.


    This mentality alone was what kept him going.


    The cracks continued to spread in the Spiritual Sea after every attempt. The glow shining beneath the barrier intensified in his awareness.


    Eventually, only a few small blockades remained, and Red put his all into pushing through.


    The last piece of the barrier fell, and the Spiritual Sea shined in all its glory.


    Then, the youth found himself being pulled into a world he never felt before.

 Chapter 378 - Insight

    Red felt himself being pulled out of his own body.


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not right¡­¡¯


    Rather than being pulled out of his own body, it felt as if his senses were expanding outside of the limits of his frame. It was as if his very being was transforming, fusing with his surroundings to become a higher life form.


    It was an overwhelming sensation, both terrifying and fascinating all at once. Taste, smell, sound, touch, and vision all mixed into a single sensation that filled every part of his mind. As Red¡¯s sense expanded, he started to notice the brand new world revealed to him.


    A mixture of infinite threads of primordial energy surrounding everything around him. Every object, every leaf, every tree, even the air itself, was constructed by these threads. Colors his eyes couldn¡¯t perceive, sounds that described the very fabric of reality. There was nowhere to turn his gaze to, for everything comprised this matter, even empty space.


    At first, Red thought this was Spiritual Energy. Yet, further examination proved him wrong.


    This was something else. A more fundamental force, unperceivable by common eyes, and something even most cultivators would not be able to witness for most of their lives.


    These were the laws that dictated reality.


    There were so many of them that Red couldn¡¯t keep count. They appeared in different abstract forms, some more prevalent than others, some only flashing in his vision for a second before disappearing. Yet all of them had something in common: a complexity that surpassed human comprehension.


    From afar, they seemed like formless masses of energy in constant flux, yet the closer Red inspected them, the more details he found. He saw forms and shapes that overlapped each other countless times over, conveying sensations and emotions that were impossible to put into words, and yet made all the sense in the world to him. All powerful laws and principles that dictated how things worked, impossible to distort and of infinite complexity.


    All these things, now laid bare for Red to see.


    ¡®An insight¡­ So this is what the hawk was referring to?¡¯


    To witness this sight, it made every struggle the youth ever went through worth it.


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t let himself be dazed by the phenomenon. Even now, he could feel instinctually that his time in this place was limited, and he needed to make the most of it. He needed to comprehend something of value before it all dissipated into nothingness.


    However, looking around himself, how could this be an easy task? Every single one of these laws contained an unlimited fount of knowledge, enough for one to spend an entire lifetime studying without making even a bit of progress. Some of them, even more wondrous than others, only showed themselves in his senses for a brief instant before disappearing.


    Red wanted to learn them all. He never wanted something so much in his life before, and the fact he would be unable to at this moment frustrated him.


    With no other choice, the youth started to inspect the prevalent laws around him, trying to comprehend what he could. The task felt like trying to empty the entire sea one small cup at a time, but Red still put his all into it.


    Quickly, however, he noticed something. While these laws offered the same level of complexity, the youth felt himself instinctually able to comprehend some of them better than others. Some of the principles and sensations conveyed in some of them resonated and made sense to him, while in others it felt as if he was trying to read something in a language he couldn¡¯t comprehend.


    This revelation, in turn, made the decision of which law to focus on an easy one.


    ¡®It will be you¡­¡¯


    This law, in particular, was one of the most abundant ones in his surroundings. The youth felt an unexplainable connection to it, and when he tried to comprehend it, it felt like expanding on principles he already held close to his own heart. It felt right.


    He immersed his entire being into it. An innate understanding of certain principles was born in his mind, and it felt as if the youth knew them his entire life.


    By the time Red felt his time in this world was over, he had barely scratched the surface of this law. Yet what he gained already was going to change his entire cultivation journey.


    This, he knew for certain.


    ¡­


    As Red¡¯s sense returned to normal, he opened his eyes. No longer did the clouds from the formation surround him. In fact, the storm also seemed to have abated, and some rays of sunlight could be seen through the overcast sky.


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    The youth frowned in confusion and looked around. He spotted Aurelia¡¯s image outside of the formation, staring at him with a complicated expression and with her arms crossed.


    ¡°You did it.¡± She said. ¡°You opened your Spiritual Sea.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°So it seems.¡±


    ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t watching?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°I was afraid I would disturb the process if I tried snooping in.¡±


    The youth was thankful that the woman was at least this considerate.


    ¡°I used my expanded awareness to help me coordinate my assault against the barrier.¡± Red said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have that, I would have definitely failed.¡±


    The woman grunted. ¡°Of course, I should have thought of that. I suppose I didn¡¯t consider the fact a mortal like you would have had a consciousness that strong without even having opened their Spiritual Sea.¡±


    The youth looked at his surroundings once again. ¡°How much time has passed?¡±


    ¡°A few hours.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I felt you broke through back then, but you seemed to be focused on something, so I chose not to disturb you.¡±


    ¡°A few hours?¡±


    Red was surprised. Inside that world, he barely felt like a few minutes had passed by.


    ¡°Did you learn anything valuable in that place?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°¡­ You know about it?¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Of course I do. Sects force their disciples to open their Spiritual Sea without pills because of that. At the end of the day, though, whether they get an insight depends more on luck than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Did you reach that state, too?¡±


    ¡°I did, but you¡¯re dodging my question. What did you learn there?¡±


    ¡°I learned about the Wind.¡±


    ¡°Wind? I suppose it does fit your cultivation art, so it¡¯s not a bad choice.¡± She nodded. ¡°How much did you learn, though?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°How would I know?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t you know even the simplest Spiritual Art from that manual of yours? Just conjure a wind blade or something and show me!¡±


    The youth frowned, but he didn¡¯t rebuke her. He was also curious to try a Spiritual Art for the first time after all.


    Before doing that, though, he decided to inspect his newly opened Spiritual Sea. The first thing he noticed after breaking through was how much more aware of his inner body he was, even without using his expanded awareness. It felt as if he could picture his entire spiritual veins in his mind with a single thought, which would make controlling Spiritual Energy a much easier task.


    When he inspected his Spiritual Sea, he saw a softly glowing sphere at the center of his torso. No longer was the barrier there, and now Red had full access to this organ.


    The youth tried to examine the insides of his Spiritual Sea, and what he saw made him surprised. It felt as if his mind had been transported to a different space. He was on the inside of a sphere, presumably the Spiritual Sea, except it seemed far bigger on the inside than on the outside. It felt about a hundred meters across, and Red was uncertain whether this was its true dimensions or just the perspective his mind offered him. The inner walls of this sphere seemed to be composed of a glowing blue barrier that dictated the limits of this space.


    What caught his attention, however, was something else. Floating at the center of this space was a small mist of dark blue substance.


    Red recognized it as Spiritual Energy.


    The amount was so pitiful as to be negligible, yet the realization still hit the youth all the same. He could now store Spiritual Energy inside his body, and in turn, perform Spiritual Arts on his own.


    ¡°Are you done poking around?¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice dragged him out of his concentration.


    Red looked at her with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough energy to do a Spiritual Art yet.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Just gather it. We are still in the middle of a leyline convergence.¡±


    ¡®Draw it in?¡¯


    The youth almost forgot he could do that now.


    Indeed, just as the woman said, there was plenty of energy around him, which he could feel now more clearly than ever before. The problem was, however, that he still didn¡¯t really memorize the Lesser Ring Realm circulation technique of the Storm¡¯s Blessing manual.


    Aurelia seemed able to guess his worries. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about circulation! Just draw in enough energy to execute a wind blade. I only care about your technique, not your power.¡±


    Red nodded and followed her instructions.


    This was his first time doing anything of the sort, so he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to accomplish such a task. He focused on his Spiritual Sea, which he could now clearly feel in the center of his torso, and like a muscle, commanded it to draw in the surrounding energy.


    Sure enough, he felt something being drawn into his body. Spiritual Energy started to enter his body through his acupoints with an ease that Red had never felt before.


    It was a world of different compared to his vein opening technique.


    After thirty seconds, Red felt as if he had gathered enough energy in his veins to execute the wind blade technique Aurelia requested. This Spiritual Art was one of the simplest techniques out there, just like a fireball or an ice lance, and it was something that was spread to the public at large such that even the youth knew how to execute it.


    That being said, its power still shouldn¡¯t be underestimated, as any mortal would likely perish if they were hit directly by such a technique.


    Red recalled the path he was meant to circulate the energy in and moved the current inside his body. The movement was somewhat sluggish at first, yet as this stream of energy passed through more and more acupoints, it underwent a fundamental change.


    It started to become wind energy.


    Once this happened, Red felt an instinctual understanding of how to proceed. He felt as if manipulating the energy became much easier and the speed at which it circulated through his veins became much faster. In fact, the youth even felt comfortable making a few deviations from the technique, circulating the energy through a different path in his veins to further refine it.


    Once he felt the energy was completed, he directed it towards his right arm.


    He raised his finger towards a tree. As the energy left his body, Red still felt as if he could exert control over it with the help of his Spiritual Sea, so he started to shape it into the form of a blade. The task went through without a hitch, and a large blade of condensed wind formed in front of him even faster than it did with a talisman.


    A second later, the blade was completed, and Red released all its accumulated power.


    It flew towards the tree, cutting it in half like butter. The energy of the technique didn¡¯t even dissipate in its entirety, and clashed against another tree behind the first one, causing it almost to splinter in half as the condensed wind exploded.


    Once Red saw the results, he nodded with satisfaction. At the very least, it seemed as if he had a handle on this basic technique.


    He looked over at Aurelia. ¡°How is it¡­?¡±


    The youth trailed off as he saw the woman staring at him as if she saw a ghost.


    ¡°You¡­ How much exactly did you learn in that place?¡± she asked.

 Chapter 379 - Mastery

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    Red frowned at the question. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°You only learned about wind, right?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°It was the only thing I had time to learn.¡±


    ¡°Then try and do another spell.¡± She said. ¡°A water Spiritual Art this time.¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t quite sure what the woman was getting at, but he decided to follow her instructions.


    ¡®An ordinary water Spiritual Art¡­¡¯


    The equivalent of a wind blade for water would be a water barrier. This element in particular was not known for its offensive capabilities, at least not to the general cultivator community, so most widespread techniques involving water were defensive in nature.


    Red recalled the circulation of the technique and drew in Spiritual Energy. To use the surrounding energy as fuel was not an efficient way of performing Spiritual Arts, and it was impossible to rely on such a method in combat. Suffice it to say, this was one of the reasons why cultivators who opened their Spiritual Sea would keep a plentiful reserve inside their own body.


    The youth, however, was just testing himself, so it didn¡¯t matter where the energy he used came from.


    It took almost half a minute of drawing in streams of energy, but once Red felt he had enough, he started to circulate it in his body.


    At the beginning, he didn¡¯t notice any difference. However, as the stream of mixed energy started to transform into pure water energy, the youth understood the point Aurelia was trying to make.


    He knew using anything other than a wind Spiritual Art would not be as easy, and yet the difference he felt at that moment still surprised him. The water energy felt sluggish in his veins, moving much slower than the wind energy from earlier as the youth felt his innate understanding in the manipulation of one didn¡¯t translate to the other. Red almost had to force the energy through his acupoints, and the final product was a much more brutish and unrefined current.


    Still, the youth kept going.


    He moved the energy out of his body, visualizing and building the shield as he remembered. What he had in mind, though, turned out much different in reality.


    The water shield technique was supposed to form a round water shield that would float in front of its user and protect them. What Red was left with, though, was a jumbled mess, irregular in its shape and half as large as it was supposed to be.


    The youth tried to maintain and correct this shield, yet here he noticed another difficulty. It was just as hard to manipulate this water energy outside of his body as it was inside it.


    All these added complications cause the water structure to collapse a few seconds later, leaving a bewildered Red staring at the puddle in front of him.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±


    Red looked at her and nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine it would be this hard.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is hard! Almost no one can execute a proper Spiritual Art in their first try, even for the most basic ones!¡±


    ¡°Then why-¡±


    ¡°Comprehension.¡± Aurelia cut him off. ¡°You said you focused on the wind law during your epiphany, so that heightened your comprehension of it to a very high degree. That is one of the factors that can decide how fast and how well you can learn a Spiritual Art.¡±


    ¡°Why did you seem surprised, then?¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°¡­ Because you learned far more than I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It varies from people, but most cultivators only heighten their understanding of a law a small during their first epiphany.¡± She said. ¡°It is still an incredible advantage, and it sets them up well to reach mastery further down their journey. You, however, seem to have made more progress than normal.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m a master of wind now?¡±


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    ¡°¡­ If you are not one, then you are close to being one.¡± Aurelia said through gritted teeth.


    Red noticed the bitterness with which the woman uttered those words.


    ¡°I assume you did not have such good results in your own epiphany.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Not everyone can be as lucky as you.¡±


    ¡°Is that what it came down to? Luck?¡± he asked.


    ¡°¡­ Of course not.¡± The woman shook her head in resignation. ¡°A lot of things can affect comprehension. Talent, experience, and compatibility are chief among them. You don¡¯t have any type of special wind acupoints or roots that I can feel in your body, so that can only mean your upbringing caused you to have a better understandings of the underlying laws of the wind.¡±


    ¡®It was no wonder, then.¡¯


    There were plenty of other laws Red could have focused on, but the law of the wind was the one that called to him the most at that moment. If he chose instead to focus on another law, then the end result would have been nowhere as good.


    ¡°So, you claim I have reached mastery over the wind-¡±


    ¡°You might have reached mastery over the wind.¡± Aurelia cut him off.


    Red ignored her and continued. ¡°Yesterday, you also told me Hector was a grandmaster of ice and water. Is grand mastery a level beyond what I reached?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°How hard is it to reach that?¡±


    Aurelia chuckled. ¡°How hard it is? Let me make it clear to you, Red. Most cultivators only reach mastery over a law when they are around the Greater Ring Realm. Reaching grand mastery, however, is something that not even the majority of Spirit Core Realm cultivators are able to do. It is a requirement to advance into the Spiritual Awakening Realm, and your elder reached that level in not only one law, but two of them. Does that tell you how hard it is?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It certainly puts things into perspective.¡±


    A Lesser Ring Realm cultivator able to achieve what people many times stronger than he could not. It was no wonder he was qualified to teach disciples in his sect despite his low cultivation base.


    It seemed like every step Red took in his journey would shine a brighter light into how brilliant the elder of his sect was.


    ¡°How do you advance in your comprehension?¡± he asked.


    ¡°A lot of training and experience.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Some cultivators take dozens of years to reach mastery over a law, and grand mastery eludes them their entire lives.¡±


    ¡°Is there no way to reach that epiphany again?¡±


    The woman frowned, staring at him like he was an idiot. ¡°Are you even aware of what you are asking?¡±


    Red hesitated. He didn¡¯t have much of an idea.


    She sighed. ¡°Insight into the law is not something you can work towards. It is a matter of both luck and opportunity. Some people may reach epiphany and master a law while watching the most mundane scene, while others could find an opportunity to meditate in of a holy site and comprehend laws that way. There is no guaranteed way to reach that state, and trust me, people smarter and stronger than me and you have tried for centuries.¡±


    ¡°Then what about opening the Spiritual Sea on your own? Isn¡¯t that a guaranteed method?¡±


    ¡°First of all, it is not guaranteed, and you can only ever go through that state twice.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Some cultivators even tried to close and reopen their Spiritual Sea for that reason, but never succeeded in recapturing that state.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s no other similar situation while breaking through higher realms?¡± Red asked, noticing the woman didn¡¯t deny his claim.


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°There is.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°When you breakthrough to the Spiritual Awakening Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That¡¯s too far.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re too greedy!¡± Aurelia scowled at him. ¡°You have barely broken through and experienced epiphany and you¡¯re already looking to return to that state! If you¡¯re truly this impatient for every topic regarding cultivation, then you are in for a terrible time!¡±


    The youth knew she was right. Cultivation was an art of patience and accumulation, with some matters being calculated in years, even decades at times. However, Red had some reasons to pry into this matter.


    For one, he was truly fascinated with that realm of laws. The most important reason, though, was that if he wanted to win his master¡¯s inheritance, he needed to breakthrough to the Spiritual Awakening Realm before he was thirty. This meant he needed to be impatient, as speed in cultivation would be crucial if he wanted to achieve that goal with his middling talent.


    Aurelia didn¡¯t know this, however, so Red just nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He said. ¡°I suppose I was just too taken by that place.¡±


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°It can be a very intoxicating feeling, but it¡¯s better to focus on the here and now. You have barely just opened your Spiritual Sea, and a whole new world is in front of you now. There¡¯s plenty you still need to learn.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    The woman was about to say something, but her expression changed and she looked in a certain direction. ¡°We have visitors.¡±


    Red felt his heartbeat quicken.


    She looked at him and shook her head. ¡°Relax. It¡¯s not the imperials.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Then who?¡±


    ¡°A couple of monsters in the Lesser Ring Realm.¡± she said. ¡°I assume the original owners of this place we are at.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t feel their presences with his crimson sense yet, but he believed Aurelia¡¯s assessment. ¡°We should leave quickly, then.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Leave? Why leave? Don¡¯t you want to test your new powers against them?¡±


    The youth hesitated. ¡°¡­ I just broke through. I don¡¯t have enough Spiritual Energy in my Sea and I can barely use Spiritual Arts.¡±


    Her smiled widened. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly! Now that you broke through, are Spiritual Arts suddenly the only thing you can rely on?¡±


    ¡°You want me to use my sword against them?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Opening your Spiritual Sea also improves your physical capabilities to some degree, so that should even the playing field.¡±


    Red knew the woman was being disingenuous. Monsters in general had much stronger physiques than humans, and this still held true when both were in the Lesser Ring Realm. As such, cultivators would need to rely on Spiritual Arts to match a monster¡¯s natural abilities and powers.


    Just like it was when the youth was still a mortal, fighting a monster with only his body was still a big risk. Yet, as the woman said that, Red couldn¡¯t help but also feel curious.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    He had his own reasons for accepting the challenge too.

 Chapter 380 - Guide

    Red, however, had his own intentions in accepting this challenge, the same way Aurelia seemed to have her own.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± he asked.


    The woman pointed behind her. ¡°That way.¡±


    ¡°Are they in the early Lesser Ring Realm?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You think I would have you kill yourself against a monster stronger than you can deal with? How would that work for me?¡±


    That indeed made little sense, but Red still thought it wise to ask.


    After clarifying these details, the youth walked over to where his sword laid. The blade was made out of dark iron, and as such, it was still undamaged even after being struck by lightning in his process of breaking through. Red, however, still hesitated to touch it.


    The copper wire connected to the sword was evaporated into dust, a sign of the kind of energy that traveled through the weapon, and yet there were almost no signs of the presence of lightning on its surface. Was it lying underneath? Would it strike out once Red touched it?


    The youth shook his head. It had been hours since then, and even if some energy remained, it was hard to imagine it would damage him.


    He reached out and touched the hilt. Like he thought, he didn¡¯t receive a sudden shock, but he could feel a numbing sensation spreading to his skin. The lingering energy of the lightning, still here even after so much time had passed.


    His short sword was, after all, a strong conduit for Spiritual Energy, but seeing it in action made Red realize just how much potential the blade actually had.


    ¡®I will need to look into making it into an actual Spiritual Weapon in the future.¡¯


    For now, though, it would serve him the same as always.


    After collecting his sword, Red gathered and stored the remains of the formation in his bag. Even if there was no point in utilizing it again, the youth would never leave evidence of it behind. After all, this would still be an enormous deal if the world came to know about it.


    Once he was done, he looked in the direction Aurelia pointed.


    ¡°They¡¯re almost here.¡± the woman said.


    ¡°I know.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I can feel them.¡±


    Two fluctuations entered the range of his crimson sense. Lesser Ring Realm monsters, as he was told, but he also recognized what kind of monsters these were.


    ¡®Bark-tree bears.¡¯


    This was one of the toughest beasts in this forest. A thick bark protected their inner body, as its name indicated, and even Lesser Ring Realm cultivators found the beasts troublesome to deal with due to their incredible defenses.


    And here Red was, about to fight not one but two of them.


    He looked at Aurelia with a frown.


    The woman smiled. ¡°What? If you can¡¯t kill them, you can always run.¡±


    The youth ignored her and looked around. Even with the woman¡¯s provocations, he wasn¡¯t so silly as to take these two creatures in straight forward combat. No, there was a better way to go about this, and it tied into the reason as to why he even accepted her challenge in the first place.


    Red examined his surroundings, dashing straight towards the trees where the bears were coming from. He climbed up a tall tree with a single jump, something he would have been hard pressed to do before opening his Spiritual Sea. Once he was up there, Red relaxed his body and started to regulate his breathing.


    His presence diminished, and the youth didn¡¯t move even an inch. Those that looked at him might have mistaken Red for a statue, and if they weren¡¯t paying attention, their eyes would pass his figure without noticing him. He was like one with his surroundings, unnoticed, unmoving, yet beneath the surface a lot was happening.


    ¡°An assassination technique? Really?¡± Aurelia¡¯s disdainful voice reached his ears.


    Since the woman stalked him for seven years, she knew what he was doing. He was using the White Beak Weapon Art, a technique consisting of merging with one¡¯s surroundings, gathering momentum and striking your opponent before they even noticed your presence. It was an assassination art, as the woman claimed, and it was the reason Red was eager to accept her challenge in the first place.


    In the past, Domeron told him this was something he would find useful even after he opened his Spiritual Sea. Red was skeptical of it at the time, as the art didn¡¯t seem to have a manual and neither did it involve any Spiritual Energy, but he trusted the man¡¯s words and now he had the opportunity to verify them.


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    With his short sword in his right hand, Red waited for the monster to approach. Amidst the tree, he saw the towering figures of two giant bears, their skins like a tree, sniffing and thudding the ground as they walked forward. Even on their fours, these beasts were almost two meters tall, and standing up, they could easily reach over four meters in height.


    The youth face these bears plenty of times in the past, but only once did he fight against one at this level. Now, he didn¡¯t have the help of his companions, and there were two of them.


    Still, Red kept his composure, his muscles not moving an inch as the beasts approached. Soon enough, they were approaching the tree he was on, and judging by their grunts and body language, the bears already noticed something was wrong.


    ¡®They can smell me.¡¯


    Of course, this was bound to happen. Red stayed in this area for hours already, and it would have been strange instead if a monster at this level wasn¡¯t able to detect his scent in the area. However, this didn¡¯t mean they knew his exact location at this moment, and this much was shown by how they continued to approach him without looking up.


    He felt the moment approach, and the muscles in his entire body tensed. A power and potential Red never experienced before gathered in his body, as movements ingrained in his mind by more than half a decade of training lead his movements.


    Red pushed against the branch he was perched over, shooting down like an arrow towards one of the bears. The wood cracked beneath his feet from the force of his movement, and that seemed to attract the bears attentions. They were too late to react, though, as Red¡¯s figure seemingly manifested out of thin air by their side.


    Despite the thick bark covering their body, these bears weren¡¯t too different from your average bear in anatomy, and as such, they also shared the same weaknesses.


    ¡®Behind the front shoulder, through the ribs.¡¯


    That was where a bear¡¯s heart was.


    Before even touching the ground, Red¡¯s short sword dug into the monster¡¯s side tip first. The blade was too short to make too much headway into such a large beast¡¯s body, but using the momentum he gathered, the youth dug into his innards right up to his forearm.


    The sword cut through flesh and bone like butter, before the youth felt it plunge into what felt like a muscle deep into its body. The heart. Red twisted his blade and tore the organ apart, pulling his arm back and out of the beast¡¯s torso before it could even register what was happening.


    Only when he was some five meters away did the bear finally let out a roar of pain. It tried to move, but its legs immediately buckled beneath its feet, pain and weakness spreading through its body. Even so, the creature struggled and looked over in Red¡¯s direction with an angered gaze.


    This was a Lesser Ring Realm monster, after all, and it had the vitality to sustain terrible injuries. Still, Red knew it was just a matter of time before it bled out, and it couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to chase after the youth.


    Its companion, however, was a different matter. It heard the roar of pain from its mate and saw the human figure with a bloodied sword and arm jumping away a second later. The bear didn¡¯t even need time to process the situation.


    It let out a roar of anger and climbed over the body of its companion to reach at Red.


    ¡°Hah! I want to see what good your assassination arts will do you now!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ear.


    The youth ignored her, staring at the reddened eyes of the hulking mass of muscle and death charging in his direction. If it caught him in its sharp claws, he would still die with a single attack even after opening his Spiritual Sea.


    As such, Red did the only appropriate thing in this situation.


    He turned around and ran.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Aurelia sounded furious.


    ¡°I have found out what I needed to find.¡± Red said.


    ¡°What about the other bear?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill it.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to run?!¡±


    The youth¡¯s only response was to quicken his step.


    The enormous bear was even faster than him, but they were in the middle of a forest, and the creature¡¯s prodigious size was a disadvantage for it at that moment. The beast kept knocking down trees along its way like they were nothing, but each one it came across slowed it down and allowed Red to get further away.


    Not even a minute later, the youth had managed to lose the bear in the middle of the forest, and he finally slowed down. If he ran this much in the past at maximum speed, he would have felt at least winded, but right now the youth didn¡¯t feel tired at all.


    Red looked down at his arm, about to clean it, only to notice the blood had disappeared. The youth frowned, but before he could do anything, Aurelia¡¯s angered figure appeared in front of him.


    ¡°What was the point of that?!¡± she asked.


    Red shook his head. ¡°You tell me. Why did you want me to fight these bears in the first place?¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°You just broke through. Isn¡¯t your blood boiling, raring to try your new abilities against an opponent?¡±


    ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill them, so what¡¯s the point?¡±


    Aurelia fell silent at this, staring at Red with an angered expression.


    Even if she didn¡¯t say anything, though, the youth could guess as to what her intentions were.


    ¡°I was under the assumption we were beyond these games.¡± Red said. ¡°If you want to tell me something, then just say it.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°¡­ Your foundations are lacking.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I read that cultivation manual of yours. It is brilliant, I won¡¯t deny it, but it¡¯s basically just a compendium of techniques and Spiritual Arts with no connective tissue between them. There¡¯s no prevalent system.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I am aware of that, but it¡¯s something I can figure on my own.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but how long will that take? 5 years, maybe even 10?¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°We both know that you seem to be in a hurry here, and now there are even more threats looking after you. Do you think you can afford to take your time?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t lack for most techniques, this I know, but you lack general cultivation knowledge.¡± the woman said. ¡°Things we cultivators from sect have. How to breakthrough certain bottlenecks, how to prioritize which techniques to learn, how to fight¡­ They are things we have perfected over millennia. I admire your independent will, but ask yourself this: do you have the privilege of taking the long and difficult way right now?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You want to teach me?¡±


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t only want to teach you, Red. I want to be your guide.¡±

 Chapter 381 - Knowledge

    Red digested her words in silence. Even with his emotionless expression, though, Aurelia seemed able to tell that he was concerned about something.


    ¡°A cultivator still has to figure a lot of things on their own, of course.¡± She said. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to take any agency away from you, and you will still be the one to make the final decisions. I just intend to¡­ Push you in the right direction.¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what that means.¡±


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°How about this? I will tell you something useful for free and all you need to do is to stand there and listen. Not that hard, is it?¡±


    This whole conversation sounded entirely too familiar to Red. Still, there was no reason to refuse her.


    ¡°You can tell me what you want.¡± He nodded. ¡°But we need to keep moving. I don¡¯t know if they might still be looking for me.¡±


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°And where do you intend to go now?¡±


    ¡°North.¡± Red said. ¡°To the capital.¡±


    ¡­


    The youth continued moving through the forest and, over the next couple of days, he got more familiar with the changes in his body.


    To open your Spiritual Sea was to elevate yourself to a higher form of life. Changes would take place in your body that would set you apart from any mortal, even the ones who opened all their veins. Of course, normal cultivation didn¡¯t concern itself with improving the physical body, but transformation for the better would still come regardless as one advanced through the realms.


    Strength and speed the likes one could only dream of were now available to Red, but that wasn¡¯t all. After breaking through, he felt his body rejuvenated with vitality the likes he never felt before, and a pace that would have left him exhausted in a matter of hours could be kept for days now.


    He clenched his fist as he walked through the trees, feeling the latent power underneath his skin. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much this had offset the life force he lost to the Moon back then.


    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice brought him out of his contemplation. She materialized in front of him, glaring at him with her arms crossed.


    Red nodded. ¡°I am. You were about to tell me about Spiritual Arts, right?¡±


    The woman grunted in dissatisfaction. ¡°I guess you can say that in a way. Do you have an understanding of what a cultivation inheritance is?¡±


    ¡°Even if I say I do, I suppose you are just about to correct me.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good you know your place. Many people think of inheritances as simple treasures and riches a cultivator leaves behind for their future disciples, but there¡¯s something much more valuable than any kind of material good one can obtain from their master. Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Knowledge.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°Treasures are still valuable and useful for any cultivator, but compared to the knowledge from those who came before you, it simply can¡¯t compare.¡±


    ¡°I assume by that you mean the Spiritual Arts and Techniques.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not limited to just that, but yes, it¡¯s a big part of it. You see, Red, cultivators weren¡¯t as strong in the distant past as they are today, and that¡¯s not because they lacked the talent or will, but rather because they lacked the knowledge. At one point in human history, no one knew how to open a Spiritual Sea or how to cast a fireball, and they had to progress blindly through cultivation. This lasted for more than a millennium before we got the comprehensive system we have today.¡°


    ¡°You know about what happened back then?¡±


    Red was curious. History books were lacking in knowledge about humans before the establishment of the Crystal Sky Sect and the war against the Beast Emperors and their hordes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know as much as you might hope, but that¡¯s besides the point.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What I mean to say is that we stand where we stand because we benefit from the knowledge of countless generations of cultivators before us. People far more talented than us would have seen their progress halted if they were born during the early days of cultivation. No one individual can measure up against the knowledge of all of humanity on their own, and at some point or the other, they will need to rely on knowledge from those who came before them to not only advance, but to not become obsolete in their era.¡±


    Red was starting to understand what Aurelia wanted to tell him.


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    ¡°This is the reason why sects have always been so powerful.¡± She said. ¡°Generation after generation of talented and powerful cultivators expand and improve on techniques and arts, creating a comprehensive and complete system of cultivation for later generations that no outsiders could figure out on their own. This is their greatest strength and advantage.¡±


    Red raised his eyebrows. ¡°Is this your plea for me to join a sect?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯d guess not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discourage you from your path, and I know that isn¡¯t even possible in the first place. I just want you to understand what kind of uphill battle you are facing here.¡±


    ¡®You want me to understand how I need your help.¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t stupid. It was clear that now that he opened his Spiritual Sea, Aurelia wanted to show to him all the ways in which she could still be useful to him. The woman, of course, also wasn¡¯t stupid, and she only schemed so openly because she knew the youth needed all the help he could get for his journey.


    She wasn¡¯t wrong, but Red wasn¡¯t willing to rely completely on her, either. This interaction was just a reminder that even after all they went through, Aurelia was still a cultivator with her own self interests in mind, and she needed the youth¡¯s help to see things through.


    ¡°You say that, but my master was a rogue cultivator, and he seems to have fared well by himself.¡± Red said.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°You know nothing about your master! Who are you to say he relied entirely on himself to figure out every facet of cultivation during his journey? Are you telling me you think he didn¡¯t have help either?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he did, but everything he learned he left behind for me.¡±


    ¡°Everything?! You have a fountain of knowledge in front of you, but no idea how to use it!¡±


    ¡°Then instead of trying to teach me a lesson on independence, tell me how I can use it.¡±


    The woman frowned and fell silent. It took her a few seconds to speak up again.


    ¡°Do you know what kinds of techniques compose a complete cultivation inheritance?¡± she asked.


    ¡°A Spiritual Circulation technique and Spiritual Arts, I presume.¡± Red said.


    A circulation technique was the skill required to accumulate and build the foundation of Spiritual Energy inside your Spiritual Sea. It was how one advanced through the cultivation realms and shaped the kind of cultivator they would be. As for Spiritual Arts, these were the ways in which one applied this energy practically, and in that manner, there were countless types of techniques that one could learn.


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°That is correct, but there are distinction between Spiritual Arts. A complete inheritance has offensive, defensive, movement, and utility Spiritual Arts, and as a cultivator, it is important you don¡¯t lack in any of these criteria if you want to survive out there.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t specialize in one of them?¡±


    ¡°You can be better at one of these areas than the others, but to neglect one of them entirely is to invite doom upon yourself.¡± She said. ¡°There are countless kinds of Spiritual Arts out there, and all of them have their advantages and disadvantages. A cultivator who focuses on movement techniques might thrive until he meets something that moves faster than he can dodge. A cultivator who only focuses on defense might thrive until he meets someone who can wear down all his shields and pin him down. You get the picture, right?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°¡­ My cultivation manual doesn¡¯t have those distinctions.¡±


    Aurelia smirked. ¡°I did tell you that. This might look like common sense, but finding a balance in all those areas in practice is harder than you might think. For as long as cultivators may live, their progress is measured in decades, and some of them feel like they have no choice but to prioritize their strengths and ignore their weaknesses if they want to achieve anything before their time runs out. In the same way, choosing and practicing techniques that complement each other to form a strong battle system is far more difficult than it might seem. One wrong choice and you might end up compromising your own strength in combat.¡±


    ¡°I suppose this is where sects have an advantage?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Not only do they have the techniques, but they also know how to use them, and which of them best complement each other, all through countless generations of trial and error. It¡¯s an advantage that can¡¯t be understated.¡±


    ¡°What if a disciple with a talent they are not specialized in joins the sect?¡± Red asked. ¡°Will their talent go to waste?¡±


    ¡°It depends. It¡¯s not uncommon for sects to engage in an exchange of talents in those cases, but sometimes they may feel it¡¯s worth it to invest in those people.¡± she said. ¡°At worst, these disciples end up underachieving their potential, but in the best-case scenario, the investment pays off, and this disciple becomes the master of a new hall in the sect and expands upon the inheritance. I suppose I don¡¯t need to tell you how that benefits them, right?¡±


    It sounded like a deal they would benefit from for the rest of their existence. It was no wonder that after thousands of years, sects would become so powerful with all that knowledge.


    ¡®But even then¡­ How did the Empire manage to catch up to them in so little time?¡¯


    The Empire was only around for some hundreds of years, while the sects were around for more than a millennium. According to Aurelia¡¯s logic, there was no way they would be able to measure up to that power, yet here they were, having destroyed not one but several sects in their rise.


    The woman lived in a time before any of that happened, though, so Red knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to provide him with any insight on that.


    ¡°So, you are saying I should choose at least four techniques in each of those areas to focus on?¡± the youth asked.


    ¡°Utility can be left for last, but right now you should definitely pick at least one in offensive, defensive, and movement technique for survival.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Of course, even amidst Spiritual Arts of the same type, there are multiple functions you could fill, but for your first few you should pick something that you can rely on in a pinch. Don¡¯t prioritize power over reliability, as even if you have a strong technique, you probably won¡¯t be able to use it more than once in combat at your level.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Red nodded.


    He had to admit that the woman¡¯s advice was indeed useful. Even if the youth figured this all out on his own eventually, he was bound to make some mistakes he could not afford to make along the way. Having someone to put into words what one might think was common sense and to correct his errors was more useful than one could imagine.


    ¡°In that case,¡± Red took out his Storm Blessing manual from his bag. ¡°I suppose I should choose something.¡±

 Chapter 382 - Circulation

    The trip to the capital would be a long one. It would take a normal person a few weeks of travel to reach there, and while Red could do it in less time, he wasn¡¯t eager to arrive that early either.


    ¡®I need to understand my powers better.¡¯


    The youth heard a lot about the capital from Rimold, who travelled there from time to time. In that place, Lesser Ring Realm cultivators numbered in the dozens, and there were even Greater Ring Realm cultivators. As for people in the Spirit Core Realm, there were only a few of those in the city, and these were the ones who not only ruled that place, but the entire kingdom.


    It was the center of economy and culture of the country, but it was also a dangerous and foreign environment, and Red didn¡¯t dare to rush into it head first. Thankfully, after a couple more days of wandering through the forest, the youth was yet to see any signs of pursuit, and he deemed it safe enough to take a break.


    He found an isolated clearing near a few hills, ready to settle down and cultivate. At that point, Aurelia¡¯s image manifested by his side.


    ¡°Have you chosen yet?¡± she asked, with her arms crossed.


    Red shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    She grunted. ¡°What are you even waiting for at this point?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said this was something that couldn¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    The woman frowned but didn¡¯t say anything. It was obvious that the thing that bothered her wasn¡¯t that Red was taking his time with it, but that he refused to ask for her help or opinion. Aurelia was perhaps also too proud to offer it without prompt, so she could only display her displeasure through ugly expressions and roundabout questions.


    Red took out his manual, laying it across his lap as he sat on the ground.


    ¡°Are you ready to choose?¡± Aurelia asked.


    He shook his head again. ¡°I need to understand the circulation technique first.¡±


    She massaged her temples. ¡°Of course¡­ You haven¡¯t even done that yet.¡±


    Red ignored her and flipped the book to one of its initial pages.


    ¡®Storm¡¯s Blessing First Level - Gathering Storm.¡¯


    The youth read further down, his eyes examining the words his master wrote with his own hand.


    ¡®The storm is one of the purest displays of the destructive force of nature. It sweeps and washes away all in its path with a force comparable only to a cultivator¡¯s strongest spells. Yet this force, for all of its unmatched power, has never been the basis or focus of any cultivation art before my time, and not without good reason. Fusion of elements in cultivation often relies on harmony and balance, while the storm is, by nature, an extreme and chaotic manifestation. Long did I walk and scour the continent for any insight of those who tried to walk this path before me, but the only thing I found was failure from their efforts, often catastrophic in nature. Those who lived to tell the tale tried to dissuade me from this path. They told me that it went against the natural principles of cultivation, that the storm was not a force to be tamed. With this technique, my disciple, I will teach you how I did just that.¡¯


    Red felt his blood boiling just by reading this passage. He had this manual for a long time, but never did he linger on reading about spells and thing that were yet outside of his reach. Now, he truly took the time to digest the writings of his master.


    Aurelia snorted, looking over his shoulder. ¡°Lofty words for a cultivator.¡±


    Red frowned but chose to ignore her.


    He read further on, getting to the specifics of the circulation technique. The basis for this cultivation was the fusion of three elements: water, wind, and lightning. Preferably, before cultivating it was best to ensure that you had enough aptitude and talent in all three of those, but practically speaking, such a situation was uncommon for most cultivators at this level.


    Most cultivators, instead, had talent in one or two elements, and Red was no exception. Over some trial and error during his trip, he gauged his talents in the three elements required to cultivate this technique with Aurelia¡¯s help, and his results were as such:


    High compatibility and talent with Wind.


    Average compatibility and talent with Water.


    Terrible compatibility and talent with Lightning.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to get an extremely precise judgement on elemental compatibility just through spells, but it was a close enough assessment. This meant that for the three elements necessary for the technique, only Wind and perhaps Water were passable, while his talent with Lightning was terrible news.


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    There were ways provided in this book to raise elemental compatibility artificially, but these were beyond Red right now. This meant that he wouldn¡¯t be able to practice the complete technique from the get go, but his master had thankfully thought that far ahead.


    ¡®Gathering Storm - Wind Chapter.¡¯


    The more roundabout way of practicing the technique was to use a circulation variant focused on the element one was good at and, later on, introduce the other elements into your foundation. This meant that you would still be able to advance in realms with talent in only one element, even if they wouldn¡¯t be able to display the true might of the Storm¡¯s Blessing.


    Of course, leaving the fusion of elements for later in your cultivation would make the task much harder, but it wasn¡¯t like Red had a choice.


    ¡®So these are the paths I need to follow.¡¯


    The youth had to admit that this circulation technique seemed complex, even in this simplified form. He needed to circulate the energy past hundreds of acupoints in a very specific order, and his master wasn¡¯t too keen on giving any advice in his writing. Red wasn¡¯t too familiar with other techniques, but he certainly didn¡¯t think they were this hard.


    ¡®Well, I can only try my best.¡¯


    He set the book aside and close his eyes. Energy was drawn into this vein, this time much slower than when he tried it at the convergence of leylines. Red had more time to spare now, though, so he didn¡¯t rush. Almost ten minutes later, when he felt he had gathered enough energy, he started to circulate it through the path he memorized.


    He was unsurprised to learn the task was just as hard as he was expecting.


    The difficulty, as he found, wasn¡¯t in drawing the energy through the right veins and acupoints. The paths were many and complex, sure, but it was still something Red could memorize. His true challenge was in drawing them the right way.


    When Spiritual Energy was being circulated in preparation to be absorbed into the Spiritual Sea, it was in constant flux, a state of transformation. Every acupoint and vein it went through changed it a bit, and timing was of the utmost importance in this. Move it too quickly to the next acupoint, and it would not have enough time to change to its ideal state, while if you move it too slowly, it would return to a form it was in before entering your body.


    Red could have gone ahead and tried to absorb this less than ideal circulated energy, but he knew that for foundational purposes, he couldn¡¯t take any less than perfection. So he kept practicing.


    An hour went by.


    Then two hours.


    Then, when Red came to again, it was already the middle of the night, and he didn¡¯t feel any closer to success.


    ¡®This is hard.¡¯


    The youth opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Even with his talent with Wind, it seemed like this circulation technique wasn¡¯t something you could learn in just one day. In fact, he didn¡¯t know if this was something he could master in even a week.


    Red was starting to understand why cultivation was such a practice in patience. This revelation, however, didn¡¯t make him very happy.


    He looked over at Aurelia. The woman was still there, playing with a lock of her long black hair and staring at Red with a gloating expression on her face.


    She smirked. ¡°Not so easy, huh?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of struggling against a task like this, but he couldn¡¯t spend more weeks in the forest trying to master this circulation technique. As safe as he was for now, who knew when that would change? What if he stumbled upon an imperial in these parts?


    No, he needed to get to a place outside of their reach, and the capital, while still dangerous in its own right, was the only settlement in the kingdom that fit the criteria. For that, though, he still needed to know the bare minimum of how to fight with his new powers.


    Aurelia¡¯s whole expression seemed to light up when she heard this, as if relishing in the feeling.


    A second later, though, she put on a disinterested look and shrugged. ¡°¡­ If you insist.¡±


    ¡­


    Over the next couple of days, the woman helped him master the circulation technique. Suffice it to say, having an experienced cultivator guiding you was night and day in difference from practicing on your own.


    Even if Aurelia was unfamiliar with the circulation technique, she could still tell the areas where the youth failed and drive on what he should do to correct it. With her assistance, it didn¡¯t take long for him to succeed in circulating the perfect stream of energy.


    ¡®This feels like cheating.¡¯


    There was a part of Red that didn¡¯t feel good with himself after asking her for help, but at this moment, survival was more important than principles. In the future, once he was more familiar with the inner workings of cultivation, he wouldn¡¯t need to rely on her assistance as much.


    Currently, he was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in a different clearing than from a few days before. He didn¡¯t dare stay too long in one place, after all.


    A powerful stream of cyan-colored Spiritual Energy circled his veins, and the youth drew it towards his Spiritual Sea. The surge entered into the organ with no resistance and once inside, Red moved it towards the center of that space.


    The cyan energy followed his will, settling into a minute, rotating mist vortex inside of his Spiritual Sea. The youth almost thought it would dissipate at any moment, but that didn¡¯t happen. It stayed there, a stable structure that started to draw in all the other useless energy in his Sea, slowly converting it into the same cyan mist.


    The first bit of energy at his disposal to use.


    ¡®So this is what I will build on in the future?¡¯


    Cultivation wasn¡¯t just a matter of absorbing energy into your body. One needed to structure it inside their Spiritual Sea and build it into a stable arrangement to establish a foundation they could rely on and advance through the realms with. What form said foundation took depended a lot on the technique, and the Storm¡¯s Blessing, for instance, relied on forming a vortex with the energy.


    The only thing in common between all of these techniques, though, was that at the Lesser Ring Realm, this energy would always be in a mist form inside the Spiritual Sea.


    Aurelia sighed with exaggeration. ¡°You finally did it. I thought you would be stuck there forever!¡±


    Red frowned, but ignored her remark, still examining his body.


    ¡°So, now that you have the least bit of energy in your Spiritual Sea, have you decided what Spiritual Art you are going to practice?¡±


    The youth opened his eyes and nodded. ¡°I have.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Good, then tell me what it is. I want to hear what stupid decision you have made this time.¡±


    Instead of telling her, Red picked up the manual and flipped it to a certain page. Then he turned it around and showed it to her.


    Aurelia immediately frowned. ¡°¡­ Gale Breath?¡±


    She looked back at him as if asking for confirmation.


    Red nodded. ¡°That one.¡±


    There was a pause before the woman looked at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°¡­ You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

 Chapter 383 - Gale Breath

    Red nodded. ¡°I am serious.¡±


    His confirmation, however, only seemed to anger Aurelia even more.


    ¡°Have you even been paying attention to what I¡¯ve been telling you?! Is this your way of getting back at me?!¡±


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I would never use my own cultivation to get one over you.¡±


    ¡°Then why choose this? Of all the techniques I told you should focus on, you go ahead and pick the only type I told you not to! A supporting technique! Help me understand this!¡±


    The woman¡¯s tone surprised Red. Aurelia was the type of person to always be in varying degrees of anger, but he never saw her as frustrated as she seemed to be right now.


    ¡°I considered a lot of techniques,¡± he said. ¡°And while they all seemed very powerful, learning them would be much harder than even the circulation technique. I need something that I can master as quickly as possible.¡±


    His explanation didn¡¯t seem to make Aurelia any happier. ¡°So, you wanted to be swift, and that¡¯s why you decided to pick a useless technique?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not useless.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°And that¡¯s not the only reason I picked it.¡±


    ¡°Then pray tell, why did you pick it?¡±


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s very compatible with me.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°It¡¯s a lesser Spiritual Art, meant to be used in conjunction with other techniques! No matter how compatible it is with you, it¡¯s useless on its own!¡±


    ¡°That may not be the case if I can cultivate it to a higher level.¡±


    ¡°So what? How long will that take? Weren¡¯t you concerned about being quick?!¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I have made my decision.¡±


    Aurelia gnashed her teeth while glaring at him. ¡°It¡¯s your grave!¡±


    Her figure dissipated into nothingness, returning to the core in his pouch.


    The youth could feel her frustration and anger emanating from the crystal, but he didn¡¯t have time to be concerned about that. He had his reasons for choosing this technique, some of which he didn¡¯t feel like sharing with her.


    His attention returned to the manual in his hands.


    Gale Breath.


    A simple Spiritual Art that, as Aurelia said, was used as a supporting technique whose primary function was to strengthen the power of other Wind Spiritual Arts. It consisted in refining a strong wind within one¡¯s lungs that would be stored in there and could be blown out to assimilate with any wind spell structure and reinforce them. That was its only use, however, as this wind wouldn¡¯t be strong enough on its own to be used offensively or defensively.


    That is to say, it was a rather pointless technique on its own, and the only use one would find for it without any other Spiritual Art was to lift objects around and perhaps blow mortals off their feet. His master didn¡¯t provide any particular commentary on it either, simply throwing it along a compendium of other ordinary Lesser Ring Realm Spiritual Arts.


    It was no wonder that his choice angered that Aurelia. Red, however, made his decision after a lot of deliberation.


    For one, as he told her earlier, the method was compatible with him, and in more ways than one. Its practice was a mixture of circulation within the Lungs Spiritual Vein and regulation of breath, the latter which Red had a lot of experience on, thanks to his meditation technique. Not only that, but the breath¡¯s power was also connected to the user¡¯s stamina and vitality, one of the things the youth always excelled in even before breaking through.


    However, Aurelia knew all of those things about him, and she still claimed the Spiritual Art would be useless, so Red didn¡¯t hold any false hopes regarding that. What caught his attention and helped him choose the technique was a small and seemingly inconsequential remark in the instructions.


    ¡®As the Gale Breath is a technique that relies on one¡¯s vitality primarily, it benefits much more from being fused with one¡¯s blood than other Spiritual Arts.¡¯


    To fuse a Spiritual Art with one¡¯s blood was to use one¡¯s own vitality to strengthen the technique. Hector did this in his battle with the ghost in town, and while he used it on his sword, the principle remained the same. It was a borderline taboo practice, frowned by cultivators at large for its similarity to blood magic, yet still utilized by a lot of orthodox practitioners when push came to shove. This method, of course, came at a cost to the cultivator¡¯s life force, but between that and death, the choice was easy for many of them.


    When Red read this passage, a possibility came to his mind.


    ¡®What if I fuse¡­ My special blood into this?¡¯


    This was the one thing Aurelia didn¡¯t know about him, at least not for certain. Since the crimson mist entered his body, his blood had changed a lot. At first, Red thought these strange abilities were all that being¡¯s doing, but he managed to make use of them on his own in the past without its interference, such as when he manipulated strings of blood back in the trial, or when he powered the infernal runes. These moments were rare, and the youth struggled to replicate them, but it went to show that the changes were also innate to his body, and not just a consequence of the crimson mist¡¯s interference.


    That being the case, what would happen if he used his own vital blood in this technique?


    Of course, some problems could present itself. Continuous use of one¡¯s blood to strengthen Spiritual Arts would damage someone¡¯s life force, but this was where the Gale Breath also excelled. For as weak as it was on its own, this Spiritual Art needed to be refined once and could be used many times with just a breath from the user¡¯s part. How many? This depended on the cultivator¡¯s realm and how much effort they put into refining.


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    What mattered, though, was that with this, Red might potentially be able to transform a weak supporting technique into a powerful all-purpose Spiritual Art that could be used with just a breath. He could potentially shape a shield, a blade, and speed his movements just as efficiently as the average Lesser Ring Realm spell and with minimal effort.


    How strong would that be?


    There was the possibility this would fail, of course, and the Gale Breath he refined would still be too weak to rely on, but Red thought this was a danger worth taking. The benefits outweighed the risks, and beyond that, he felt excited that his first focus as a cultivator would be about repurposing an entire Spiritual Art. How many people could claim to have a similar experience?


    With all his considerations out of the way, Red focused on the specifics of the technique.


    Unlike his circulation technique, he only needed to move Spiritual Energy through his Lung Veins for refining this breath, and the task would be much easier.


    Of course, he said that, but it still took him three days to master the method on his own. Aurelia didn¡¯t speak a word to him during this entire time, but Red could almost feel her derisive gaze watching his every move.


    Once he felt confident with the path of the Spiritual Energy, he began the process of refining it. The clear cyan energy accumulated in his lungs'' veins, and Red took in a deep breath. The reaction happened almost instantly, as the air and energy mixed inside his chest and a fantastical transformation took place.


    Red expected to feel discomfort, but instead he felt as if he was breathing the freshest air he had ever breathed in his life. The wind moved inside his lungs, but caused no damage to the organs, instead reinforcing the natural process they served. He felt as if with this wind, he didn¡¯t need to take a breath for an entire day.


    It was a fantastical sensation, but Red knew the refinement process was far from over.


    It took him another day for the youth to feel the wind reach its limits inside his lungs. If he tried to expand it any further, he felt as if his body would explode from the inside.


    ¡®This quickly?¡¯


    It was hard to say if Red managed to refine the Gale Breath quicker than normal since the manual provided no reference for an average time, but considering how long most other things took in this realm, he was satisfied with a day. Once the wind reached its optimal state, he was eager to test its power.


    The youth got up and approached a tree in the clearing. He closed his eyes and focused, before letting out the Gale Breath from his mouth.


    A whistle sound left his lips, and a cyan-colored wind manifested in front of him. Red felt absolute control over this gale even as it exited his body, and he tried to shape it into a blade.


    The wind followed his command seamlessly, shaping itself into a crescent blade that flew at high speed towards the tree. It clashed against the bark surface, throwing splinters everywhere, but once the wind dispersed, the results were more than disappointing.


    The wind had indeed done some damage to the tree, but the cut wasn¡¯t more than some thirty centimeters deep. This was something Red could achieve with a swing of his short sword, and while it could still be considered as damaging, it obviously paled in comparison to a true Spiritual Art.


    Aurelia¡¯s image manifest by the side of the tree. She looked at Red with a snicker.


    ¡°So, do the results satisfy you?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead taking another deep breath. The dispersed streams of cyan wind returned to his mouth, entering his lungs once more. Only a small part of the Gale Breath had been expended on this attack, which left the youth satisfied.


    ¡®Now, for the real test.¡¯


    Red sat down and closed his eyes.


    Aurelia¡¯s angered voice reached his ears. ¡°What are you even doing now?¡±


    The youth ignored her, entering into a meditative state. He was still a bit uncertain on how to go about this next part. He remembered that Hector had hit his own chest to draw blood before spitting it into the sword, and while Red thought that such a method would work, he would rather try to draw his blood in a more subdued and controlled way.


    He had no idea about how to do that safely, though, so he decided to ask the one being that knew more than him about the subject.


    He reached towards the crimson being.


    ¡°I need to draw vital blood in my lungs.¡±


    The mist shook. ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°For the technique.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t sure why he was justifying himself when it came to his own blood, but he still did it, anyway.


    The being shook again. It seemed unwilling, as if it was asking the youth what could be worth parting with their blood for.


    This reaction surprised Red. He never heard such complaints of the being before, but then again, when he drew his own blood in the past, he didn¡¯t really ask for its opinion.


    ¡°It¡¯s to strengthen the technique. I need it to help me along on my journey. Besides, it¡¯s just a bit of blood¡±


    The being shook one more time. It was still reluctant, but this time it gave him its hesitant acceptance.


    Satisfied, Red drew his awareness away and moved it to his lungs. In this state, he could see the organs clearly from the inside, and he could feel the mists tendrils extending towards it.


    Then, like the most precise surgeon, the tendrils started to cut a few small, delicate veins in his inner lungs. Red barely felt a thing as this process happened.


    A few seconds later, some blood spewed a fine mist through the pressure exerted by the being, mixing into the cyan wind. This time, Red did feel a change. It was like a small part of his strength was drained away from himself, negligible in the long run, but still a loss all the same.


    He didn¡¯t concern himself with the matter right now, though. There were ways to recover vital blood, and he couldn¡¯t lose this opportunity.


    Red was ready to supervise the fusion process of the blood with the Gale Breath, but to his surprise, he didn¡¯t need to do anything. Like a sponge, the wind seemed to absorb the bloody mist on its own.


    The breath in his lungs seemed to undergo a change, becoming scarlet from its former cyan color. Red wasn¡¯t expecting this transformation, but soon it seemed like the wind had had enough, and it couldn¡¯t absorb any more blood. The crimson mist didn¡¯t need the youth¡¯s prompting to close the veins in his lungs, and it returned to its resting place in a bad mood.


    The youth ignored the being and focused on the breath. He didn¡¯t expect this change of color to take place, and the manual spoke of no such thing. On the surface, though, the wind seemed to behave the same way, and Red couldn¡¯t feel any innate changes to it.


    ¡®I guess there¡¯s only one way to test it.¡¯


    He opened his eyes and stood up again.


    Aurelia squinted her eyes at him. ¡°What are you planning?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he blew out the breath in his lungs.


    A stream of scarlet wind left his open mouth like a whistle. With it, the youth felt an iron taste in his tongue and the indistinguishable smell of blood reached his nostrils. Red fought through his surprise, and ordered the wind to form into a blade.


    The same scene from earlier repeated itself. The wind transformed into a crescent blade shape, before shooting towards another tree close by at the youth¡¯s command.


    This time, though, the result was quite different.


    The scarlet wind blade cut through the trunk like butter, hitting another tree behind it before dispersing. The results, to Red¡¯s surprise, weren¡¯t much weaker than when he used the Wind Blade Spiritual Art back then.


    ¡®It¡¯s a success¡¯


    He drew the dispersed streams of scarlet air back into his lungs, satisfied to discover the expenditure was indeed minimal. With this, Red had acquired a sustainability and versatility in combat that very few cultivators at his level could dream of having. It wasn¡¯t an overwhelmingly powerful technique, but for his first Spiritual Art, the youth was more than satisfied.


    He looked over at Aurelia, eager to see her reaction.


    She was looking at him with a gaze of fear and surprise in equal measures.


    ¡°Blood magic!¡±


    These words were a bucket of cold water thrown on Red¡¯s head.

 Chapter 384 - Morality

    The wind was still settling within his lungs as he heard her words.


    Aurelia stared at Red with a conflicted expression. ¡°Did you do this yourself?¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ It was my idea.¡±


    His response avoided the question, and this didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the woman.


    Aurelia¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡°And you used your own blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± he nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kind of change to the wind, though¡­ Was that truly blood magic?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°The smell, the color, the boost in power - if that¡¯s not blood magic, what is?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I was just trying to imitate what Hector did.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, you thought that because your blood is special, it would work much better with your technique?¡± she asked.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, but his silence was enough confirmation.


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, but you need to understand the reason why your blood is special. It¡¯s clearly because of demonic influence, so what do you think will happen when it interacts with rich Spiritual Energy?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Are you saying that all my blood is demonified?¡±


    If that was true, why was the rest of his body, barring his face, still normal? The fluid circulated through his entire frame, after all.


    She waved her hand at him in dismissal. ¡°Bah, don¡¯t ask me! If I had to guess, it¡¯s probably the work of that thing in your body!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he heard this. It was very likely the crimson mist was constantly warding away demonic influence from encroaching Red¡¯s mind and body, but he never guessed his blood was the only thing excluded from its protection.


    When he thought about the nature of that being and how it influenced his body, though, it made some sense. Still, the revelation didn¡¯t make him any happier.


    ¡°Does that mean others could notice something wrong with my blood?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia shook his head. ¡°Not even I can sense anything wrong with your blood on the surface. This demonic aspect only seems to manifest when in contact with rich Spiritual Energy or other demonic corruption. That being said, if someone took their time to study a sample of your blood, then they would definitely notice something amiss.¡±


    His mood only worsened. ¡°So, that means I can¡¯t use this Spiritual Art?¡±


    Blood magic was the greatest taboo in the cultivation world. It was, above all, a demonic technique that incentivized one to kill to get stronger, assimilating the blood of your victims in the process. Of all the evil arts, blood magic was the most dangerous because it offered the easiest path to great power - one didn¡¯t need to cultivate it patiently, they just needed to murder as much as they could, the more and the stronger their victims the better.


    Of course, often practitioners of this art would lose themselves and become full-fledged demons that would rampage without end. In the time of the Demonic Invasions, the fiercest challenge humanity had to face were exactly these blood demons, who, amidst hordes of terrible creatures, stood out due to their savagery and quick rise to power.


    Nowadays, so much as a rumour of blood magic could cause a sect to send one of their elders to investigate it. They didn¡¯t forget the danger this art posed to humanity.


    Hence why Red knew that if he used this in public, he would definitely not meet a good end.


    To his surprise, though, Aurelia shook her head. ¡°You can use it. You just need to make sure to leave no witnesses or clues behind.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°That seems difficult.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t be disingenuous! Did you really think you could cultivate such a useful Spiritual Art in less than a week with no downsides?¡±


    ¡®Nothing is ever that easy.¡¯


    ¡°Is there a way to mask it?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia shrugged. ¡°Maybe you can mask the color with some effort. The smell and the aura emitting from the wind are another matter, though, and anyone with discerning senses could notice something strange.¡±


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    Red sighed. ¡°Forget it then. It¡¯s good enough that I have something to rely on if I need to.¡±


    His plan was to cultivate an art with which to defend himself in a foreign environment, and he achieved that. He didn¡¯t intend to look for a fight as soon as he arrived in the capital, and for that matter, he hoped to lie low for as long as he needed to consolidate his new realm.


    Aurelia raised her eyebrows at this. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t mind relying on a demonic technique?¡±


    ¡°The only thing I fear is its corruption.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Since it doesn¡¯t seem like I need to concern myself with that, I don¡¯t mind whether a Spiritual Art is demonic or orthodox in nature.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°You know, that¡¯s what a lot of cultivators tell themselves when they dip their toes into the demonic path. ¡®It¡¯s not a technique that is evil, it¡¯s how a cultivator uses it that can be evil¡¯. Yet, if that rationale is true, how come so many righteous cultivators ended up falling to corruption in the past? Was it just because they didn¡¯t have enough conviction?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I understand your concerns, but considering what my current state is, I feel like I am beyond the point of no return.¡±


    If Red had the choice, would he have completely avoided any demonic influence in his cultivation? It was hard to say. He knew the advantages such methods could provide him, advantages which he most likely would need if he wanted to achieve his goals. The youth wasn¡¯t a righteous cultivator, and he would consider every path in front of him on his journey.


    That being said, if there was ever a world where he was given a choice, he would have most certainly been hesitant and much more careful in how he approached it. Since he didn¡¯t have a choice and was now stuck with an otherwordly demon inside his body for the foreseeable future, he was beyond such considerations.


    He still yearned for a day where he could be free of this corruption, but for that day to come, he needed to survive, and for that, he wasn¡¯t beyond using everything at his disposal.


    Aurelia stared at him with a pondering expression. ¡°I had some encounters with demonic cultivators in my time. Most of them had their minds compromised to some degree, and while they were powerful, their actions were led by pure emotion. They were evil, cruel, but predictable, and ultimately easy to hunt down. There was one type of demonic cultivator that was different, though¡­¡±


    Red was confused by her tangent. ¡°¡­ How so?¡±


    ¡°It was the detached type.¡± She said. ¡°The cold-hearted ones, whose evil manifested in other ways. They kept themselves sane and free of evil emotions simply because there was nothing for demons to corrupt in the first place. They murdered and committed atrocious acts not because they took pleasure in it, but simply because it was the easiest way to achieve what they sought. Every crime, every brutal transgression done without a single sense of attachment, emotion, or regret. These were the type of demonic cultivators I learned to fear - cold, calculating, ruthless, and only interested in one thing: advancing their cultivation at all costs.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Did you fight one of these cultivators?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± She nodded. ¡°She led us into an ambush and ended up killing a few of my colleagues before escaping. I got by with some wounds, but to this day, that was one of the closest encounters with death I ever experienced.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Because you remind me of her.¡±


    There was a silence as the woman¡¯s words hung in the air.


    The youth shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not emotionless, nor am I detached.¡±


    ¡°Really? You could have tricked me.¡±


    ¡°Is this what you wanted to tell me?¡± Red asked. ¡°A lesson in morality? If I remember correctly, you are not exactly a good person either.¡±


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Maybe so, but there are still some things I wouldn¡¯t stoop down to. Compared to true demons, there is a world of difference between me and them.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re afraid I am someone like that?¡±


    ¡°I know that you aren¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°But those demons aren¡¯t made in a day, either. Somewhere along the way, they were enlightened, but not in a good way. They killed their heart and let go of all sense of morality and attachment to the world, concerned only with their pursuit of a higher realm. That is what I¡¯m afraid you could become, Red.¡±


    She approached him, her intangible hand passing through his shoulder as if patting him.


    ¡°We are cultivators,¡± she said. ¡°There is nothing wrong with focusing on our search for ascension, but the way we go about it is what set us apart as humans. Without the sense of propriety, the innate understanding of the value in what human society and its structure provide, what is the difference between us and monsters?¡±


    She circled around him, and Red felt as if she was staring deep into his soul. There was no sense of hostility from her, though.


    She twirled her hair. ¡°We can kill, we can struggle, we can betray each other, we can destroy, but at the end of the day, we always want to build. The Empire, for all the destruction it wrought upon the world, is trying to build a new order in its place. Your master, whoever he may have been, left behind something for the future generations to make use of. The companions of your sect sacrificed themselves for you and the hope you represented for their legacy. People hope within their hearts that others would make use of their accomplishments, that they will be remembered as having contributed in some way to the things they believed in after they are gone. To want to add unto the world rather than taking from it when your journey is done. This is what sets us apart from demons, and the one thing you can¡¯t let die in your heart, no matter how strong you may get. Do you understand?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t say anything, instead staring into empty space.


    Aurelia saw this and frowned, distancing herself from him again.


    ¡°I have said enough. I do not fault you for being ruthless in your actions and doing things out of necessity. After all, surviving is almost always better than death.¡± She said. ¡°¡­ Almost always. You can cultivate whatever art you want as long as you can keep your mind. The day I see the slightest trace of that woman in you is the day we part ways. I may not be a good person, but I certainly am not a demon!¡±


    With those words, the woman disappeared, leaving behind a silent Red alone with his thoughts.

 Chapter 385 - Disguise

    Red, of course, didn¡¯t spend too much time pondering Aurelia¡¯s words. Whatever concerns she raised, no matter how valid they were, could only be addressed when the situation called for it. Suffice it to say, he didn¡¯t see much point in doing it in the middle of the forest.


    As he set off once more, Red pondered to himself about what preparations still needed to be done before arriving at the capital.


    ¡®I have broken through and I have a technique for self-defense. There is only one more pressing matter.¡¯


    He needed a disguise. The youth always stood out with his crimson hair, but he didn¡¯t have any reason to hide it in his sect¡¯s town. Now, however, the imperials were probably looking for him, and it was a certainty that he would come across some of their informants in the capital. Which of them wouldn¡¯t recognize someone with such a peculiar hair color as Red?


    He needed to change that. In fact, it was better if he could change his appearance entirely, as it was still possible some people would recognize him regardless of his hair color.


    The issue here, though, was that Red was no specialist in disguises. If he wanted to stay hidden, he preferred to stick to the shadows, but he was about to enter a foreign environment where he would need to show his face whether or not he wished to. He had some knowledge of plants and could find some natural pigment to change his hair color, but as for his face? That was another matter.


    He would need makeup for that, and he wasn¡¯t even sure if he could do a good enough job to fool others.


    Under such limitations, he decided instead to search the Storm¡¯s Blessing manual for a disguising technique. Sure enough, his master covered all bases, and there was a Spiritual Art for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators for what Red wanted.


    When he saw the requirements, though, he frowned.


    ¡®It¡¯s a water-based technique.¡¯


    If even wind Spiritual Arts would take him at least a week to reach basic mastery, how long would it take for him to master an art of an element he wasn¡¯t talented in? It was unreasonable to expect he could perfect this technique in a reasonable amount of time.


    ¡®Then again, I don¡¯t know what I was expecting.¡¯


    It was hard to imagine that a disguising technique would be based on wind, or lightning, for that matter.


    ¡°What are you looking at that manual for now?¡± Aurelia''s disembodied voice reached his ears. ¡°Did you find some other Spiritual Art you can master in a day?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I was looking for a disguising technique.¡±


    ¡°What, why?¡± The woman seemed confused.


    The youth frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t walk around with this hair and face in the streets. Some imperials agents might recognize me.¡±


    He thought the woman would be aware of such an obvious matter.


    Aurelia groaned. ¡°I know about that, you idiot! I meant, why are you looking for a disguising technique when you already have a disguising treasure?¡±


    Red stopped walking. ¡°¡­ I do?¡±


    ¡®Of course I do.¡¯


    He raised his right wrist, staring at a simple bracelet wrapped around it. This was the gift the Hawk Spirit had given him when he won the trial back then, a magical item to disguise the effects of his demonification. If this treasure was capable of hiding the scales growing in his face, couldn¡¯t it also change some of his facial features?


    He felt a bit uncertain, though.


    ¡°The braceleted has always worked on its own. How can I control its effects?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It has always worked on its own because there is some lingering will inside it telling it what to do.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°While you were still a mortal, you couldn¡¯t use it like a magical treasure, but now that you are at the Lesser Ring Realm, you can bind it to yourself.¡±


    ¡®A lingering will?¡¯


    Probably the hawk¡¯s, he imagined. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the woman meant by will, but since she said he could bind it, he was willing to give it a try.


    He examined the bracelet on his wrist. ¡°How do I do it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± She said. ¡°Extend your Spiritual Energy into it and inject it into its core. All magical items are bound and controlled this way.¡±


    ¡°What about the will?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a lingering will, without consciousness. It was probably only there to help you use the item while you were a mortal in the first place, so there¡¯s no point in worrying about wiping it away.¡±


    Red still felt hesitant, but he knew Aurelia had more knowledge in these matters than him, so he decided to follow her advice. He unclasped the bracelet from his right wrist, ready to inject it with Spiritual Energy from his palm.


    Before he could do that, though, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.


    As the bracelet was removed from his wrist, its disguising effects also stopped working. He saw this phenomenon before in the past while staring at a mirror - a slight shimmer in his vision and the revelation of what lay underneath - so he knew what it looked like. Except back then, this distortion of light was only limited to his face, but when he took out the bracelet this time, he saw the same thing happening to his right hand, revealing something he didn¡¯t even know was there.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    The color of the skin in his hand had changed. It was now a deep crimson, similar to the scales that covered his face, and his nails were purple. It was as if blood was spreading just underneath this skin and painting his entire right hand up to his wrist. The strange thing, though, was that the hand didn¡¯t feel any different from what Red was used to, hence why he noticed nothing out of the ordinary for quite a while.


    Yet seeing this odd coloration, his mind went to one possibility.


    ¡°Demonification.¡± Aurelia gave voice to his thoughts.


    Red examined the rest of his body in a hurry. He almost got naked, looking over every inch he could to confirm this demonification was limited to his right hand. He noticed a small amount of crimson had spread in his left palm too, though it wasn¡¯t to the same degree as his other hand.


    ¡°Not even your face has changed.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It¡¯s only in your hands. I suppose I don¡¯t need to tell you why, right?¡±


    The youth frowned. The reason was evident.


    His gaze wandered down to the sheathed longsword on his hip. Domeron¡¯s sword.


    He used it two times - in the battle against the ghost and while trying to breakthrough. The first time he used it was far longer than the second, though, and back then, he only held that sword in his right hand. The second time, he held it briefly in his left hand. Those durations seemed to correspond to how much this crimson coloration had spread in his hands.


    He couldn¡¯t help but recall what Domeron told him when he asked about his demonification while using the Spirit of Slaughter. Apparently, it was what led him to cut off his right arm in the first place.


    ¡®Such powers always come at a price.¡¯


    Red stared at his right hand with a solemn gaze. Despite the unnatural color, he didn¡¯t feel anything strange about it, but how could he remain calm knowing what he did about Domeron¡¯s experiences?


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself over it, Red.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You did what you needed to. Since nothing untoward seems to be happening right now, you can ignore the problem and handle it at the right time and place.¡±


    The woman¡¯s words helped assuage the youth¡¯s worries. One of his biggest fears, even above dying, was losing control of himself, influenced by an external force to become something else. It was why he considered demonification to be one of his greatest worries, and something he needed to address as soon as possible. Just as he was feeling confident about handling one demonic influence in his body, here came another, and this one wasn¡¯t on good terms with Red.


    ¡®I knew this could happen, but still¡­¡¯


    Like Aurelia said, though, there was nothing he could do right now. Panicking wouldn¡¯t help either, so he decided to put the matter aside with a lot of conscious effort in his mind.


    He grasped the bracelet in his right hand and transferred some of the Spiritual Energy from his Spiritual Sea into his hand. The process was much faster than using Energy from his surroundings, and the strands easily entered the treasure.


    He was able to feel the insides of the bracelet as if they were an extension of his Spiritual Veins. Just like Aurelia said, though, his energy was immediately drawn towards a spot within the treasure where a foreign energy resided.


    ¡®This must be the core¡­ and that is the hawk¡¯s will.¡¯


    Red hesitated when he felt it. There was something strange about this energy within the core that made him want to examine it closer, but he didn¡¯t have the privilege to do it right now.


    ¡®Maybe I could absorb it?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t sure this would work, as it was possible the energy would be assimilated by the vortex in his Spiritual Sea, but he thought it was worth a try. He wasn¡¯t worried about being harmed either, as he felt this lingering energy wasn¡¯t that strong for him to absorb.


    He split his Spiritual Energy inside the bracelet, trying to wrap it around the hawk¡¯s will. It offered no resistance, and Red was able to draw it away from the treasure into his own veins.


    As soon as he did that, though, he felt a familiar feeling in his glabella.


    ¡®Oh no!¡¯


    His third eye, which had laid quiet since the Blood Moon, flared now once more like a predator at the smell of blood. Before Red could even react, this strand of energy was sucked towards his glabella, disappearing into the black hole that was his third eye.


    The organ stopped responding as soon as he did that, though, as if it was satisfied by the meal.


    Red was befuddled, trying to understand what had just happened. In the end, though, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in resignation.


    ¡®So much for that.¡¯


    The youth thought at first that the only thing that could make the third eye react was Moonstone Energy, but apparently that wasn¡¯t the case. This strange will the hawk left behind also causes it to awaken, and this raised some possibilities in Red¡¯s mind.


    Perhaps he could use this knowledge to experiment with the third eye in the future. Right now, though, he needed to focus on binding the bracelet.


    Like Aurelia said, the process was simple. He merely injected the Spiritual Energy into what he felt was the core of the treasure and he immediately felt a connection between himself and the item.


    Satisfied, he wore the bracelet around his wrist once more, and tried to command the treasure. Now that he was controlling it, it didn¡¯t automatically hide his demonification, so this was the first thing Red addressed.


    Using a nearby pond of water for the reflection, he made sure to hide the scales in his face and his reddened hands. The test went without issue.


    After that, he tried experimenting it around with changing his appearance.


    His hair was no problem, now a simple dark-brown that wouldn¡¯t attract much attention. However, when Red tried changing around his facial features, he made an unpleasant discovery.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t working.¡¯


    Or rather, it was working, but only for a second. He tried changing the structure of his nose, his lips, his eye shapes, but it returned to normal after only a second. He didn¡¯t really understand what was happening, and after some ten minutes of trying, Red was left extremely puzzled.


    Aurelia¡¯s figure manifested by his side, looking at him with shared confusion on her face. ¡°What are you doing wrong?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything wrong.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°If you weren¡¯t doing anything wrong, then the disguise would stay. I checked the treasure, and it¡¯s not faulty either.¡±


    ¡°It worked with hiding the demonification and my hair. Why wouldn¡¯t it work with other things?¡±


    Aurelia was silent for a few moments, staring at Red with a deep gaze. ¡°¡­ Tell me, how do you feel about the color of your hair?¡±


    The youth was confused. ¡°Why are you asking me this?¡±


    ¡°Just answer the question!¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t care about it up until, but now that I¡¯m moving to a new city, I feel like I would rather it was never red at all.¡±


    ¡°And what about your face?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t see any issues with my face. I would rather keep it as it is, but I have no choice but to change it.¡±


    Aurelia sighed. ¡°Then tell me, when you visualize yourself in your head, can you think of yourself with a different face?¡±


    Red frowned. Instead of responding, though, he closed his eyes and tried to think of his own appearance. His reference wasn¡¯t only the image he saw in the mirror though, but also the visualization he had of his own body every time he meditated. Then, bit by bit, he tried to imagine himself with slightly different features.


    His hair was no issue, but when he tried to modify anything other than a spot of skin on his body proper, he immediately felt a sense of disassociation. His every instinct told him that wasn¡¯t him, and he immediately felt as if he was looking at a stranger. Even a slight change in his nose shape would trigger this response, and no matter how many times he tried it, the result didn¡¯t change.


    Red opened his eyes again and looked over at Aurelia in confusion.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°No wonder then! Your sense of self is too strong!¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too sure what that was supposed to mean.

 Chapter 386 - Road Encounter

    Aurelia sighed at the confused look Red gave her. ¡°The disguising treasure you are using is not like make-up or a Spiritual Art. You control it with your will - your mind - hence why it could work even masterless as it was before.¡±


    Red frowned, understanding dawning on him. ¡°You mean to say that because I can¡¯t visualize my face as anyone else¡¯s, I won¡¯t be able to change it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°You can easily hide your hair and your demonification since those are things you don¡¯t want in your body, but your face is another matter.¡±


    The youth fell silent. He had never been one to care too much about appearances, but he was attached to his body and what it allowed him to be and do. This was doubly so after he learned the consequences of demonification.


    A will was formed within himself then to never want to see his image twisted by outside influences. He never imagined, however, that this innate desire of his would create an attachment to his own image and make it impossible for him to use a disguising treasure.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia shrugged. ¡°Your issue is not all that uncommon with cultivators. Some just opt for a more arcane disguising technique that they can control like a spell. Alternatively, you can train your mind to be unattached to your figure, or at least to the degree where it won¡¯t interfere with that treasure.¡±


    ¡°How hard is it to do that?¡±


    Since Red couldn¡¯t really use any other disguising techniques yet, he could only try the second option.


    She smirked. ¡°How hard? Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s easier to ascend to the heavens than it is to change a cultivator¡¯s mind, even your own!¡±


    ¡°¡­ So it¡¯s not possible?¡±


    ¡°You can certainly try, but it will be difficult! Your mind created this attachment to your image for a reason, and it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing to change it.¡±


    Red sighed. Aurelia might have a point, but whatever benefit this gave him would be useless if it meant he could be recognized and killed.


    ¡®I guess I will have to try a mask.¡¯


    While this solution sounded obvious, there was a reason he wouldn¡¯t like to rely on it. Whoever used a mask did it because they didn¡¯t want to be recognized by certain people, and this would obviously draw some suspicion from those keen on finding someone. Of course, in the capital there were probably plenty of cultivators who used masks to hide their identities, but that didn¡¯t mean Red would be safe disguising amidst them.


    The youth would have preferred instead to present himself with a foreign appearance, but with nothing to hide or fear. That would have drawn less attention, but since he didn¡¯t have a choice, he could only opt for the shadowy masked figure with something to hide and fear.


    ¡®I suppose in a way that suits me more.¡¯


    At the very least, it would give him an excuse to be recluse and avoid talking with too many people.


    He got up from his sitting position and looked around.


    Aurelia squinted at him. ¡°What are you planning now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to carve a mask.¡±


    ¡­


    A half an hour later.


    ¡°That is your mask?!¡±


    Aurelia stared at the item in Red¡¯s hands. It was a plain wooden mask, with two holes for his eyes. The youth didn¡¯t even bother removing all the bark from its surface, so it still looked like something a shaman or a barbarian would wear.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It looks ugly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be pretty.¡±


    ¡°Being this ugly isn¡¯t good either! It¡¯s going to draw attention!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What would you have me do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Aurelia threw her hands up. ¡°At least draw some symbols on its surface!¡±


    ¡°What symbols?¡±


    ¡°Any symbol! Anything to make sure that this is not something you spent ten minutes doing in a hurry!¡±


    Red was about to say he did spend ten minutes on it, but he decided against it. Instead, he picked up his knife and stared at the rough bark mask in his hand.


    Then, with careful movements, he carved something into the wood.


    ¡°How about this?¡± He showed the mask to Aurelia.


    There was now a rough third eye where the mask¡¯s forehead was. It wasn¡¯t pretty, but Red wasn¡¯t a woodcarver in the first place.


    Aurelia stared at the mask in silence. A few seconds later, she snorted and her figure disappeared back into his crystal core.


    Red wasn¡¯t sure what that was supposed to mean, but since she said nothing else, he could only take it as her approval. He tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and used it to wrap the mask around his face before looking at his new appearance in the water.


    ¡®I look like a savage.¡¯


    His clothes were all torn up and smeared with grime and mud. The youth didn¡¯t really bring a change of clothing with himself either, so there was not much he could do to remedy the situation. His skin and the rest of his equipment weren¡¯t in much better condition, either.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It looked as if the youth was a forest-dweller who hadn¡¯t seen civilization for years on end.


    ¡®Maybe this will work to my advantage.¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t too sure about it, but it wasn¡¯t like he could clean himself properly in the middle of a forest.


    He had disguised himself as best as he could, though there were still other concerns. There was his voice and manner of acting that could attract the attention of those who knew about him, but that was much harder to disguise than his appearance. Red was never the best actor, so he could only be careful and observant of his interactions in that place.


    ¡®Now, everything is set.¡¯


    His disguise, his cultivation, his techniques, Red had prepared everything he could in the short time he dared spend in the wilds. Now, the only thing he needed to do was to reach the capital.


    A new environment, full of unknown dangers and opportunity in equal measure.


    Who knew what awaited him there?


    For the first time in a while, Red felt the fire of anticipation burning in his mind.


    ¡­


    The distance between the capital and Red was still rather far. The town he lived in for the past seven years was located in the southern region of the kingdom, while his destination was in the north, through a few regions ruled by other barons and dukes. There were almost a thousand kilometers between them of wild forest and hills.


    It wasn¡¯t all wilderness, though, as the youth knew there were plenty of settlements and towns in between, but he saw no point in visiting any of them. They weren¡¯t good places to hide or procure cultivation resources, and his presence as a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator would instead attract more attention than he wanted.


    As such, he travelled with rare stops for the better part of a week. Now that he was no longer worried about cultivation, he didn¡¯t need to rest or meditate.


    As he moved further north, he noticed changes in the environment. The forest and vegetation he was familiar with became more sparse, giving way to vast open plains broken off now and then by a chain of hills. Creeks and ponds were also more common, branching off of the river from the east, and though Red lost the cover of trees, he felt refreshed and excited about taking in this new environment. However, he was quick to notice something odd.


    ¡®There are far fewer monsters here.¡¯


    Those he did come across were rarely above the Lesser Ring Realm, and they were derived from more mellow-natured creatures such as rabbits and deers. Red assumed this was because the further north he went, the greater the density of humans and their settlements, and the stronger and more dangerous beasts were either wise enough to stay away or were all killed by cultivators.


    Red all but confirmed his thoughts as he spotted a group of people travelling through the plains some kilometers away. Hunters, he assumed.


    They didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him, and Red wasn¡¯t eager to make his presence known either. He avoided roads for most of this trip to remain unnoticed, but he did scout them from afar to confirm he was heading in the right direction.


    This was his first time coming across anyone, though, and this told him he was getting closer to his destination.


    ¡®Maybe I should start walking down the road.¡¯


    Red considered trying to sneak into the capital, but it was a silly idea. That was the center of the kingdom, and the city probably had plenty of formations and other measures in place exactly so that cultivators like him wouldn¡¯t be able to barge in there without their knowledge. Not to mention, this was a time of war, so they were probably even more careful in that front.


    In the end, it was probably better to just head straight in under the scrutiny of the city¡¯s keepers. If they decided to give him trouble for his mask and getup, then Red could consider trying to sneak in there.


    Over the next few days, the youth came across even more people. On the roads and in the wilds, there were farmers, hunters, and even cultivators walking about. He came across more buildings too, and even a few villages along the way. Inns, farmlands, it all became commonplace as the capital neared.


    ¡°Hm, the Spiritual Energy around here is more dense.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    This was something Red noticed, too. Even kingdoms took care to choose places rich in Spiritual Energy to build their cities, so it was no wonder that the capital would have a denser amount of energy than he was used to.


    Even as human density increased, Red still kept to the shadows. It was getting harder to avoid detection, much more so through these vast plains, but he decided he wouldn¡¯t risk revealing his presence to any travellers until he had no choice.


    It just so happened, however, that something caught his attention the next day.


    It was bright outside, and Red stood on top of a hill near a road scouting as far as he could see. This section of the highway sneaked in between a chain of mounts, and as such, the youth found himself unable to see what awaited further ahead without high ground. It was exactly why he didn¡¯t see the horses galloping down the road until they were far too close for comfort.


    Red immediately crouched down, keeping close to the ground as he examined the approaching figures.


    There were eight of them, all mounted on horses. They looked like mercenaries, though they were far better equipped than the sellswords Red was used to seeing back home. The men had their swords drawn, and they seemed to be chasing someone who was likewise on horseback.


    An old man, wearing merchant¡¯s clothing and with a frightened look on his face. He was driving his horse as hard as he could, and for the moment, it seemed as if that afforded him enough of a lead over the men chasing him.


    Red observed this situation with a frown. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the mercenaries clearly didn¡¯t look like bandits, and he couldn¡¯t imagine they would be so bold as to rob someone on the highway as close to the capital as they were. Not to mention, this merchant didn¡¯t seem to be carrying any merchandise, either. There was probably a deeper reason for this conflict that wasn¡¯t apparent at first glance, and as such, the youth wasn¡¯t too keen on getting involved, so he tried to stay hidden.


    To his surprise, though, as he examined the merchant from afar, he saw the man look in his exact direction.


    ¡®He saw me?¡¯


    Red had little cover, but there was more than a kilometer of distance between them and plenty of nearby hills to obfuscate the vision of the merchant. Yet, sure enough, the man seemed to be looking in his exact direction. It left him baffled.


    Before the youth could do anything, the merchant drove his horse off the road and started to ride it in his direction.


    ¡°Please, good fellow, help me!¡±


    He screamed in a desperate voice at the top of his lungs.


    Red frowned, noticing the mercenaries also deviating from the road to chase the merchant. They didn¡¯t seem to have spotted him, but it was just a matter of time if the man kept heading in this direction.


    The youth was prepared to turn around and run before he heard the merchant¡¯s desperate voice again.


    ¡°Please, I can pay you! I can get you into the city!¡±


    As Red heard that, he hesitated.


    ¡®Get me into the city?¡¯


    The merchant¡¯s words seemed to imply at a complication Red was not aware of. This moment of hesitation made the youth stop in his tracks and allowed the merchant to ride up the hill to his side.


    ¡°Please, protect me from them!¡±


    The merchant rode his horse behind Red. The mercenaries were soon to catch up, though as they spotted Red in their way, the man at the front of the group raised his hand, causing the others to rein in their horses. They formed a semi-circle around the youth, their gazes shifting between wariness at this peculiar armed stranger and hatred at the merchant behind him.


    None of them charged at Red, though, who remained standing there examining these men without any concern. None of them were at the Lesser Ring Realm, as it turned out.


    The mercenary leader looked at Red with a frown. ¡°Step aside, stranger! That man has to pay for his crimes!¡±


    The man spoke with a stern and authoritative voice, but he didn¡¯t take one step ahead, examining Red with vigilance. The youth¡¯s strange appearance and posture were enough to make the mercenary not take any rash actions.


    ¡®A professional.¡¯


    Red was surprised. This man seemed capable of sensing some of the youth¡¯s strength at a glance, or at least he was cautious enough to not provoke someone with such a strange and savage-look as Red before assessing the situation. Most people would have run if they saw eight armed horsemen charging in their direction, after all.


    The youth was about to say something, but the merchant¡¯s voice interrupted him again.


    ¡°Liars! They are trying to steal from me!¡±

 Chapter 387 - Escort

    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who owes us!¡±


    Shouts of indignation came from the mercenaries as they waved their weapons at the merchant. They seemed keen to ride past Red, but their leader held them back.


    ¡°What he says is a lie, friend.¡± The man said, glaring at the merchant. ¡°We were tasked with escorting him to the capital, but now he¡¯s refusing to pay us.¡±


    The youth said nothing, only turning his head around to look at the merchant.


    The old man trembled under his gaze. ¡°I-It¡¯s true¡­ I hired them to escort me and my goods, but it all got stolen under their watch! Tell me, do you think they deserve payment after that?¡±


    ¡°You bastard! You signed a contract with us!¡±


    ¡°It all got stolen because you said you didn¡¯t want anyone close to the wagon!¡±


    Another stream of insults came from the mercenaries. Some of them seemed to be on the verge of losing their cool.


    ¡°Captain!¡± a warrior near the leader said. ¡°Why are we even talking to this savage? He¡¯s just one person. Let¡¯s just get past him and if he wants to get involved, it¡¯s his loss!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The leader raised his hand. ¡°No one is going to do anything!¡±


    This made some of the mercenaries grumble, but none of them dared to raise their voice against their captain.


    ¡®He can feel something is off about me.¡¯


    Red supposed that the leader could feel some threat or pressure from the youth¡¯s body. Experienced warriors were often very sensitive to others¡¯ strengths, even the ones that had yet to open their Spiritual Sea.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a poor job of hiding your aura.¡±


    As if to confirm his suspicions, Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. The youth frowned at her words.


    ¡®No wonder then.¡¯


    Cultivators all emitted a natural pressure that other living beings could feel. Red, who just opened his Spiritual Sea, wasn¡¯t used to controlling this natural aura of his, so it wasn¡¯t surprising an experienced warrior could feel it.


    ¡®Not like any of this matters.¡¯


    If anything, this made Red¡¯s life easier.


    He looked over at the merchant behind him. ¡°You said something about helping me get into the city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The merchant nodded frantically. ¡°I can help you get through the gate!¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. ¡°Why would I need your help for that?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t know about it? Wait, of course you don¡¯t!¡± The old man smiled in realization. ¡°Our Majesty closed off the capital to any visitors after the Blood Moon a few weeks ago. Only residents and those with guarantees from residents are allowed in for the time being.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And I suppose I can get one such guarantee from you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The merchant nodded. ¡°If you help me get rid of these people, I will help you get into the city!¡±


    Red moved his gaze from the old man to the mercenaries.


    The leader had an ugly expression as he watched this interaction. ¡°This friend can¡¯t be thinking of accepting his offer, right?¡±


    ¡°I need to get into the city.¡± Red said. ¡°Can you get me into the city?¡±


    The man¡¯s frown deepened, and he kept silent.


    The merchant smirked. ¡°Of course they can¡¯t! They¡¯re not even residents themselves, and the only reason they could get into the capital is with their guild¡¯s help!¡±


    Red looked back at the leader, and the man¡¯s silence was all the confirmation he needed.


    ¡°Please, go back the way you came.¡± he said.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The youth made his decision. In truth, he didn¡¯t really care about the conflict or who was stealing from who - this sort of dispute was common place even back in the town he lived in. Red would rather not get involved at all, but after learning about how troublesome it was getting into the capital, how could he let this chance go?


    ¡°You bastard! Who do you think you are?!¡±


    Shouts of anger came from the mercenaries, who seemed eager to clash against Red. Their leader still kept his hand raised, though, stopping them in their tracks.


    The youth wasn¡¯t too scared about a confrontation, but he wasn¡¯t eager to fight either. He didn¡¯t know if these mercenaries had any talismans on them, and if they did, then Red knew the situation could get far more complicated. In the past, he resisted attacks from and even wounded Lesser Ring Realm cultivators using talismans, so couldn¡¯t these people do the same against him?


    Red didn¡¯t let his newfound strength get to his head when it came to making decisions.


    Thankfully, the leader didn¡¯t seem too keen on the idea of fighting against the youth, either.


    ¡°Are you certain about this decision, friend?¡± The man asked. ¡°The one behind you is not someone you should blindly trust.¡±


    The merchant spat on the ground. ¡°Who¡¯s talking about being trustworthy when you¡¯re the ones trying to kill your employer?!¡±


    Red ignored the old man¡¯s ramblings. ¡°I appreciate your advice. Now be on your way.¡±


    The leader frowned, and he lowered his hand. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t come to regret this decision.¡±


    He turned around to look at his men, making a motion with his hand to retreat. The mercenaries seemed unwilling, but under the steely gaze of their captain, they had no choice but to obey. Even as they galloped away, though, they threw murderous glances at Red and the merchant.


    Only when the youth saw them disappear behind the hills did he turn around to face the merchant.


    The old man smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, my friend! If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would be-¡±


    ¡°Get off your horse.¡± Red cut him off."


    ¡°E-Excuse me-¡±


    ¡°I said get off your horse.¡±


    Red let some of his aura leak from his body, this time on purpose. The merchant immediately felt the pressure from the youth and obeyed his orders without resisting.


    He looked at Red with a fearful gaze. ¡°Is there a reason for this, my fri-¡±


    ¡°How did you know I was going to the capital?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The merchant hesitated. ¡°It was just an educated guess.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°A guess?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. The capital is the biggest cultivation center in the kingdom, so it¡¯s not uncommon to see wandering cultivators making their way there, much more so after the Empire invaded¡­ Spotting someone like you this close to the city only left one possibility in my mind.¡±


    The youth paid attention to the man¡¯s fluctuation as he spoke.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to be lying.¡¯


    In the end, the merchant¡¯s reasoning made sense, but there was another matter that caught Red¡¯s attention.


    ¡°How did you spot me?¡± he asked. ¡°And how did you know I could help you?¡±


    Red could feel the old man¡¯s strength - no higher than a few open veins. There was no way someone like that could spot the youth from that far, not to mention it seemed to be a wild bet from the merchant¡¯s part to put his life in the hands of a stranger against a group of organized mercenaries.


    The youth could only imagine the man had some unknown way to spot him and gauge his power from afar.


    This time, the merchant¡¯s hesitation lasted for a while longer. He looked around, as if looking for a way out, but he knew there was none.


    In the end, he stared back at Red with a trembling lip. ¡°I-I have an item¡­ Something that helps me detect people from afar.¡±


    ¡®Like I thought.¡¯


    ¡°Does it also allow you to detect their strength?¡± he asked.


    ¡°M-more or less.¡±


    ¡°It still seems very dangerous to rely on a stranger, even if they have the power to save you.¡±


    ¡°I-I was all out of options. They would have caught me before long, so I could only trust you.¡±


    Red felt the old man¡¯s fluctuation trembled at that moment, indicating some distress on the merchant¡¯s part. Even without its help, though, he could tell that he was being lied to by the man¡¯s expression.


    ¡®He obviously had something else to rely on.¡¯


    It was more likely that the merchant hoped Red could at least serve as a diversion, even if he didn¡¯t accept his offer. If this stranger refused to help him, then perhaps he would be forced to rely on whatever else he had up his sleeve - like a talisman, perhaps.


    Red stared at the trembling man. ¡°Are you afraid I¡¯m going to rob you?¡±


    ¡°R-Rob me? N-No, there¡¯s no way I would suspect the benefactor of such a thing!¡± The merchant shook his head. ¡°Someone as benevolent as you would never rely on such underhanded acts!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have no intention of robbing you. You will bring me into the capital, though, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, yes! I will definitely help benefactor get into the city!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Good. Then get back into your horse and lead the way down the road. I will follow behind you.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± The merchant was about to hop back onto his horse, but he hesitated. He looked at the youth with a struggling expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s those mercenaries, benefactor. I¡¯m afraid since you let them go, they might try to ambush us before we get to the capital.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with that. If they try something, I will obviously deal with them.¡±


    Beyond just being concerned about the strength of those mercenaries, the youth didn¡¯t want to just kill anyone he came across for such a trivial matter. If they truly made an attempt on his life during his trip, though, then he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to fight back.


    As they walked downhill onto the road, the merchant lead the way with his horse at a slow pace. The old man couldn¡¯t help himself but spare glances now and then at Red walking behind him, though, as if afraid he would be stabbed in the back at any moment.


    The youth didn¡¯t try to assuage his worries, though. It was better if the merchant was afraid of him to some degree.


    They walked in almost complete silence down the road, only the clopping of the horse¡¯s hooves echoing through the hills. Almost half an hour later, it seemed as if the merchant couldn¡¯t bear the quiet, and looked back at Red with a smile.


    ¡°May I know your name, benefactor?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°You may not.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­ Well, my name is Emer and I-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°O-Ok.¡±


    The merchant turned back around, and they resumed their travel in almost absolute silence.

 Chapter 388 - Arrival at the Capital

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    Red and the merchant travelled down the road without stopping. The old man seemed on the verge of a nervous attack the entire time, and the youth could only imagine he was regretting asking him for help, but he didn¡¯t offer any protest.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Emer said from atop his horse. ¡°We can reach the city by night¡­ Unless this benefactor wants to stop and rest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll push on.¡±


    The merchant seemed relieve to see this, and he turned around to face the road.


    Emer didn¡¯t seem to be lying either. As they approached the capital, they started to come across a lot of people on the road. Mostly merchants, much in the same vein as the one Red was accompanying, also escorted by guards and mercenaries.


    ¡®No one in the Lesser Ring Realm.¡¯


    He supposed even in a city that big, these kinds of people were still rare enough to find wandering in the wild.


    Some of them stared at the youth with caution and curiosity, but no one tried to stop and question them. It seemed as strange as his getup was, it didn¡¯t warrant enough interest from these people who were only concerned with their own business. Red also paid attention to his new travel companion, almost expecting the man to ask for the passing travellers for help.


    Thankfully, no such thing came to pass, and by the time the sun was setting, Red spotted the capital from afar.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but pause.


    A tall, grey wall that stretched almost as far as his eyes could see was the first thing that popped into his view. It was easily dozens of kilometers long, with stone towers posted all along its length, on top of which large ballistas laid. From behind it, spires and buildings even taller than the walls peeked out, speaking of a density and immensity that awaited visitors inside.


    The city didn¡¯t even seem to start there, though, as large slums also seemed to spread along the outsides of the barricade, similar to how they were in Red¡¯s previous home. Refugees fleeing from war, he supposed, and probably denied entrance into the capital proper.


    This massive wall and the chaotic slum that formed outside the city¡¯s perimeter added up to become the greatest concentration of humans and structures that Red had ever seen in his life - at least his waking life. Nothing even came close, and the youth, who was so used to extreme sights, almost became overwhelmed by staring at it.


    ¡°Is there a problem, sir?¡±


    The merchant noticed Red stopped walking and turned his horse around to look at him in confusion.


    Red frowned, though the man couldn¡¯t see it underneath his mask. ¡°It¡¯s a big city.¡±


    Emer seemed confused. ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve come to Carlhanne?¡±


    ¡®Carlhanne¡­¡¯


    Red was familiar with the name of the capital. He read it in a lot of books, but in conversations back in Bestrem, most people simply referred to it as the capital rather than using its name. It was strange to hear it for the first time.


    City of Carlhanne, capital to the kingdom of Lomrikh - the country in which his entire surface life had happened until this point.


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s surprising, is all.¡±


    The merchant looked at him with a proud smile. ¡°It¡¯s the biggest city in the eastern part of the continent, after all. It¡¯s no wonder those damn imperials are so dead-set on conquering us.¡±


    ¡®Imperials¡­¡¯


    Red was reminded of something. Did the people in the capital even know about what happened in the south? If they didn¡¯t, the youth wasn¡¯t too sure it was wise for him to be the first one to tell them.


    ¡°Tell me about the city.¡± The youth said.


    Emer hesitated. ¡°This¡­ What does benefactor want to know?¡±


    ¡°What factions are in there?¡±


    ¡°Factions?¡± The merchant frowned. ¡°The city is ruled by the King! There are no such things as factions in there.¡±


    Red stared at the old man, causing him to shiver.


    ¡°R-Right¡­ Even though the king rules the city, there are a few factions in there.¡±


    ¡°Is there a merchant¡¯s guild?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right!¡± Emer nodded. ¡°The Golden Hand Merchant¡¯s guild. It¡¯s the biggest merchant group on the continent, and they also sponsor all adventurers and rogue cultivators through their adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    ¡®Gustav¡¯s organization.¡¯


    ¡°Are you part of them?¡±


    ¡°M-me? No way¡­ I have worked with them before, but I¡¯m just an independent merchant.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t detect any signs of falsehood from the man¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°Are they enemies of the Kingdom?¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes widened, looking around him as if afraid someone had heard his question. ¡°In no way! They would never dare harbor thoughts of disloyalty to King Thomas!¡±


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    The youth frowned. ¡°Just speak plainly. I¡¯m not going to report you to the authorities.¡±


    Emer sighed in resignation. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t really call them enemies but¡­ Sometimes their interests clash against the court and they are also known to maintain trade relationships with the Empire.¡±


    The old man kept his voice low.


    It seemed as if it wasn¡¯t just Gustav that enjoyed making trouble for the local authorities.


    ¡°I see.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I assume the King is helpless when it comes to that, right?¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes widened even further, his face scrunching in worry. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that the King is helpless, it¡¯s just¡­ The Golden Hand has many contacts and influences around the continent, even with a few sects and inside his own court. It¡¯s just inconvenient for His Majesty to move too harshly against them.¡±


    ¡®In other words, he¡¯s helpless.¡¯


    Red had to admit he was surprised, though. He didn¡¯t think that the organization behind Gustav was so strong.


    ¡®It¡¯s no wonder even Hector hesitated to move against him.¡¯


    ¡°What about other factions?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There are a few others, but they are mostly local powers and a level below the Golden Hand. There are, of course, some political divisions inside the court, but they have always presented a united front against outsiders.¡± Emer hesitated. ¡°¡­ I suppose if there¡¯s anyone else you should know about, it¡¯s the Shadow.¡±


    ¡°The Shadow?¡±


    The merchant looked reluctant to mention this name, but the youth could feel it was for a different reason.


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°They are an underground organization that deals in¡­ Nefarious matters.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I assume illegal matter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Contraband, stealing, even¡­ Assassinations. They do anything as long as you pay the right price.¡±


    ¡°And the King allows them to exist?¡±


    Emer sighed. ¡°They are secretive, with no base to speak of and members in almost every part of society. Even if you find one out, it¡¯s almost impossible to trace it back to the actual leaders¡­ Not to mention that some people in high positions also enjoy their services from time to time.¡±


    Red understood what the merchant was saying.


    ¡®With a city this big, it¡¯s no wonder so much corruption would fester beneath the surface.¡¯


    For all of Bestrem¡¯s problems, the Baron had always been an upstanding lord. He never let corruption spread and remained steadfast to his ideals. In the capital, though, it seemed the situation was rather different. Even if the King himself was an upstanding ruler, there were a lot of matters he was unable to do much about.


    ¡°What about the sects?¡± Red asked. ¡°Do they have any presence in the city?¡±


    ¡°They do.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s mostly their embassies. They don¡¯t really interfere with local matters.¡±


    ¡®Their embassies¡­¡¯


    Red wondered whether it was possible he could ask after Allen in the Crystal Sky Sect¡¯s embassy. Still, this wasn¡¯t something he could do without further consideration.


    ¡°S-Sir¡­¡±


    As the youth was pondering to himself, the merchant tried to catch his attention.


    He looked over with a curious gaze. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We should move.¡± The man said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Unwise to spend too much time here in the open.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t stupid and understood what the merchant was trying to say.


    ¡®If we just stand here in the middle of the road talking, we are obviously going to draw attention to ourselves with your strange looks!¡¯


    The youth nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    The city was built on a plain, so even though Red could see it from afar, it still took them a while to reach the walls. The road led them straight through the slums, where peasants and war refugees built their shacks and tried to eke out a living away from the bloodshed.


    Red was used to this sight back in Bestrem, except here the situation was much worse. People gathered around campfires, partaking of pieces of stale bread or whatever other food they were able to gather during the day with listless gazes and sallow expressions. Some of them had nasty and festering wounds, while others seemed to carry other kinds of illnesses. His crimson sense told him of shacks where two people could barely fit, now filled to the brim with entire families.


    An acrid smell came with every breath - marks of the unfortunate and inhuman conditions such a dense gathering of people were destined to face in these circumstances. The smell of human waste and death, lingering around the air.


    He counted hundreds of people with his crimson sense, and that was only within a few hundreds of meters around him, so he could only imagine how many the entire slum contained. Despite all that, the conversations of these refugees were quiet, almost as if they were afraid to speak too loudly. Or perhaps they simply didn¡¯t have the energy to do it.


    Even Red, so used to blood and slaughter, couldn¡¯t help but frown as he walked amidst them. Back in his town, the Baron at least did his best to accommodate the refugees as best he could, yet here they were seemingly left to their own devices. He wondered whether this was out of indifference of the King¡¯s part or simple lack of capability to help.


    After all, in his town, the number of refugees didn¡¯t pass the thousands. Here, though, they numbered tens of thousands, probably even hundreds of thousands.


    Even the youth couldn¡¯t help but feel pity as he looked at them. This wasn¡¯t a sentiment he was incapable of having, but at the end of the day, he could only steel himself to their suffering. With his limited capabilities, how would Red change their situation?


    If he could have offered them some assistance in passing, it was obviously something he didn¡¯t mind doing. Helping this many people, though, was something beyond the capabilities of cultivators even more powerful than him.


    ¡°This is a nest for the demonic.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Even if this king of yours doesn¡¯t want to help them, he should at least try to do something for his own sake lest he want a new legion of cultists in his hand.¡±


    Red frowned at this, but said nothing. The merchant ahead of him seemed accustomed to the sight, not even sparing a glance at the beggars around the road.


    The youth could only follow behind him until they approached the gate, a massive steel structure guarded by well over a hundred guards, some of which Red could feel were at the Lesser Ring Realm. Ballistas stood on top of the wall, aiming at the ground in front of the gate and ready to fire at any intruders that tried to bypass the blockade.


    Even with his powers, it was simply inconceivable for Red to force his way in.


    There was a large line of people forming in front of the gate - mostly merchants with their carriages seeking entrance into the capital. The guards, however, made sure to question them and look through their merchandise without exception.


    ¡°We will need to wait a bit.¡± The merchant said as he came to a stop at the end of the line. ¡°Even though I¡¯m a citizen, I can¡¯t just cut the line, either.¡±


    Red looked at the man. ¡°Will they try to search me?¡±


    Emer hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if they do, just let me talk to them. Don¡¯t do anything¡­¡±


    The old man trailed off.


    ¡°Anything stupid, you mean?¡± Red finished his sentence for him.


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°I will handle it, I promise you.¡±


    The youth was somewhat skeptical, but he said nothing. Even if the merchant couldn¡¯t help him in, the worst that would happen is that he would be denied entry. Or at least, so he hoped.


    Surprisingly, it took almost an hour for their turn at the gate to arrive.


    ¡°Step forward!¡±


    A stern-looking guard equipped with glistening plate armor waved them forward. Dozens of similarly armed guards were waiting to the side in silence - another detractor to anyone who thought about forcing their way in at this point.


    ¡°Just follow my lead.¡± The merchant said and rode his horse ahead.


    Red followed behind him, but as soon as he took a few steps forward, he felt a wave of energy pass through his body.


    ¡®This is¡­?¡¯


    The youth was confused, and his steps faltered. His response, however, came at the next moment.


    ¡°Lesser Ring Realm cultivator!¡±


    One of the guards shouted, and suddenly dozens of weapons were pointed in the youth¡¯s direction.

 Chapter 389 - Interrogated

    Although all these weapons were pointed at Red, none of the guards seemed intent on attacking him.


    ¡°Identify yourself!¡±


    The guard in the lead called out to the youth with a stern expression.


    Red frowned and looked around. Even with his newfound strength, he would find it hard to breakthrough this barricade, much more so with those ballistas on the wall. He could only imagine the power behind each of their bolts.


    ¡®I suppose I should have expected something like this.¡¯


    It was hard to imagine instead if the capital didn¡¯t have some way to identify the strength of everyone who tried to get into the city.


    He was just about to say something when the merchant raised some documents up in the air to call the guards¡¯ attention.


    ¡°He¡¯s with me!¡± the old man said. ¡°I am a citizen of the capital, and he¡¯s my escort!¡±


    The lead guard looked at Emer with a frown, and his expression didn¡¯t relax. ¡°We keep tabs on all the Lesser Ring Realm cultivators in our city. This is an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I can guarantee him! He saved my life and I want to receive him at my guild¡¯s manor.¡±


    There was a silence as the merchant said that. Red, who was learning some of this information for the first time, was rather displeased at being kept in the dark, but he didn¡¯t interject into the conversation.


    This commotion seemed to have attracted the attention of everyone in the vicinity, as a crowd of refugees gathered by the roadside to watch what was going on. The lead guardsman waved over one of his subordinates and whispered into his ear.


    The subordinate nodded before running off and disappearing into a doorway into the gatehouse.


    The lead guard looked back at the merchant. ¡°Anyone at or above the Lesser Ring Realm must be interrogated before being allowed entrance into the capital. If you and your escort are fine with that, then you must follow me.¡±


    Although the man seemed to be talking to Emer, it felt like his words were directed at Red. The youth, for his part, didn¡¯t respond and looked over at the merchant in silence.


    The old man shivered. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine! They just want to make sure you don¡¯t have any ill intentions towards the capital. They won¡¯t ask try to pry into your secrets.¡±


    His words didn¡¯t sound very convincing to Red.


    The youth looked over at the guard. ¡°Do I have the right to not answer your questions?¡±


    The guard nodded. ¡°We won¡¯t force anything out of you, but we also reserve the right to deny your entry into the city.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Fine. Lead the way.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t happy about being interrogated, but since he wouldn¡¯t be forced to reveal his secrets, he felt like there was nothing to lose. Beyond that, though, Red was only going along with this because, after seeing the defenses of the capital, he was even more certain that sneaking in was pretty much impossible.


    The guard nodded and waved at his men. They lowered their weapons, and four of them broke ranks to escort Red and the merchant.


    ¡°Please, follow me then.¡± The leader said.


    Emer dismounted his horse and scooted over to the youth¡¯s side, looking at him with an embarrassed expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you this, benefactor. I was only afraid that I would have scared you away if I told you about the formations.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. Whatever reasons the merchant had, it told the youth that, at the very least, the old man didn¡¯t trust him. Then again, he wasn¡¯t expecting anything different from someone he had just met earlier today.


    As they were escorted inside the gatehouse, Red was allowed a glimpse into the innards of the wall. Dozens of guards and clerks walked to and fro, moving supplies or going over documents like a well-oiled machine. Compared to the soldiers from Bestrem, these people were far better equipped, and the average strength of each guard was also superior.


    The youth counted about four or five guards with twelve open veins, and this was only in his immediate vicinity. He also detected two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators hidden away in some rooms inside the gatehouse, which only spoke to the importance they assigned to keeping the entrance to the city safe.


    Red could only imagine what sort of accident could have led to this.


    As they walked through the gatehouse, everyone¡¯s attentions were placed on the youth. The guards heard the commotion from outside, and a foreign Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was probably a rare enough sight to draw the attention of everyone in here. Red even felt a few hostile gazes thrown in his direction, which left him rather puzzled.


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    Finally, they stopped at the entrance of a set of rooms, and the guard captain turned around to face them.


    ¡°We will be interrogating each of you separately.¡± the man said and pointed at a few of his guards. ¡°If you would escort Sir Emer to the room at the end of the corridor.¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, separately? Why separately?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just procedure, sir.¡±


    Emer hesitated and looked over at Red. The youth, however, remained silent, so the old man could only follow the other guards into the other room.


    A few moments later, Red was left alone with the captain and two other guards.


    The leader extended his hand. ¡°Your weapons, if you would please.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head without hesitation.


    The man frowned. ¡°We can¡¯t allow you to remain in the interrogation room with your swords.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m inside the enemy base surrounded by dozens of guards, at a complete disadvantage.¡± the youth said. ¡°If I was worried about any confrontation, I would have never followed you in the first place, so I don¡¯t see any reason to give you my weapons.¡±


    In truth, he wasn¡¯t really worried about being momentarily disarmed. The problem was that one of swords was inhabited by a Slaughter Spirit, and if anyone else held it, they would definitely notice something was amiss with it.


    The guard¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡°If you keep your weapons, our superior may refuse to meet with you and you will be denied entry into the capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Red nodded. ¡°If he really doesn¡¯t want to meet me, then so be it.¡±


    He was obviously reluctant to give up on this chance, but it was better than being outed as carrying a demonic weapon.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± The guard waved at a close by room. ¡°Please, enter.¡±


    Red followed his lead, entering into a stone chamber. A white lamp illuminated the room, and it was occupied only by a long wooden table and two chairs. There was no window to speak of, and the place truly resembled a proper interrogation room.


    Red sat down on one of the chairs, and the guards closed the door behind him. He was left in a complete and oppressive silence, where he couldn¡¯t hear anything from the outside, even with his improved senses. No doubt this was the guards¡¯ psychological tricks to pressure anyone they wanted to interrogate, but the youth was beyond being troubled by this.


    Not to mention that he could still sense everything outside with his crimson sense.


    Two guards remained on the outside of his room, and he could also sense the merchant¡¯s fluctuation at the other end of the corridor. They were left alone for almost ten minutes, likely to build up their tension, until Red felt one of the Lesser Ring Realm guards approaching their location, accompanied by the captain from earlier.


    The youth immediately stood at attention, but they didn¡¯t go to his room immediately, instead entering the merchant¡¯s chamber. He felt Emer¡¯s fluctuation tremble, and over the next half an hour, the man seemed to undergo a torturous psychological session.


    If the old man¡¯s fluctuation was any indication, the merchant probably revealed everything that happened earlier today to the guards.


    ¡®No point in lying, then.¡¯


    The Lesser Ring Realm fluctuation left the merchant¡¯s room before approaching Red¡¯s own. The door opened, and a middle-aged man walked into the room.


    He wasn¡¯t wearing a guard¡¯s armor and wasn¡¯t carrying any weapons, either. The man didn¡¯t even look like a cultivator, instead sporting clothing that seemed more befitting of a noble clerk, with slicked-back black short hair and a finely trimmed beard.


    He entered the room without hesitation, as the other guards closed the door behind him. He sat across the table from Red, setting a bunch of papers and a pen down before looking at him a serene smile.


    ¡°Captain Loras of the City¡¯s Guard. May I know to whom I have the pleasure of speaking to?¡±


    Red, who had been expecting some form of protest to him holding the weapons, was surprised by how forthcoming this man looked. Still, when the topic turned to his name, the youth couldn¡¯t help but hesitate.


    The man chuckled. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine even if you give a fake name. I just need something to put you down as.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Viran then.¡±


    ¡°Viran¡­ A good name.¡± The Captain jotted it down on his paper before looking back up at him. ¡°Such a young cultivator and already at the Lesser Ring Realm. How old are you, exactly?¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t surprised that the man was able to tell his age. Even with his mask, there were plenty of other youthful features he couldn¡¯t hide.


    ¡°Do you need to put down my age, too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I suppose not.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just put you down as ¡®young¡¯, then.¡±


    He scribbled some more on his papers before returning his attention to Red.


    ¡°Might I ask you what your purpose is in seeking entrance into our city?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fleeing from the war and looking for a peaceful place to cultivate.¡± Red said.


    He wasn¡¯t lying to the man, though he omitted more than a few of the specifics.


    ¡°Ah, of course.¡± Loras nodded. ¡°I hear that very often, and to be honest, it¡¯s both an extremely convenient excuse and also the truth most of the time. Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°The North.¡±


    This reply was also obvious. If he was fleeing from the war, then he had to be from the northern part of the country where the Imperials invaded from.


    ¡°North?¡± The man raised his eyebrows. ¡°It has been overtaken by imperials for quite some time. Why only come to the capital now?¡±


    ¡°Because I only broke through recently.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The Captain nodded, writing down on his papers.


    Red couldn¡¯t tell whether the man believe in him through his slightly smiling expression. Not even his crimson sense detected any strong fluctuations to indicate his emotional state.


    ¡®An experienced interrogator.¡¯


    ¡°Might I ask about your relationship with Emer, then?¡± the man asked. ¡°I was led to believe you are his escort, correct?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Not at all.¡±


    The man frowned ever so slightly. ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡±


    ¡°I saved him from his previous escorts that wanted to kill him for not paying them.¡± Red said. ¡°Apparently, he got his merchandise stolen and thought that was their fault.¡±


    ¡°And how did you come to be involved?¡±


    ¡°I happened to meet him on the road. He said something about granting me entrance into the city, and since I was not aware such a thing was required, I agreed to help him in exchange for passage into the capital.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The man nodded. ¡°Did you kill his guards?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± he shook his head. ¡°I threatened them and they left on their own.¡±


    Red was quite straightforward with his retelling of the story. For one, he knew from the little he interacted with Emer that the merchant would probably break upon the slight hint of pressure, so it was likely that he already told the guards everything. The other reason was that this Loras in front of him was clearly very experienced in interrogations.


    It was likely he was just putting on a front by pretending to be unaware of what Red was telling him, and perhaps he had even spoken to the merchant¡¯s previous escort. If that were the case, lying would just be detrimental to the youth.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s quite interesting¡­¡± The captain reclined in his chair in thought. ¡°You say you didn¡¯t kill them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Red frowned beneath his mask. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, it just so happens we found their bodies earlier today in the slums. All dead, without exception.¡±


    The youth immediately felt the situation became much more complicated.

 Chapter 390 - Oddities

    A million questions appeared in Red¡¯s mind, but he held himself back.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No one can tell for sure.¡± the man shook his head. ¡°I was hoping you could tell me about it.¡±


    The Captain seemed to be gauging the youth¡¯s reaction beneath his mask.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t lose his cool. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t. Well, I don¡¯t really know anything, but it seems weird that you would kill them now after having a better opportunity to do it earlier in the wilderness, away from prying eyes. Not to mention, my guards saw you arriving on the road earlier, so the timing doesn¡¯t match up.¡±


    Despite all his explanations that cleared Red of any suspicion, the youth still felt as if the captain was trying to get something out of him.


    ¡°If you know I didn¡¯t do it, what do you want out of me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange that they would end up dead just like that?¡± Loras asked. ¡°Their bodies were found in the slums, but there were no witnesses, and no one saw them approach the city, either. Not to mention that the manner that they died¡­¡±


    The man trailed off, looking at Red with an intense gaze. It was as if he was trying to stoke the youth¡¯s curiosity to make him ask how exactly those people died.


    Red wouldn¡¯t jump into this trap, though, even if he was innocent. ¡°It is strange, but I have only just arrived and am not familiar with the power struggles in the city.¡±


    Loras sighed. ¡°So it seems. However, did you really not notice anything strange during your trip? Maybe something that stood out during your interactions with those mercenaries and that merchant.¡±


    ¡®Something that stood out¡­¡¯


    Nothing about the merchant stood out to him, but there was indeed something strange about how his conflict with his escorts came to be. Something about how someone stole all their merchandise with no one noticing, and how Emer insisted none of the mercenaries got too close to his cart.


    None of that made much sense to Red, even back when he first heard it, but he didn¡¯t pry any deeper since it wasn¡¯t related to him. Now, though, it seemed that there was more to it than he thought.


    The youth stood silent, as if recalling everything that had happened earlier in the day. A few seconds later, he shook his head. ¡°Nothing stood out.¡±


    He still chose not to get involved in the end of the day. He was already unfortunate enough to be indirectly involved in the murder of several mercenaries, and who knew what other forces were at play here? The best thing he could do was to disengage and stay as far away from it while he still had the chance.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, but I suppose there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± Loras scribbled on his papers with an unconcerned expression. ¡°I still have a few general questions to ask about the nature of your visit, if you don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡®So he won¡¯t speak any further about it.¡¯


    Red was interested in knowing how the mercenaries died, of course, but if the Captain wasn¡¯t going to talk about it, he wouldn¡¯t insist either.


    For the next fifteen or so minutes, Loras asked a myriad of questions about the youth¡¯s background and intentions. Red was very evasive about most of it, but the man didn¡¯t seem to mind it. In the end, though, he still felt like he needed to give something to the city so they wouldn¡¯t bother him too much - so he revealed some details about his plans and skills.


    ¡°You know Arcane Scripture?¡± Loras seemed surprised.


    Red nodded. ¡°Some basics.¡±


    ¡°So you intend to open a shop in the city?¡±


    ¡°If possible, yes.¡±


    Red always preferred to stick to the shadows where possible, but he knew how to leverage advantages where possible. Even in the capital, cultivators who knew arcane scripture were a rarity, so he knew this could be a large source of income for him he could use for his own cultivation.


    Loras smiled with sincerity. ¡°That¡¯s good. Our capital is always in more need of Arcane Masters, much more so during these times¡­ Although, I would offer you some advice, for your own safety.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°You are an outsider, so you might not be too familiar with the forces at play here¡­ Most of the commerce and masters in our city are sponsored by some larger factions. Very few people can afford to be truly independent in this kind of environment, much less someone that just arrived here.¡±


    The man was trying to put it in the nicest way possible, but Red knew what he meant. It was very likely that the factions of the city monopolized certain businesses and manipulated prices, and if any outsider tried to break that system up, nothing good would be awaiting them.


    Red could only imagine that this applied even more so to such a profitable business as Arcane Scriptures. He would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t think about undercutting others for the sake of quick profit, but he knew nothing would be that simple.


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    ¡°I will keep this in mind.¡± he nodded.


    Loras smiled. ¡°Good. Since that¡¯s settled, I officially grant you passage into our capital.¡±


    Red was taken aback.


    The man laughed. ¡°What are you surprised? Of course, your guarantor is this merchant Emer, and if he removes his guarantee, then we would be forced to expel you. However, a cultivator of your power and skills is always welcome in our city, and you shouldn¡¯t have problems finding another guarantor if you ever lose this one.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now we only need to go over a couple of rules.¡±


    The man started to read from a list in his hands. He went over a lot of basic laws, some things that stood as common sense and others that seemed to be designed especially for cultivators like him.


    For instance, fights between cultivators were not allowed in the streets, regardless of your cultivation realm. Cultivators also weren¡¯t allowed to use their powers on mortals, with the punishment being even higher than if they fought against each other.


    Red was surprised that there were such laws in place to protect mortals, but he assumed the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as they made it out to be. Sure, bullying others with power on the streets was against the law, but what about away from prying eyes? Would the guards be able to track the movements of every cultivator? Would a mortal provoke a cultivator, knowing they might be killed in their sleep without even being aware of it?


    That all went without saying. These laws were probably in place just to keep order in the street, but Red didn¡¯t believe they would be that effective at the end of the day.


    ¡°There is also another matter.¡± Loras said. ¡°A law established some time ago for cultivators at and above the Lesser Ring Realm. We will need to be aware of your place of residence within the city at all times as a protective measure. I hope you understand.¡±


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t protest. ¡°I do.¡±


    This was likely due to the Blood Moon and the rising demonic activity on the continent. The guards would need to be able to locate the biggest suspects as soon as they could in case of accidents, so simplifying the matter of investigation and establishing alibis for the most powerful cultivators in the capital was a must.


    Red wasn¡¯t too worried about it either. Even if they kept an eye on him, he was confident once he was more familiar with the city, he could sneak away into the night and do as he pleased.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is.¡± Loras nodded. ¡°Now let¡¯s meet with your guarantor.¡±


    The man stood up and walked out of the room. Red followed behind him, escorted by a few guards, and soon enough, he met up with Emer, who was also being accompanied by some soldiers.


    He looked relieved when he saw the youth and looked over at Loras with anticipation. ¡°Everything went well?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡± The Captain nodded. ¡°He¡¯s allowed into the city under your guarantee. I¡¯m sure you know that if he does anything bad, it falls on your head too, correct?¡±


    The merchant smiled. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m aware!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then my men will escort you back to the gate and you will be allowed into the city.¡± Loras looked over at Red. ¡°There¡¯s just one more thing, though¡­¡±


    The youth suddenly had a bad premonition.


    ¡°The mask.¡± The man pointed at his face. ¡°You need to remove it.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of security. You can feel free to put it back on once you¡¯re in the city, but I need to record your appearance within our registries in case of any accidents. Be assured, none of that information will be leaked to the public.¡±


    The youth was silent for a long while. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Loras frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t.¡±


    The air around the room immediately changed, as all the friendliness of the Captain¡¯s face disappeared. The guards also seemed to sense this change, and their hands gripped their weapons tightly, as if they were ready to strike Red.


    The youth was confused at first as to why the man waited until now to make such a request, but looking at the situation now, it became clear. A dozen soldiers and a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator surrounded him inside of their headquarters, with who knew how many more men waiting around to reinforce them. This was a pressure even a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator couldn¡¯t ignore, and it was clear that the captain was counting on it to force Red to give way.


    He wanted to know his face.


    Perhaps if he approached the youth with such a request right from the get go, he would have been denied and Red would have had no qualms with just turning away. Instead, Loras lured him in with his approval of his entry, and now he was making demands.


    It was as if he was saying, ¡®You¡¯re already allowed into the city, so why cause trouble just because of this small matter? You¡¯re so close already!¡¯. He even tried to reassure Red by saying this information would be kept just at the city¡¯s guard, and maybe if it was another cultivator in his place, they would indeed feel compelled to agree to this deal.


    To the youth, however, this was the one thing he couldn¡¯t budge on. No one could know his appearance, even if they were completely unrelated to the Empire. The risk was just too great to take a gamble.


    Loras seemed to understand that the youth was not going to change his mind. He sighed. ¡°Are you hiding something from us?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t hiding anything, why would I use a mask?¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s understandable, but I¡¯m afraid that if you don¡¯t show your face to me, you will not be allowed entry into the capital.¡±


    The youth was silent for a few seconds. ¡°¡­ So be it.¡±


    Both the merchant and captain seemed surprised by his resolve. He didn¡¯t even try to negotiate with them before outright accepting Loras¡¯ decision.


    The man looked at him with a curious expression before nodding at his men. ¡°Please, escort him out of the city¡¯s premises.¡±


    The soldiers seemed ready to do so, but the merchant suddenly got in their way.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He raised his hands to stop the guards.


    The guards stared at him with unfriendly gazes, ready to push the old man out of the way.


    Loras held his hand up for them to stop, though. ¡°What is it now, sir?¡±


    Emer hesitated. ¡°I-I¡­ I need to speak to you!¡±


    ¡°Then speak.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ It would be best to do it in private.¡±


    Loras frowned, looking between Red and the merchant. He seemed reluctant to leave the youth alone with his guards.


    ¡°Approach me.¡± he said, waving the merchant over.


    Emer seemed reluctant, but he did as he was instructed.


    Once he got close enough, the man waved his hand, and an opaque brown barrier formed around them.


    Red frowned at this. He could neither hear nor see anything happening inside there, only relying on his crimson sense to gauge their emotional states.


    As their hidden conversation progressed, Emer seemed afraid and reluctant, while Loras showed extreme surprise. Whatever the merchant said seemed to have caused a change of hearts in the captain, leaving Red completely puzzled.


    The conversation lasted no longer than a minute, after which the barrier covering them disappeared. Loras looked over at Red with a strange gaze.


    ¡°You can keep your mask and enter.¡± he said.


    The youth was shocked, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    The Captain looked over at the merchant, who was smiling in relief. ¡°If anything happens, it¡¯s on your head!¡±


    Emer nodded. ¡°Yes, I will take full responsibility!¡±


    The merchant then scooted over to Red with a smile.


    ¡°We did it! You can enter the city!¡±


    The youth, however, didn¡¯t feel much relief at this. Instead, he felt like the situation got even stranger.

 Chapter 391 - Streets of the Capital

    <div>


    Red said nothing, following the guards alongside the merchant. An hour had gone by while they were being interrogated, during which the line to enter the city hadn¡¯t diminished at all. Even late into the night, it seemed there was a constant stream of refugees seeking shelter in the capital.


    The guards led them through the gate, and Red was finally able to get his first glimpses of the inner city. At least, as much as he could.


    ¡®This is¡­ Too cramped.¡¯


    The youth didn¡¯t know what was waiting for him, but looking at how big the city was from the outside, he expected expansive streets and large, towering buildings. Instead, the first thing he saw was a rather narrow street leading further into the innards of the city with nestled and shoddily built homes and structures that reached over ten meters high at their peak. It was a chaotic mess of doors, windows, and balconies, with plenty of lights and conversation coming from within these houses.


    Even this late at night, the city was still awake.


    This activity wasn¡¯t limited to the homes either, as plenty of people stood around by the sides of the street, talking to each other, smoking their pipes, eating, and even hanging their laundry on clotheslines that extended high above from one side of the street to the other, even using the streetlights for support. It was so cramped that a lot of guards needed to direct traffic coming in, clearing a way for carts and horses to pass through.


    Red counted at least a thousand people with his crimson sense in this small section of the city near the gate. When he extrapolated these numbers with how big the capital seemed from the outside, the estimated population he had reached made him be taken aback.


    For a moment, Red stood still, taking all of this chaotic environment in. Even someone as strangely dressed as him, no one spared more than a second glance. It seemed he was overly worried about how to blend in.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, right?¡±


    The voice of the merchant reached him from behind. Emer had mounted his horse again, and was looking at Red with a smile.


    ¡°Carlhanne is even bigger than it seems from the outside.¡± The old man pointed at the streets beyond. ¡°Near the palace, things are less cramped, though. That¡¯s where the beauty of the city shines.¡±


    The youth remained silent, looking between the man and the winding street ahead of him.


    ¡°Get a move on! Stop just standing there and clogging up the street!¡±


    A guard shouted at them, causing Emer to jump in fright. He looked over at Red in a hurry.


    ¡°L-Look, I know the deal between us was just getting you into the city, but¡­¡± The old man hesitated. ¡°I was wondering if you would like to stay at my manor for the night.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t have a place to stay, do you? The inns are probably all full for the night too, so you could stay in our guest room.¡±


    Red was rather hesitant to take the man up on his offer. It was clear that Emer was hoping to establish some goodwill with the youth through this, and considering all that happened, he wasn¡¯t sure this was a good idea. Yet, upon further thought, this was the only connection he had in the capital, and Red wasn¡¯t too willing to sleep in the streets in this foreign environment either.


    ¡°I will take you up on your offer.¡± He nodded. ¡°But only for the night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is good too!¡±


    The merchant seemed both happy and relieved to hear Red¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Move on already before I bring you lot to jail for the night!¡±


    Another warning came from the guards.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we are going!¡± The merchant looked back at Red. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll take you to my manor.¡±


    Emer led the way through the street with Red in tow. They had no option but to follow the traffic, though, as there was no way they could cut around it to arrive at their destination any faster.


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    The youth wasn¡¯t too worried about it, though, as this gave him the opportunity to observe his surroundings.


    His initial impression of the capital wasn¡¯t mistaken, as even further along his trip, this tumultuous environment prevailed. Yet, beneath the chaotic architecture, there were a lot of details that were easy to miss at first glance.


    For instance, there were dozens of alleys of varying sizes along the streets, leading towards homes and other structures that were hidden from the prying eyes of the common public. Even above their heads, there were plenty of skybridges connecting buildings on both sides of the streets, with plenty of movement to and fro. The citizens of the town seemed to be using every single inch of space around them to build upon and make their lives easier, creating a veritable maze of paths that one could only wonder where they led to.


    ¡®It¡¯s no wonder that an underground organization could flourish in this place.¡¯


    Under such a complex architecture, keeping themselves hidden from the authority wouldn¡¯t be that hard if they knew the ins and outs of the city. Red felt somewhat relieved upon realizing this, as even if he wasn¡¯t able to keep himself entirely to the shadows, at least he would be able to blend into the crowd and into the many buildings.


    As they walked further along, the traffic dispersed as the streets split off into multiple paths, leading people to their destinations all along the city. Red passed by quite a few open shops, including no small amount of inns, which all were still active even this late at night. He took a mental note of them, though he didn¡¯t have the chance to examine them too much.


    ¡®This place is too big.¡¯


    Even with his strong mental faculties, Red was already finding it hard to keep track of every street and corner he came across. At the very least, he realized this wasn¡¯t a task that he wouldn¡¯t accomplish in a single night, so he stopped worrying too much about it, instead choosing to appreciate his environments.


    The merchant was more than happy to explain what every and which building of note they came across was, though according to him, the better stuff could only be found further in the city.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow to visit some of the best cultivation shops in the city!¡±


    Emer seemed to be already making plans without Red¡¯s input, but the youth didn¡¯t say anything. Even with all his curiosity and wonder, he didn¡¯t lower his guard regarding the merchant and all the oddities going around him.


    ¡®He hasn¡¯t mentioned the dead mercenaries.¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t know if this was because the old man simply didn¡¯t know about them, or because he was avoiding the topic. In any case, this was yet another strange matter he took note of.


    ¡°You live with someone else?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Well, just two people.¡± The merchant nodded. ¡°My maid, Agatha, and my younger brother, Cassemir.¡±


    ¡°Is your brother a merchant too?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes, I guess you could say that.¡±


    The old man¡¯s fluctuation immediately flared in anxiety. Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t push the topic. At this point, he would be a fool to believe everything the merchant said, so there was no point in pressing him on this matter just yet.


    If anything seemed out of the ordinary when he reached this manor, then he could consider what to do.


    To Red¡¯s surprise, as their path winded through the busy city night, the streets started to widen, and the chaotic architecture instead became more organized. Larger, single and more beautiful buildings now took his view, showing the shift from a poorer area of the capital to a richer neighborhood. Activity around these parts also diminished, as there were far fewer open shops or people loitering about the sidewalks.


    ¡°There, it¡¯s up ahead!¡±


    The merchant pointed to an extensive building near the end of the street, with a large, adorned wooden gate, a finely painted green facade and two floors overall. It was hard to call this home a manor, as it didn¡¯t seem much bigger than the main hall back in Red¡¯s sect, yet for such a cramped city, such a house was already a privilege, it seemed.


    The youth could see lights coming from inside the merchant¡¯s home, though they were still too far for his crimson sense to pick anything up.


    Emer dismounted his horse, looking over at Red with eagerness. ¡°Come! My brother might still be awake, so I can introduce the two of you!¡±


    The merchant walked ahead, leaving the youth rather confused.


    ¡®His brother¡­¡¯


    Red had a bad feeling about the overall situation, but he was too far along to back out now. Once he was within range, he felt the two fluctuations inside the manor. One of them belonged to a mortal human woman, on the older side, it seemed, but the other made the youth pause.


    ¡®Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.¡¯


    His steps faltered. If that was all, it wouldn¡¯t have been enough to cause him such a reaction. Instead, it was something else he felt within this fluctuation. It was a feeling he didn¡¯t come across many times in the past, but that still left a deep impression on him.


    Demonic corruption.


    This wasn¡¯t just an ordinary Lesser Ring Realm cultivator waiting inside the manor. It was a demonic cultivator.


    The merchant seemed to notice that Red had stopped following him, so he turned around to look at him in confusion. A few seconds later, though, his expression became anxious and frightened, as realization seemed to cross his face.


    ¡°P-Please, benefactor¡­ We don¡¯t mean you any harm. All my master wishes to do is speak with someone who walks the same path as him.¡±


    There was both sincerity and terror spread across Emer¡¯s face. His whole body shivered as he looked back at the house and observed a figure hidden behind its walls.


    Red, however, wasn¡¯t any less shocked. Pieces started to fall into place for him, too.


    ¡®He knows about my demonic corruption.¡¯


    Less than an hour after setting foot into this city, the youth suddenly found himself in extreme jeopardy.

 Chapter 392 - Stand Off

    Red was still taking the information in when he noticed some movement inside the house with his crimson sense. The demonic cultivator¡¯s fluctuation changed, and the youth felt him approach a window. He looked up with his improved sight and there, on the second floor, he saw a stern-looking middle-aged man peer over. He wore lordly garbs, with a slicked back grizzled hair and a finely trimmed mustache. The man didn¡¯t open his window, instead just staring at Red with an examining expression and a slight frown on his face.


    In the same way the youth had noticed him from afar, this demonic cultivator seemed to have also picked up on his presence. An unspoken battle of wills went on as Red and this stranger tried to judge each other¡¯s strength from afar, their gazes speaking far more than mere words could.


    These were two predators meeting in the wild, and they both were ready to spring into action should the situation call for it.


    The old merchant, still carrying a begging expression, sensed the strange pressure forming around him as he was caught in the cross-fire between two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators. He looked up and when he saw his brother¡¯s figure in the window, his expression paled.


    Emer looked between Red and the man with fright. ¡°Please! You can¡¯t afford to fight here¡­ If you do, it¡¯s going to be the end for all of us!¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond, but the merchant¡¯s words hit his weak spot. If he fought against a demonic cultivator in the middle of the street, wouldn¡¯t that catch the attention of the guard? At that point, even if he killed this stranger, which he wasn¡¯t entirely sure he could, how would he be able to hide that there was something wrong with him?


    Meanwhile, turning around and fleeing wasn¡¯t a good option either. They knew his secret, so how could he rest easy just walking away?


    ¡®Do I really need to enter and try to speak with this man?¡¯


    It was the only reasonable option, but the situation wouldn¡¯t be optimal either way. He wanted complete anonymity in town, and now, regardless of what happened, it didn¡¯t seem he would get that.


    Emer somehow seemed to be able to guess at his worries. ¡°Please, sir¡­ You can keep your weapons. All my master wants is to talk.¡±


    ¡®He wants to talk?¡¯


    The man¡¯s unfriendly gaze seemed to speak otherwise, but at this point, Red was running out of options.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with him.¡±


    Emer smiled in delight, looking up at his brother in the window. The middle-aged man said nothing, but he retreated from the window, moving further into the house. This seemed to be his silent agreement.


    The merchant seemed relieved, waving Red over as he finished tying his horse and opened the front door. ¡°Please, sir, come in.¡±


    Red walked over with steady steps. Although he agreed to meeting with this man, he was getting ready for a fight as his muscles tensed all over. After all, he was entering someone else¡¯s home, so who knew what traps might be waiting for him inside?


    At the same time he was worrying over this, though, a certain idea came to his mind.


    ¡®If he lowers his guard, then maybe¡­¡¯


    Before Red could deliberate much further, he stepped inside the house. An old maid was waiting by the entrance for him as Emer closed the door behind them. Her expression didn¡¯t betray any kind of emotion as she bowed towards this stranger, extending her hand and offering him a towel.


    Red stared at the cloth, making no movements to accept it.


    Emer noticed this. ¡°Ah, that is for your feet, sir.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, they are a bit¡­¡± The merchant looked down at the youth¡¯s dirty bare feet, before glancing up at the impassive eyes behind the mask. ¡°¡­ Nevermind. Agatha, you can leave us.¡±


    The maid nodded, and without speaking a word, excused herself.


    ¡°Please, follow me.¡± Emer pointed to a set of stairs at the end of the corridor. ¡°I will take you to my brother¡¯s office.¡±


    Red followed the old man, taking in his surroundings.


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    It was the finest place the youth had ever been to. Not even the Baron¡¯s castle could compare. A fine red carpet extended over the corridor, covering a floor of intricately weaved wooden tiles, with angelic paintings and bookcases standing by the walls alongside lamplights. Red could even see a hint of further fineries in other rooms the corridor led to, but that was not his focus right now.


    Instead, he tried to spot any signs of a formation, or anything else that stood out of place. To his relief, he found nothing as he made his way upstairs, but he didn¡¯t lower his guard either.


    Emer led him through another corridor on the second floor, at the end of which there was a heavy wooden double-door. The merchant hesitated as he arrived in front of it, looking at Red¡¯s figure waiting a few meters away.


    Then, a few seconds later, he knocked on the door.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    A raspy voice came from inside the room.


    Emer opened the heavy doors, revealing a large office to Red. Large bookcases and shelves lined up the wall to his right, while to his left, paintings, hunting trophies, and other decorations stood. Center-piece to those was a large halberd that shone as if it was made of silver, giving off a sense of nobility unbecoming this kind of weapon of war.


    In the center of the room there was a dark-brown desk, upon which one could find heavy stacks of paper and books, as well as a white-stone lamp that illuminated the environment. In front of the desk there were two mahogany chairs with crimson-colored cushions for guests, while behind it stood a large leather bound throne, upon which a man sat, his silhouette highlighted by the light coming from the window to the streets at his back.


    The middle-aged man had both of his elbows on his desk, crossing his fingers in front of his face as if to hide half of his face. He didn¡¯t even spare a single glance at Emer, instead staring directly at Red with the same stern gaze.


    Then he pointed at the chairs across from him. ¡°Please, sit.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t seem to be even a bit bothered by the youth¡¯s appearance.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t immediately enter the room. Instead, he looked around, searching for any signs of formations or other traps. He did this openly, but the man didn¡¯t offer any comment, waiting for him to be finished.


    Red, once again, found nothing out of the ordinary, but this instead made him be more on guard.


    ¡®No safe-guards¡­ At least none that I can see.¡¯


    At least his immediate safety wasn¡¯t in danger, it seemed. Red walked into the room, but he didn¡¯t sit on one the chair, instead keeping at least three meters of distance between him and his host.


    The man snorted. ¡°Hmph, do as you wish.¡± He looked at Emer. ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°He stays.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± The merchant seemed confused.


    His host frowned, clearly bothered by the youth¡¯s interruption. ¡°Fine. He stays. If he hears too much, I suppose I can just get rid of him.¡±


    Emer shivered, looking over at Red with a pleading gaze. The youth ignored him, however.


    ¡°Has he told you my name?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Cassemir.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Cassemir Heires. Since you know my name, it is only common courtesy to state your own.¡±


    ¡°Viran.¡±


    ¡°Just Viran?¡±


    Red nodded.


    The man stared at him with disdain. ¡°Hmph, I suppose the savage get up isn¡¯t just an act then.¡±


    Cassemir picked up a glass filled with some kind of liquor on his table, sipping it with no regards for his guest. A few seconds later, he set the cup down and looked over at Red with renewed hostility.


    ¡°You look tense.¡±


    ¡°I am tense.¡± Red said.


    ¡°So the cold persona is all just a trick?¡±


    The youth didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Cassemir narrowed his eyes. ¡°Tell me, who do you worship?¡±


    The question took Red by surprise, though none of this showed in his expression.


    ¡®Is he a demon worshipper?¡¯


    Not all demonic cultivators worshipped demons, and many of them even actively despised these patrons. These people, however, were not in the majority, much more so after the fall of the demonic sects.


    The youth was silent for a few moments, wondering what kind of reply to offer the man. He wasn¡¯t aware of how non-believers were seen in the eyes of demonic worshippers, and neither did he know about how certain demonic beliefs got along with each other.


    His silence, however, seemed to anger the man. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I asked. Someone as clueless as you can only be a non-believer or a worshipper of a savage fiend.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Who do you worship?¡±


    Cassemir didn¡¯t respond immediately, instead fishing something from his collar. He held up a purple-golden pendant up depicting a nine-pointed star, showing it to Red.


    ¡°Do you know what this is at least?¡± he asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°¡­ The Infernal Emperor.¡±


    An archdemon. The so-called ruler of the hells and progenitor of sin.


    From personal experience, Red didn¡¯t let his mind linger on the topic and diverted his gaze from the pendant.


    ¡°Why did you want to see me?¡± he asked.


    Cassemir snorted. ¡°Trust me, I did not want to see you. If it wasn¡¯t for my useless brother, I would have never known such a young demonic cultivator wanted to enter this city and possibly ruin all the plans we have been so carefully building.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Ruin how?¡±


    ¡°The mere fact you don¡¯t know is proof enough of the danger you unknowingly pose.¡± The man shook his head with undisguised disappointment. ¡°He should have never allowed you into this city.¡±


    Emer, who had been silent the entire time, stared at the man with surprise. ¡°B-Brother, but you- Agh!¡±


    The merchant doubled over in pain, falling to his knees.


    Red immediately stood on guard, but he didn¡¯t see Cassemir move or cast any spells. It was as if the old man was suddenly afflicted with an unseen malady.


    The man¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t move from Red the entire time, ignoring the existence of his brother. ¡°I will give you two options: swear yourself to our lord right here or leave the city.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What if I want to do neither?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid you leave me with no other option.¡±


    Spiritual energy started to surge from Cassemir¡¯s body as he emitted the full pressure of his cultivation. A mid-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivation, no less.


    It was then easy to understand why the man seemed so confident to receive Red in his house without any traps or formations.


    ¡°I must say, Red. A demonic cultivator stronger than you by a whole lesser realm sure does make for a good first challenge as a real cultivator!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s laughter reached the youth¡¯s ears.

 Chapter 393 - Lacerate

    A purplish energy covered Cassemir¡¯s body, contained to his immediate surroundings but still strong enough to threaten Red. An unfamiliar corrupting influence reached him, revealing a new kind of demonic power he had never been in contact with.


    This wasn¡¯t the raging anger of the slaughter demon, or the lust for blood of the lizard demon. It was unyielding pride, aloof, as if it saw everything and everyone as beneath it. A different corruption, yet still just as powerful and not to be underestimated.


    The youth didn¡¯t move from his spot, his muscles tensing even further as he stood ready to strike.


    ¡°Even if you can somehow kill me, do you think you can hide the commotion from the guards?¡± He asked.


    The man snorted. ¡°This is not something the dead should be concerned about. Stop trying to buy time and make your decision.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. Common logic told him he should take this opportunity to leave the city now that his identity was revealed, but he somehow doubted matters would be resolved just like that. It was likely instead that this man would send someone to tie up loose ends and assassinate the youth, if he was even allowed to leave the capital in the first place, and by then he wouldn¡¯t be restrained by having to maintain secrecy.


    Yet, the other options didn¡¯t offer an easier way out. Submit himself to an archdemon in exchange for being allowed to remain in the city? Red would never do that. Fight this more experienced cultivator? Even if he won, whatever happened here would be difficult to hide from both the guard and this man¡¯s demonic allies.


    After a long silence, the youth made a decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll submit.¡±


    Cassemir looked taken aback by this. Still, he kept his guard up, staring at Red with a skeptical expression. ¡°Kneel, then.¡±


    The youth showed some natural hesitation at this, but he still forced his tense body down on one knee. He kept his gaze trained on the man across from him the entire time, though.


    Somehow, Red¡¯s reluctance seemed to put Cassemir at greater ease judging by his fluctuation. After all, who would believe a cultivator would be willing to let go of their freedoms to submit to a greater being just like that? Even now, the man carried a great deal of suspicion and skepticism in his face, but the youth¡¯s actions to kneel already put him at a disadvantage if they were to clash.


    Cassemir looked at his squirming brother behind Red. ¡°Bring him the medallion.¡±


    The old man stopped moaning in pain, taking a deep breath as if his head was finally raised above the water. He stood up with some difficulty, his expression still pale with fright as he approached Red.


    He fished something out of his pocket before showing it to the kneeling youth. It was the nine-pointed star symbol, similar to the pendant Cassemir carried, but this one was larger and seemed to be made up of darker metals. Just staring at it made Red¡¯s mind tremble as he felt a wicked presence inside the symbol he didn¡¯t feel when he looked at the pendant.


    Something trembled in the pit of his stomach, as if reacting to the foulest thing in the world.


    ¡°Kiss the pendant.¡± Cassemir said.


    Red frowned beneath his mask.


    ¡°Be careful with how far you¡¯re willing to take this farce, Red.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s warning came to his ear. She, of course, knew that the youth would never willingly swear an oath to any deity, much less a devilish one. Even Cassemir didn¡¯t stop circling his energy, completely ready for everything to break down.


    Whether his enemy was prepared or not, though, didn¡¯t matter to Red. He only needed an opportunity, and he meant to create it.


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    He grabbed Emer¡¯s hand that was holding the pendant with deliberate movements, bringing it closer to his face. Then he lifted the bottom of his mask slowly, revealing his mouth as he brought it closer to the devil¡¯s symbol.


    Cassemir squinted his eyes, surprised at how far things had gone.


    At that moment, every muscle of Red screamed, tensing beyond their limits. Every second since he stepped into this house, his body was on fire, on the edge of exploding into movement at the slightest sign of danger. Even Cassemir thought this was a normal reaction of a cultivator entering an enemy¡¯s territory, ready to react once a trap sprung upon them. Yet, he couldn¡¯t have known that the youth¡¯s tension wasn¡¯t made in defensive preparation.


    Instead, it was the gathering of momentum for one movement. It was the prelude to his offense - the assassin¡¯s strike - the White Beak Weapon Art.


    Right as Red¡¯s lips were about to touch the medallion, he sprung into action. His left leg, once in a kneeling stance, now served for additional impulse as he pushed against the ground and shot towards Cassemir. He knocked Emer¡¯s hand out of the way, grasping his dark-iron sword and drawing it like lightning as he slashed it towards the demonic cultivator.


    His actions were measured and quick, reaching a level of power and danger the youth never saw before. Now that he opened his Spiritual Sea, his assassinations technique had reached an unprecedented peak.


    Yet, he was no longer fighting mortals, either. This was a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, one a lesser realm above him and who was also prepared to react against such an attack.


    Cassemir shot up from his chair, extending his hand forward as a purple spiral-shield formed around his palm. Red¡¯s sword clashed against the barrier, causing the man to slide backwards from the impact.


    Still, the youth¡¯s attack was successfully parried away.


    Cassemir showed a wicked grin, as if things were developing exactly as he was expecting. ¡°Pathetic!¡±


    His other free hand formed a symbol as energy started to gather there. He was preparing another Spiritual Art, and the speed through which the power circulated and took form was something that Red could simply not compare to.


    This was the difference between an experienced cultivator against someone who had just taken their first step in this path a few weeks ago. Yet, Red didn¡¯t retreat, instead sticking close to the man and his spiral barrier.


    Cassemir was obviously delighted at this, but before he could finish his preparations, his face changed.


    The youth opened his mind and blew out air, as if he was whistling. Crimson threads flew out of his mouth, riding the air as they shot towards his opponent. Rather, it seemed as if these threads were the air itself.


    The Bloody Gale Breath, a Spiritual Art that required no preparation.


    Cassemir lifted his spiral shield up, trying to block the crimson air. The wind, however, whistled around his small shield created in a moment and clashed against the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Lacerations spread through the demonic cultivator¡¯s skin, spraying blood and creating quite a grisly sight. His developing technique slipped away as the pain and shock were enough to throw the man¡¯s composure away as he grabbed his face in pain, if only for a moment.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to kill a cultivator at his level. Red used his Gale Breath as a surprise attack, and as such, he didn¡¯t have time to create anything more than some simple slicing winds.


    Yet, what he was looking for wasn¡¯t to kill the man with that strike, but to create an opportunity.


    Cassemir¡¯s momentary distraction allowed Red to slip beneath his spiral shield, using the remaining momentum of his sword attack to strike once more. The man seemed to notice his opponent¡¯s movements, but it was too late to react.


    The short sword stabbed into his chest, finding some resistance in the robe that somehow resembled an armor in sturdiness at that moment. Yet, Red wasn¡¯t using a normal steel sword, but a dark-iron sword which had the same sharpness of a Spiritual Artifact.


    The resistance was momentary, and the blade dug into the man¡¯s flesh through bone and sinew. His opponent let out a gasp of pain, but before he could even react, Red dragged the sword upward, tracing a bloody path to his neck.


    Strength and resistance started to leave Cassemir¡¯s body, but even then, the youth took no chance. He cut upwards until he stabbed through the man¡¯s jaw and reached the cranium. His blade hit a soft organ there, and Red twisted it.


    The man twitched, and a few seconds later, his body relaxed, and his eyes clouded over as the purple energy around him dissipated. Red felt the demonic fluctuation disappear, and only when it was completely gone did he remove his sword, letting the corpse fall to the floor.


    There was a silence in the room as a puddle of blood grew around the youth¡¯s bare feet. His mask and clothes were now covered in blood, and if one looked at his savage appearance at that moment, they would wonder who had been the real demonic cultivator.


    A scream rang out in the room, and Red looked at its source. As many calculations had gone through his heads through the confrontation, the clash hadn¡¯t lasted more than ten seconds, and only now did Emer seem to process what had happened.


    He fell to the ground, his face completely pale as he looked over at the youth.


    The lamb they had brought to their house had turned out to be a terrifying wolf.

 Chapter 394 - The Cult

    ¡°Y-You¡­ You killed him.¡±


    Emer stared at his brother¡¯s corpse in terror, unable to move even a muscle.


    Red looked over at him. ¡°Do you want to die too?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, no! Please!¡± The old man fell to his knees. ¡°Please spare me! I will do anything you want!¡±


    The merchant showed no amount of hatred for the killer of his brother, instead only caring about his own life. It did not surprise the youth, since their relationship resembled more of a master and his slave, and even examining the man¡¯s fluctuation, Red saw no signs of ill-will or anger.


    ¡°Who else did he call here?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± The merchant shook his head.


    The youth frowned. ¡°Can you check?¡±


    Emer looked at his brother¡¯s body. ¡°H-His pendant. It¡¯s how we communicate with each other.¡±


    Red looked at Cassemir¡¯s neck, spotting the blood-covered medallion. ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±


    He would never touch the symbol of an archdemon if he could help it.


    The old man hesitated. ¡°¡­ I-I don¡¯t know. He said only people touched by the Emperor can use it.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Try it.¡±


    ¡°M-Me?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since you carry his medallion, you fulfill all the requirements.¡±


    Of course, it was possible that there was more to using this communication method than Cassemir told his brother, but Red didn¡¯t care. The situation was already a mess, so he would take any opportunity to salvage it.


    The merchant approached his brother¡¯s corpse. ¡°W-Won¡¯t they be suspicious? I never communicated with my brother¡¯s peers on his behalf.¡±


    ¡®Of course they will be suspicious.¡¯


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡± Red said. ¡°Whatever they think will not matter.¡±


    The youth was not sure about what the situation was. He didn¡¯t even know if Cassemir had asked for reinforcements or if he felt confident in dealing with this stranger on his own, but if there was the possibility more demonic cultivators were heading to this house at this moment, Red needed to prevent it.


    The merchant let out one last trembling sigh before grabbing the pendant from his brother¡¯s neck. His movements were careful, as if he was afraid to touch the blood of his family member, but it wasn¡¯t like he had an option. He unclasped the pendant before holding it between his hands and closing his eyes.


    The nine-pointed star symbol began to glow a few seconds later, startling Emer. His face paled even further a moment later, and he looked up at Red with a begging expression.


    ¡°S-She¡¯s asking me what the situation is.¡± The old man said. ¡°T-There are multiple voices¡­ They think I¡¯m Cassemir.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s a mental communication.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t good. In this situation, Red wouldn¡¯t be able to know what the merchant was saying to these people, but at the very least, if Emer held any thoughts of betrayal, he should be able to detect it through his fluctuation.


    ¡°Tell them you master has killed the cultivator and now the situation is handled.¡± Red said. ¡°They don¡¯t need to worry anymore.¡±


    Emer closed his eyes again in concentration. A few seconds later, he looked back at Red in fear.


    ¡°T-They¡¯re asking me who I am and where Cassemir is¡­¡± The man hesitated. ¡°¡­ One of them sounds really angry.¡±


    ¡°Tell them you¡¯re Cassemir¡¯s brother.¡± Red said. ¡°Tell them he sustained heavy injuries during this confrontation and he is in no condition to speak with them.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t think they will believe that.¡±


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡±


    Emer nodded and closed his eyes again. Five seconds later, he looked at the pendant with a confused expression.


    ¡°T-They¡¯re not responding. I think that they- Ah, wait!¡± He shut his eyes, focusing on the pendant. ¡°T-They¡¯re asking me¡­ Which archdemon the cultivator Cassemir killed served.¡±


    ¡®Which demon?¡¯


    ¡°Do they sound angry?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ They sound cautious and suspicious.¡±


    The youth frowned. They would need to be stupid to not notice something was wrong with the entire situation, but Red didn¡¯t set out to fool them, either. This question of theirs, though, seemed to imply that they were afraid of the interference of another archdemon in their territory. This wasn¡¯t surprising, considering worshippers of different demons weren¡¯t always on good terms with each other.


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    ¡®Maybe this could be an opportunity¡­¡¯


    Red was in thought for a few seconds before looking back at Emer. ¡°Tell them¡­ The cultivator Cassemir killed was a worshipper of the Chaos Dragon.¡±


    Emer¡¯s eyes widened in terror. ¡°B-But you said¡­¡±


    The youth kept silent, staring at the merchant with his impassive eyes.


    The old man trembled, focusing back on the pendant. Almost ten seconds later, he looked over at Red.


    ¡°They say they want to come visit tomorrow¡­¡± Emer said. ¡°T-To discuss why a Chaos Dragon worshipper is in the city.¡±


    ¡°Say Cassemir is indisposed to receive too many guests¡­ It¡¯s best if they send only one person.¡±


    Emer nodded, relaying the message through his mental channel. Then he lowered his pendant as the glow faded away. ¡°They ended the connection¡­ They said they will send someone over tomorrow, around midday.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Red, what are you trying to do here?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ear.


    The youth couldn¡¯t respond, because even he was not too sure yet. At the end of the day, he was too reluctant to give up on the opportunities this city presented him, so he decided to make a gamble.


    Since they knew he was a demonic cultivator, Red would be hard pressed to stay uninvolved with that world, so instead he opted for going the opposite way. He would pose as a demonic cultivator, not an unaffiliated one, but someone with a big background representing the interests of another archdemon. That way, even if they were keen to act against him, they would hesitate somewhat.


    His choice to represent the Chaos Dragon was not random either. This archdemon was the one he was most familiar with since he dealt with the lizard demon a long time ago. Her worshipers were the ones responsible for attacking the sects at the Skycrown Mountains in the past and creating a new monster horde. They were known for their viciousness, their love of destruction, and their erratic and prone to anger temperaments.


    Her worshippers weren¡¯t the type to act out conspiracies and resort to secrecy, but rather to do everything by force and directly. It was hard to reason with them, and that was why Cassemir¡¯s peers showed some hesitation to Emer and approached the situation more carefully.


    At this point, they probably took it as certain that Cassemir was dead and the one behind Emer¡¯s words was the one who killed him. After all, even if the man was wounded, what was the difficulty in sending mental messages through their connection? He wouldn¡¯t need a mortal to do that for him.


    From Red¡¯s conversation with Cassemir, he guessed those people were enacting some kind of secret plan, and for that, they needed to be discreet and to keep their identities hidden. Now, they just learned that a Chaos Dragon worshipper was in the city for whatever reason and killed one of their own. If those lunatics had designs on the capital, they could threaten all of their carefully laid plans, so these people had no choice but to probe the situation rather than deal with it forcefully.


    Of course, this was all because they couldn¡¯t see Red in person. Cassemir could tell the youth had no relation to the Chaos Dragon, so he wasn¡¯t certain he could fool his peers either. At that point, his plan would fall into shambles.


    There was already a chance that it could happen either way, but the youth was willing to take a risk. Even leaving the city wasn¡¯t necessarily the best option, since it wouldn¡¯t clear him from the eyes of these demonic cultivators, and instead could provide them with the opportunity to kill him without concerns of having their identities discovered.


    ¡®I need to prepare¡­ And deal with any unnecessary risks.¡¯


    Red looked down at Emer. ¡°How did you figure out I was a demonic cultivator?¡±


    The merchant trembled, kneeling in front of the youth. ¡°I-It was the medallion! It can detect demonic corruption!¡±


    Red frowned. Not even Hector could detect his demonic corruption, so how could a mortal carry an item capable of such a thing?


    He put his hand in his pocket, grabbing the crystal core and extending his awareness towards it.


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± he asked Aurelia.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely possible, but that¡¯s not something a common detection item can do.¡± The woman also sounded confused. ¡°With the help of that bracelet of yours, not even people in the Spirit Core Realm should be able to see it without careful observation. Either this medallion this old man is carrying is very special or¡­¡±


    She trailed off.


    Red frowned. ¡°Or what?¡±


    ¡°This is a religious medallion. It contains powers that belong to¡­ someone else, in another realm. The owner of this power could have been gazing through it, and they were able to spot you and direct the mortal to you.¡±


    The youth trembled. The possibility suggest by Aurelia was too terrifying to think about.


    ¡°¡­ Am I in the gazes of an archdemon?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Possibly. Or maybe you were just close enough to the capital to attract their attention.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°How would I know? I can¡¯t claim to understand the will of deities, nor do I dare to. Just be thankful there is a dimension separating you from them.¡±


    Red sighed. He retracted his hand from the crystal, looking back at Emer.


    The merchant was still kneeling, trembling in fear and not daring to stare directly at the youth.


    ¡°What did you say to that guard from earlier to convince him to allow me into the capital?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I told him you were related to my brother¡¯s businesses¡­¡±


    He frowned. ¡°His demonic businesses?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Emer nodded.


    ¡®So even the guard is infested with demonic worshippers?¡¯


    The youth fell silent.


    With his two immediate concerns answered, Red considered his next step. More importantly, he thought about what to do with the merchant in front of him.


    On one hand, this was a merchant with knowledge about the city and of the events that could be useful to him. Perhaps he could even help with fooling these other demonic cultivators, since Red wasn¡¯t particularly knowledgeable about it either. Yet at the end of the day, there was a tremendous problem with this idea.


    This merchant knew his identity. At any point, he could reveal it to a member of the city and ruin all his plans. The youth simply couldn¡¯t allow such a risk to live, and even if his disappearance attracted the attention of the guard, it was safer than having his identity revealed.


    ¡®I should just extract whatever information I can from him right now and then kill him.¡¯


    Red would be hesitant to be so ruthless to an innocent person, but this was a demonic worshipper. Who knew what kind of atrocities he was complicit to in the past?


    He looked down at the old man. ¡°I need you to answer me some ques-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to swear myself to you, my lord!¡±


    The man cut him off with a wail.


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m willing to serve and help you, my lord¡­ I-I just want to live.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You think I¡¯m going to kill you?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t mean¡­ My lord, I just¡­¡±


    Emer stumbled over his words, trying to come up with a way to not offend Red.


    ¡®Of course he knows.¡¯


    This was someone used to dealing with demonic cultivators. How could he not figure out that Red would do anything to keep his secrets from being revealed? At that point, Emer would be a variable he would evidently need to get rid of.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re not stupid, there¡¯s no point in pretending.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Of course I need to kill you to keep what happened here a secret.¡±


    The man shivered, hitting his forehead against the ground, disregarding even the blood that pooled around him. ¡°P-Please, my lord! I will do anything you wish! J-Just don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    ¡°What are the uses for empty words? Even if you were the most honest person in the world, I would not take the risk, and you are a demonic worshipper. Tell me, how am I supposed to trust you?¡±


    Emer hesitated. ¡°¡­ I-I can swear a blood oath to you, my lord!¡±


    This was the first time Red heard of the term.

 Chapter 395 - Blood Oath

    ¡°What is a blood oath?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t know?¡± The merchant was taken aback. ¡°I-I mean, it¡¯s a way to bind my lifeblood to an oath! If I break this oath, t-then my lifeblood will wither and I will die!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    With this explanation, Red understood it a bit more. He heard of these types of oaths before, but these were made through contracts or other divine powers. This was the first time he heard about one made with blood.


    ¡°I-If you¡¯d like to, I can explain the steps to you myself!¡± Emer bowed his head at the youth.


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead extending his hand into his pouch once again and grabbing the crystal core.


    ¡°Is what he¡¯s saying true?¡± He asked Aurelia.


    ¡°It is.¡± she said. ¡°Plenty of sects make their members swear oaths, but only demonic cultivators swear oaths through their blood.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°Because it¡¯s blood magic, of course. A simple one, but still blood magic.¡±


    ¡°What are the dangers to it?¡±


    ¡°In the method itself? None really. Other types of oaths will kill you if you break them the same way. The only problem is that every oath has an overseer¡­¡±


    ¡°An overseer?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The oaths aren¡¯t kept by simple magic, but through the safeguarding of a greater force.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Whether it is a god, a sacred spirit, or even a law of nature, this greater force has to agree to safekeeping this oath. It¡¯s why people only swear oaths in the name of deities related to law and fairness, whom they know will uphold it no matter what happens. In the case of a blood oath, though¡­¡±


    ¡°He will have to swear an oath to an archdemon?¡± Red finished her thoughts.


    ¡°Correct. Most archdemons wouldn¡¯t even bother responding to those though, unless it¡¯s related to a worshipper or someone they find worthy.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I understand.¡±


    With Red¡¯s experiences with archdemons, he wasn¡¯t too confident in their response to an oath involving him, and neither would he trust them with it.


    He retracted his expanded awareness and looked down at Emer. ¡°You want to swear this oath to the Infernal Emperor?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, yes, my lord.¡± The man nodded. ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it to any other deity.¡±


    Red frowned. Even if the oath worked, how could he be confident this unknown deity would punish their own worshipper if they broke it? He just couldn¡¯t count on it.


    ¡®It seems in the end I have no choice but to kill him.¡¯


    Right as Red was thinking that, he felt something within his body. A familiar sensation in the pit of his stomach, as if something was calling to him.


    The crimson mist.


    ¡®What does it want?¡¯


    The moments during which the being within his body called out to him were rare, much more so after the accident during the Full Moon. The fact it called out to him right at this moment made the youth alarmed.


    He entered a meditative state on the spot and reached out towards it. The crimson mist was trembling in the pit of his stomach - a state that meant it wanted to communicate with him.


    Red used his thoughts to convey his words. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Oath¡­¡± A faint voice reached his mind. ¡°Swear¡­ To me.¡±


    The youth frowned. As far as Aurelia told him, blood oaths needed to be sworn to archdemons, or at the very least, existences on their level. Whatever the being in his body was in the past, now it was reduced to a small presence in his body, so Red didn¡¯t think it could uphold an oath like that.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± Red said. ¡°Can you really keep an oath?¡±


    The mist quivered again. It showed some anger at his question.


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    ¡°Blood¡­¡± It said. ¡°Feed him¡­ Blood.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Feed him¡­ Loyalty will come.¡±


    Red frowned, but he knew an explanation wasn¡¯t forthcoming. He never managed to hold a full conversation with the being before, anyway.


    He retracted his expanded awareness, reflecting on the conversation he just had in silence. The merchant continued to shiver on the ground. It seemed with each passing second, he was losing his hopes for remaining alive.


    ¡®Fine.¡¯


    After some hesitation, Red decided to follow the mist¡¯s advice. He needed someone with knowledge of cultist matters to accomplish his plans in the city, and the merchant was the only choice he had at the moment. The only way the youth could rely on him, though, was if he was certain the man wouldn¡¯t betray him.


    Of course, he knew the crimson mist probably had some ulterior motives for this. In the past, it had refused to offer him help even when his life was at risk, so why would it do it now? Whatever the case, though, he thought that whatever it had in mind wasn¡¯t against his best interests.


    As if feeling his approval, Red felt a force travel up to his right hand and into his index finger. The youth placed his finger against the edge of the blade before making a light cut. Some droplets of blood started to pool at the tip of his finger, though it didn¡¯t drip down to the ground, instead accumulating into a small blob that remained still against gravity and common sense.


    Red looked down at the merchant.


    ¡°Drink my blood.¡±


    Emer looked up at him with a look of confusion.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice reached his ears, but the youth ignored it.


    Red ignored her, gazing at the merchant in silence.


    The merchant shivered under his icy stare, and he looked at the blood on the youth¡¯s finger with some hesitation. Still, with a fearful expression, he extended his hands to grab the bloody finger.


    Red frowned at the strange sight, but he didn¡¯t pull his finger away.


    Before the merchant could drink the blood, though, the droplet moved as if it had a life of its own. It shot towards the merchant¡¯s mouth like an arrow, causing the man to choke.


    Emer fell to the ground, his hands reaching towards his throat as his breathing was seemingly blocked. His eyes looked around in despair, but he was helpless to do anything about his situation as this demonic blood did something to his body.


    Red himself also felt a strange sensation. It was as if a part of his being had split from him, fighting against an enemy he could not see with the merchant¡¯s body as a battlefield. Despite this feeling of connection, though, the youth didn¡¯t feel like he could influence this battle.


    Someone else was fighting in his stead and, by the looks of it, they were winning.


    The merchant¡¯s struggles started to die down, and he seemed to recover his breath. Red also felt the fight end with the victory of his blood, and an unseen connection was formed between him and this merchant. A sensation of dominance, as if Emer¡¯s life was at his whim. He couldn¡¯t tell where this bond was formed and how he was supposed to exert his influence over it, but he supposed he didn¡¯t need to concern himself over it.


    The crimson mist was the one overseeing it, after all.


    Emer also seemed to feel this connection, and he looked at Red with an expression of fear and reverence. He bowed towards the youth on his knees, his head hitting the ground with force.


    ¡°This servant greets his master!¡±


    The man didn¡¯t express any resentfulness towards the youth. It seemed as if being allowed to live and serve another master was the greatest gift Red could grant him.


    ¡°You¡­ How did you do that?¡± Aurelia sounded confused.


    Red once again ignored her question.


    He looked at the old man. ¡°I hope you understand that this is not an oath with conditions and loopholes. As soon as you betray me or do anything that can be interpreted as going against my interests, you will die.¡±


    Of course, what Red had done didn¡¯t feel like an oath at all, but more like a kind of enslavement. The fiend was the one overseeing this ¡°contract¡±, so it could act as it pleased without concerning itself about conditions or circumstances if the merchant betrayed him. At least that¡¯s what the youth was hoping it would do, considering that if his demonic identity was revealed, it wouldn¡¯t benefit the mist either.


    Emer nodded. ¡°I understand, master!¡±


    The youth was satisfied. ¡°You can get up.¡±


    The merchant did as much, only now realizing with a disgusted expression he was kneeling in the pool of his brother¡¯s blood the entire time. Still, he didn¡¯t move away in a panic, waiting for Red¡¯s command.


    ¡°This maid of yours¡­ Will she be a problem?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°A-Ah, you don¡¯t need to concern yourself about her, my lord!¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s not really alive.¡±


    ¡°Not alive?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, her body is still alive, but her soul is long gone. She is no more than a puppet that follows orders of the master of the house.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not too sure. She was a gift given to my brother by one of his comrades, and all I know about her is what he told me.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t detect a lie from the merchant¡¯s fluctuation - not to mention the old man couldn¡¯t lie even if he wanted to. He could only guess some sort of demonic method was involved in transforming this woman into a living puppet.


    ¡°Does she leave the house?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, my brother doesn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t allow it because of her strangeness.¡± Emer shook his head.


    Red recalled her impassive face while greeting him at the door. ¡°Will she listen to my commands?¡±


    The old man hesitated. ¡°¡­ I-I can¡¯t say for sure, but my brother made sure she would listen to all my commands.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Can she speak to others about what happens inside the house?¡±


    ¡°N-No, my lord! Even if I commanded her to do it, she is incapable of having a memory.¡±


    Red supposed that this was true. A soul was made up of both consciousness and mind, and without it, one wouldn¡¯t be able to store any information in their brain.


    Still, if she was unable to store any information in her head, how was she still able to follow commands as a puppet? Red wasn¡¯t too sure about how those arts worked, and as such, he considered whether it was worth the risk to keep this woman around.


    ¡®I can ask Aurelia about this later.¡¯


    If she still wanted to talk to him after he ignored her questions two times in a row, that is.


    Whatever the case, it was unlikely the maid would become a problem at this exact moment. Red instead had more pressing concerns.


    He looked at Emer. ¡°Tell me everything about this cult of yours.¡±

 Chapter 396 - Conspiracy

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    ¡°What do you want to know, my lord?¡± The merchant bowed.


    ¡°Who are the members of this cult?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Emer hesitated. ¡°I only know of a few. I have interacted with plenty of servants, but tracing them back to their masters was always hard¡­ N-Neither did I have any reason to, as my brother was aware of their identities, unlike me.¡±


    The youth raised his eyebrows. ¡°Who do you know?¡±


    ¡°T-There¡¯s Loras, of the city guard, who you already met.¡± the old man said. ¡°Other than that, I know of Nikon, from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°A mercenary?¡±


    Emer nodded. ¡°You could say that. He doesn¡¯t really do much in the way of jobs, though, and most of the time he just poses as a bodyguard around the city and manages his own group of mercenaries¡­ W-Whenever I needed to transport some sensitive goods, though, I would always need to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his cultivation level?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know for certain, but I have heard others speak he is in the Late Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. This was even stronger than the cultist he just killed and it spoke to the strength behind their organization.


    While he had managed to kill Cassemir, the youth wasn¡¯t so haughty as to think he could assassinate his companions with the same ease. Even now, he knew that killing Emer¡¯s brother would have never been as easy if the mad hadn¡¯t lowered his guard. He looked down at Red¡¯s initial Lesser Ring Realm cultivation and his savage appearance, allowing the youth to approach and put in motion his assassination attempt.


    It wasn¡¯t like Cassemir was being super arrogant, either. How could he have guessed someone who had just broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm would have such a strong Spiritual Art as the Gale Breath that could be executed with a simple breath? It was blood magic, after all, and even to demonic cultists, it was a rare sight.


    That being said, even with his Gale Breath, Red wasn¡¯t confident in his chances of killing Cassemir in straight up combat. He still remembered the pressure he felt in the presence of that strange demonic aura, whose effects he couldn¡¯t quite fathom.


    Not to mention, this was just the cult¡¯s strength on the surface.


    Red looked at Emer. ¡°Do you know if there are members of your cult in higher positions within the city?¡±


    Emer shook his head with a helpless expression. ¡°A-As I said, my lord, I had no way of knowing.¡±


    ¡°Do you have at least a guess?¡±


    Even if the merchant was unfamiliar with the members of the cult, he knew about their operations. If anyone could make a guess as to the pull necessary to accomplish those, it would be this old man.


    Emer hesitated. ¡°¡­ If I had to guess, I think the cult might have members in all kinds of influential positions in the city, maybe even in the palace.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They¡¯re close to the King?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s just a guess, my lord! I-It¡¯s just that¡­ Mistakes and leaks are bound to happen with an operation of our size, but the members of our Infernal Cult have always been efficient in making sure these don¡¯t spread to the wrong ears.¡±


    ¡°What kind of operation are you speaking of exactly?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I can¡¯t say to know much outside of what I was directly involved in¡­ They have been converting city-folk and even people of importance to our Nine-Star Cult, but I was only involved in smuggling demonic ingredients and treasures into the capital.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°So you don¡¯t even know what the goal of your cult is?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course I do, my lord!¡± Emer nodded. ¡°The blood Moon appeared in the sky, so we are obviously trying to pave the way for the Infernal Emperor¡¯s influence to spread to this world.¡±


    The youth said nothing. He wasn¡¯t quite certain how subverting a kingdom could help the cult achieve their goals, but it was foolish to think they were doing it for no good reason.


    ¡°So that was the reason you didn¡¯t want your escorts getting near your cart during your trip back to the capital?¡± Red asked. ¡°You were smuggling demonic goods?¡±


    The merchant nodded with some embarrassment. ¡°T-That¡¯s the case, my lord. However, it wasn¡¯t just that. Most demonic merchandise I bring is sealed with talismans to not be detected, but this time, there was something weird about them¡­¡±


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    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­ I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯m carrying most of the time and I know better than to ask. B-But this time, the task was especially strange.¡± Emer¡¯s expression paled as he recalled these memories. ¡°I was told to just carry one item. A big, ornamental strongbox. The problem was that as I was travelling, I started to hear noises from inside the box¡­ Scratching noises.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I assume that is why you told the mercenaries to stay away from the cart.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right.¡± He nodded. ¡°At first it was just small noises, but as we got closer to the capital, they got louder. I also started to hear thumping noises, like someone was trying to break through¡­ I was terrified when I noticed the seals on the strongbox were starting to break apart, so I decided I needed to do something before I attracted any more suspicion.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You opened the box.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s not like I had any choice, my lord. It was gonna open on its own, at that rate, so I just thought... I just thought¡­¡±


    The merchant trailed off. He didn¡¯t have a plan by then, and was just too desperate considering the consequences of losing that item. Maybe he thought he could deal with whatever was making the noise inside the strongbox. Maybe he thought it was just a small monster that he could bind and lock inside the box again.


    ¡°What was inside it?¡± Red asked.


    Emer shivered, as if just remembering the image was enough to make him afraid. ¡°I-It was¡­ It was an arm.¡±


    ¡°¡­ An arm?¡± Red was puzzled.


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± The merchant nodded. ¡°It was a disembodied arm a-and-¡­ It just flew off as soon as I opened the strong box.¡±


    This time, it was the youth who couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver up his spine.


    ¡®A disembodied arm¡­¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel like this sounded a bit too familiar to him.


    ¡°What state was the arm in?¡± Red asked. ¡°Was it decomposing?¡±


    Emer¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°T-This¡­ How do you know that?¡±


    The youth¡¯s frown deepened. This story was far too similar to the decomposing head Red had found seven years back in the possession of a cultist of the Chaos Dragon. A merchant, just like Emer in front of him.


    ¡®The death of those mercenaries... Could it be connected?¡¯


    ¡°Who gave you this strongbox?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I-It was a delivery, my lord.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°I just picked it up from a guild in a small town not too far from here. No one¡¯s name was attached to it other than my own.¡±


    Red sighed. He didn¡¯t feel like this was a coincidence, but he doubted investigating this matter was wise, and neither did he have time to do it.


    The rest of the story was easily explained. The merchant panicked and wanted to pass off the blame for losing the item in the strongbox to the mercenaries, but they weren¡¯t having any of it. It was only by a ¡°miracle¡± he stumbled upon Red to save him.


    The youth questioned him about some other matter regarding this cult of his, but the merchant knew less than he expected. Cultists didn¡¯t mingle together often, to avoid suspicion, and most of them were bound by blood oaths of loyalty to their masters, so even if they wanted to betray their Nine-Star Cult, they would first lose their lives.


    Emer had a similar oath to Cassemir, but with his death, the oath became void. Red now understood why the merchant didn¡¯t lament his brother¡¯s death too much - their relationship was more akin to a master and his slave.


    ¡°T-There¡¯s something else you should know, my lord.¡±


    Red looked over at the merchant. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Our Nine-Star Cult isn¡¯t the only cult in the city¡­¡± Emer hesitated. ¡°The Serpent¡¯s World Cult also has a heavy presence in the capital, and while we aren¡¯t necessarily enemies, our relationship with them is not the best.¡±


    ¡°Serpent¡¯s World?¡± Red was unfamiliar with the term. ¡°Which archdemon do they represent?¡±


    ¡°T-They represent the Myriad Desire, my lord.¡±


    The youth frowned. No archdemon ever represented good news to mortals, but some were worse than others.


    As their name implied, Myriad Desire was an archdemon of pleasure and seduction. Their believers were adept in the arts of charming, being capable of casting powerful illusions and even brain washing the minds of other cultivators. These skills made them perfect spies to infiltrate other organizations, even more so than the proud believers of the Infernal Emperor.


    One prevalent demonic cult was already a recipe for disaster in any city, but two of them? This was a major crisis brewing underneath the surface that no one in Carlhanne seemed to be aware of.


    ¡®What do they want in this place?¡¯


    Of course, Emer knew even less about this rival cult than of his own cult, so Red was unable to gain any useful information. After clarifying a few more of his own doubts, the youth shifted the topic to something else.


    ¡°Who do you think your cult is going to send?¡± Red asked.


    Emer hesitated. ¡°This¡­ I can¡¯t know for sure, but if I had to guess, they will either send Captain Loras or Nikon.¡±


    ¡®Of course, the only two people they know for sure I will be aware of.¡¯


    The youth turned around, looking over the documents at Cassemir¡¯s table. There were plenty of miscellaneous books and also a lot of letters and contracts. Unfortunately, Red wasn¡¯t able to find anything suspicious about the contents of these documents.


    That wasn¡¯t surprising, considering they could communicate through their minds. Who would risk sending compromising letters in that scenario?


    Red looked back at the merchant. ¡°Do you know anything about the Chaos Dragon cult?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid not, my lord.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°All I know is that they are¡­ Q-Quick to anger.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®It seems I will need to figure out this deception myself.¡¯


    He looked down at Cassemir¡¯s corpse. He drew his breath in, drawing the remnants of his Gale Breath that lingered in the air back into his lungs. Even then, the smell of blood was strong, and that was not just because of the bleeding corpse on the ground.


    ¡®I need to tidy this up before anyone sees it.¡¯


    ¡°Send the maid over to clean this and cover the body. Make sure she uses some strong perfumes, too.¡± Red said.


    ¡°At once, my lord.¡± Emer bowed and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Oh, before you go.¡± The youth said before the man could exit the room. ¡°Make sure both of you stay inside the house. If anyone from your cult catches you wandering about, they will probably kill you.¡±


    The merchant shivered and nodded before leaving the office.


    Red was left alone in the room, looking around with some hesitation.


    ¡®What have I gotten myself into?¡¯


    It was a conspiracy, an enormous conspiracy, and Red, an outsider, barged into the middle of it with no knowledge of it. The only way he could live now was to wade through these dangerous waters all the way to the other shore.


    ¡°I need your help.¡± Red said out loud.


    Aurelia snorted, her figure manifesting by his side. ¡°You sure only know how to talk when it¡¯s convenient for you!¡±

 Chapter 397 - Archdemons

    Red sighed. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°What did you do with your blood?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°I used it for the blood oath.¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°I know that! Who did he swear the oath to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know for certain.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I just know that if I wish to, then I can kill him with just a thought.¡±


    Aurelia stared at him in suspicion, but before they could continue the conversation, the sound of hurried steps came from the corridor. The old maid walked through the door, carrying a variety of cleaning supplies in her hands. She didn¡¯t show the slightest reaction at seeing the dead body, getting to work at scrubbing the blood immediately.


    Red observed her actions, examining her fluctuation. Strangely, he didn¡¯t detect her strangeness through his crimson sense, as it seemed like the woman was still undergoing changes of emotions like any normal human being. Her actions and expression, though, didn¡¯t match her fluctuation.


    ¡®Is my crimson sense being tricked or could it be her mind is still alive somewhere?¡¯


    Before the youth could think any further, Emer entered the room.


    ¡°I have ordered her to clean the blood, my lord. There is another matter that needs your input, however¡­¡± he looked at his brother¡¯s corpse. ¡°W-What would you like to do with the body?¡±


    Red also looked over. ¡°Can you get rid of it without anyone noticing?¡±


    ¡°I-I could, my lord, but¡­ My contacts are all part of the cult.¡±


    The merchant¡¯s meaning was clear. Red was potentially about to fall out with this cult, so how could the old man still make use of his contacts like nothing happened? Even if they arrived at an agreement, they would not allow Emer to benefit from their services at an outsider¡¯s behest.


    ¡®Besides, I don¡¯t want them to get their hands on the body either way.¡¯


    It was possible they could figure out he used blood magic if they had the time to examine the corpse.


    ¡°Is there anyone else that can help?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°T-The Shadow, maybe¡­¡± The merchant hesitated. ¡°I could certainly try to contact them, my lord¡­ But they aren¡¯t too keen on getting involved with our cult¡¯s business and it will cost a lot.¡±


    ¡°How much money do you have?¡±


    ¡°A-A fair bit, my lord, but it¡¯s hard to say if it will be enough to pay them.¡±


    ¡°What about your brother? Does he have a personal stash?¡±


    ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t know, my lord, but¡­ It wouldn¡¯t surprise me.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s hidden somewhere around here?¡¯


    The youth looked around the office. A cultivator¡¯s stash was always very important to them, so it would be well hidden, such that it would require some thorough investigation if Red wanted to find it.


    ¡°See how much they want to get rid of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator¡¯s body.¡± Red said. ¡°As long as they can keep their discretion, I can see about getting them their money.¡±


    ¡°I will try, my lord, but¡­¡± Emer hesitated. ¡°That would require me to leave the house.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t have a direct line to them?¡±


    He was under the impression communication talismans were common in the capital.


    ¡°N-No, my lord.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°The Shadow never provides direct contact to anyone. We can just show our interest and ask around certain places and hope they will respond.¡±


    Aurelia, who was still keeping her image, snorted from the side. ¡°It¡¯s better if you just get rid of the body yourself, or do you trust this shadowy organization won¡¯t be able to figure out you used blood magic?¡±


    Red frowned. He wasn¡¯t against disposing of the corpse himself, but this was an unfamiliar place to him. He didn¡¯t know of any suitable spots and he also didn¡¯t want to risk being seen doing this matter. Not to mention, what if someone found the corpse? Even burning it away wouldn¡¯t be that easy and was still likely to leave behind traces.


    That being said, Aurelia¡¯s point still stood.


    It would be hard, however, to keep a rotting body hidden for who knew how long until he was confident enough to dispose of it somewhere. Cultivators all had a sensitive sense of smell, and if any Lesser Ring Realm cultivator wandered by the front of his house, they would definitely notice it eventually.


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    He looked back at the corpse with a sigh. ¡°Stash the corpse away. I will deal with it later.¡±


    He had some ideas, but it would depend on how his conversation with the cult went.


    ¡°I-I will, my lord.¡± Emer nodded.


    He ordered the maid about as she cleaned the office.


    It took them the better part of an hour to scrub the blood out of the floor and wrap the corpse. After that, Emer and the maid carried the dead body of their previous master away from the room, finally leaving Red alone once again.


    He looked over at Aurelia, ready to resume his conversation.


    ¡°Tell me what you know about the Chaos Dragon cult.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°You¡¯re just going to change topics?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say much more.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Unless you want to speak with it yourself.¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°Bah, nevermind then!¡±


    She was clearly still afraid of the crimson mist inside his body.


    Aurelia looked at the youth and shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s not much to tell about them. What you know isn¡¯t too far from the truth.¡±


    ¡°They are savages, then?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡± She nodded. ¡°In fact, their cult has always had very few members, as most of the Chaos Dragon believers aren¡¯t the kind to act in conjunction with others, even those who share the same faith.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So the cult isn¡¯t that strong?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! I just meant that they don¡¯t have many members, but those they do have are always very strong and not right in the head.¡±


    The youth fell silent. Aurelia¡¯s knowledge was from a long time ago, but as far as he could tell, it was consistent with what he imagined these cultists to be.


    The woman chuckled. ¡°Are you worried you can¡¯t fit the image of a mad cultist?¡±


    She hit the nail on the head.


    Red nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not a good actor, and my plans aren¡¯t consistent with that of an insane person. Besides¡­ That guard Loras also saw me earlier.¡±


    If it was just Cassemir that knew his appearance, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but the guard captain also saw him when he tried entering the city. It would be hard to put on an act to trick these people now, much more so if they were knowledgeable about the Chaos Dragon cult.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should worry.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Just act like your usual self, and it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Madness shows itself in many ways. Just because Chaos Dragon believers like to destroy things, it doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t keep their temper in check when it matters, or else they would have been hunted down a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°Still, I know very little about their traditions.¡± Her point made sense, but it didn¡¯t assuage his worries.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like these cults are friendly and know everything about each other either!¡± She shook her head. ¡°What made these people wary of you isn¡¯t just because of your claim of being a Chaos Dragon cultist, but also because you killed one of their own with a weaker cultivation. Even if they want to deal with you, how could they be reckless?¡±


    ¡°It still won¡¯t stop them from scheming against me in the long run, and I can¡¯t necessarily replicate this feat.¡±


    If Red had an entire cult of influential people scheming against him, how would he be able to accomplish anything in the open within the city? It was why he was trying to pose as someone of greater importance in the first place, to avoid these schemes.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°If you want to convince them you¡¯re a Chaos Dragon cultist, isn¡¯t the best proof right in your face?¡±


    Red had a realization. ¡°You mean my corruption?¡±


    The scales and lizard-like eye of his had become so commonplace the youth didn¡¯t even realize to use them to his advantage.


    ¡°Of course! Think about it - you have lizard corruption spreading across your face, something that comes side by side with a deteriorating state of mind. Yet, you remain a composed and cold person, so what do you think that looks like from an outsider¡¯s perspective?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Someone must be keeping the corruption from reaching my mind.¡±


    ¡°Indeed! In other words, you are either being protected by some sort of powerful warding technique, or you¡¯re directly blessed by the Chaos Dragon herself.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°In either case, it gives credence to your claim of being part of a cult.¡±


    Red reflected upon her words in silence. ¡°¡­ I never thought to use my corruption this way.¡±


    Not even demonic cultists welcomed physical signs of corruption, as that was often seen as a point of no return to a cultivator. Their state would only worsen from there unless they found a way to maintain their sanity.


    Aurelia shrugged. ¡°Since you¡¯re determined to mingle with demons, you might as well use everything in your power to trick them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± he nodded.


    It was a dangerous game he was playing, but the woman¡¯s plan offered him a way out of it he hadn¡¯t considered.


    ¡°What about this Nine-Star Cult?¡± Red asked. ¡°What do you know about them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange, but¡­¡± The woman furrowed her brown in thought. ¡°I have never heard of this Infernal Emperor before.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°You mean there wasn¡¯t an archdemon like that in your time?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s possible he existed the entire time I was alive, but his gaze might have only been drawn to this world recently.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. We had two demonic invasions, and you¡¯re telling me that didn¡¯t draw his attention the entire time?¡±


    The Chaos Dragon.


    The Architect.


    The Myriad Desire.


    The Endless Torment.


    The Hungering Abyss.


    The Mare.


    The Greatblood River.


    The Masked Reveller.


    The Mother of Vermin.


    The Infernal Emperor.


    Those were the archdemons recorded in most history books, and even though information about them was made sparse on purpose, it was implied that their existence was revealed to this world during the demonic invasions. Yet, according to Aurelia, that wasn¡¯t the case with the Infernal Emperor, whom she had never heard of while she was still alive, a time far after the last demonic invasion.


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s indeed strange¡­ But there¡¯s another possibility: the Infernal Emperor was only born after my death.¡±


    ¡®Born?¡¯


    Before Red could elaborate a question, he felt a stirring within the pit of his stomach that made him lurch forward in pain. He almost fell to the ground, but held himself up.


    He reached towards the crimson mist in confusion, but he only saw its trembling form. It was giving him a warning, though not in an authoritative way, but out of fear and concern.


    Do not pursue this. Only danger awaits.


    At least, this was more or less the feeling Red got from it.


    Aurelia saw this reaction of his and frowned. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better to avoid talking about the individual when you¡¯ve already drawn their attention.¡±


    The youth was compelled to agree.

 Chapter 398 - Visitor

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    After his conversation with Aurelia, a new plan formed in Red¡¯s mind. Still, there was not much he could do in the way of preparation, so instead, he investigated the office he was in.


    Other than the Nine-Star pendant, Cassemir wasn¡¯t carrying any cultivator items on him. Red asked Emer about this, but the merchant couldn¡¯t offer any useful information about it. Apparently, his brother¡¯s identity as a cultivator was hidden from the city, and most people just thought of him as a recluse. If he carried any treasures, the merchant never saw them.


    Red thought the notion of a middle-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator with no resources was absurd, which was why he started to work with the possibility of a hidden stash. The youth had some expertise in the matter himself after training with Rimold, so he was confident he could find it if it was hidden by some sort of mechanism.


    Still, after carefully examining every nook and cranny of the room, he failed to find anything out of place.


    Red returned to the center of the office after an hour, looking around with furrowed brows.


    ¡®Did I miss it?¡¯


    He found that to be unlikely. The manor was squeezed between two other houses, so there wasn¡¯t the possibility of a hidden passage, or any sort of coffer hidden in the walls. Red also trusted his senses, and after examining every book and piece of furniture, he was sure he didn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡®Is it in another room?¡¯


    There was still Cassemir¡¯s bedroom, but according to his brother, the man rarely left his office. Would he keep his precious belongings out of his sight? Maybe it was exactly because it was an unlikely hiding place that he thought to hide it there.


    Whatever the case, Red didn¡¯t go looking for it. He wanted to wait until after the meeting tomorrow to do a thorough inspection of the house, as he fully expected to encounter some traps wherever this hidden stash was. Right now, he needed to focus.


    He sat down cross-legged in the middle of the office, circulating his energy in cultivation while watching his surroundings with his crimson sense. Although the cultists agreed to a meeting, he wouldn¡¯t count on them to keep their promises, so he stood on guard against any assassins or scouts that approached his surroundings.


    Emer and the maid were in their rooms, obeying his orders to not live the house. Neither of them were sleeping, but Red wasn¡¯t worried they were plotting something behind his back. His blood connection to the merchant was still there, after all.


    Hours passed as Red split his focus between cultivating and keeping watch. The Spiritual Energy in the city wasn¡¯t bad. In fact, it was much better than in Bestrem, but it still couldn¡¯t compare to the density of the place he used to break through.


    Spiritual Energy density was very important for cultivators, much more so after opening their Spiritual Sea. If Red wanted to keep up a decent cultivation speed, he needed to either rent a cultivation abode within the city or build a gathering formation himself. Neither option was cheap, from what he knew, but he was leaning towards the latter.


    ¡®With my skills in Arcane Scripture, it shouldn¡¯t take too long to gather enough resources for that type of formation.¡¯


    As Red was pondering his options, he felt something enter his crimson sense range. His eyes shot open, staring outside the window.


    The curtain were drawn, and he had turned off the lights in the room. Yet, a few hundred meters away, from the other side of the street, he felt a fluctuation approaching this building. A mortal man, with quite a few open veins by the looks of it. This didn¡¯t seem like an assassin, so Red presumed him to be a scout here to observe the place at the cultist¡¯s behest.


    Red didn¡¯t stand up, examining the fluctuation. He didn¡¯t mind if a scout tried to examine the house from afar, but if he got too close or tried to peek into the building, then the youth wouldn¡¯t stay his hand, either.


    Thankfully, that didn¡¯t seem to be his intention. The man stood approaching once he was within some hundred meters of the house, only standing on the roofs and observing the situation. He stood there for almost two hours before retreating and disappearing out of Red¡¯s detection range.


    Only when he was gone did the youth continue to cultivate.


    The night went on with no further accidents until the first rays of sunshine appeared through the window.


    ¡­


    ¡°Would you like breakfast, my lord?¡± Emer asked.


    ¡°No, just leave me alone.¡±


    Red waved the man away from his office.


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    As soon as morning arrived, the merchant barged into his office, trying to fulfill his every need. It seemed this was what he was used to doing for Cassemir, but Red just wanted to be left alone.


    The old man hesitated. ¡°B-But, my lord! We need to prepare to receive the guest¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare?¡± Red frowned under his mask. ¡°What¡¯s there to prepare?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, your clothes, my lord¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better to replace them? P-Perhaps a bath is in order too.¡±


    The youth looked down at his garbs. Only now did he remember he was wearing rags, now smeared with cultist blood, too. Red was never one to care much about appearances, but he didn¡¯t take pleasure in walking around smelling like earth and blood, either.


    ¡°Sure.¡± The youth nodded. ¡°Prepare a set of practical clothes and a bath.¡±


    Emer smiled in relief. ¡°At once, my lor-¡±


    ¡°But only after we receive our guests.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A-Are you certain, my lord?¡±


    ¡°I am. Now leave me alone.¡±


    Red thought his appearance worked well with the part he was about to play, so there was no point in wasting it.


    The merchant nodded in resignation and left the office, closing the door behind him. There were still quite a few hours until midday, so Red took that time to examine the movement in the streets below through the curtain.


    The neighborhood he was in was not nearly as clustered as the outer city, but it still saw plenty of movement at this time of the morning. Merchants and other high-class citizens left their homes wearing their fancy garbs, stopping horse-drawn cab carriages with loud shouts, being taken to wherever their day led. Kids wearing aprons and other ragged clothes walked around, knocking door to door and offering fresh bread and other kinds of delicacies to these people of higher means.


    Even this relatively small street saw more activity than the main square in the town Red came from, so he could only imagine what the rest of the capital looked like.


    Hours went by as Red observed this activity with some curiosity. Guards walked by from time to time, as well as all other kinds of peculiar individuals. He was most surprised when he came across a group of what seemed to be teenagers, laughing and joking atop their horses. Two of their number were surprisingly at the Lesser Ring Realm, and judging by their clothing and how people gave way to them, their status wasn¡¯t small either.


    Still, Red reined in his curiosity and continued to examine the streets with both his eyes and his crimson sense. As the promised hour neared, he got even more cautious and tense, watching every incoming carriage as if expecting it to be the one that was going to meet him.


    Sure enough, as the Sun reached its zenith, Red felt a strong fluctuation enter his senses. His entire body immediately tensed.


    ¡®Late Lesser Ring Realm.¡¯


    This fluctuation was even stronger than Cassemir¡¯s, so that was the immediate conclusion he came to.


    He looked over at the end of the street as an ornamental black carriage approached his building. It came to a stop in front of the manor as the coach reined in his horses, and a few seconds later, the door at the side opened.


    A tall man sporting noble clothing stepped through. He had a long, black-greyish hair tied into a ponytail, with a finely trimmed beard on a severe weathered expression. He seemed to carry himself with much the same haughtiness as Cassemir, but there was something different about it this time, other than his far bigger and more intimidating frame.


    ¡®A soldier.¡¯


    Red immediately noticed that. Straight back, squinting eyes, hands held behind his back. This was someone used to the formalities of an army, standing tall with pride and examining his surroundings like an enemy could jump out at him at any time.


    That, and he also carried a sheathed saber at his waist.


    ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯


    Just a simple glance at the man told him that. Not only did he have a higher cultivation than Cassemir, but he probably won over the merchant in battle experience too.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way that I can defeat someone like that.¡¯


    This was his judgement.


    The man looked over at the building with a frown, but before he could knock at the door, he frowned. He raised his head, looking up at the window Red was at.


    The youth was hidden by his shadowed surroundings and the half-drawn curtain, but he was certain the man looked straight at his eyes through his mask. Their eyes squinted, as if they were both measuring each other from their positions, but before this could continue, the front door opened and Emer stepped out.


    ¡°L-Lord Nikon!¡± The merchant bowed to the man. ¡°W-Welcome to our abode! We have been expecting you.¡±


    Nikon snorted and looked at the old man. ¡°Take me to him.¡±


    ¡°R-Right¡­ My lord is expecting you in his office.¡±


    The two of them disappeared into the house, and Red stepped back from the window. His entire body tensed in preparation for combat, even if that was exactly what he was trying to avoid.


    There was no way he could underestimate someone like this.


    ¡°Just calm down, will you?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°You won¡¯t convince anyone if it looks like you¡¯re getting ready for a battle to the death!¡±


    Red knew she was right, but there would always be a part of him that wouldn¡¯t allow him to let his guard down.


    He took a deep breath, sitting down on the ornamental chair that the deceased lord took as his own just the day before. He looked towards the door, counting the steps as he heard Emer and his guest approach.


    There was a brief knock at the door.


    ¡°Enter.¡± Red said.


    The door opened, and a trembling Emer walked through.


    ¡°M-My lord¡­ Lord Nikon has come to visit you.¡±


    The merchant stepped aside, letting the towering figure of the man walk through. He was even bigger from up close, easily reaching over two meters tall and having to duck down slightly to walk through the door. The man reminded him of Gruff somewhat, except maybe a hundred times more dangerous.


    Nikon¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to Red as soon as he entered the room, closing within a few meters of the youth with no signs of caution.


    Red pointed at the chair across from him, keeping his calm even as his entire body screamed at him to prepare for combat. ¡°Please, sit.¡±


    The man flared his nostrils as he took the smell in. ¡°You stink.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to bathe.¡±


    Nikon snorted. ¡°Where is Cassemir?¡±


    ¡°Indisposed.¡±


    A slight smirk came to the man¡¯s face, and he looked over Red¡¯s clothing. ¡°Is that his blood?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Bah, to think that man would die to a toddler like you! He truly deserves what he got.¡±


    The youth once more pointed at the chair. ¡°Please, sit down. We have a lot to talk about.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± Nikon¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I know that you¡¯re lying. You¡¯re not a part of any Chaos Dragon cult.¡±


    Red frowned and his entire body tensed. Right from the get go, it seemed his worst fears had come to pass.

 Chapter 399 - Negotiation

    Despite the man¡¯s accusatory tone, Red didn¡¯t lose his composure.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    Nikon pointed at his neck. ¡°Where is your symbol?¡±


    ¡®My symbol...¡¯


    This was always the biggest weakness in the youth¡¯s identity. Cultists all had their individual religious symbols, and the Chaos Dragon was no exception. In fact, Red even knew what the symbol for the cult of the Chaos Dragon looked like.


    ¡®An obsidian pendant.¡¯


    He recalled what had happened when he stared at it in the past. It was a memory he deliberately did his best to forget, for his own safety. Even if he had that symbol with him, he would never carry it on his person.


    However, how could Red not take that into account while figuring out his plan?


    ¡°I have no need of a symbol.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°She lives within me.¡±


    The man laughed. ¡°That¡¯s a very convenient excuse.¡±


    ¡°I assume that¡¯s not all that led you to your conclusion.¡±


    If it was just the lack of a symbol, then it was just too little to write the youth off as not being a part of a cult.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Nikon nodded. ¡°We have double checked the movements of the Chaos Dragon cult over the last few years. All their activity has been focused on Skycrown Mountain, and they have shown no interest in the kingdoms or mortal settlements in the East for a long time. Why would that change now?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is that all?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not all.¡± He pointed to the mask. ¡°Why are you trying to hide your identity?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    Nikon smirked as if he had caught on to the heart of the matter. ¡°I have never heard of any Chaos Dragon worshippers hiding their faces before. At the end of the day, the way you act doesn¡¯t match up with what we know of their cult, but it would be a very nice cover for a demonic cultivator trying to hide within the capital.¡±


    The man fell silent, staring intensely at the youth. He was probably expecting some kind of reaction or tell from this masked individual at having their identity revealed, yet Red didn¡¯t even flinch from his position.


    His composure put his identity at even greater doubt, but it also made Nikon frown slightly.


    Finally, Red spoke up again. ¡°That all seems to be a lot of circumstantial evidence.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯re the one who needs to provide evidence about your identity. Besides, I¡¯m certain we are right.¡±


    ¡°If you are so certain, why did you come here today?¡±


    If they were absolutely sure about his identity, they didn¡¯t need to meet him. They could have just sent cultivators and try to kill him before the situation could slip out of their control.


    It was clear they had some reservations.


    This question caused Nikon some pause. ¡°¡­ We are giving you a chance to live.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Let me guess - you want me to join your cult?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Since you killed Cassemir, it¡¯s only appropriate for you to take over his position and responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°And your organization doesn¡¯t mind recruiting his killer?¡±


    Nikon spat on the ground. ¡°Do you think we let attachments and relationships get in the way of our goals? You are a demonic cultivator too, so you should know better. The only thing we value is loyalty and strength. Since Cassemir was weak enough to die to you, that only proves you could be more valuable for our cause.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You mean I would have to swear loyalty to the Infernal Emperor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± The man squinted at Red. ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re so attached to your freedom that you would put it above your own life, then I suppose there¡¯s only one solution to this problem.¡±


    Nikon let his words linger in the air. He didn¡¯t circulate his Spiritual Energy, nor did he make any indications he was getting ready for combat, but his meaning was clear.


    If you don¡¯t submit, you die.


    ¡®Since it doesn¡¯t seem like he will try to kill me right here, I can only imagine they must have made plenty of preparations in case I try to leak their identity.¡¯


    The youth could imagine what awaited him if he tried to step foot out of his house. Maybe some horrible crime would be pinned on him and an army of guards would chase him down, or maybe he would be assaulted by some shadowy assassins in broad daylight that would slip away as soon as the job was done.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to think they would even involve a Greater Ring Realm cultivator to assure their success.


    At the end of the day, Red¡¯s threat of revealing their identities was just not enough to make them hesitant about dealing with him. Who knew in what parts of this city these cultists were in and how powerful they were? The youth, in the meantime, was just an outsider with no support or contacts. Maybe even if he tried to reveal the existence of this cult, it wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of anyone important.


    However, that was why this threat wasn¡¯t the only thing he was relying on.


    ¡°I refuse.¡± Red said.


    Nikon frowned. ¡°You refuse?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± The youth nodded.


    ¡°¡­ Are you this keen to throw your life away?¡±


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    ¡°Not at all, but at the end of the day, I already serve another.¡±


    The man glared at him. ¡°You still plan to rely on this false identity?¡±


    Red ignored his words, his hand reaching towards his mask. ¡°You said you wanted proof, right?¡±


    Nikon¡¯s expression became uncertain at this. ¡°What do you-¡±


    His words died in his throat.


    Red lowered his mask ever so slightly, revealing the upper-right side of his face. At the same time, he made his bracelet¡¯s disguise drop in that area.


    A bright yellow lizard pupil stared back at Nikon, as crimson scales grew around his eye - the first signs of demonification.


    Red was quick to pull his mask back up and reestablish his disguise. He didn¡¯t want the man to look at his real face for longer than he needed to. Thankfully, though, this brief glimpse seemed to be enough.


    Nikon looked stunned, losing his composure for the first time since entering this office. His mouth opened and closed, but the words didn¡¯t seem to come out of his mouth.


    It took almost ten seconds for the man to recover, upon which he made a single question.


    ¡°¡­ How?¡±


    Red shrugged. ¡°I told you she lives within me.¡±


    Nikon¡¯s expression became ugly, and he fell silent once again.


    It was clear that his entire plan had gone by wayside now that the youth revealed his demonification - a sign a foreign force was allowing him to keep his sanity despite his advanced corruption. Even if this outsider was not part of a cult, his background would definitely not be simple. At best, they could anger some powerful backers if they tried to kill him, and at worst, they could draw the anger of the Chaos Dragon herself.


    Even if his superiors and the Infernal Emperor himself didn¡¯t have an issue with this development, this wasn¡¯t a decision Nikon could make by himself.


    After a long period of thought, the man stared at Red with furrowed brows. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I told you the truth at the gate.¡± The youth shook his head. ¡°I just want to use the environment of the capital to cultivate in peace now that there are Imperials crawling everywhere. I have no intentions to get involved with your plans.¡±


    The man sneered. ¡°A chosen of the Chaos Dragon appeared at the capital at such a time and you expect me to believe you?¡±


    ¡°The fact I came alone should be enough reason to believe me.¡± Red said. ¡°I didn¡¯t come carrying my cult with me, and I certainly didn¡¯t expect to have the bad fortune of coming accross you lot as soon as I entered the capital. I do not rely on others to protect me, but I¡¯m not stupid enough to challenge an entire cult on my own. If you threaten me this way, what other choice do you leave me with?¡±


    Nikon pondered his words with a frown. Red¡¯s words were somewhat reassuring to him, but which demonic cultivator would be silly enough to take their comrade¡¯s words at face value?


    ¡°So, all you want is to cultivate in peace and you have no plans to get involved with our actions?¡± he asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°That is so.¡±


    Nikon hesitated. ¡°¡­ This is not a decision I can make on my own.¡±


    As he said that, he fished something out of his pocket. Another Nine-Star symbol, similar to the one Cassemir wore. The pendant began to glow, and Red assumed the man was communicating with his companions through a mental connection.


    ¡®I wonder if there is a way to intercept this kind of communication.¡¯


    This was just a passing thought of his, as he had no plans of experimenting with it. At least not right now.


    This mental conversation seemed to last for more than ten minutes, during which Nikon¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show many changes. Finally, the glow from the symbol dissipated, and the man stowed it away once more.


    He looked at Red with a hesitant expression. ¡°We have agreed to this deal, but we have some conditions.¡±


    ¡®Here we go.¡¯


    The youth frowned. ¡°What conditions?¡±


    ¡°For one, we need you to return the symbols of our Lord - including the one from the merchant.¡±


    ¡°That can be done.¡± Red nodded. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°We need Cassemir¡¯s body.¡±


    The youth immediately shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t have it.¡±


    Nikon''s expression worsened. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You know why.¡±


    A lot could be discerned from a corpse. Even if Red wasn¡¯t worried about his blood magic, it would be unwise for him to provide this cult with the means to study his techniques.


    The man gritted his teeth, but still nodded. ¡°Fine, you can keep the body. However, there are other conditions.¡±


    ¡°As long as they aren¡¯t absurd, I can accept them.¡±


    ¡°You need to give the merchant to us.¡±


    Red fell silent. He was expecting something like this.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give him to you.¡± He shook his head. ¡°He has seen sensitive information.¡±


    ¡°He has plenty of sensitive information about us, too.¡± Nikon said. ¡°We don¡¯t need you to give him to us, but he can¡¯t be allowed to live.¡±


    ¡°I have already extracted all the important information from him. Why worry about it now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a liability. Even if he has revealed this information to you already, it doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t reveal it to anyone else. If you don¡¯t intend to give him back to us, then you need to kill him.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°I was intent on using him for personal matters.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Too bad for you. I¡¯m sure you can manage it on your own.¡±


    The youth sighed. ¡°Is this negotiable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the few things we settled as not negotiable.¡±


    Red could understand why. Even if the merchant didn¡¯t know about the identity of the important cult members, he was too far involved with a lot of their subordinates. Now that Cassemir was dead, his oath was no longer in place, so he became a big liability for the cult.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Red said.


    Although he was hesitant to agree, it wasn¡¯t because he wanted to protect this demonic servant of his that he knew for less than a day. It was just that he would lose a useful guide in the city matters.


    ¡°I assume you will take care of drawing away suspicion about this, right?¡± The youth asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Nikon nodded. ¡°In official records, he will be leaving today on another trip that he will never return from.¡±


    ¡°I see. Are there any other conditions?¡±


    ¡°No, these are all.¡± the man said. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get involved with our business, the sect has agreed to leave you alone.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I will keep the house and the maid, then. I¡¯m sure you can pretend that Cassemir is still alive and using the place.¡±


    Nikon frowned, but he didn¡¯t refute the youth. An investigation into the disappearance of Cassemir would not benefit either of them.


    Red got up from his chair, walking around the tall man with a wide berth before opening the door to the office.


    He saw Emer waiting at the end of the corridor with a nervous expression. His eyes lit up when he saw the youth open the door.


    ¡°M-My lord! Is the meeting over?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Do you have Cassemir¡¯s symbol on you?¡±


    ¡°I-I do, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Come into the office, then.¡± Red stepped aside, revealing Nikon¡¯s image. ¡°Give him that symbol and the one you carry, too.¡±


    Emer seemed hesitant, but he still walked ahead, taking out the two symbols from a pocket in his robes. He approached the tall man with shivering hands, offering the items to him.


    ¡°H-Here it is, lord Nikon.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He grabbed the merchant¡¯s wrists, crushing down with his powerful grip. The bones in Emer¡¯s arms twisted and broke like twigs with a sickening crunch sound.


    The two symbols dropped to the floor, and before the old man could even let out a scream, Nikon moved again. His free hand formed into a fist, flying towards the merchant¡¯s head like an enormous boulder.


    There was no Spiritual Energy or technique behind the punch, only pure strength.


    The fist struck against Emer¡¯s head, and the old man¡¯s skull exploded like a balloon. Pieces of bone and gore flew against the wall behind the merchant, smearing even the ceiling.


    Red also got some blood on him, and he couldn¡¯t help but frown as he looked at Emer¡¯s headless body. Nikon just smiled in satisfaction, letting the merchant drop to the ground as he picked up the two symbols.


    He looked back at Red, noticing the youth¡¯s stony gaze beneath his mask. ¡°What? Are you not used to seeing blood?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve made a mess. Please, just leave.¡±


    The man laughed. ¡°Fine! I hope you can figure out how to dispose of the two corpses, though.¡±


    Nikon walked past Red, not even sparing a second glance at him as he walked downstairs. Soon enough, the youth felt the man¡¯s fluctuation exit the building and return to his carriage as they drove away.


    The youth didn¡¯t move from his spot at the door, though, looking back at the merchant¡¯s corpse on the ground. The gore didn¡¯t bother him.


    It was something else.


    He replayed the image of Nikon¡¯s punch in his mind multiple times, how the old man¡¯s skull exploded under that power, and how there was not a bit of Spiritual Energy behind the blow. It all led Red to a startling discovery.


    If it was him on the receiving end of that punch, he wasn¡¯t sure he would survive.

 Chapter 400 - Imp

    Red walked over to Emer¡¯s corpse with a frown. A lot of his plans had gone by the wayside now with the old man¡¯s death, but he knew there was very little he could have done to stop it. Even if he convinced them to leave Emer alive, would the youth have been able to protect him the entire time?


    It was unlikely. They could have just killed him when he wasn¡¯t nearby and put the blame on someone else, and there was nothing Red could have done about it. It was best to use this old cultist¡¯s life to make their group trust him more then.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t mention swearing an oath to keep this deal.¡± Aurelia said, her figure manifesting out of thin air as she sat on the table.


    ¡°Of course they didn¡¯t.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°They don¡¯t want to corner themselves.¡±


    His appearance was too sudden. The cult had less than 12 hours to investigate and make a decision on how to deal with this bomb. After Red revealed his status as a ¡°chosen¡±, the threat to their plans became much more serious.


    It wasn¡¯t that they were scared - the youth didn¡¯t think these spies who had ingrained themselves for so long in a hostile environment would panic at the first sign of problem. It was more that they didn¡¯t know enough to make a hasty decision on how to proceed.


    They didn¡¯t know Red¡¯s identity, his goals, or the goals of the cult behind him. Above that, they also likely couldn¡¯t choose to fall out against another cult on their own. This was a decision that could create a war between two cults, and it could only be made by the leaders of their organization. Perhaps, it could only be made by their Emperor.


    This was why a spoken deal was better for them. It wouldn¡¯t bind them to an unfavorable position if their leaders chose to get rid of Red in the future, despite his claimed identity. Of course, this went both ways, and if the youth tried to screw their cult over, there was nothing stopping him, either.


    It was dangerous for both sides, but Red liked it better this way. It gave him enough time to figure out how to protect himself from those people in the future.


    ¡°At least for now, they probably won¡¯t fall out with me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a mess either way, but it¡¯s your path to walk.¡± Aurelia shrugged. ¡°What about the merchant, though? Now you have no guide in the city.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    Red was about to say something, but he trailed off.


    To his surprise, the blood connection he felt to the merchant was still there, despite his life having long since slipped away. Red was puzzled about this, but his thoughts were interrupted by a rumbling in the pit of his stomach.


    ¡®Waste.¡¯


    This was the word the crimson mist conveyed. It was angry.


    It was no wonder, since the efforts it had put into creating that oath all went to waste less than a day later. Before Red could communicate with the being, though, something started to happen to the body.


    The gory mess that his head had turned into wiggled.


    The youth was stunned.


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°What were you going to say? Hey! Are you going to ignore me aga-¡±


    She trailed off as she followed his gaze.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The movement of the pile of gore intensified. Something began to split off from it, and it was only then that Red realized what was causing this activity.


    Blood.


    The fluid was splitting from the organs and bones, floating up on its own and accumulating into a strange shape. Even more blood seeped out from the old man¡¯s neck, and his corpse deflated like a balloon.


    His skin and inner organs withered, while the crimson liquid continued to gather above his corpse. When around a gallon¡¯s worth of blood had flowed into this shape, the absorption stopped as Emer¡¯s corpse was drained dry.


    It pulsed and moved around while floating in the air, as if sculpting something. Soon enough, this blood began to form into a vaguely humanoid shape. The fluid solidified, creating flesh and body parts out of liquid, and a strange creature manifested in front of Red.


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    Although it seemed humanoid, its proportions were distorted. It was less than a meter tall, with a skinny, crimson body and limbs that were far too long for its size, with small claws growing out of its human-like fingers and feet resembling the talons of a bird. Its face was ugly and befitting of a demon, with canines for teeth, pointy long ears, and two curved black horns growing out of its forehead. A tail extended out from its back, with black fur at its tip, and two wings, small even relative to the being¡¯s diminutive size, sprouted out from its shoulder blades.


    Red stared at the creature in puzzlement as a demonic fluctuation manifested itself from it.


    ¡°Imp!¡±


    Aurelia screamed in shock.


    The youth heard the term before from books, but his knowledge was limited. He examined the creature, both its appearance and fluctuation, and to his surprise, he felt a sense of familiarity.


    ¡®Could it be?¡¯


    Some understanding dawned in his mind.


    As the imp¡¯s body finished taking shape, it sprawled to the ground. The small creature groaned, scratching its head and looking around in confusion. Its gaze was eventually drawn to Red, who stared at it from above, and the demon¡¯s expression became fearful.


    ¡°M-My lord, what happened?¡±


    The imp¡¯s voice was shrill and unpleasant to the years.


    Red frowned, unsure of what to say. Another rumbling came from his stomach.


    ¡®Servant.¡¯


    The crimson mist conveyed this one word to him, and it basically confirmed all of Red¡¯s suspicions.


    ¡®This is Emer.¡¯


    The youth was sure of it. If its familiar fluctuation wasn¡¯t enough indication, there was even some passing resemblance in the imp¡¯s face to the one from the merchant.


    Somehow, the crimson being had used the connection he established with the old man to grant him this new form as his body died. Red wasn¡¯t sure how it had done it, or how it was even possible to allow someone to cheat death in such a twisted way, but he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to ask.


    ¡°W-What is going on?¡±


    The imp seemed to have noticed the strangeness of the situation, as his initial confusion wore off. His sense of perspective had lowered with his stature, his voice had changed, and he was looking over his body in horror.


    Red felt the demonic Emer enter a panic as the nightmarish situation overwhelmed him.


    ¡°Emer.¡±


    The youth called his attention.


    His voice seemed to be enough to make the imp snap out of his daze, and he looked up at Red. ¡°M-My lord, I don¡¯t know what is going on-¡±


    ¡°You have died.¡± Red cut him off.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    The youth pointed at his corpse on the ground. ¡°Nikon killed you. He said it was only under the condition that you weren¡¯t allowed to live that the Nine-Star Cult would agree to a truce with me. I accepted it.¡±


    Red had no intentions of lying to the merchant. It didn¡¯t seem like the imp was surprised, though.


    ¡°M-My lord, I understand, but¡­¡± He looked over his demonic body. ¡°W-What happened to me?¡±


    Treachery and ruthlessness from demonic cultivators wasn¡¯t enough to daze Emer, who was likely used to it, and his current condition was more of an immediate concern.


    Red, however, was unsure of what to say. ¡°¡­ I granted you continued life in this form. It was the only way to save you.¡±


    The youth followed up his brutal honesty with a lie. In his defense, though, it wasn¡¯t like he understood what happened either.


    ¡°I-I see, my lord.¡± The imp hesitated. ¡°I-I thank you, but¡­¡±


    There was no way any human being could accept this change so readily. Even now, despair and confusion were evident in Emer¡¯s twisted but still surprisingly human face.


    Red sighed. ¡°I will give you a choice.¡±


    ¡°A-A choice?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You can choose to keep on living in this form and serve me as before, or I can let you die and you won¡¯t be bound by servitude or that form.¡±


    As Red said that, another angry rumble came from his stomach, but he ignored it. He could still feel the connection created by his blood between him and the imp, so he knew the demon couldn¡¯t betray him even if it wanted to. He could force Emer to serve him like before, but he was hesitant to do it.


    Death was one thing - Red certainly feared it, but he knew there were worse fates than that. Being forced to leave your body and having your form twisted to that of a demon was one of the few things the youth feared more than death. That being the case, he felt pity even for this merchant he barely knew and who was certainly not a good person.


    This wasn¡¯t the only reason for his hesitation, however. Red would never hesitate to use demonic methods when he needed to. The merchant¡¯s knowledge could certainly help him a lot, but the youth was confident he could manage even without it. If he was okay with using these demonic techniques for mere convenience, what would be the difference between him and a demonic cultivator?


    Aurelia¡¯s words from before still rang in his head. This was not the path that he wanted to walk.


    As for giving the imp freedom? Red didn¡¯t even consider it. He still had to look after his own interests, after all.


    The imp¡¯s face twisted with struggle. ¡°M-My lord¡­ C-Can¡¯t I return to my body?¡±


    ¡°Your body is gone.¡±


    ¡°B-But couldn¡¯t you make a new body for me?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°If there is a way, it¡¯s beyond me right now.¡±


    ¡°W-What about in the future? Could my lord do it?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t promise you anything.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay! As long as my lord can keep this one¡¯s wish in mind, I don¡¯t care about waiting for as long as I have to!¡±


    Red sighed.


    ¡®Too cowardly to even accept his own death.¡¯


    It was clear that Emer¡¯s attachment to his own life and his conflicting feelings about his new body were clashing at the moment. He just wanted an excuse to live on, a shred of hope, no matter how slim, that would solve these two issues and leave him at ease with maintaining his existence in this twisted form.


    Red could only offer his honesty, though. ¡°If I can find a way, and if it is convenient for me, then I will help you find a new human body.¡±


    There was no way that the youth would set aside his own goals to help this demonic cultist to recover his body. He could only do it if it wouldn¡¯t prove to be too difficult of a task for him.


    The imp hesitated for a moment, but in the end he nodded and bowed towards Red. ¡°Your assurance is enough for me, my lord! I want to keep serving you!¡±


    This was almost the answer Red didn¡¯t want to hear, but there was nothing else to do. He established all his conditions and didn¡¯t promise anything to Emer, so his mind was free of worries.


    If he still refused the imp¡¯s help even now, then the youth would truly be too foolish.

 Chapter 401 - Disposing

    Red looked over at Aurelia, who was still examining the imp with furrowed brows.


    ¡°You have seen an imp before?¡± he asked.


    The woman nodded. ¡°One of the oldest races of the Infernal Realm. Demonic cultivators loved to have them as servants.¡±


    Red stared at the minor demon. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    The imp seemed confused. ¡°W-What do you mean, my lord?¡±


    ¡°They are very intelligent and cunning, with great learning skills and capable of innately casting minor spells.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Not only that, but they are also easy to summon and control in great numbers, so they were the perfect choice for demonic cultivators to help with the menial tasks in their organizations.¡±


    The youth examined the imp up and down. ¡°Does that count for someone who was transformed into an imp?¡±


    ¡°M-My lord¡­?¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°I have heard about people being transformed into all sorts of demons before, but never into imps. Those were always summoned from the Infernal Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You mean he isn¡¯t a real imp?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? He sure does look the part, at least.¡±


    The imp looked at him with a confused expression. To him, it was as if Red was speaking to himself, but Emer didn¡¯t dare to interrupt him either way.


    ¡°Can you use any abilities?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°A-Abilities?¡± The imp seemed puzzled. ¡°What does my lord mean?¡±


    ¡°You are an imp now. Imps have innate abilities that they can instinctually use. Are you not capable of that?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, my lord¡­¡±


    Red looked over at Aurelia, but the woman shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m not a demonic cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Do you at least know what he can do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I heard imps are good at manipulating flames. They can also go invisible.¡±


    The youth nodded. He took a candle from the table and lit it up with a spark of Spiritual Energy from his finger. Lighting a fire was a trivial task now that he opened his Spiritual Sea.


    ¡°Here.¡± He handed the candle to the imp. ¡°Focus on the flame and try to manipulate it.¡±


    Emer hesitated. ¡°M-My lord, I¡¯m not sure I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Just try it.¡± Red cut him off.


    The imp seemed reluctant, but still nodded. He grabbed the candelabra and stared at the lit candle, focusing on the flame with furrowed brows.


    It took almost ten seconds, but something eventually happened. The fire flickered and grew substantially in size, blowing a small gout of fire upward. The imp screamed in shock, dropping the candle to the ground as the flames hit his face.


    He touched his nose and cheeks as if expecting to feel to feel pain, but his hurried breathing eventually died down. There was not the slightest sign of burning in his face.


    ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t hurt?¡± The imp looked at Red in confusion.


    ¡°Imps are also very resistant to fire.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°A nice perk to have when you live in the Infernal Realm, I suppose.¡±


    Red looked at Emer. ¡°Flames can¡¯t hurt you now.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I said he was resistant, not that he can¡¯t be burn-¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The imp¡¯s excited voice cut her off. ¡°T-That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°There¡¯s another thing you should be able to do, too.¡±


    ¡°W-What is it, my lord?¡±


    ¡°You should be able to go invisible.¡±


    This power, in particular, was something that interested Red. It wasn¡¯t like he could carry an imp around with him, and he didn¡¯t feel confident the demon could hide from anyone that came snooping around this house. If Emer could go invisible, however, that would solve a lot of issues with his existence.


    The imp, however, didn¡¯t seem confident. ¡°How should I do that, my lord?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Try to close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°A-Alright.¡± The imp did as much.


    It didn¡¯t seem to work, however. Red then suggested other ideas.


    ¡°Try to focus on your skin.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡±


    ¡°Try to empty your mind.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    ¡°Try to blend into your surroundings.¡±


    ¡°H-How should I do that?¡±


    After almost half an hour of trial and error, they finally found some success.


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    The imp¡¯s skin suddenly started to become translucent, before his whole body disappeared out of thin air.


    ¡°I-I did it, my lord!¡±


    Indeed, Red couldn¡¯t see the slightest hint of his figure. It seemed his invisibility was even strong enough not to distort the air, which was a weakness of many other types of invisibility skills. Of course, the youth could still detect him with his crimson sense, and he assumed other cultivators with good perceptions could also do the same.


    ¡°So in the end, all you had to do was focus on your horns?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-It seems so, my lord.¡± The imp nodded, his figure reappearing. ¡°It felt the same with fire.¡±


    ¡®So the horns are the catalyst for his magic?¡¯


    The youth found the concept interesting, but it was also a clear weakness. If the imp¡¯s horns broke, didn¡¯t that mean they would be crippled?


    ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t like they are fighters, anyway.¡¯


    ¡°How long can you stay invisible for?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, my lord.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel very draining, but¡­¡±


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t drain you.¡¯


    Red nodded. ¡°You can keep yourself visible while you are in the house. If you hear anyone come in, however, you are to go invisible and hide. Is that clear?¡±


    The youth had to go outside to put his plans into action, and there was nothing stopping those cultists or anyone else from breaking into the house and investigating. Red obviously intend on putting some alarm and defensive formations to avoid such break-ins, but for now there was little he could do.


    ¡°I understand, my lord.¡± The imp nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡± Red was satisfied. ¡°You will be in charge of handling the maid and other house businesses while I¡¯m not around. As for these bodies¡­¡±


    He looked down at the old man¡¯s corpse and trailed off. There was no way he could live the house while this matter wasn¡¯t handled.


    An idea came to him, however.


    ¡°How strong do you think you can make your flames?¡±


    ¡­


    A few hours later, they had shoved both of the brothers¡¯ corpses into the fireplace.


    ¡°U-Uh, my lord¡­ Is this really necessary?¡± The imp asked with hesitation.


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t let them find these corpses.¡±


    Who knew what kind of crimes they could pin on the youth if they found evidence of these corpses while he was outside?


    Emer still seemed reluctant. ¡°B-But I don¡¯t even know if I can burn them¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Just do your best.¡±


    If the flames weren¡¯t strong enough to burn the bodies down, then there was still a back-up plan. It would involve a lot of butchering and blood, however.


    ¡°R-Right.¡± The imp looked at the bodies in the fireplace.


    They had to be shoved there fairly tightly to both fit, and some of their limbs were twisted at unnatural angles. Red could imagine such a scene wasn¡¯t easy for the merchant to digest, much more so when the corpses belonged to himself and his brother.


    The youth, however, wasn¡¯t good at consoling others, and neither did he want to.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± He nodded at the maid, who was waiting by the side.


    The old maid threw firewood on top of the corpses before covering them with lantern oil. Then, she struck a firesteel, and the fireplace immediately lit up with a strong flame.


    This fire wasn¡¯t enough to burn down a corpse, though, as Red himself knew from experience.


    The youth looked at the imp. ¡°Focus on strengthening the fire.¡±


    The demon nodded, the last bit of reluctance disappearing under Red¡¯s gaze. He stared at the fire and extended his hand, his face displaying unwavering focus.


    The result was almost immediate. The flames strengthened and Red felt a wave of heat hit him, who was waiting a few meters away. Immediately, the corpses started to char as their skin and bloody clothing melted away.


    This was just the beginning, though, and Red knew the flames needed to be maintained at such a temperature if they hoped for a thorough job. Barely ten minutes later, though, and the imp was already sweating from the effort.


    ¡°Focus, Emer.¡± Red said. ¡°You can¡¯t fail this.¡±


    The imp shivered, and he redoubled his efforts to control the flames.


    Red oversaw the process, ordering the maid to throw more firewood and oil once the fire started to die down.


    Incinerating a body wasn¡¯t a short endeavor. It took hours at least even with strong flames, and the youth didn¡¯t want to burn down the house with an inferno. So he pushed Emer as far as the imp seemed capable of going.


    Two hours later, the demon seemed to be on the edge of collapse, with his eyes clouded over and his pointed arm trembling. Yet, he didn¡¯t dare to disobey Red¡¯s order.


    By now, not much more than bones remained from the corpses, but that was always the hardest part to burn away. This was not to mention that Cassemir¡¯s body seemed to last far longer under the flames than Emer, a sign of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator¡¯s superior physique.


    Red knew the imp wouldn¡¯t be able to last much longer, so he helped the process along with a firepoker, grinding the bones down into smaller pieces until they couldn¡¯t be distinguished from charcoal. Finally, he was satisfied with the result, as no clear signs of a corpse remained within the fireplace.


    He looked over at the imp. ¡°You can rest.¡±


    Emer immediately collapse on the spot at his words, taking deep breaths as his entire body trembled from the effort. He was completely drained of energy.


    Red didn¡¯t pay attention to his figure, however. ¡°Make sure to dispose of the charcoal and the other remains as soon as you can.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want even a small piece of their corpses to remain within this house.


    ¡°I-I will¡­ I will dispose of it with the trash, m-my lord.¡± The imp said between his heavy breathing.


    Red nodded and walked back up the stairs without sparing another glance at the imp.


    His destination this time wasn¡¯t the office, though, but Cassemir¡¯s bedroom. He didn¡¯t have the time to spare since the meeting to search for the man¡¯s stash, but now there was nothing stopping him.


    The room was about as fancy as the rest of the house, with a large-bed full of intricate covers and colorful pillows and a mahogany wardrobe and nightstand. It seemed rather small compared to his office, however, so nothing stood out to Red from the get go.


    ¡®If it¡¯s not here, then I don¡¯t know where it will be.¡¯


    Technically, Cassemir could hide his treasures anywhere within the house, but would he keep his belongings too far from his eyes? It seemed unlikely, and since he didn¡¯t find it in his office, then the next most likely place was his bedroom.


    So, Red got to work. Without ceremony, he started to throw clothes out of the wardrobe and dismantle the furniture, all while being careful to not trigger some kind of trap. His search didn¡¯t last long, and he eventually found something out of place.


    ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯


    There was a false bottom at the back of the wardrobe, something one would miss if they weren¡¯t doing a careful inspection. Red slowly propped this wooden cover up, while looking through the small gap in search of a trap.


    Sure enough, he saw it. A thread, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye, connecting the lid around the cover to the surface beneath it, ready to snap at the slightest pull. It was a simple mechanism to activate a talisman, something Red was familiar with, and his master, Goulth, taught him how to disarm it.


    Of course, this was all before Red broke through. Now, he didn¡¯t need to go through the trouble.


    He blew out of his mouth, and a small current of crimson air flew out. It slipped underneath the cover, carefully avoiding the rigged thread. Then, the youth made the bloody wind scrap the surface of the false cover from inside as fast as he could.


    A glow came from the lid, however, it dimmed just a second later. Rigged talisman would activate with the slightest contact or pull, but none of that mattered if the paper was completely cut apart before the spell could come into effect.


    Red breathed the bloody wind back into his lungs and opened the lid. Sure enough, beneath it, there were the remains of a shredded talisman, with not even the slightest complete symbol remaining. One needed to be thorough with that, or else just a slight cut wouldn¡¯t turn the talisman obsolete.


    Inside the cover, the youth saw a small box. It didn¡¯t have a lock, but Red still inspected it in search of any traps. Only after a while did he feel the container was safe and dared to open it.


    Sure enough, inside it, all of Cassemir¡¯s riches were contained. The only problem was¡­


    ¡®This is it?¡¯


    Red frowned. Five Spirit Stones, two protection talismans, and an ornate dagger that emitted no Spiritual Energy.


    Was this supposed to be the stash of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator?

 Chapter 402 - Entrepreneur

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    Red didn¡¯t want to believe it. He was richer than this man when he still was a mortal, so how could a middle-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator be this poor?


    ¡°What, are you surprised?¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    Red nodded. ¡°I was expecting more.¡±


    ¡°Rogue cultivators tend to be quite poor.¡± She said. ¡°I can only speak to how it was back in my time, but I can¡¯t imagine things have changed much these days.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ Only five Spirit Stones?¡±


    He could only buy a handful of weak talismans with that amount of money.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°You got the wrong idea. Lesser Ring Realm cultivators would be lucky to carry a handful of Spirit Stones with them. Hell, most of them still rely on gold to buy cultivation resources! You¡¯re the lucky one to have won as many Spirit Stones as you had as a mortal.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°So it seems.¡±


    Most of the Spirit Stones the youth used over the years came from the trial back then. It was hard to imagine that everyone would get the same opportunities as him, however.


    ¡®No wonder even Hector was so poor.¡¯


    The Water Dragon Sect had plenty of gold, but not much in the way of Spirit Stones. As it seemed, even for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, Spirit Stones weren¡¯t something one could spend freely.


    Aurelia seemed to guess his thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be disappointed. You know Arcane Scripture, right? Other than alchemy, that¡¯s one of the best ways to make money, much more so if you¡¯re a rogue cultivator.¡±


    ¡°That might be the case, but I still need enough money to buy the shop and ingredients.¡± Red said.


    There always needed to be an initial investment. One couldn¡¯t simply manifest formations and talismans out of thin air, and the ingredients themselves might cost several Spirit Stones depending on the intended final product.


    ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t you have a merchant to ask for advice now?¡± Aurelia asked. ¡°Who knows, maybe someone within the city will be willing to sponsor your efforts.¡±


    ¡®Sponsor¡­¡¯


    Red wanted his store to be completely independent, but it was an unrealistic goal to begin with.


    After stowing away the Spirit Stones, he went over the rest of Cassemir¡¯s belongings. The talismans were simple defensive shields, and now that Red was at the Lesser Ring Realm, such weak spells lost a lot of their value to him. After all, what was the point of a defensive talisman when you could manifest a shield on your own in a much shorter time?


    As for the dagger, there was nothing special about it either, no matter how much he examined it. It was made of strong steel, and it was certainly an excellent weapon, but it was an entire level below his Dark Iron Short Sword. It was strange for such a dagger to be kept among other much more valuable items, though, so Red assume it must have some special meaning for Cassemir.


    He stored all the items away in his belongings before going downstairs once more. When he arrived there, he saw the imp snoring away face down on the floor, while the expressionless maid cleaned the fireplace.


    Red approached the demon and nudged him on the side with his foot. Emer woke up with a start, looking around in confusion.


    ¡°W-What?¡± His eyes travelled up to see the youth standing over him. ¡°A-Ah, my lord! H-How can I help you?¡±


    The imp¡¯s words were slurred, and it was clear he was still suffering from exhaustion. Red frowned at this.


    ¡®I was hoping a demon¡¯s recovery would be faster than a human.¡¯


    In this condition, however, he didn¡¯t feel like the imp could give him the answers he wanted. This made Red change his mind.


    ¡°Can you show me where I can take a bath?¡± he asked. ¡°And a change of clothes.¡±


    ¡­


    An hour later, the youth had cleaned himself from all the grime and blood. He also made sure the maid burned away his bloody clothes, something that was easily done without the imp¡¯s help.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate to throw away his ruined sect¡¯s uniform, too. Red was never one to become attached to items, and someone could link these clothes of his to his previous town if they could study it.


    As for the bath, the youth was very thorough in cleaning himself up. He was never bothered by being dirty or bloody, but he wouldn¡¯t remain in that state if he could help it. A clean body made it easier to focus and think, after all.


    For the clothing, however, things were more complicated.


    ¡°T-This is all we have, my lord.¡±


    The imp brought him dozens of pieces of clothing for Red in the office. The youth, however, couldn¡¯t help but frown.


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    It wasn¡¯t because the clothes were of poor quality. Quite to the contrary. A glance already told him that these were all high-quality garbs. The problem was how they were adorned.


    ¡®This is too flamboyant.¡¯


    Bright colors, shining lines, all kinds of decorations that symbolized the exact opposite of what Red liked to wear. It was no surprise, though, considering merchants always enjoyed flaunting their money and status through their clothing.


    ¡°I-If my lord wants to, we can try buying you other types of clothing.¡± The imp said with a fearful expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll wear them.¡±


    Since he wanted to change identities, wouldn¡¯t it be better to wear something different?


    In the end, he picked a large blue coat filled with golden threads, a buttoned leathery shirt, and dark silken pants. He also had no choice but to wear the shoes provided to him, even though it felt awkward moving in them. By the end of it, he looked at his masked figure in the mirror with a frown.


    His medium-sized hair was slicked back at the imp¡¯s suggestion and added to the rest of his clothing, he truly looked like an entirely different person.


    ¡®I look ridiculous.¡¯


    ¡°My lord looks amazing!¡± The imp clapped his hands. ¡°You resemble a young master of a rich family through and through¡­ B-But if I may offer you a suggestion?¡±


    Red looked down at the imp. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°T-The mask¡­ I feel like it doesn¡¯t fit very much.¡±


    The youth looked back at the mirror and at the bark wooden mask on his face. Indeed, it looked out of place with the rest of his clothing.


    ¡°Do you have another mask?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°N-Not that I¡¯m aware of, my lord.¡± The imp shook his head.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no other option. I¡¯ll find something to replace it later.¡±


    He would never go out in public with his face bare.


    ¡°A-As my lord wishes.¡± The demon relented.


    Satisfied with his new garbs, Red turned around to face Emer. ¡°Are you sure you are well enough to answer my questions?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, my lord! I feel fine and rested!¡±


    The youth couldn¡¯t detect a hint of a lie in the imp¡¯s voice or in his fluctuation. It was strange to him, however, as barely one hour ago the demon was sleeping from exhaustion and now he seemed somewhat recovered.


    ¡®Maybe they really do recover quicker than humans.¡¯


    ¡°Then you are aware of my plans, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± The imp nodded. ¡°My lord wants to open a store to sell Arcane Scripture goods, correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Formations, talismans, and rune-carving.¡±


    Red had little practice in those last two, but the experience of areas of Arcane Scripture was transferable between each other to some degree. With his initial knowledge of formations, learning how to paint talismans and carving runes into treasures wouldn¡¯t be that difficult.


    This last one in particular was really important, as Red intended on crafting himself a genuine Spirit Artifact with his Dark Iron Short Sword as a basis.


    The imp seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°W-Well, as I see it, my lord has a few options.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°You could try opening a store on your own, or you could seek employment from a larger organization.¡±


    ¡°How would I go about opening a store on my own with limited resources?¡±


    Red immediately discarded the second option. He could form a partnership with other people, but he would not work under them.


    Emer hesitated. ¡°W-Well, if my lord desires, you could use my household¡¯s gold to open your store.¡±


    ¡°Forget that.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to draw suspicion.¡±


    The demonic cults weren¡¯t the only force in the city. In fact, they weren¡¯t even the strongest forces in the city. The youth still needed to be careful about the kingdom officials and other people of influence in the capital, and moving too much money that didn¡¯t belong to him would certainly draw more than a few gazes.


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if the merchant brothers were still alive and able to appear in public, but one was dead and the other was an imp. What would Red do if someone wanted to speak with them about this outsider they were suddenly sponsoring?


    It was strange enough he was living at their house, something he hoped no one questioned, considering Cassemir¡¯s general secrecy.


    ¡°I need someone who will lend me the money or who will provide me directly with the ingredients and place for my store.¡± Red said.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of being in debt, as he was confident that with his skills, he would earn that amount back in a short amount of time. If there was a need to pay a deposit, then he hoped his Spirit Stones were enough.


    ¡°W-Well, in that case, you can rent a store in the market district.¡± The imp said. ¡°They are expensive, but with my lord¡¯s skills, you can earn that amount back many times over.¡±


    The demon, of course, had never seen Red¡¯s scripture skills, but the youth ignored it.


    ¡°What about the ingredients or a loan?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m afraid there are not many options for that. N-No, in fact, there is only one place that would be capable and willing to negotiate a loan for my lord¡¯s need.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°The Golden Hand Guild.¡±


    The biggest merchant¡¯s guild in the eastern half of the continent. It was also the group Gustav belonged to, and if the man¡¯s actions back in Bestrem were any indication, then the youth could only imagine what the main kingdom branch was like.


    The imp nodded. ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Only they would be able to provide you with what you need, my lord.¡±


    ¡°What about the Royal Court?¡± Red asked. ¡°Will they not provide me with a loan?¡±


    The youth was aware that the Guild and the Kingdom weren¡¯t on good terms. He imagined they would be eager to take away business from the guild where they could.


    ¡°The kingdom doesn¡¯t grant loans.¡± Emer said. ¡°W-Well, at least not anymore. If my lord wants to, you can certainly approach them, but I imagine they will only help you if you agree to work for them.¡±


    Indeed. It was hard to expect a merchant¡¯s guild and a royal court to act under the same principles.


    ¡°Is there anything more I should know about them?¡± he asked.


    Emer seemed reluctant to speak. ¡°W-Well, I don¡¯t mean to presume, my lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Speak freely. I will take any advice you can provide.¡±


    ¡°T-The guild¡­ They are complicated. They always honor their contracts, but they aren¡¯t good people.¡± the imp said. ¡°They try to squeeze as much profit as they can from any transaction, and the lengths they will go to see their debts repaid makes even a lot of the people from our cult afraid of them¡­ W-What I mean to say is that they will probably try to negotiate a larger loan than my lord needs, and maybe even add other terms. S-So I would advise my lord to be careful about dealing with them.¡±


    Emer seemed scared of Red¡¯s reaction to his advice, but when he was met with pondering silence, he let out a breath of relief.


    The youth knew firsthand that what the imp said was the truth, and he wasn¡¯t the type of person to get angry at receiving advice on a topic he wasn¡¯t that knowledgeable about. In fact, his words reminded him of another matter.


    ¡®Rimold¡¯s sister.¡¯


    The sickly girl was supposed to be located in the capital somewhere. Rimold had taken a huge loan with the Golden Hand to pay for her treatment, something he was repaying even ten years later and that almost caused him to betray the sect. Now, however, the rogue was far to the east, in the middle of the Skycrown Mountains.


    Would he still be able to send the guild his payments? If he wasn¡¯t, what would those merchants do to his sister?


    ¡®I need to check on her. I owe him at least that much.¡¯


    Red looked back at the imp. ¡°Then, to the Golden Hand it is.¡±

 Chapter 403 - Golden Hand

    By the time Red went out, it was already late afternoon. He took a few cautions before leaving, such as making sure the imp could hide himself if someone tried to break in, and also disguising his swords. His short sword was not an issue, as he found another scabbard, even if it was a loose fit, but the rusty longsword was different.


    The Slaughter Demon lived within the sword, and the scabbard was its seal. Red could not replace the cover even if he wanted to, so instead, he opted to use strips of fine cloth around the scabbard to disguise it.


    He also refused to leave any of his belongings in the house, so when he walked out, he was carrying a large bag as if ready to go on a trip. His whole appearance earned him quite a few looks from passersby, but none of them dwelled on his figure. In a city this big, the youth supposed that such strange sights weren¡¯t all that uncommon.


    Foot traffic was still active at this time of the day, and Red couldn¡¯t help but frown. In Bestrem, he might have been able to sneak through small alleys and avoid crowds, but here? It would be almost impossible to stay out of sight with the sheer density of people.


    The youth could only endure these misgivings, though, and walk the streets like anyone else. He focused on his crimson sense, taking mental note of the fluctuations around him and figuring out if he was being followed. However, this proved to be hard to tell at first glance, as this was a busy street and many people just so happened to be taking the same path as him to the city center.


    Red could only try his best to remember the fluctuations that were ¡°stalking¡± him for a later time. If these individuals kept appearing in his crimson sense as he moved around the city, then he would have cause for suspicion.


    He continued to walk the streets, recalling the imp¡¯s directions to the Golden Hand¡¯s headquarters.


    ¡®Go to the city center and find the golden temple. You can¡¯t miss it.¡¯


    Red was currently in a residential district, and to get to the edges of the city center took him almost half an hour. Small manors were replaced by sprawling mansions, some occupying even entire blocks, as well as all sorts of administrative buildings. This was where the true powers of the capital lived in, where they ruled the city from.


    Red even came across what he presumed to be the headquarters of the city guard, a large military base where dozens of guards and aides could be seen coming in and out every second. He extended his crimson sense towards the building out of curiosity, only to find at least five Lesser Ring Realm fluctuations inside, as well as one Greater Ring Realm cultivator. These were only the forces inside the headquarters, superior to the entire power of Bestrem put together, and the youth could only imagine there were other powerful guards spread throughout the city.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just that building. Every mansion he came across had at least one Lesser Ring Realm cultivator within them, sometimes even up to four of them. On this trip alone, Red detected more cultivators than he ever did in the previous seven years of his life. Some of those even stood as guards at these mansion gates, which came as a surprise to the youth.


    He was surrounded by tigers here, and no amount of caution would be enough. Thankfully, the traffic intensified too, with horse-drawn carriages and many more guard patrols moving through the streets, which drew attention away from his strange figure.


    Eventually, Red spotted his destination from afar. As it turned out, Emer wasn¡¯t lying.


    A towering temple rose amidst the mansions and manors, standing out even in this part of the city. The building was rectangular, with a triangular roof that topped it off at well above thirty meters in height and well over fifty meters on the single side facing the street. Every brick and part of the temple seemed to be built of the most smooth and white marble, with segmented pillars joining each wall that were carved with simple yet marvelous decoration.


    The entrance to the temple, which by itself was well over ten meters tall, was full of people coming in and out of the building, and there was no door to be seen. There was also no label to name the temple, other than the trimmed golden decors that surrounded the gateway and a shining symbol right above the entrance. A giant golden hand, showing its palm to the visitors of the temple.


    It was more effective than any label.


    Red came to a stop as he examined the building. Just its majestic appearance alone was enough to give anyone pause. Two guards sporting golden plated armor stood by the entrance, and the youth could tell they were both Lesser Ring Realm cultivators. This was also just what he saw from the outside.


    When he extended his crimson sense, he found far more cultivators. There were more Lesser Ring Realm cultivators inside this golden temple than there were in the guardhouse, and he even detected at least three Great Ring Realm cultivators. That wasn¡¯t all, however.


    Amidst all the powerful fluctuations, one stood one like the Moon in a sea of stars. It was so strong that it even made Red¡¯s head throb in pain for a moment, something that hadn¡¯t happened to him in a long time. He knew what it meant with a single thought.


    ¡®Spirit Core Realm.¡¯


    Two entire realms above him. The difference in power couldn¡¯t be expressed through mere words, and Red knew what such a cultivator could kill him as easily as he could kill a mortal.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He knew such people existed within the capital. He thought to himself that even if they were strong, as long as he remained out of their sight, there was nothing to worry about. Yet, reality was always different. Now that he was about to walk into the lair of such a strong cultivator, Red couldn¡¯t help but hesitate.


    ¡®I just broke through, so why do I still feel like a mortal?¡¯


    Just getting strong wasn¡¯t enough. If he wasn¡¯t the strongest person in the room, the youth knew such feelings would remain.


    ¡°Stop gawking, you idiot!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached him. ¡°If you do that, then the people inside will definitely notice.¡±


    Red frowned, but still followed her advice.


    He approached the entrance. There was a line to get into the building, overseen by a clerk sitting behind a desk with a large book and a pen in his hand. The man greeted everyone with a wide smile, taking in their name, general information, and purpose for visiting before redirecting them somewhere.


    Red stood at the back of the line, and his presence immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding people. Most of the temple¡¯s visitors were merchants, working folk, or even nobles, by the looks of it. None of them carried weapons, and much less wore a mask like the youth.


    The two guards by the entrance also eyed Red, but their expressions didn¡¯t change and they didn¡¯t change their stances as they held onto their halberds. While his appearance was unusual, these people were professionals and probably used to dealing with other cultivators in the city.


    The line was extending well into the sidewalk, but it moved rather quickly. It took Red almost fifteen minutes before he was standing before the clerk.


    The man¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he eyed this masked stranger, but his fluctuation did shudder for an instant.


    He smiled at Red. ¡°Welcome to our Golden Temple, sir. How may we help you today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a loan.¡± Red said.


    ¡°A loan? Certainly.¡± The clerk nodded, jotting down on his book. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of this loan?¡±


    ¡°To open a business.¡±


    ¡°I see. May I ask this sir¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Viran.¡±


    ¡°And may I presume sir Viran is a cultivator?¡±


    Red nodded.


    The man kept nodding and writing in his book. ¡°May I ask what this sir¡¯s cultivation realm is?¡±


    ¡°Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t lie. It was likely the guards outside had already discerned that much either way.


    ¡°Lesser Ring Realm?¡± The clerk seemed surprise. ¡°That is certainly remarkable.¡±


    Although the man acted very well, Red could discern his genuine emotions through his fluctuation. There was no surprise at his reply, as if this clerk already knew about it.


    ¡®News seem to spread fast in this city.¡¯


    The man continued. ¡°We are more than happy to speak to you about this loan, sir Viran. However, there are some rules that must be followed while within the temple.¡±


    ¡°What rules?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No weapons are allowed within the temple.¡±


    ¡®This again?¡¯


    Red frowned. He supposed it made sense to disarm powerful cultivators while receiving them in your home, but this was just something he couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°I quite like my weapons.¡± Red said. ¡°Is there any way I can keep them inside the temple?¡±


    The clerk put on a struggling expression. ¡°That would be hard, sir-¡±


    ¡°What if I gave you something else as collateral?¡± Red cut him off.


    The man seemed surprised. ¡°Oh? What did this sir have in mind?¡±


    The youth fished out two Spirit Stones from his backpack, sliding them across the table towards the merchant.


    ¡°Is that enough?¡± he asked.


    The clerk¡¯s eyes widened, and this time he wasn¡¯t feigning surprise. He still hesitated to pick them up, though.


    ¡°I need to speak with my superior first, sir.¡± the clerk said.


    Red nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    He thought the man would stand up and go somewhere else, but instead he just touched a golden earring on his ear, which glowed with a soft green light.


    ¡®Another communication treasure.¡¯


    In a world of cultivators, speaking face to face became rather unnecessary.


    The clerk¡¯s mental conversation with his superior was rather quick, and he lowered his hand a minute later before looking at Red with a bright smile.


    ¡°You may keep your weapons in the temple, sir.¡± the man said, grabbing the two spirit stones. ¡°However, we would ask that you keep them sheathed, or our temple will have to respond with appropriate measures.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Red nodded.


    At the end of the day, money was still the solution to most problems.


    ¡°Please, step in.¡± The clerk pointed to the inner rooms. ¡°One of our servants will direct you to a meeting room.¡±


    Red did as much.


    If the outside of the temple was rather subdued in decor, then the inside spared no modesty. An enormous golden chandelier hung down from the ceiling of the main hall, paintings of various people hung around the walls of the place, foreign potted plants and fine wooden chairs and tables could be found in every corner. And this was only what one could see in the main hall, as corridors and an extensive set of stairs led to the innards of the temple.


    The inside of the temple was still just as active, with tons of people walking around attending to their duties and lines of common folk waiting to speak with a clerk at their desk. It seemed most business was attended to right here, in the main hall, while more important matters were seen to in private rooms.


    Thankfully, it seemed Red fell into this second camp.


    ¡°Please, sir.¡± An elegant woman wearing a fine embroidered golden dress approached him. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    She pointed towards the stairs, leading Red over. After going through up and through some corridors, the youth was finally shown to an empty room. It was just as finely furnished as the main hall, with two large cushioned benches and a small table full of fruits and other delicacies.


    The woman pointed to one of the seats. ¡°Please, sir. One of our merchants will be right over to speak with you.¡±


    Red nodded and sat down.


    ¡°Do you need anything else, sir?¡± she asked. ¡°Drinks? Perhaps some wine?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t insist and left the room, closing the door behind her. Red was left alone, looking around the place as if in search of a trap or hidden formation. In the end, though, he found nothing.


    ¡®Was there even a need to be this underhanded, considering all the forces they have?¡¯


    The answer was obviously no. If they wanted to deal with Red, they didn¡¯t need to rely on a trap.


    The youth then had no choice but to wait in silence for the arrival of his attendant. It wasn¡¯t until almost ten minutes later that he felt a fluctuation approach his room.


    ¡®This is¡­?¡¯


    Red frowned. The fluctuation felt faintly familiar. It hadn¡¯t stood out as the youth searched through the buildings and identified a powerful Spirit Core cultivator, but now that it was coming his way, he couldn¡¯t help but focus on it


    ¡®Can it be?¡¯


    Before Red could organize his thoughts, this fluctuation approached the room and opened the door.


    ¡°Sir Viran! I¡¯m sorry for having made you wait.¡±


    On the other side of the door, a slightly overweight merchant greeted him. A familiar visage.


    It was Gustav.

 Chapter 404 - Negotiation

    Red couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback, but he didn¡¯t let it show through his actions.


    He nodded at the merchant. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Gustav vehemently shook his head. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not fine! Truly, the guild has been a mess these last few weeks. We shouldn¡¯t make such important guests wait to be tended to.¡±


    The merchant sounded genuine, yet Red knew better than to take his words at face value.


    Gustav sat on the bench across from him with a huge sigh of relief, plucking some dried grapes from the table and unceremoniously throwing them into his mouth. There was little regard for manners in his actions, but a second later, he looked over at Red with a jump.


    ¡°Ah, pardon me! I haven¡¯t even introduced myself, have I?¡± The man patted his hands on his pants and stood up, bowing to the youth. ¡°I am called Gustav Angelo, a master of the tradecraft. Most people refer to me as Master Angelo, but you may feel free to call me by Gustav.¡±


    ¡®Master Angelo¡­¡¯


    This was the first time Red heard of the man¡¯s surname. In Bestrem, he was always known as Gustav, and nothing more.


    The merchant sat back down, the mere act of standing up taking some effort from him. ¡°So, I hear you are recently arrived in our fair capital. Is that correct, sir Viran?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I¡¯m surprised news has reached you that quickly.¡±


    Gustav chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s our job to be aware of the ongoings of the city, sir Viran. Besides, you did cause quite a commotion at the gate.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t. You weren¡¯t the first one that happened to, funnily enough. In the past, the guards weren¡¯t so uptight about security, but these days¡­ Tsk, tsk, what is the world turning to, anyway?¡±


    Red frowned behind his mask. Gustav spoke as if he had been in the city for a long time, but as far as the youth know, it hadn¡¯t even been a month since he left Bestrem.


    ¡°So, am I to understand you are a guest at mister Emer¡¯s house?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°For now, yes.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°I understand. May I ask how the two of you met?¡±


    ¡°You may ask him yourself the next time you meet.¡±


    That, of course, would never be happening.


    Gustav kept a smile on his face, despite Red¡¯s response. ¡°Hmm¡­ So I suppose the thing that brings you to our city is business, then?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°And where did you reside before this?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Is it your job also to ask as many questions as possible of your clients?¡±


    The merchant chuckled. ¡°Of course it is, but I prefer to think of it as friendly conversation. Regardless, it¡¯s also not my intention to push others when they are not comfortable sharing, so let¡¯s get to the topic of your visit.¡±


    The man opened a file he had brought with him into the room, reading it out loud.


    ¡°Am I to understand you are here to ask for a loan from our guild to open a business?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°I see.¡± Gustav close the file and looked back at the youth. ¡°May I ask what business this is you intend to open?¡±


    ¡°Arcane Scripture.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Arcane Scripture. Formations, talisman, and runes.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You plan to sell all three of them?¡±


    ¡°On an initial level, yes. I can¡¯t promise to make anything too complex, but things around the Lesser Ring Realm should be fine.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Formations, talismans, and runes also had their own distinct strengths. The weakest talisman, for instance, was still equivalent to a simple Spiritual Art from a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and runes and formations were similar in that way.


    For the first time since they met, Gustav seemed to be a bit at a loss for words. ¡°I-I understand¡­ Might I ask you a question first?¡±


    ¡°You may, but I can¡¯t promise I will answer.¡±


    ¡°Are you part of an organization?¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a rogue cultivator?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    Gustav furrowed his brows, seemingly in deep thought.


    Red could guess what bothered the merchant. The training of arcane scripture was an expensive endeavor. Even to reach basic proficiency, it was still an effort an individual alone would struggle to fund by themselves. In such scenarios, an organization would probably be behind them, and if there weren¡¯t any, it probably wouldn¡¯t take long for someone to recruit them.


    It was no wonder then that Red¡¯s claim would make Gustav skeptical.


    He looked over at Red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to presume, sir, but¡­ Do you have a sample of your work?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    Actually, he had the parting storm formation, but there was no way he could show that to anyone.


    Gustav¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I see¡­ Well, sir Viran, I mean no offense, but I have some concerns about this loan you are proposing.¡±


    ¡°You mean you don¡¯t believe that I know arcane scripture.¡±


    Red could guess his thoughts.


    Gustav smiled. ¡°You need to understand my position too, sir. There certainly are rogue cultivators with mastery over scripture, but those are rather rare, and even then, they only specialize in a few things. You, however, claim to be proficient in all three main areas of arcane scripture, so I can¡¯t help but feel skeptical.¡±


    ¡°My abilities can¡¯t be called proficiency.¡± Red said. ¡°I have only started on this path, and the recipes I know are rather limited.¡±


    In truth, he never even carved a rune or wrote a talisman before. It didn¡¯t mean he had no confidence in doing it if it came down to it, though.


    The merchant nodded. ¡°I understand that, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°You need proof, right?¡±


    ¡°It would certainly help.¡±


    ¡°Then give me the materials and I will make you a talisman right here.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Gustav hesitated.


    ¡°You have two of my Spirit Stones as collateral. It should be more than enough to cover the ingredients should I fail.¡±


    In fact, two Spirit Stones were enough to make quite a few talismans.


    The merchant nodded. ¡°That should be enough, but this is not a matter I have the skills to oversee.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We have an arcane master in our guild. I will call upon him to oversee the matter.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That should be fair.¡±


    This was the first time Red met another master of the arcane scriptures, but for a guild the size of the Golden Hand, it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise they had someone like that.


    Gustav stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Red alone once more.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to kill him?¡± Aurelia asked.


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t respond to her out loud.


    Since the moment the youth came to Bestrem town, he learned Gustav was the enemy of their Water Dragon Sect. The merchant did everything to make trouble for them, sometimes going even as far as to threaten them directly. Yet, never once did he make an attempt on their life, at least not in a way that could be linked back to him.


    He probably communicated with imperials often, and left Bestrem before it was besieged, but it was hard to say whether he was involved in Bernard attacking their town. Could a weak merchant like him even compel a general to move? It was unlikely, so at the end of the day, the only thing connecting the man to his sect member¡¯s demise was indirect actions.


    This didn¡¯t mean Red believed him to be innocent. Quite to the contrary, he didn¡¯t doubt the man and his guild probably had a deeper connection with the Empire than they let on, and the youth wouldn¡¯t mind getting the answer out of him. However, the real question was, would he be able to?


    ¡®No, not right now.¡¯


    It was too risky. It was one thing to mess with a weakened demonic cult that had to stay in the shadows to survive, but it was another to provoke the local power that didn¡¯t need to be covert in their actions. If they tried to act against Red, was there anything he could do to stop them?


    The youth wasn¡¯t afraid of provoking others to get what he wanted, but he knew the extent of his abilities. He needed more knowledge of the capital, more proficiency with his skills, and, most important of all, an opportunity.


    ¡®Still¡­ Gustav should know something about Rimold¡¯s sister.¡¯


    He was deep in thought when the door to his room opened again. Gustav walked in with an old man in tow.


    ¡°Sir Viran, this is Master Heryd, our official Arcane Scripture master.¡± the merchant pointed to the man. ¡°Master Heryd, this is the cultivator I told you about.¡±


    Red examined this stranger. This Master Heryd was completely bald, with a long and scraggly beard, and sporting a long brown robe that didn¡¯t seem to fit with the environment. He seemed to carry a permanent frown on his face, which only deepened as he looked at Red.


    He snorted. ¡°Why is he wearing a mask?¡±


    Gustav shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s his choice, master.¡±


    ¡°Bah, his ¡®choice¡¯!¡±


    The old man walked forward, right up to Red.


    ¡°Let me see your hands.¡±


    The youth frowned, but he still put his palm forward. Heryd looked down and shook his head.


    ¡°Too smooth! Too young! Are you sure you know Arcane Scripture?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    His palms weren¡¯t this smooth naturally, but his magical disguise hid away the true appearance of his hands.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± The old man looked back at Gustav. ¡°Bring the treated leather and magical ink.¡±


    Gustav seemed surprised. ¡°Just that, master?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need him to make anything big just to test his abilities, now go, shoo!¡± Heryd waving him off.


    The merchant nodded and walked away, leaving Red alone with the old man, who was staring at him as if trying to see through his face.


    ¡°You seem confident.¡±


    ¡°I am confident.¡± Red nodded.


    ¡°Can you make any basic talisman?¡±


    ¡°I know all the symbols, so as long as I have the recipe, it won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    The old man snorted. ¡°I want to see how much someone as young as you knows. If you can make this talisman with no mistakes, then I¡¯ll have to bow to your teacher in respect.¡±


    Red, of course, didn¡¯t mention the fact he learned Arcane Scripture mostly on his own.

 Chapter 405 - Great Success

    <div>


    Soon enough, Gustav returned with a handful of servants carrying the drawing ingredients. They looked at the old man and waited on his input about where to put the items, but Heryd instead looked over at Red.


    ¡°Where do you prefer to work?¡± he asked. ¡°If you want to, they can bring something other than a coffee table.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The ground is fine.¡±


    The old man squinted at these words, but didn¡¯t comment on them. He waved at the servants. ¡°Get the table out of here.¡±


    They brought the table and delicacies away, clearing a wide open space for Red in the center of the room and setting the ingredients on the ground. Everything was in place - ink, brush, and treated leather - and now all that was left was for the youth to draw.


    Heryd looked at the servants and shooed them away. ¡°Out! All of you!¡±


    ¡°Me too?¡± Gustav pointed at himself.


    ¡°Of course! We don¡¯t need people disturbing our concentration!¡±


    ¡°But master¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Are you the master now? Do you not trust my judgement?¡±


    ¡°Ah, by no means!¡± Gustav shook his head in a hurry. ¡°Then I will excuse myself.¡±


    ¡°Good. And close the door behind you!¡±


    The merchant did as much, leaving behind Red and Heryd in the silent room. The old man stared at the youth with an intense gaze.


    ¡°So, what are you going to make?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to suggest me a something?¡±


    Heryd snorted. ¡°You mean to tell me you can make anything that I suggest? Even without practice?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing too complex, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    He wanted to prove his skills, so what was the point of making a talisman he was familiar with? Not to mention the fact there was no talisman he was more familiar with either way.


    Heryd, however, seemed to take his words as arrogance. ¡°Fine then! Make me a chain lightning talisman!¡±


    ¡®Chain lightning¡­¡¯


    Although that could still be considered a basic talisman, it was one of the harder ones to draw. In fact, lightning itself was one of the most volatile elements to handle, and this also translated to the arcane symbols. One misstep with a lightning sigil, and the talisman paper would be ruined.


    Heryd snorted at his silence. ¡°What, didn¡¯t you say you can write anything? If you don¡¯t have the recipe, I can certainly provide it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I know how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Then get to it already!¡±


    The symbols for basic talismans like fireball, chain lightning, and omni shield were widespread, so as long as one had the means, they could buy it off a merchant. Red never needed to do such a thing, though, as the manual in his possession contained all kinds of recipes.


    The youth got up from his chair and sat down on the ground to examine the items. The ink, the brush, the leather, the paper - these were all far higher quality than anything he had ever used before and he was surprised they would offer it to a stranger.


    ¡®Then again, I suppose I paid for it with my two Spirit Stones.¡¯


    In any case, the fact they were willing to put out these items forward meant they took his claim of being an Arcane Scripture Master very seriously. It meant Red didn¡¯t waste his time in coming here.


    He examined the items once more before setting apart a bottle of ink, a small brush, and a strip of arcane paper. Talismans could be written on different surface such as treated leather and paper, as long as they were good conductors of Spiritual Energy. The chain lightning talisman, however, was better written on arcane paper processed off of Spiritual Trees.


    Once the items were set, Red wasted no time in drawing the talisman.


    Heryd went completely silent as the youth began working, making his presence as small as possible. At the very least, it seemed the old man knew better than to bother someone while they were drawing a talisman. The smallest distraction could lead to a ruined product, after all.


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    Red began by first drawing the gathering sigil. It was the first and most foundational process of any talisman, the sigil that would be responsible for gathering the Spiritual Energy to use in the talisman as it was activated. Sometimes one would need to write many of these symbols to satisfy the energy requirement, but in the case of a basic talisman, one was enough.


    After the gathering symbol was the elemental conversion. The energy absorbed by the talisman wouldn¡¯t come in the form required for the spell, at least not for common gathering sigils, so there was the need to convert it into the right attribute.


    Red¡¯s brush flowed without stopping, drawing the connecting symbols between the ¡°gathering¡± and ¡°lightning conversion¡±. This was already one half of the talisman, the foundational work necessary for the spell.


    Now came the hard part, which was actually turning this energy into the intended shape to be released. This was the part that diverged a lot for most talismans, as the sigils required for a certain spell varied wildly between each other. To form a spherical shape, one would require a set of symbols, while to form a cone, one would need other symbols - not to mention that depending on the type of Spiritual Energy, the drawer would need to use other intermediary symbols to grant this shape stability.


    An earth orb would be much easier to make than a lightning orb, and the process for the second would require a lot more sigils to prevent it from dissipating or exploding before being shot off. There was also the intent behind what these arcane structures would accomplish that were representing by other sigils, as one might want a fireball to ¡°shoot out¡± while requiring an earthen shield to ¡°float¡± in front of them.


    The true difficulty in Arcane Scripture came in those parts, as the amount of arcane symbols and their variations depending on the situation was truly innumerable. One couldn¡¯t simply just memorize every use of a certain symbol, and it was why an Arcane Scripture Master needed to understand the logic on how to apply certain symbols depending on the situation.


    This was also where artistry came in, as one could explore with shaping these energies in many forms, to improve and create entirely new spells. For something like chain lightning, though, there was not much room for experimentation. It was an extremely old spell, and its formula was adjusted and refined to near perfection over millennia, so one would find it hard to improve it without just making something entirely new or less efficient.


    Red didn¡¯t think he was smarter than all the cultivators who came before him to improve this formula, and neither did he want to right now. There would be enough time for experimentation in the future. For now, he just needed to prove his skills to the old man.


    A little over ten minutes went by before the youth finished the talisman. He double checked every symbol for mistakes, but he wasn¡¯t able to find anything.


    ¡®It should work.¡¯


    Even though Red thought that way, he couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. Before he broke through, drawing a talisman like this would take much longer due to the significant amount of concentration required. Now, however, his reflexes and mind had improved, so he could draw the lines correctly with much less effort.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not only that.¡¯


    The youth felt something else had changed with him when he created the Parting Storm Formation, something that made this act of drawing Arcane Scripture much easier and more natural, as certain things that made little sense before in the symbols were now all so clear. He couldn¡¯t put quite put his finger on what it was, though, but it was something he could explore in his own time.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    Red looked up, only to notice the old man staring at him wide-eyed.


    ¡°This¡­ Is this your first time drawing this talisman?¡± Heryd asked.


    The youth found the question to be very familiar.


    He nodded. ¡°This one, yes.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to come off as knowing more than he really did, but displaying a bit of talent wasn¡¯t bad either.


    ¡°I see.¡± The old man nodded.


    His expression returned to that same severe frown, but the way he looked at Red seemed to have completely changed.


    ¡°Are you going to examine it?¡± Red asked, holding up the finished talisman.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Heryd shook his head. ¡°It should work.¡±


    ¡°Then can you vouch for my skills?¡±


    ¡°I can. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem to get you your loan.¡±


    As Heryd said that, he walked over to the door and opened it. Gustav was waiting on the other side with an expectant expression.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    The old man snorted. ¡°Come with me. We need to talk.¡±


    The merchant¡¯s expression changed, but he just nodded and walked away.


    They closed the door behind them, leaving Red alone once again. The youth, however, was troubled after seeing that interaction.


    ¡®Did I give away too much?¡¯


    He knew he was more proficient in the scripture than any normal rogue cultivator, and that could give rise to some suspicion about his background, considering his age. Still, he had no choice but to display that much talent if he had any intention of setting up a shop in the capital to fund his cultivation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you have done, huh?¡± Aurelia¡¯s mocking voice reached his ears.


    Red frowned, but he didn¡¯t respond. He waited for the woman to elaborate, but it seemed like nothing was coming out of her for now.


    Five minutes later, Gustav returned to the room, but this time, he was alone. His expression was pale too, and the way he looked at Red seemed to have changed.


    ¡®Is he scared?¡¯


    ¡°Master Heryd has vouched for your skills.¡± Gustav nodded, remaining standing. ¡°The Golden Hand feels more than happy to establish a deal with you. May I ask how much you wished to loan?¡±


    ¡°Thirty Spirit Stones.¡± Red said.


    This was a huge amount for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, yet it was what Red arrived at after discussing the price of items with Emer. That would be enough for him to create a small stock of talismans and formations to sell in his store and to fund his future efforts.


    ¡°That is reasonable.¡± Gustav nodded. ¡°We will provide you with that amount.¡±


    Red was surprised at the ease with which the merchant agreed.


    ¡°What about the interest?¡± he asked.


    Gustav waved him off with a friendly smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need to mention it. Just pay us back once you have enough in the future.¡±


    If the quick agreement was enough to leave Red confused, this made him outright suspicious. A loan of thirty Spirit Stones with no interest or conditions attached? How could the youth believe that?


    His silence seemed to be enough for Gustav to guess his thoughts.


    ¡°Ah, please, don¡¯t be suspicious, Master Viran. You can consider this as a gift from our guild with no strings attached.¡± The merchant bowed towards him. ¡°It is only our pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a talented young cultivator.¡±


    Red¡¯s suspicion now once more turned into confusion.


    ¡®What exactly is going on?¡¯

 Chapter 406 - Store

    Red was at a loss at this change in attitude. Didn¡¯t Emer tell him the Golden Hand would try to squeeze him dry of everything they could in this deal? Why now were they offering the Spirit Stones as a gift?


    ¡®That Heryd must have told him something.¡¯


    The youth wasn¡¯t stupid. After seeing the old man¡¯s reaction and Gustav¡¯s change of attitude, he realized it was all because of what he showed when drawing the talismans. His skills, however, weren¡¯t anything out of the ordinary, as anyone with basic mastery over Arcane Scriptures could draw that talisman with the same ease Red did. It was clear then that he was missing something about the whole situation.


    He couldn¡¯t help but recall Aurelia¡¯s words a short while ago.


    ¡°Are these arrangements not to your liking, Master Viran?¡± Gustav looked at him with an apprehensive gaze.


    ¡°No, they are fine.¡± Red shook his head.


    He wasn¡¯t certain who these people thought he was, but he wouldn¡¯t be the one to correct this misunderstanding.


    Gustav sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. Then may I ask if you already have a spot in mind to set up your store?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Then may I make a suggestion?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is it still free?¡±


    Gustav chuckled. ¡°The suggestion, yes, but Master Viran shouldn¡¯t worry. If we had any demands of you, we would put it down into a contract.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°Then say it.¡±


    ¡°There is a store in the market district we recently reacquired after its previous owner couldn¡¯t pay off his debts. It isn¡¯t very large, but it is located in a rather prominent location near the main plaza. We can offer it to you at a reasonable rent price, and in the future we will give you priority if you wish to buy it entirely.¡±


    ¡°Tell me how much.¡±


    Gustav nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone bring the contract first.¡±


    A few minutes later, a servant arrived carrying an ornate lockbox and a sheet of paper, as well as some ink and pen. He set the box upon the table before handing the contract over to Gustav.


    ¡°The rent is of 800 gold coins a month.¡± The merchant said. ¡°There is a security deposit, but considering what Master Viran has already shown us, the guild is more than willing to forego that sum.¡±


    He handed the contract over to Red.


    ¡°Here, feel free to read it.¡±


    The youth did as much. Eight hundred gold was a substantial amount, and it was even more than what the Water Dragon Sect made in a month usually. Yet Red wasn¡¯t clueless about the situation in the capital, a place where cultivators gathered en masse and where real estate was always in high demand, so the price was more than fair. Not to mention that a single good talisman sale was more than enough to cover that amount.


    Red still went over the contract, reading every line to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything. He didn¡¯t spot any strange conditions in the contract, other than the usual amount of responsibility one would expect from a renter.


    ¡°This is fine.¡± Red handed the contract back to Gustav.


    ¡°Good.¡± The man nodded.


    They both signed the contract, and the merchant had the servant take it away before handing another signed copy to Red.


    ¡°Now, for the Spirit Stones.¡±


    Gustav picked out a small key from his pocket and opened the lockbox. Inside, the soft glow of dozens of Spirit Stones hit their eyes as even the air seemed to be suffused with energy.


    Gustav stepped back with a smile. ¡°Master Viran can count them.¡±


    A glance was more than enough to confirm the legitimacy of the stones and their amount in the box. Red nodded, and Gustav closed the box before handing it over to him with the key.


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    ¡°Then this should be the conclusion of our deal for now.¡± The merchant extended his hand towards the youth. ¡°It has been an honor working with you, Master Viran.¡±


    Red looked down at the hand but made no move to accept the handshake.


    ¡°Will you have someone show me the way to the store?¡± he asked.


    Gustav retracted his hand with an awkward smile and nodded. ¡°Will you go there now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have one of the Guild¡¯s servants direct you there. If you require anything else, make sure to let me know. You may ask for me directly at the front desk.¡±


    Red nodded. In fact, he would definitely need to contact Gustav again in the future.


    After stashing the lockbox away in his bag, the youth left the guild under the guidance of a servant. The whole meeting with the merchant didn¡¯t take more than an hour, and now he was leaving the temple with a veritable fortune.


    It was still hard to believe how smoothly things had gone, but Red didn¡¯t feel too happy about it. It was clear there was a big misunderstanding about the entire situation, and even though that was to his benefit, the fact he didn¡¯t know what happened worried him. Was he now impersonating a new identity without even knowing about it?


    He wanted to ask Aurelia what happened, but he could only wait until he wasn¡¯t in the middle of the street.


    The Golden Hand servant led him through the streets of the capital, and after a long walk, they finally arrive at the market district. Red didn¡¯t think that things could get more cramped within the city, but he changed his mind once he arrived in this place.


    ¡®This is¡­ ludicrous.¡¯


    The place was packed with people, so much so that it seemed almost impossible to walk without bumping into other people. In fact, even as sunset was nearing, there were still plenty of barracks and streets vendors that made the transit through the streets even harder.


    Cottons, clothing, food, jewelry - almost anything one could think of could be seen in the stalls, and that was only on the sidewalks. Stores could be said to have even more traffic, and in some of them bodyguards stopped people from coming in until the building was emptier. Red even saw a few stalls claiming to sell books about martial arts, which made him curious, but he didn¡¯t stop to see them now.


    There was plenty of time for that later.


    Eventually, the servant led him to a corner of the main plaza, a wide open area with a large stone statue of what Red could only assume to be a past king. The man pointed at a small store with a fine wooden facade and a glass showcase that let one take a peek into the empty shelves inside. Despite the layer of dust that could be seen around the store and the bolt shut wide door, it seemed as if the building was still in good condition.


    ¡°That is the store, my lord. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    The servant trailed off.


    The problem was obvious, of course, and that was the fact that right in front of the store there was a large stall blocking the way. A rough, large man wearing an apron shouted at the surrounding people as he cooked some type of meat skewers at an open grill.


    ¡°Come ¡®ere! Legitimate monster meat skewer, the finest you can eat for just a few gold coins!¡±


    His attempt to attract customers seemed to find moderate success, as some people stopped by before handing him a few coins and leaving with a skewer. Smoke rose to the sky as the man continued to advertise his products with a rough smile.


    ¡°I did not know he was there, my lord.¡± The servant looked at Red with a frightened gaze. ¡°I will call the guards at once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make a commotion.¡±


    It was obvious why the man would pick this place to set up a stall. No one used the building for quite a while, it seemed, and its location right by the main plaza was the perfect for attracting costumers.


    If Red wanted to set up a store here, though, he obviously couldn¡¯t afford to have someone blocking the view.


    He approached the food stall with the servant in tow, and the man looked at him with an ugly smile that seemed to be missing quite a few teeth.


    He laughed. ¡°Masked brother! Do you want a skewer too? Finest meat in the city, I personally guarantee!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a skewer.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m the new owner of the store behind you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so? Well, I can¡­ W-wait!¡± The man¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What did ya say?¡±


    ¡°I have rented the store behind you.¡± The youth said. ¡°I am going to be using it from now on to open my shop, so I need you to move your stall.¡±


    The street vendor¡¯s expression continued to pale, and he looked behind himself and back at Red in confusion. A dozen different expressions crossed his face, and he seemed to examine the youth before noticing the swords at his waist, which in turn made him reconsider some brief ideas that seemed to cross his mind.


    ¡°I-I understand, sir!¡± The man nodded. ¡°Can I just ask ya one thing?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Ya don¡¯t intend to open your shop today, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then could I just stay ¡®ere for the rest of the day? I promise ya I¡¯ll be gone by the morrow!¡±


    Red sighed and nodded. ¡°Fine. Just make sure to be gone by then.¡±


    ¡°Great! Thank ye kindness, my good sir!¡± The man picked up a skewer and offered it to Red. ¡°Here, take one for free!¡±


    The youth stared at the food with a frown before turning around and walking away. The vendor didn¡¯t seem to mind, as once Red was gone, he began shouting to attract customers again.


    The servant followed behind Red towards the store, looking back at the vendor with a weird expression.


    ¡°My lord, are you sure you don¡¯t want to call the guards? These kind of people are-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t go away tomorrow, I can deal with it then.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t scared to deal with a mortal, but he didn¡¯t want to use force either, which was why he was satisfied the man agreed to leaving so easily. If he was still here by tomorrow, though, then Red might change his mind.


    ¡°Now open the store.¡± Red said.


    ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡±


    The servant stepped forward before removing the barred door and unlocking the chain. He opened the entrance to the store, revealing the place that Red would be working out of for the foreseeable future.


    ¡®This is it, then.¡¯

 Chapter 407 - Mob

    As Gustav said, the store wasn¡¯t big, but it had more than enough space for Red to set up his merchandise. There were around four large shelves in the main room, a wooden counter, and a door behind it that led to an office and storage that occupied the other half of the store. The youth inspected every part of the building, including windows and potential hidden entrances, and only after he had a good mental map of the place did he return to the storefront.


    The servant was looking at him with an expectant expression. ¡°Is the store to your liking, my lord?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Red nodded. ¡°You can return to your guild now.¡±


    The man hesitated. ¡°This¡­ Are you sure you don¡¯t need any help, my lord? Master Gustav told me you might need a clerk.¡±


    ¡®A clerk¡­¡¯


    It would be good to have someone handle the storefront for him, but how could Red trust anyone with his products? Even if he needed to take time off of his own day, he would rather just tend to the store on his own.


    ¡°Just go back.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it all on my own.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you sure, my lord? Wouldn¡¯t it be wiser to-¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡± The youth cut him off with an intense gaze.


    The servant shivered and bowed towards him before leaving in a hurry. Red closed the door, now alone in the middle of the empty store.


    Night had already arrived, but the street movement was still rather high. There was a large tavern in the plaza across from his own store, and the sound of conversation and laughter reached him even here. Red scouted the place with his crimson sense and was surprised to find quite a few Lesser Ring Realm cultivators in there, and just looking through the window, one could see the place was full to the brim.


    It reminded him of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild back in Bestrem, except quite a few times bigger.


    ¡°I never did like places like these.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I think the peace and quiet of sects suit cultivators more.¡±


    Red turned around, spotting the woman¡¯s figure materializing out of thin air.


    ¡°What happened in there?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Try to guess.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t show anything out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Bah! This is what happens when you don¡¯t have a proper teacher.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You might not have shown much skill, but what matters is talent! Talent!¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain it.¡±


    Others could tell he was young even with his mask, but it didn¡¯t mean he was some kind of supreme genius for his age. As far as he understood, his level of skill was about the average for an Arcane Scripture disciple from a sect, or at least this was what he was led to believe.


    The woman looked at him like he was an idiot. ¡°You drew an entire talisman in ten minutes without a single pause while in a lobby and with another cultivator staring at your work the whole time. Do you think that¡¯s easy to accomplish for everyone?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±


    Heryd was rather quiet while he was drawing, so Red didn¡¯t understand the problem.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t! One of the biggest issues in Arcane Scriptures is gathering focus and avoiding distractions to not make any mistakes. Some masters back in the sect prepared for whole years before drawing a powerful formation or talisman, and even something as basic as a chain lightning talisman still requires most people some time to still their mind. You, though, did it all in as soon as you got the ingredients, and with a stranger breathing down your neck. Do you realize the issue now?¡±


    Red frowned. This was something he had never considered before and that wasn¡¯t mentioned in his manuals, either.


    He knew the Celestial Current meditation technique by instinct, and as such, stilling his emotions was a rather simple task for the youth. It didn¡¯t mean he never needed focus, but for something like a basic talisman, a single breath was more than enough for him to gather all his concentration and get rid of distracting thoughts.


    What he failed to consider, though, was that not everyone trained their mind like him, so of course he stood out when he drew that talisman so easily. Other masters might could draw a talisman as quickly and as expertly as he did, but that was only in their own safe space and with enough time for preparation.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Red looked over at Aurelia. ¡°Do they think I¡¯m from a sect?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not a big expert on Arcane Scripture, but it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if they thought you had some special background with your talent. Even if that isn¡¯t the case, though, they clearly think you are worthy enough to cultivate some good will with.¡±


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    The youth sighed. While there were benefits to such a treatment, bringing more attention to himself was the last thing he wanted to do. He knew that the more he stood out, the more people would take an interest in his background, and by then, he couldn¡¯t guarantee his true identity would remain hidden.


    ¡°This might be good for you.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Now you can have a famous shop in the capital, and they won¡¯t even bother you if you try to undercut their prices a bit.¡±


    ¡°The shop is only a means to an end.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°As long as I have enough Spirit Stones, it doesn¡¯t matter how much I sell my products for.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like his dream was to establish a famous shop in the capital. He only cared about cultivation, and once he had a sufficient amount of money, he planned to close this shop and focus completely on training.


    ¡°So, have you already decided what you are going to train next?¡± Aurelia asked with evident curiosity.


    ¡°I have.¡± Red nodded.


    To rise in cultivation realm was a constant effort, a matter of accumulating energy over long periods of time. All cultivators were always working on that any time they could, but it was possible to overexert yourself during this too and risk injuries, which meant one needed to absorb energy in moderation. That left a long amount of free time for cultivators to train other skills not directly connected to their cultivation level.


    The youth was constantly planning around that in the back of his mind while dealing with these matters, and he already had a rough path to follow for the foreseeable future.


    Aurelia smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then.¡±


    ¡°I want to practice a movement technique first.¡±


    ¡­


    He returned to the manor after locking the store. On his way back, he paid constant attention to his surroundings and his crimson sense, and sure enough, he discovered a few fluctuations from earlier still following him from afar. The youth wasn¡¯t able to feel them using his senses, which spoke to their skills, but how could they defend against his crimson sense?


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised at the presence of stalkers, though. It would be weird instead if no one tried to spy on him.


    Once he arrived back at the manor, he checked on the imp. Emer was safe, and according to him, no one tried to break into the house while he was away. Red decided to be safe, though, and scouted the entrances to the manor in search of signs of breakthrough.


    ¡®Nothing.¡¯


    This didn¡¯t make him happy. It would have eased his mind instead if he found signs of someone entering the place, but the absence of them meant instead that it was possible a skilled rogue could have broken in and left no traces behind.


    ¡®I need to set up defensive formations in this place as soon as possible.¡¯


    With nothing else to do, Red returned to the imp and recounted what had happened earlier.


    ¡°Y-You got a store in the main plaza?! That¡¯s fantastic, master!¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Golden Hand might have hidden intentions behind all this?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t say for certain.¡± The imp shook his head. ¡°They are cunning, and it¡¯s best to never underestimate them, but for now, I think they should have been sincere in their gifts for you.¡±


    It was more or less the same conclusion Red arrived at, so he was relieved that Emer shared the same opinion.


    ¡°There¡¯s another matter.¡± He took out Cassemir¡¯s dagger from his bag and showed it to the imp. ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±


    ¡°I-I do.¡± Emer nodded with a frightened expression. ¡°It¡¯s a ritual dagger.¡±


    ¡°For what kinds of rituals?¡±


    ¡°S-Sacrificial ones, master.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Your cult sacrifices people?¡±


    ¡°S-Sometimes.¡±


    ¡°For what reason?¡±


    ¡°T-The lord below bestows us gifts if the sacrifice is to His liking.¡±


    ¡°Gifts? What kind of gifts?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know for certain, master.¡± The imp shook his head. ¡°I was never at the receiving end of those, b-but my brother told me about it before¡­ He said he was granted the infernal light after the sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Infernal light?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know either, master. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Red remembered the strange purple light that Cassemir¡¯s Spiritual Energy seemed to form into. Was that the supposed infernal light? He didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to test its might, though, as the man died before he could use it.


    He looked down at his dagger.


    ¡®I should try to keep this, just in case.¡¯


    ¡­


    The youth passed the rest of his night cultivating in his office, until morning arrived again. The streets already moved into life, and Red could finally buy all the ingredients he needed.


    He already made a mental list in his mind, and after consulting with Emer, he learned of the best stores to buy these kinds of cultivation resources. Not to his surprise, these were all affiliated with the Golden Hand. The imp knew little about the items Red needed, though, so he wasn¡¯t able to say which of these stores would provide a better price for it. On that note, Red was left alone to figure this matter out.


    He left just before midday, tracing his way back to the market district. Even on this outing, he was still coming across many interesting buildings and sights he missed yesterday, but he didn¡¯t have time to explore them for now.


    The first store he was aiming for happened to be near the main plaza of the market district, so he decided to pass by his shop to see if anything untoward was done to it in his absence. The youth was glad he did too, because as soon as he arrived, he could see a commotion happening right in front of his store.


    Red immediately had a bad feeling about the situation. He made his way through the crowd as he heard the conversations.


    ¡°What do you think these people are doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cursing out the Golden Hand or some such thing.¡±


    ¡°What did those money grubbers do this time?¡±


    The youth¡¯s frown only worsened as he approached the store and when he finally made it to the front of the store, his worst fears came true.


    His store front was in ruins. The windows were broken, the door thrown off its hinges, and all the shelves inside the store were shattered into pieces. In front of the store, the culprits stood carrying metal rods and were still in the process of breaking whatever they could.


    The culprit, to Red¡¯s surprise, was someone he just met yesterday. The meat-skewer vendor, and alongside him there were three other youths with ragged clothing, taking joy in smashing whatever they could.


    ¡°This unfairness has gone too long, I say!¡± The vendor raise the metal rod up as he looked at the crowd. ¡°Those damn Golden Fingers treat us loyal citizens like trash, while giving damn outsiders everything they want! Are they the citizens?! Aren¡¯t they just cowards who came running out of fear of the Empire?! Why do they get to enjoy good treatment over us?!¡±


    Some shouts of agreement came from within the crowd. Whatever the man was saying seemed to resonate with quite a few people.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°And what is the king doing?!¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t care about us!¡±


    The vendor showed an ugly smile as his speech seemed to work. He looked around the crowd until eventually his sight came to a stop at Red¡¯s figure.


    He paled once he met the youth¡¯s cold eyes, and pointed at him with his metal rod. ¡°H-He¡¯s here! The outsider is here!¡±


    Suddenly, the attention of the entire crowd gathered on Red.

 Chapter 408 - Center of Attention

    Red didn¡¯t feel comfortable being the center of attention, but he didn¡¯t budge from his spot, staring directly at the street vendor.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    It was a simple question, yet it was spoken with the youth¡¯s usual emotionless tone. It was almost inaudible over the whispers of the crowd, but the man seemed to hear it.


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t it obvious?!¡± He waved his metal rod. ¡°You foreigners think ye can come into our city and throw us out of our stores just because ya have money from those merchants?! They are not the ones who rule the city. We are!¡±


    The ugly man seemed reluctant at first as he faced Red, but he became more emotional as he looked around at the crowd for approval. He found quite a few nods of approval and cheering, which only emboldened the man further.


    ¡°Me and my family owned this store for generations! We served this city and always paid our taxes, but what did it matter? When war came and we couldn¡¯t pay our debts, no one stood out to help us! They took the store from us without remorse!¡±


    People rallied behind his cries even further, as his sentiments were reflected in his surroundings.


    ¡°They¡¯re also threatening to take our house!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair! We don¡¯t deserve this!¡±


    The vendor¡¯s uncertain expression now became confident as he looked back at Red.


    ¡°Ya are their puppet! If ye have any regret in yer heart, then pay back what ye stole from us!¡±


    Shouts of agreement echoed over the plaza, and unfriendly gazes were thrown at the youth.


    Red shook his head, still keeping his eyes on the vendor. ¡°If you want anyone to pay you back, go talk to the ones that took the store from you in the first place.¡±


    He was puzzled at first over the whole situation, but now that it was made obvious, he didn¡¯t care about continuing this interaction. He could understand the man¡¯s frustrations, and knowing the Golden Hand, he was probably in the right, but what did that have to do with Red?


    There was a lot of unfairness in the world, and he wasn¡¯t capable enough to deal with all of them, nor did he care to, for that matter. He could only look after himself, or at most those few people close to him whom he owed a lot to.


    ¡°Now, step aside.¡± Red said. ¡°I need to tend to my store.¡±


    The vendor frowned at him. ¡°So ye¡¯re really no better than them, huh?!¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I told you to step aside.¡±


    The man shivered slightly under his gaze, but he raised his rod threateningly. ¡°O-Or what? Ya might be a cultivator for all I know, but ya should know fighting in the streets is not allowed!¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but in this case, I¡¯m just defending my property, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    His hand went down to the hilt of his short sword. For the first time, the crowd seemed to take note of this masked stranger¡¯s appearance, noticing the swords on his waist. These people were used to seeing such sights in the city, and they could recognize a cultivator at a single glance.


    Those close to Red stepped back, making room around him. They still stared at him with unfriendly eyes, but none of these mortals were stupid enough to get in the way of an armed cultivator.


    The vendor¡¯s bravado also disappeared at this sight. ¡°Ye¡¯re gonna draw blades on us?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, if that¡¯s your concern.¡± Red said.


    The man shivered, and the last bit of reluctance disappeared from his face. He looked at the ragged youths around him, which were also quite on edge while facing this masked stranger.


    ¡°Step aside!¡± The street vendor said. ¡°Let ¡¯im through.¡±


    They all nodded, some with more reluctant gazes than others, and they stood aside to let Red through.


    The man looked over at him. ¡°Ye¡¯ll pay for this one day.¡±


    He ignored the man¡¯s threat and stepped forward. What kinds of existences hadn¡¯t he provoked? Why would he be scared of a mortal with a metal rod?


    The crowd threw all kinds of hostile gazes at Red, speaking ill of him behind his back as he approached the store. All their hatred was directed towards this cultivator in front of them, but the youth, for his part, was completely unbothered.


    He walked past the vendor and his gang of orphans without even sparing a glance at them. It was then, however, that he heard a shout behind his back.


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    ¡°Go to hell, you bastard!¡±


    One of the armed youths charged at him from behind, swinging the metal rod against his head.


    ¡®¡­ This is unfortunate.¡¯


    This was Red¡¯s only thought as he ducked beneath the blow and twisted around to counter attack. A punch to the gut, straight like a spear, sent the youth flying back like a broken kite, crashing into the surrounding crowd.


    Suddenly, everyone went quiet, and only the orphan¡¯s pained moans could be heard in the vicinity. It all happened in a flash, and most of these people weren¡¯t even able to see what Red did before the armed young man was sent flying.


    At the next moment, shouts of anger and incredulity rang out through the plaza.


    ¡°H-He attacked him! He hit a teenager!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s insane! He doesn¡¯t care about the law!¡±


    Emotions seemed to rise amidst the crowd as they stared at Red with hateful eyes. Most of them didn¡¯t have a clear view of what happened, and even if they did, they would not care whether he was just defending himself. To them, this was a foreigner, an outsider who barged into their homes, stole their livelihood, and now beat up their children.


    One couldn¡¯t expect logical thinking from an angry mob, and for a second, it seemed quite a lot of them were considering rushing at Red. Not the street vendor or the other armed orphans, though, who saw firsthand what happened to one of their own. They were more afraid, unsure of whether to advance and risk getting beaten up the same way as their companion, or retreat to safety.


    Red sighed once he saw the situation going out of control. All he wanted was to live and cultivate in peace, and for that, he wouldn¡¯t care what others thought of him. If people tried to force his hand, however, he wouldn¡¯t take such offenses lying down.


    Spiritual Energy started to circulate through his veins, eventually seeping out of his body as an oppressive aura spread to the surroundings. His figure glowed with an azure aura, and the angered screams were suddenly silenced as every mortal in the vicinity felt their skin crawl under this overbearing energy.


    The people closest to Red even fell down to their bottom out of shock, staring at him in fright.


    This included the street vendor.


    ¡°L-Lesser Ring Realm!¡±


    The man screamed in horror, suddenly regretting all of his actions.


    Red, of course, had no intention of attacking these people, but he maintained this aura to scare them away. If this crowd thought they could overwhelm this cultivator through pure numbers, then they immediately knew they would only be throwing their lives away if they tried to attack a Lesser Ring Realm practitioner.


    These weren¡¯t country bumpkins. They lived amidst those kinds of cultivators, and they knew what they could do if they were pushed to it.


    Righteous anger only carried their actions so far when the threat of death was so clear.


    The crowd was about to retreat when an authoritative voice came from behind them.


    ¡°Disperse! Get out of here, you fools!¡±


    A group of guards were making their way through the crowd, pushing people around. Their appearance was the last straw for those mortals, who all dispersed and went about their day with frightened expressions.


    The vendor and orphans also tried to run, but they were intercepted by the guards.


    ¡°Not you lot!¡± The soldier in the lead said. ¡°You stay here!¡±


    Their expression fell, but they didn¡¯t dare disobey those orders. The lead guard, whom Red discerned to be in the Lesser Ring Realm, approached him with a frown.


    ¡°Are you going to keep your aura out?¡± he asked.


    His tone was unfriendly, and he seemed more than displeased.


    Red retracted his aura, looking at the man with an impassive expression.


    The guard pointed at the moaning youth on the ground. ¡°First few days in the city and you¡¯re already beating people up? That¡¯s not the way things work around here.¡±


    ¡°He attacked me first.¡± Red shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he did.¡± The man spat on the ground.


    Red wasn¡¯t surprised at the guard¡¯s hostility. In fact, he already detected them earlier watching the crowd from the other side of the plaza doing nothing to intervene. They probably even saw these thugs breaking up his store and stood aside.


    Whatever reason they had for not interfering, it would be silly to expect impartiality from them moving forward.


    The guard¡¯s attention turned to the street vendor and the orphans. ¡°So, what were you doing here?¡±


    ¡°S-Sir, we just were-¡±


    ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t care!¡± The man cut him off. ¡°You know that breaking other people¡¯s properties is a crime, right?¡±


    The vendor nodded. ¡°I-I do, sir, but-¡±


    ¡°Since you know, then why did you do it?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to deal with you idiots.¡±


    He waved at his men.


    ¡°Take them away. A few days in jail should be enough to teach them a lesson.¡±


    The other guards nodded, putting the orphans and the vendor in shackles as they led them away.


    The lead guard seemed to be somewhat disappointed when Red showed no reaction to this. It seemed he wanted the youth to protest this punishment, but he couldn¡¯t care less.


    Red just wanted to be done with the situation.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± he asked. ¡°Or do you intend on throwing me in jail, too?¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be too cocky, you bastard. There are some things in this city that neither your cultivation nor that guild of yours will be able to help you with.¡±


    With these words, the guard walked away and led his men out of the plaza.


    Red turned around to enter his broken down store. The entire situation was a headache for he who only wanted to be left alone to cultivate. In fact, everything that had happened since he entered the capital seemed to be conspiring against that wish of his.


    In retrospect, it was clear that there would be plenty of unrest amidst the citizens of Carlhanne. These were times of war, and the ceasefire afforded them for now was hardly important when you took into account the Empire¡¯s strength. They already lost who knew how many men and powerhouses in the previous battles, so what did it matter if they had ten more years of peace?


    The Empire would strike again, the capital would be conquered, and by then, they would have nowhere to run. Such troubling circumstances were a breeding ground for discontent, as their livelihood was already being affected.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t expect to be thrown right in the middle of it.


    ¡®The Golden Hand¡­ Did they do this on purpose?¡¯


    It made little sense considering how much favour they showed him already, but the youth couldn¡¯t discount anything.


    As he looked through the destroyed store, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. They didn¡¯t spare even a piece of furniture, and now the youth didn¡¯t have a place to work or display his products.


    He spent the next twenty minutes gathering debris and cleaning the place until someone approached his tore from outside.


    ¡°M-Master Viran!¡±


    It was Gustav, escorted by a few servants. He looked at the destroyed building with a pale expression, which only worsened once he met Red¡¯s cold gaze.


    Without hesitation, the merchant dropped down to his knees and bowed to the youth until his forehead hit the ground.


    ¡°Please, forgive me!¡±

 Chapter 409 - Buying Materials

    Red examined the kneeling merchant for a while. His fluctuation seemed to show his sincerity, but as he came to learn, it was not a completely reliable measurement of a person¡¯s true feelings. The vendor from yesterday, for instance, showed no hostility towards the youth when they met, yet today he went and destroyed his store.


    It was an excellent lesson for Red not to be overly reliant on this power to read people, and he wouldn¡¯t commit the same mistake again.


    ¡°Did you know this was going to happen?¡± he asked.


    Gustav stood up and shook his head in a panic. ¡°By no means, Master Viran! We truly had no idea!¡±


    ¡°Yet you must have known about their discontent.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± The merchant seemed at a loss for words. ¡°I did, master, but they never did anything like this before! I swear it to you.¡±


    Red actually thought he was telling the truth. As he considered earlier, the way they treated him yesterday made no sense if they were only going to turn around and stab him in the back. Still, he was on the losing end of the entire ordeal and wouldn¡¯t let this matter slide.


    He stared at Gustav. ¡°You will repair this mess, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Gustav smiled when he heard these words. ¡°Of course, Master Viran!¡±


    The man didn¡¯t seem to care about costs as long as he could keep on the good side of this cultivator.


    ¡°We will also forego any rental payments for the next three months! And we will make sure this never happens again by posting some of our own personal guards nearby!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°As long as you understand, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Of course we understand, Master Viran! Our guild takes our business matters very seriously, and we will make sure those responsible for this are properly punished even if the guards try to protect them!¡±


    Others might be happy to hear there would be payback, but the youth was not too pleased.


    ¡°Just leave them alone.¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely they will try something like that again.¡±


    The only thing he wanted was for this conflict to fade away and to keep some semblance of quiet and peace in his life. If the Golden Hand tried to punish the perpetrators, even going so far as to challenge the capital guard on the matter, then how could these issues stop here? They were bound to continue, and depending on how stubborn the two parties were, it was hard to imagine Red would be uninvolved in their disputes.


    The last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of a war of interests between two local powers.


    Gustav seemed to guess the meaning of his words, but he had a complicated expression. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is beyond my powers to decide, sir.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°And what do you think those in power will do?¡±


    The merchant hesitated. ¡°¡­ Our guild has a reputation to maintain. This is the first time in years that it has been challenged so directly.¡±


    ¡®In other words, it was unlikely they will let the matter go.¡¯


    Red was truly starting to reconsider his choice to come to the capital for safety.


    ¡°They can do as they will.¡± He said. ¡°But make it clear to your superiors they are not representing my interests with their actions.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how much good this disassociation would do, but it was the least he could try to prevent future troubles.


    Gustav nodded. ¡°I will let them know.¡±


    ¡°Good¡±


    Red walked out of the ruined store and began to walk away.


    ¡°W-Wait, Master Viran!¡±


    Gustav called out to him, causing Red to pause and turn around.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°May I ask where you are going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy some things with the money you gave me.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then would you like me to accompany you?¡± The merchant asked. ¡°I can direct you to the right places to buy what you need.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Red stared at the man with his icy gaze.


    Gustav shivered under his eyes and nodded with a complicated expression. ¡°I understand, sir. Then you can feel free to ask me anyth-¡±


    Before the man was done speaking, Red had turned around and walked away.


    The first store he went to visit was also the biggest cultivator store in the city. It was called Lehmann Traders, and it was specialized in selling raw materials for cultivators, including Spirit ingredients for alchemy, forging, and Arcane Scripture. There were other cultivation stores in the capital, but this one fit his interests the best.


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    Of course, the only unfortunate thing he came to learn was that the owner of the store had a connection to the Golden Hand. He wasn¡¯t officially a member of the guild, but the only thing he lacked was the title.


    To the youth¡¯s luck, this store was also on the main plaza. He could see it from across the way already - a large three story building built out of refined dark wood and decorated with curved roofs and eaves in a style Red had never seen before. It displayed more elegance rather than the extravagant style of the golden temple, and yet a peek at the materials that made up the building was enough to know the owners were no less rich.


    Movement in the store was also slower. That was, of course, because their pool of clients was mostly limited to cultivators, which still only made a small percentage of the population of the capital.


    Red felt at least four Lesser Ring Realm fluctuations inside the store, to no surprise. The frequency with which he was meeting such powerful cultivators was increasing, but it was not because they were located everywhere in the city. It was only because the places where Red visited just so happened to intersect with the interests of cultivators of that level, so of course he would find more of them.


    This was not to mention that this was all because of his crimson sense. Without it, he would have had no idea about how many powerful individuals were within the city.


    As he approached the store, a black-haired, elegant woman greeted him at the door, as if expecting his arrival.


    ¡°Master Viran, welcome to our Lehmann Traders store!¡±


    She bowed towards him out of respect with a wide smile on her face. The woman was wearing a flowery dress that stuck tightly to her body, and certainly didn¡¯t fit with the more conservative style of the locals. Red himself had never seen this type of clothing before, which made him wonder where these people came from.


    The woman noticed his intense gaze, and she looked up at his mask with a timid expression. ¡°Master Viran¡­?¡±


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Red asked.


    She smiled. ¡°Oh, Master Lehmann has contacts within the guild who informed him about your interests. Of course, if it is within your interests to draw arcane scripture, our store would be the best option!¡±


    ¡®That man really can¡¯t keep his mouth shut.¡¯


    Red frowned as the image of Gustav flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Would you like me to show you the way in?¡± she asked. ¡°We have already prepared a private room to attend to you.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Red nodded.


    The woman smiled brightly once more, extending her arm towards him. Red, however, only looked down at her hand in confusion.


    She seemed to notice the awkwardness of the situation and retracted her arm. ¡°Sorry, Master Viran, I thought-¡±


    ¡°Just lead the way.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    The doors to the store were already open, and inside, Red saw a wondrous assortment of items on finely built shelves. Although the store was specialized in raw materials, they still offered plenty of other items like talismans, weapons, and even cultivation pills. The pleasant smell of Spiritual Plants suffused his senses, and he could feel his skin tingle from the overwhelming Spiritual Energy in the room.


    He looked around, noticing various other cultivators browsing through the items, though only a few of them seemed to be important enough to be attended by similarly dressed clerks like the one by Red. Without exception, those were Lesser Ring Realm cultivators.


    No one spared more than a passing glance at Red as he entered the store, which came as a relief to him.


    ¡°Please, this way, Master Viran.¡± The woman pointed at a set of staircases leading to the upper floors.


    Soon enough, the youth was led to a private room. To his surprise, though, the decor here seemed to differ from the Golden Temple¡¯s, as instead of chairs, they sat upon small cushions on the wooden floor with a low table between them, not to mention the sliding doors.


    It was a strange sight for Red, who was so used to the rather chaotic and practical architecture of the kingdom. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    ¡°I have only noticed now that I haven¡¯t introduced myself.¡± The woman sat down across from him, looking at the youth with a smile. ¡°You may call me Elena. May I get you something to drink, Master Viran? Perhaps some tea?¡±


    Red frowned. He still found these sorts of pleasantries annoying.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Then I suppose you must want to get to business.¡± She seemed able to pick up the hints. ¡°May I ask what we can do for you?¡±


    ¡°I have a list of materials.¡± Red picked a paper where he had written down everything he needed. ¡°You might not recognize some of the names, though.¡±


    The youth was using the arcane scripture manual he won from the trial as reference for his practice. He had no idea how old the book was, though, and there was bound to be some difference in the names of the materials. At the very least, when he was building his Parting Storm formation over the years, that turned out to be a bigger issue than he was expecting.


    She picked up the list with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master Viran. We are aware that many recipes are written using older terms, so our store also specializes in finding the analogues for such materials.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡±


    The youth waited as the woman read the paper. However, quickly enough, her expression changed to one of confusion.


    She looked up at Red with an embarrassed expression. ¡°Can you wait here for a moment, Master Viran?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The woman left the room with a bow, closing the door behind her. Red didn¡¯t see where she was going, but he could track her progress through the building as she climbed up to the third floor.


    There she seemed to meet with other fluctuations, one of which belonged to a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, another woman. They were supposedly having a conversation and were undergoing quick changes of emotions.


    First, there was embarrassment from the attendant.


    Then, there was anger from the cultivator.


    Then, some fifteen seconds later, there was confusion in this same cultivator, as well as a hint of embarrassment.


    A minute later, as more fluctuations gathered around these two, only one sentiment was prominent.


    Confusion.


    This all caused Red to sigh, as he could make a guess as to how the interaction went.


    It took almost five minutes before someone returned to his room. It was that same attendant, but this time she was accompanied by the cultivator she was talking to. A young woman, around her mid-twenties, with a long black flowing hair, facial features that didn¡¯t seem to belong to a local, and wearing what looked to be cultivator robes, but much longer than normal, covering her hands and feet.


    Her garbs weren¡¯t as revealing as the attendant¡¯s, but she seemed to display elegance and beauty in even greater measure.


    When Red looked at her struggling expression, however, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like it didn¡¯t match the rest of her appearance. In fact, he recognized this expression, as he had come to deal with it a lot over the past few days.


    The expression of a salesman who didn¡¯t want to disappoint their client.


    The woman spoke with a dramatic tone. ¡°Master Viran! I¡¯m afraid we have to disappoint you!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize the names?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± She scratched her chin with an embarrassed smile. ¡°It happens from time to time for new terms we don¡¯t know about appearing on a client¡¯s list, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid that beyond Spiritual Paper and leather, we can¡¯t recognize any of the names you wrote down!¡±


    This was indeed a big problem, considering Red¡¯s list had more than 50 different materials.


    The youth began to wonder if the problem with the names was just a matter of how old the book was or if it was the author¡¯s deliberate attempts to rename every material to his tastes.

 Chapter 410 - A New Deal

    The woman smiled at Red with a fox-like expression. ¡°Worry not, mister Viran. There is a simple solution to this problem.¡±


    She turned around to Elena, her expression becoming stern.


    ¡°Girl, go fetch us paper and ink!¡±


    ¡°A-At once, madam!¡± The woman nodded and ran off.


    ¡°And get us another cushion, you oaf!¡±


    The madam shouted after her as if she was chasing away a dog. Then she turned towards Red, putting on a pleasant smile like nothing happened.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, mister Viran. Perhaps these girls need to be trained properly once again.¡±


    As she said that, she sat down across from Red, pouring herself a cup of tea and heating it up with a faint Spiritual Energy from her hand.


    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± she asked the youth.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Red shook his head as he examined the woman.


    Despite her elegant appearance, her actions showed her as anything but. In fact, her smile reminded him of the expression of a merchant who was about to rip their customer off for everything they were worth. It put him ill at ease.


    The woman took a sip of her tea before putting it down and clapping her hands.


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot! Introductions are in order, aren¡¯t they?¡± She did a slight bow towards Red. ¡°They call me Madam Marina. However, since I¡¯m sure we will be wonderful friends, you may just call me Marina.¡±


    ¡°Madam Marina, then¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yeah, that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    Before they could continue their conversation, Elena returned to the room carrying the items. She put down the paper and ink on the table before looking around with hesitation.


    Marina looked at her with a frown. ¡°What are you standing around for, girl?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, what should I do with the cushion?¡±


    ¡°You sit on it, you damn fool! Or would you like to remain standing while we talk?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no madam!¡±


    ¡°The paper is also for you to write, so pay attention!¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam!¡±


    Marina looked back at Red with a smile. ¡°So, as I was saying-¡±


    ¡°You want me to describe the materials?¡± He cut her off.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± She nodded. ¡°I might not be able to recognize the names, but if you describe the materials to me, then I most certainly will know them if it¡¯s something our store sells.¡±


    ¡°That sounds reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Marina clapped her hands before looking down at the list Red gave her. ¡°So this¡­ Apskalla Blue Flower first. We have plenty of blue flowers, but none by the name of Apskalla, so is there anything else you can tell me about it?¡±


    ¡°This one is light blue and has a yellow stamen that-¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t tell me!¡± She cut him off. ¡°You¡¯re talking about an Icewind Flower?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°If I knew, would I bother with this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I mean, the Icewind Flower is a common ingredient for drawing certain types of elemental sigils. I assume you mean to use it for some kind of ice-aspected talisman, correct?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°That sounds about right.¡±


    She waved her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. When we are done with this, we can bring the materials for you to check.¡±


    The woman looked down at the list again, as her attendant frantically wrote down on her paper by the side.


    ¡°So this Dragon¡¯s Tear Pigment¡­¡±


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    ¡­


    ¡°What?! You call it Boulder Heart?! But that¡¯s another thing entirely!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Haha! Mother Nature¡¯s Bosom? That is a good name!¡±


    ¡­


    Over the next half an hour, Red described the items he listed down to the woman. Marina seemed to take delight in learning about these new terms, her laughter echoing through the building at his explanations.


    To the youth¡¯s surprise, most of the materials he wanted were available at the store. Some of the refined ingredients, however, were not there.


    She looked up at him with an affable smile. ¡°We can provide you with the raw material instead, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°If I could refine them myself, I would have put the raw material down.¡±


    There were some things he could refine himself. For instance, he wouldn¡¯t have much of an issue extracting the pigments from the Spiritual Plants he needed to mix with the Spiritual Ink. If he wanted to forge a formation plate, however, he would need a proper forge to work with, and it would take a lot more time and effort on his part.


    It just wasn¡¯t feasible if he wanted to get to work as soon as possible.


    Marina frowned with a struggling expression. ¡°Well¡­ We could order them for you. They would arrive in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Or I could go look in another store.¡± Red said.


    Lehmann¡¯s Traders was specialized in raw materials, while there were other stores in the capital that would definitely sell some of the refined materials he needed.


    ¡°Wait! There¡¯s no need to overreact!¡± Marina seemed to panic at the prospect. ¡°We can offer you a discount!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the price.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I want to get to crafting as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable, sir! Most of these refined materials are for formations or runes, while we can provide everything for your talismans. Wouldn¡¯t it be worth it to focus on those talismans first if it means you can get a better price for the rest of the materials?¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°You want me to accommodate to you? Who is the costumer here?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ We can give you a fifteen percent discount over all these materials!¡±


    Red remained silent.


    Marina gritted her teeth. ¡°Twenty percent!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thirty percent.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Bah! Why don¡¯t you just rob me with you sword already! Twenty-five is the lowest I can go!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± The youth nodded.


    Even though he made a big deal out of the matter, it really wouldn¡¯t be an issue for him to focus on drawing talismans for a few days.


    At the end of their meeting, they came to an agreement about the price. It cost Red about fifteen Spirit Stones to buy everything he needed, including a proper brush to draw the sigils.


    This was a very large transaction for the store, considering the wide smile on Marina¡¯s face. The gaze with which she looked at Red seemed to change too, which made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°We can get you the items you need immediately, Master Viran!¡± she said. ¡°Where would you like us to send them?¡±


    ¡°The manor I¡¯m staying at should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Right, and may I know in which street that is?¡±


    Red was at a sudden loss for words.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Do you know where Emer lives?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The woman seemed confused. ¡°Who¡¯s Emer?¡±


    ¡°Cassemir then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with either of them.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Red frowned. ¡°Can you have someone follow me there, then?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­?¡± She seemed surprised for a second before her usual smile returned. ¡°Oh, of course! I forgot you only just arrive at our city!¡±


    Marina looked over at Elena.


    ¡°Elena, accompany Master Viran to his manor!¡±


    ¡°M-Madam?!¡± The attendant blushed.


    ¡°What are you getting red for?! I¡¯m not asking you to sleep with him, I only want you to get his address!¡± She then looked over at Red with a frown. ¡°Of course, that can also be negotiated if he wants to.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Elena bowed towards Red. ¡°Then please, take good care of me, sir!¡±


    The youth looked between the two of them with some confusion. He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he got involved with another strange fellow.


    ¡­


    Red indeed led the woman back to his manor. When they got to the door, Elena looked at him with a flustered expression.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± he asked.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    ¡°Have you gotten the address?¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t see any plaques in the street, but he assumed there was a way to know its name somehow.


    ¡°A-Ah, yes, sir!¡± She nodded. ¡°We will send your materials over immediately!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He nodded. ¡°Then why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, no, I mean¡­ I will be going, then!¡±


    Elena turned around and ran off.


    Red didn¡¯t pay her a second glance as he entered the manor.


    Aurelia¡¯s laughter reached his ears. ¡°Truly free of desires like a proper cultivator!¡±


    The youth ignored her comments and walked up the stairs.


    The imp, who heard his arrival, followed behind him with an eager expression. ¡°Ah, Master! Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red said without turning around.


    ¡°Then when will you open the store?¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s repaired.¡±


    ¡°R-Repaired? But I thought-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just call me in my office once they arrive with the materials.¡±


    Red then entered the office before the imp could respond.


    ¡­


    Less than an hour later, a carriage carrying his crafting materials arrived. The attendants from the store personally carried the boxes of precious spiritual items inside, setting them down in the living room at Red¡¯s behest.


    One of these attendants also carried a message from Marina, saying that the order for the rest of the materials had already been placed with some workshops and they would arrive in two days. To the youth¡¯s, her employees also handed over a communication talisman to him, which would directly connect him to the Lehmann¡¯s Madam if he ever needed something else.


    Red, who thought this was rather convenient, was more than happy to accept it.


    Soon enough, he was left alone in the manor again, as an emotionless middle-aged maid and an imp stared at him as if waiting for his orders.


    ¡°Uh, master.¡± Emer looked at him with some hesitation. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a storage for these boxes¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would we need to? I¡¯ll use them all soon enough, anyway.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you going to work here?¡± The imp seemed surprised.


    Red frowned. ¡°Why not? Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°B-By no means, master! I only mean to say we don¡¯t have a workshop either!¡±


    ¡°Of course we do.¡± Red looked around the fancy living room. ¡°All we need to do is to move a few things.¡±


    ¡°M-Master? You don¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    That day, the elegant living room of the merchant brothers was turned into a rough and chaotic workshop that would serve as the beginning of the legacy of a new Arcane Scripture Master.

 Chapter 411 - Arduous Drawing

    For the next couple of days, Red completely isolated himself from the outside world. The sound of moving furniture could be heard constantly inside the house, but no one came close enough to examine what was happening. This included the usual scouts posted outside the manor.


    They might have been brave enough to spy on him from afar, but none of them dared to risk being found while the youth was inside the house. Red, however, wasn¡¯t doing anything he hadn¡¯t announced to others already.


    He was drawing talismans.


    ¡°Bring me the Icewind Flower.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, master!¡±


    ¡°Now the Firesnake roots.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, which one is that again?¡±


    This type of conversation rang over the living room regularly over the past few days, though Red made sure it was not heard from outside. As it turned out, having an imp for a servant was as useful as Aurelia made it out to be.


    The demon waddled around the boxes of materials with surprising nimbleness, picking out the items as Red called out and without making the same mistake twice. This eliminated a large inconvenience from his work and let the youth focus on what actually mattered in his work. It even made him wonder how much easier his job would be if he had even more imps to help him.


    This idea went by the wayside when he observed the changes happening to Emer, though.


    ¡°A-Ahahaha! A grand success again, master!¡±


    ¡°Look at that pretty thing! I bet it could go skewer multiple people in a single blow!¡±


    ¡°C-Can I try it, please, master?¡±


    Such kinds of strange comments became more commonplace over time. It was clear that this new form of the merchant was starting to twist his personality in strange ways, and he found as days went on, the imp resembled a devilish child with a penchant for chaos and mischief more and more.


    The youth was starting to miss the cowardly merchant from before, but since the imp never tampered with his actual work, he couldn¡¯t justify getting rid of the demon.


    ¡°W-What does this one do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it.¡± Red slapped the demon¡¯s hand away from a talisman.


    ¡°A-Ah sorry, sorry!¡±


    As he sent Emer skittering away, Red looked back at the result of his hard work. Fifteen basic talismans, ranging from offensive spells like Fireball to simple shields like Omnidirectional Barrier. Even though each of them took a rather short amount of time to finish, doing them back to back over the course of two days was still enough to drain the youth mentally and physically, even after breaking through.


    When he noticed his arms trembling and his mind having a hard time focusing, he could only stop to recover his strength.


    He hadn¡¯t used up all the materials yet. In fact, there was still enough to produce ten more such basic talismans, and five more advanced ones. However, Red didn¡¯t want to waste any materials, so he didn¡¯t risk committing a mistake by powering through his exhaustion.


    This was not to mention the fact that the advanced talismans he wanted to draw would be far more complicated than the basic ones, and the risk of failure in his first tries would already be pretty high. He only dared to attempt the feat once he was in peak condition.


    ¡®Still, twenty basic talismans without a single mistake¡­¡¯


    It was an impressive feat, considering he was drawing most of those for the first time. In fact, Red could feel his skills improving as he drew, his movements with the brush getting swifter and more precise, spending less focus and effort to draw a single sigil.


    His improvement was so substantial that he couldn¡¯t help but ask Aurelia about it.


    ¡°Well, you do have great talent for Arcane Scripture, but the explanation is much simpler.¡± She said. ¡°You basically built a good foundation over seven years, but you never really had the resources to experiment as you wished. Now that you have the money, you can draw as many talismans as you want, which is something only rich cultivators can do, so it¡¯s obvious you will improve rather quickly. It¡¯s like a kid who trained their entire lives with weights only to remove them years later and trying to run for the first time. The difference will be obvious.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m close to achieving mastery?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡± Aurelia shrugged. ¡°Mastery over crafting arts is not as easily quantified as something like mastery over the elements, so it¡¯s hard to judge someone¡¯s skills with that. I can only tell you that your improvement will definitely slow down, and before you can become a master, you will definitely face a bottleneck. Still, with your good progress, I can see you achieving that in some five years.¡±


    Red was rather unwilling to accept the woman¡¯s estimates, but as he continued practicing, he saw the truth in her words.


    His improvement slowed down over the next couple of days, basically plateauing on the fourth day. The youth, who felt rather intoxicated with the constant feeling of improvement, could not help but feel disappointed once that happened.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter. Cultivation is a matter of accumulation.¡¯


    By then, the rest of the material Marina promised had arrived, and he was done making the basic talismans. Before moving on to the advanced ones, however, Red decided to focus on the formations.


    The act of setting up formation was more complex than talisman drawing. This was not to say one was better than the other, as they both served their unique purposes, but while one might draw ten talismans in a determinate amount of time, they could draw a single formation in the same interval. They contained far more arcane sigils and calculations than a single talisman, and as such, it wasn¡¯t the kind of work one could complete in a hurry.


    In fact, the idea of selling formations in a store was not too common. Formations masters made their formations to specific standards to fit a place and purpose, and as such, they were more like contract workers than the kind that displayed their products in stores. As such, Red didn¡¯t intend to put more than a few formations for sale, each one used for a simple purpose such as alerting of intruders while camping.


    Before he did that, however, he was keen on setting up such formations for his own use.


    ¡­


    It took him three more days of constant work before he completed the Spiritual Alarm Formation for his manor.


    This was a simple formation, whose main purpose was to alert the owner of any entering entities carrying Spiritual Energy within its domains. It wasn¡¯t capable of distinguishing between said entities, but that wasn¡¯t really its purpose in any case.


    Red handed over the controlling tablet to the imp. ¡°Here, you carry it.¡±


    ¡°I can carry it?!¡± Emer seemed happy. ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°It detects the presence of any individuals emitting Spiritual Energy within the manor.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there are three dots already!¡± The imp pointed out. ¡°Do these belong to us?¡±


    ¡°They do.¡± Red nodded. ¡°If you notice any such dots appear while I¡¯m out and you¡¯re sure they don¡¯t belong to me, make sure to report it once you are back.¡±


    The youth had no use for such a formation simply because his crimson sense served the same purpose, and probably much more efficiently. If someone wanted to break into his manor, though, they probably wouldn¡¯t do it while he was around, which was why he gave the tablet to the imp.


    There were, of course, ways to trick such a formation. However, Red already did the best he could with his resources, and if such an experienced rogue sneaked into his house, there was not much he could do.


    He looked around at the formation plates, all hidden beneath furnitures and other decorations to not attract attention. This took a lot more work than Red was expecting, and drawing the sigils itself was the easy part. The hard part was actually calculating where to place this formation and which sigils he needed to add to the plates so they could work properly.


    There were countless measurements and geometrical calculations he needed to take into account, and it made the youth understand how difficult setting a proper formation was. In fact, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in wonder at his past self in being able to set up the Parting Storm Formation in such a short amount of time with little to no mistakes.


    The threat of death was indeed a powerful motivator.


    ¡®There are still other formations I want to do, but¡­¡¯


    He was exhausted.


    When he first bought the materials, he actually intended to stay in his house to craft everything he needed, even if it took weeks. Now, however, he understood how foolish he had been.


    Red wasn¡¯t afraid of boring work, but even he, with his resolute mind and little need for preparation, wasn¡¯t exempt from the drain most Arcane Scripture masters suffered. A constant week of meticulous work with very little time for rest was enough to tire him physically and mentally, even after breaking through.


    He previously thought only a few hours of rest would be enough to be reinvigorated, but he was wrong. It was easy for one to think once they broke through to the Lesser Ring Realm that they would be inexhaustible, able to recover from any wound or fatigue in an instant. Yet, as the youth found out, there was no such thing as limitless in the cultivation world. As one¡¯s power improved, so did the difficulty of the tasks they dealt with. They would require superhuman tenacity and strength, and as such, they would be enough to exhaust cultivators the same way some arduous physical tasks could exhaust mortals.


    Red was suffering from such exhaustion, and he knew that if he kept going, he would only tire himself further.


    ¡®I need to do something else.¡¯


    He called out to the imp.


    ¡°Emer.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, master!¡± The imp came running from another room, his face full of crumbles from raiding the kitchen.


    ¡°Find me an ornate box and put the finished talismans inside it.¡± Red said.


    The imp smiled. ¡°M-Master, do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time to open my store.¡±

 Chapter 412 - Grand Opening

    A letter arrived a few days ago, from Gustav himself. The man told him the repairs to his store were completed, and they even improved upon its older design. Red didn¡¯t bother sending a reply, as he was focused on his talismans, but now that he was exhausted, it was time to visit the store.


    ¡°M-Master, wait!¡±


    The imp called out to the youth as he was making his way out with the finished talismans.


    Red turned to him with a frown. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What about the materials?¡± The imp asked. ¡°What if someone steals them?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how that would benefit them, but even if they do, they won¡¯t try it during the day.¡±


    ¡°B-But what if they do?¡±


    ¡°Then let them.¡±


    He didn¡¯t plan on letting people break into the manor as they wanted, but he wasn¡¯t able to set up proper defenses yet, and he didn¡¯t know how long that would take. He couldn¡¯t afford to just wait by the house while resting.


    ¡°Just pay attention to the tablet and spy on anyone who tries to invade the house with your invisibility.¡± Red said. ¡°The only thing that matters in this manor are the materials¡­ Also, have her pretend to be asleep.¡±


    He pointed at the emotionless maid. It wasn¡¯t a problem if the people snooping around the house belonged to the demonic cult, since they knew about the soulless servant. If someone outside those people broke in and noticed this woman¡¯s strangeness, however, what would they think about Red?


    It was better to make the woman pretend to be asleep, as even if someone broke in, they wouldn¡¯t bother her unless they wanted to get discovered.


    ¡°I-If you say so, master.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pay very special attention! I won¡¯t let anything escape my eyes!¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t get caught.¡±


    With those words, he turned around and left for the street. Nothing much seemed to have changed around the capital, even if the youth didn¡¯t bother keeping up with anything as he isolated himself. It had already been more than a week since he arrived in the city, and yet it felt like this was just his third or fourth day.


    His perception of time, it seemed, was being shaped into a cultivator¡¯s senses.


    It was around midday, and while traffic was annoying, the youth didn¡¯t opt for taking a carriage or a horse. Soon enough, he arrived at the market square, and he spotted his store from far away. Most pedestrians were giving it a wide berth, probably because of the handful of armed mercenaries standing by the entrance, but at the very least, it allowed Red a clear view of the place.


    It looked completely different from what he remembered from a couple of days ago. The old front was replaced by a new golden wood facade, polished to a point that it was almost indistinguishable from genuine gold. The showcase was replaced by smaller panes of glass, lending a peek into the renovated shelves inside the store. A large reinforced gate also took most of the space in the entrance, and anyone would have a hard time breaking into the building now.


    What made Red frown, though, was the name carved in bold letters above the gate.


    ¡®Master Viran¡¯s Splendid Scripture Shop.¡¯


    Gustav¡¯s servants did come asking for what the name of the store was going to be a few days ago, but the youth said he didn¡¯t really care about it. Now, however, he was regretting that decision.


    As he approached the store, the mercenaries standing by noticed him. They stood on guard for a second, but they quickly recognized Red by his mask and relaxed their stance.


    ¡°Gustav offers his greetings, sir.¡± One of the mercenaries stepped forward and bowed to him. ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you to come by today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I plan to open the store.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± The man seemed surprised. ¡°Gustav said he wanted to speak to you as soon as you came by again.¡±


    ¡°Did he need to do it before I open the store?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter. If it¡¯s something important, tell him to come looking for me.¡± Red looked over at the gate. ¡°Will you open it, please?¡±


    The reinforced gate door had an even sturdier lock, and he wasn¡¯t given the key yet.


    ¡°Ah, certainly!¡±


    The mercenary fumbled with an item in his pocket, pulling out a key before unlocking the door.


    Red walked past him and stepped inside the store without hesitation.


    The mercenary called after him. ¡°Ah, sir!¡±


    The youth stopped and looked back. ¡°What is it?¡±


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    ¡°Gustav told us to ask you how our services might be needed.¡±


    ¡°You can leave.¡±


    The man seemed at a loss. ¡°S-Sir?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring off customers.¡±


    Red could see the looks some passersby gave to these men. They were afraid of them, and the youth could only imagine the reputation of these men wasn¡¯t all that great. It was fine for them to stand around and scare off any troublemakers, but now that the store was going to open, wouldn¡¯t they just be scaring off customers instead?


    The mercenary looked embarrassed. ¡°Sir, are you sure? What if someone tries to make trouble?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Do you think I need your help to defend my store?¡±


    The man¡¯s expression changed, and he gave the youth a resigned smile. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, sir.¡±


    The youth nodded and walked further in without sparing them a second glance.


    Soon enough, these mercenaries were gone, and Red went about setting up his store, putting the talismans on the shelves. There were, however, a few problems.


    ¡®It¡¯s just that¡­¡¯


    There was way too much free space. The talismans weren¡¯t that big, and they barely occupied a single shelf even when set far apart. This meant that 90 percent of the space in the store was completely empty, not even mentioning the fact that the talismans themselves didn¡¯t look awe-inspiring. They were just pieces of paper with complex drawings on them. Their power was undeniable, but they didn¡¯t give off the glow of a magical item or the sweet aroma of a cultivation pill.


    Red, however, could only shrug at the end of the day. Those who knew the value of the talismans wouldn¡¯t care they didn¡¯t give off bright lights.


    With the almost meaningless preparation done, the youth walked behind the counter and sat down on a comfortable chair that Gustav¡¯s men had built. Now, all he could do was wait.


    And wait he did.


    One hour passed by, and not one person stepped foot inside his store. At most, they would take a few glances from the outside, but none of them even tried to see what was being sold.


    At first, Red thought this was normal. After all, most of these people were of modest means, and buying a talisman was something completely outside of the realm of possibility for them. It was something that only cultivators or rich people would take an interest in.


    When three hours passed by with no visitors, though, he began second-guessing himself. Plenty of cultivators and mercenaries walked by the store, but none of them stepped foot inside. It was even stranger, though, when Red started to notice the strange expressions they looked at the place.


    The youth couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to their conversations with his improved hearing.


    ¡°Is that the store?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they repaired it.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it has many customers.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably too scared to step inside after what happened at the palace.¡±


    ¡°Really? What if the products are really good, though?¡±


    ¡°So what? Do you want to be the first one to test the waters?¡±


    ¡°Haha! No way! I don¡¯t want to get on anyone¡¯s bad side without being sure.¡±


    The two mercenaries soon walked away, out of Red¡¯s earshot.


    The youth, however, couldn¡¯t help but frown at what he heard.


    ¡®What happened at the palace?¡¯


    Those words stood out to him, and it confirmed to him one thing. The accident that happened here a week before had greater repercussions than he could have imagined, and he could only guess he was now fully caught in the middle of a struggle between different parties.


    ¡®Those people from the Golden Hand¡­¡¯


    Even when they were trying to help him, they only ended up involving him further in their disputes. Red had no one else to blame but himself, though, as he threw himself into this hostile environment knowing full well the risks.


    Still, for now, there was nothing he could do other than wait. People were still curious about his products, so he thought that if he could prove they were worth their price, they wouldn¡¯t really care about some political dispute in the palace.


    At least, so he hoped.


    ¡­


    Five hours passed by without a single customer, and Red gave up on paying too much attention to the outside. Instead, he spent this time cultivating - azure energy flowing into his Spiritual Sea as he solidified his foundation.


    ¡®It¡¯s almost night.¡¯


    He looked outside as the sun was beginning to set. While movement outside was still high, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone was willing to be the first customer of this problematic store of his.


    Red was unwilling to see his plans hit a snag, but there was nothing he could do. Right now, he was even considering if it was worth it to speak with Gustav and his guild about this matter, or if it was worth it to cut relations with them while he still could.


    ¡®I¡¯ll wait for a few more hours.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think this problem had any solution other than waiting for someone brave or stupid enough to step in. Even then, he didn¡¯t know if that would solve the issue if there was someone really willing to punish anyone that tried to buy from his store.


    It was a frustrating situation, and right as Red was wondering what to do, he sensed something.


    A fluctuation belonging to the Lesser Ring Realm walking by his store. They stopped right in front of the building, looking at it with a curious gaze. Then, without hesitation, they walked in with their hands behind their back.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    A handsome young man greeted Red with a smile. He was wearing fancy white clothing - a pristine shirt covered his upper body, slacking trousers, and a black robe over the top of it all that reached almost to his knees. His long black hair was tied up in a bundle above his head, and he carried a gentle expression in his pale complexion.


    Red couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of Allen as he saw him - a young master of a family of means, and talented in cultivation too, judging by his realm. He was probably not much older than the youth himself.


    ¡°This is all I have to offer.¡± Red pointed at the talismans on the nearby shelf.


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± The young man seemed surprised, but still walked over to the items.


    He looked at the talismans with an expression of curiosity.


    ¡°Is this how you¡¯re supposed to attract customers, you idiot?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s angry voice reached his ears. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to sell the quality of your products?!¡±


    Red ignored her, examining the young man from behind his mask.


    He wasn¡¯t a merchant to begin with, not to mention he couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious about anyone that entered his store of their own volition. Either this young man was completely oblivious, or his background was big enough to not have to worry about retaliation from anyone in the city. Judging by his cultivation, though, Red thought the latter was more likely.


    The young man looked back at him with a slightly surprised expression. ¡°You made these?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°These are good quality for basic talismans. Do you mind if I pick one of them up?¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t damage it.¡±


    The young man picked up the talisman, turning it around as he examined it. He seemed rather confused, however, as he kept turning the item as if looking for something.


    He then looked back at Red in puzzlement. ¡°You didn¡¯t put any signatures on them?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I see no need to.¡±


    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t care about getting recognition for your work?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I only care about selling my work.¡±


    The young man chuckled. ¡°Fair enough!¡±


    He set the talisman down and went about inspecting the rest of them. He grunted and nodded in approval, as if satisfied with the quality of the talismans.


    A few minutes later, he approached the counter.


    ¡°I want to buy them.¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°All of them.¡±


    This time, it was the youth that was at a loss.

 Chapter 413 - A Single Sale

    Red was silent, staring at the youth in front of him as if trying to see through the deception. All he saw, though, was a serene expression.


    ¡°Why buy them all?¡± he asked.


    The young man smiled. ¡°Is that something the seller has to be concerned about?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°It is when you are someone in my position.¡±


    A Lesser Ring Realm cultivator had little use for so many talismans. This wasn¡¯t because the spells within weren¡¯t strong, but because they took a long time to activate in combat, and a cultivator could cast multiple Spiritual Arts at that same amount of time with his own energy. The talismans they used needed to be more powerful than their cultivation base to justify their use, but the ones Red had were all very basic.


    What use did this stranger have for so many of them, given his cultivation? After all that had happened since coming to town, he couldn¡¯t help but become suspicious.


    ¡°It¡¯s for my household members.¡± The young man said. ¡°They need something to protect themselves.¡±


    ¡°How many members are in your household?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Quite a few.¡±


    Red went silent as he pondered in his mind.


    ¡°40 Spirit Stones for all of them.¡± he said.


    The young man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That much?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please, sir. Your talismans are good, but I have never seen any basic talismans priced so high.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not willing to pay?¡±


    The young man hesitated. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t spend my money so frivolously at such a time, so if that¡¯s truly the final price, I can only give up on this idea.¡±


    Although he said that, he didn¡¯t leave, staring at Red with a shred of hope. The masked vendor, however, only glared back with his icy gaze in silence.


    A few seconds later, the young man let out a sigh of disappointment and turned around to leave. Red stared at his back, and only when he was about to step out of the store did he speak up.


    ¡°Twenty five Spirit Stones for all of them.¡±


    The young man froze and looked back with a resigned smile. ¡°That¡¯s still a Spirit Stone for each talisman.¡±


    ¡°I need the money.¡± Red said.


    The first quote he gave was far above market price exactly because he wanted to test this buyer¡¯s intentions. It was reasonable that this customer walked away, and Red would have been suspicious if he accepted the price instead. The second quote was more along what one would expect for such talismans, though still above their usual cost.


    This time Red was truly settled on selling them, so now he was trying to make a profit.


    The young man seemed to be deep in thought, looking over at Red with a pondering expression.


    ¡°I can do that price, but there is a condition.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°I only negotiate with currency.¡±


    The young man chuckled. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s nothing so binding. I only want to invite you for a drink.¡±


    ¡°A drink?¡± Red was confused.


    ¡°Yes, in the tavern across the plaza.¡± He pointed outside. ¡°Me and some of my friends will be meeting there tomorrow, so I want you to come.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t drink alcohol.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The young man waved him off. ¡°You don¡¯t need to drink.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want me to be there?¡±


    ¡°I find that cultivation becomes far easier when you have connections with other cultivators. Me and my friends are all practitioners or people of influence at some level or the other, and we are always eager to have more talented young people to join our circle.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to join your group?¡±


    That sounded like the last thing Red would want to do.


    The young man shook his head. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s nothing so binding. I just want to introduce to them a talented Arcane Scripture Master, and you only stand to gain more clients if I vouch for your skills.¡±


    ¡°Why do I need more clients? You bought everything I had.¡±


    ¡°You bought an entire store here in the most active part of the city. Surely your ambitions don¡¯t stop at a measly few dozen Spirit Stones, do they?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I intend to focus on cultivation for the next few weeks.¡±


    Now that he sold the talismans, he could buy what he needed for a Gathering Spirit Formation, and the ingredients alone would cost him far more than the 15 Spirit Stones he still had. He expected it might take at least a week to sell all his talismans, but now that they were about to be sold, he didn¡¯t have a reason to delay.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡± The young man nodded. ¡°As long as you need resources, you will find clients in us. There are plenty of rich cultivators amongst my friends, and there is always a need for talismans in times like these.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ One meeting, correct?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t get in trouble for associating with you?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°More than you already are? Unlikely. In fact, it might make certain people think twice if they see you associating with us.¡±


    ¡®Like I thought, he knows about it.¡¯


    The fact he still knew all about the troubles Red had gotten himself into and still walked into his store only spoke about his background.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like interacting with other people, but he knew his own situation in this city. It was unlikely he would ever get many clients in this store, so directly supplying his products to rich people who weren¡¯t concerned about his background was not only beneficial, but it was also necessary if he still wanted to go ahead with his plans.


    The young man smiled at this. ¡°Good!¡±


    He walked over to the counter, which left Red confused.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to fetch your Spirit Stones?¡± he asked.


    He was carrying no large bags on him, so Red couldn¡¯t imagine where he would fit twenty-five Spirit Stones.


    The young man shook his head. ¡°No need.¡±


    He fetched a small pouch from the side of his waist. The leather suddenly started to glow as he injected some Spiritual Energy onto it, before it opened up. The stranger then put his other hand inside, which disappeared for farther than should have been physically possible, and started to pull out Spirit Stones from within one by one.


    Soon enough, twenty-five Spirit Stones were on top of the counter, pulled from a container that should have been too small to keep all of them. Red was staring at the bag in wonder, though none of that showed in his expression that was hidden beneath his mask.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is a Spatial Bag.¡± The young man said. ¡°It has a cubic meter of space inside it squeezed into a small pouch. Rather impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®Squeezed space?¡¯


    The notion was so ridiculous that Red could barely wrap his head around it. In fact, he even forgot about the Spirit Stones, only having eyes for the small pouch.


    ¡°May I see the runes?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of the pouch?¡± The young man hesitated. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t mean to sound rude, but this is my most valuable possession, and it¡¯s not something I let even close friends touch.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Red was disappointed, but he could understand it. If he was in the same position, he probably would have also refused.


    To his surprise, though, the young man smiled. ¡°However, if you come by tomorrow, then I can let you have a look.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Red frowned in suspicion.


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t think you would have any ill intentions towards it and besides¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be able to open it even if you stole it from me.¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°Then I must thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, just keep your end of the bargain!¡±


    With a chuckle, he waved his hand and a gentle wind swept the talismans off of the shelves and into the open pouch. Red made no motions to stop this, and he also stowed away the Spirit Stones off of the counter.


    ¡°Remember, tomorrow at night in the tavern across the street.¡± The young man said as he walked away. ¡°Tell the hostess you¡¯re a friend of Leon and she should take you to us. We¡¯ll be waiting for you there!¡±


    ¡®Leon¡­¡¯


    The name was imprinted in Red¡¯s mind. He would need to ask Emer about it once he was back.


    ¡°Well, looks like that is solved.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice echoed in his ears. ¡°It seems faith deals you good and bad luck in equal measure.¡±


    The youth was compelled to agree. Leon¡¯s appearance was like a miracle to Red, who was on the verge of giving up entirely on his plans after a string of unfortunate accidents.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°I will buy the materials for the Gathering Spirit Formation tomorrow and then focus on resting so I can build it.¡±


    The Gathering Spirit Formation was responsible for increasing Spiritual Energy density within a certain area at the cost of Spirit Stones. It was vital for any cultivator who didn¡¯t have a personal Spiritual Fountain, and something Red couldn¡¯t do without if he wanted to make good progress through the Lesser Ring Realm.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°It is not a simple formation. Are you sure you can do it?¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t, then I won¡¯t try it.¡±


    It was likely this formation would be even harder to build than the Parting Storm Formation he used to break through, and even with his quick improvements, Red wasn¡¯t so blind as to think he would succeed in the task easily. Even if it took him a month of practice and work, though, it was still something he thought was worth going through.


    It was one of the foundational steps in his cultivation plan, so failure wasn¡¯t an option.


    After he stowed the Spirit Stones away, Red saw no reason to remain within the store. Soon enough, he locked the place and started to make his way back to his manor. Thankfully, no one from the Golden Hand tried to intercept him as he left the market district, though the youth wasn¡¯t so na?ve to think he was rid of their troubles.


    ¡®I need to learn what happened in the court.¡¯


    This time, though, perhaps he could ask Leon and his friends instead of Gustav and his Golden Hand.


    As Red walked away from the market district, the street traffic diminished as well. It was already getting late into the night, and people in the residential districts had long since returned to their homes after work, and only the usual carriages and guard patrols could be seen with frequency.


    It was a sight and path Red was getting used to from his many forays into the city, which was why he immediately noticed something out of the ordinary with his crimson sense.


    ¡®There¡¯s a new fluctuation stalking me.¡¯


    At this point, he was almost completely familiar with the people sent to spy on him. They rotated in a very rigid schedule as the day progressed, but it was almost always the same pool of seven or so people that were tasked with spying on Red as he walked through the city or stayed in his home.


    Sometimes newcomers whose fluctuations he didn¡¯t recognize would appear, but this was only during shift changes at dawn or very late at night. This was the reason, then, that this new arrival seemed suspicious.


    ¡®There¡¯s still one of the usual spies stalking me, so is this someone from another faction?¡¯


    It only meant more trouble, then.


    Red tried to study this fluctuation as usual - discerning physical features as he was capable, such as age, sex, and strength. To his surprise, this fluctuation seemed fainter than usual and harder to discern, resembling someone who was on the edge of death. However, how could that be the case if they were stalking him while jumping across the roofs above?


    ¡®Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯


    He recalled one such situation where it felt as if his crimson sense was being tricked, where the strength of the fluctuation didn¡¯t match with the actual power of the cultivator. That was when he met the Greater Ring Realm cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect.


    A shiver ran up his spine. Slowly and while trying to make his movements natural, his hand reached into the bag he was carrying, grabbing onto the moonstone core and extending his awareness.


    ¡°Aurelia¡­ There¡¯s someone stalking me.¡± Red said through his awareness.


    ¡°Of course there is! Why does that surprise you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel them properly with my crimson sense.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± This time, she seemed surprised. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Fifty or so meters behind me, on top of the buildings to my left.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But there¡¯s nowhere¡­ Wait, I think I can- Crap, they¡¯re moving!¡±


    Her warning came before Red¡¯s senses could even detect it. The fluctuation charged in his direction, soaring towards him.


    The youth was quick to react and turn around, spotting a dark silhouette jumping from the rooftops towards him at an incredible speed. He didn¡¯t hesitate to dash away, but that was when he saw something glinting in the shadow¡¯s hand.


    A dagger.


    The figure threw the weapon towards him, cutting the air with a shrill noise. It was faster than any dagger Rimold ever threw, and even after breaking through, Red wasn¡¯t confident he could dodge it, so his hand went to draw his short sword to parry it.


    ¡°Dodge it!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s scream echoed in his ears. The youth didn¡¯t know why she was saying that, but he decided to trust her judgement in that split second. He twisted his body and tried to step to the side, making sure that even if he was unable to dodge the dagger, it wouldn¡¯t hit a vital part of his body.


    Only when the weapon was a few meters away from him did he understand the woman¡¯s warning. The metal flashed with a bright white light before the dagger exploded into several sharp metal shards, which were all propelled with even greater speed towards Red.


    He couldn¡¯t even follow them before he felt several strong sharp pains on the entire left side of his body.

 Chapter 414 - Targeted

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    The projectiles piercing into his side pushed him backwards with an immense punch, and Red couldn¡¯t keep his balance. He tumbled to the ground, sliding through the paved street for meters on end.


    His entire world was spinning, and the youth didn¡¯t even have the time to register the damage caused by the projectiles when Aurelia¡¯s words reached his ears.


    ¡°There¡¯s another dagger!¡±


    ¡®Another one?¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t see or hear it, still tumbling around from the first impact. He could only use his crimson sense to feel the rough direction of the assassin¡¯s fluctuation and guess where the attack would come from.


    His fingers dug into the gravel, arresting his momentum in that split second as he sought to regain some semblance of balance. His eyes darted in the direction of the fluctuation, spotting a blurry glint midair arcing in his direction.


    It was too fast to dodge, much less in his position. Not to mention, if it exploded in that same manner, it would hit him right in front of his body, and he was certain he wouldn¡¯t survive that.


    As both pain and numbness spread from the pierced left side of his body, Red¡¯s hand shot to the hilt of his short sword like lightning, drawing it out and hurling it towards the flying dagger with a single motion.


    The projectile glowed with the same menacing light from before, mere meters away from him, when the dark sword struck it.


    Another explosion of metal happened, sending Red¡¯s blade flying away. At the same time, the shattered shards were redirected from the impact, lodging themselves on the pavement and buildings around Red.


    A second lethal blow, and this turn, he avoided it. Yet there was no time to breathe or think.


    The shadowy figure on the other end of the street was still moving, and although it seemed incredibly hard to discern their movements, the glint that came from their hand was indistinguishable.


    ¡®Another dagger.¡¯


    Red¡¯s heart fell. Every single one of those exploding shards felt like being hit by a dozen arrows all at once, and even now he felt unable to discern the damage done to the left side of his body. Yet he had no more short swords to block the attack with, and he certainly wasn¡¯t capable of dodging the dagger even if he was fully prepared.


    He was going to die if he was hit again.


    Under such pressure, Red moved out of instinct. His right hand reached down, grasping around the hilt of the worn-down longsword. A guttural roar only he could hear echoed in his mind, and the youth stood ready to draw the demon out.


    However, he couldn¡¯t spot the glint flying in his direction. His eyes darted around in confusion, afraid he had somehow missed the dagger being thrown, but a second later, he saw it.


    It was still in the hands of that shadowy figure. They had stopped moving, so Red could discern their raised hand, which had ceased midway through hurling the dagger.


    Something had caused the assassin to stop, yet the youth could not see nor feel anything out of the ordinary around them.


    ¡®What is-¡¯


    Before he could even finish his thoughts, the shadowy figure turned around and ran. Red couldn¡¯t keep track of them as they seemed to blend into the night even past his dark vision, and soon enough they had disappeared from the range of his crimson sense.


    ¡°What¡­ What happened?¡±


    Red asked out loud through ragged breaths.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Focus on recovering! Their spiritual energy is inside your body!¡±


    The youth was hesitant to let go of the hilt of the longsword, as if afraid the assassin would return the next moment, but a second later, he felt a spreading warmth in his side.


    Blood, pouring down his clothes. The weakness hit him a moment later, as his legs buckled under him.


    ¡®Damn it, I need to¡­¡¯


    ¡°W-What happened?!¡±


    ¡°What was that noise?!¡±


    ¡°S-Something broke through my window!¡±


    Only now did the brief confrontation seem to catch the attention of other people. People peeked their heads outside of their homes, looking over the street in a panic. Their gazes all gathered on Red, the only person standing on the pavement at that moment.


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    ¡°Who is that person?¡±


    ¡°Look mom, they¡¯re bleeding!¡±


    ¡°Someone call the guards!¡±


    The youth could feel his consciousness slipping away as people pointed and spoke at him. He couldn¡¯t concern himself about them, though.


    ¡®I can¡¯t fall unconscious here.¡¯


    If he did, then even if he survived, everything would be over.


    He could feel his body trying to repair itself - a power from the crimson being he had used many times in the past - and yet there seemed to be something stopping his flesh from reconnecting. It was a discomforting feeling, and weakness was grasping him even further.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic and listen to me, goddamn it!¡± Aurelia¡¯s angered voice reached his ears. ¡°Sit down and circulate your energy!¡±


    Red mumbled while drawing quick breaths. ¡°¡­ H-Here?¡±


    ¡°Yes here, you moron! You¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t!¡±


    The youth knew the situation was precarious, so he didn¡¯t ask anything else. He sat cross-legged with some difficulty, having to drag his left leg into position, and tried to focus on his circulation even as blood continued to flow down his wounds.


    The small amount of Azure Spiritual Energy Red had stored flowed out from his Spiritual Sea, swimming into his veins.


    ¡°Direct it towards you wounds now! Use your energy to expel it!¡±


    He followed Aurelia¡¯s instructions, redirecting the stream of energy towards the left side of his body. He couldn¡¯t feel much from there after being wounded, but the awareness afforded to him after breaking through allowed him to locate the spots where the shards had pierced him.


    It was then that he saw it - or felt it would be more appropriate. A series of foreign objects surrounded by a turbulent violet energy that continuously tore away at his flesh as it tried to regenerate - the metal shards. It was still attacking him even after having pierced into his body, and he couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if he didn¡¯t have the crimson being¡¯s regeneration to help him.


    Red directed his azure energy towards it without even needing Aurelia¡¯s prompting. There was an immediate clash as this foreign energy reacted violently to the youth¡¯s own energy, and the two streams started to fight against each other.


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown as he felt the resistance offered by the violet energy. Both of these power sources were wiping each other out, and while the method was working, Red wasn¡¯t certain he had enough energy to erase this invader completely.


    Thankfully, though, his body also seemed to react at that moment. The regeneration that had slowed down started to gain ground, slowly pushing out the metal shards lodged in his flesh and organs.


    One by one, small pieces of metal covered in blood were expelled from his skin, and with it the violet energy they carried. This, in turn, allowed Red to focus his efforts, even as his own regeneration also slowed down, spent on whatever sources of energy it used.


    Soon enough, every projectile was dislodged from his body, falling to the ground with some clinks, and his wounds closed up. The immediate danger passed, and Red allowed his circulating energy to return to his Spiritual Sea.


    Yet, what came next was another wave of weakness the likes of which he never felt before. He tried to get up, but the left side of his body seemed to weight ten times more than usual, and he was too frail to even raise his arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force it!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You¡¯re gonna open your wounds!¡±


    ¡°The regeneration¡­ It didn¡¯t work?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The only reason you¡¯re still alive is because of your regeneration! Of course it worked!¡±


    ¡°But why¡­¡±


    Red trailed off as his senses returned to him. A crowd was starting to gather, looking at him with expressions of both fright and curiosity. The youth even saw some people eyeing his short sword on the other side of the street with wonder, but he was too weak to stop them.


    ¡®I need to get out of here.¡¯


    Yet, his body still struggled to move properly. Right as Red thought things couldn¡¯t get much worse, he saw a group of guards rounding a street corner and approaching the commotion.


    ¡°What is going on here?!¡±


    It was then that the youth lost all hopes of not escalating the situation further. Instead, as he recognized how things might go, he focused instead on eliminating some evidence.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let them examine my blood.¡¯


    Aurelia explained to him his primary source of demonification likely came from his blood, and if someone got their hands on it, they might be able to discern his corruption. This wasn¡¯t a problem most of the time, as Red could absorb blood through his skin like he was breathing air, and the crimson being was only too eager to recoup its lost power. However, plenty of the fluid had spilled to the ground while he was meditating, and he needed to be quick to reabsorb it.


    The guards had already made their way through the crowd, and their attention obviously fell on Red at the center of it all.


    ¡°What happened here?!¡±


    The leading guard asked out loud to no one in particular.


    ¡°We just heard the noise and came outside!¡±


    ¡°We found him like this!¡±


    Some people were eager to speak up and explain the situation, but the guards mostly ignored them once they understood they knew nothing. Their attention immediately turned back to Red.


    ¡°You! Tell us what happened!¡±


    ¡°I was attacked.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Attacked? Attacked by wh- Hey, stop moving around!¡±


    The guards, who seemed to be quite on the edge, all grabbed their weapons as the youth tried to stand up. Red, however, only slightly moved to the side before falling down again so he could put his right hand over the small pool of blood at his feet.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stop moving, we will be forced to arrest you!¡±


    The leading guard threatened him, but his voice and posture seemed quite hesitant.


    ¡°Arrest me for what?¡± Red asked. ¡°I was the one who was attacked.¡±


    ¡°Then tell us what happened, gods damn it!¡±


    ¡°An assassin tried to kill me.¡± he said.


    ¡°An assassin did this?¡± The guard frowned with uncertainty, looking around at the damaged street from the man¡¯s exploding dagger. ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Their body was covered in darkness.¡±


    At these words, the guard¡¯s expression immediately paled. This also seemed to set off the crowd surrounding him as they let out gasps of surprise and fear.


    ¡°D-Darkness? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the Shadows! They tried to kill him!¡±


    This revelation immediately set the crowd ablaze. The guards immediately seemed uncertain of how to proceed, and they had an even harder time disguising their fear.


    The leading guard, however, tried his best to keep his composure. ¡°Y-You expect us to believe you met one of the Shadows and survived?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about. I only know I couldn¡¯t see them.¡±


    His words and composure seemed to breed even more uncertainty in the guard¡¯s mind. He looked over at one of his companions and nodded.


    ¡°Alert headquarters. This is not something we can deal with.¡±


    As Red heard these words, he became even more certain that this situation was about to escalate far out of his control.

 Chapter 415 - Questioned

    Red, who was in no condition to move, could only wait in his seated position as the crowd surrounding him grew even further.


    ¡®At least the blood should be gone.¡¯


    His body eagerly reabsorbed the blood on the ground through his pores, and with the youth covering his actions with his body, no one noticed the discrepancy. He wasn¡¯t too comfortable with this shoddy cleaning work, but it was unlikely he would have the time or privacy to eliminate every drop of blood from the pavement.


    With the most immediate concern solved, he could only brace himself for what came next.


    It was then that he noticed one of the guards moving towards his sword. His eyes narrowed behind his mask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it.¡±


    Red¡¯s voice was neutral, and yet it rang above the clamoring of the crowd. Everyone went silent, and the guard who was about to pick up the dark short sword froze. He looked back at his leader with an uncertain expression.


    The leading guard, in turn, looked over at Red with a frown. ¡°Is there something wrong with the sword?¡±


    ¡°No. I just don¡¯t want you to touch it.¡±


    The man gritted his teeth. A few seconds later, though, he looked over at his subordinate and shook his head. The guard then distanced himself from the weapon, and now the entire crowd made sure to give the blade a wide berth, too.


    It only took a few minutes for the reinforcements from the headquarters to arrive at the scene.


    ¡°Make way! Create a perimeter around here!¡±


    Red recognized both the voice and the fluctuation of this newly arrived guard. It was the same Lesser Ring Realm guard who had stood aside while his store was destroyed and even threatened the youth.


    As expected, the man who came accompanied by a dozen other guards gave Red an ugly look as they pushed the crowd away from the scene. Nevertheless, he seemed to maintain a professional stance as he looked over at his subordinates, who had arrived earlier.


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°T-There were plenty of deep holes around the street.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you found?¡± The captain frowned.


    ¡°W-Well, it fits with what we know from that¡­ Shadow.¡±


    ¡°Did you find any metal pieces, then?¡±


    The guard shook his head. ¡°N-No¡­ The holes were too deep, and we didn¡¯t really have the time to search.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you know it was them?!¡±


    ¡°W-Well, sir¡­ Who else could have done this-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± The captain cut him off. ¡°Just keep looking around and tell me if you find anything.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    As his subordinate walked away, only Red and this Lesser Ring Realm cultivator were left in the middle of the street.


    ¡°You know who attacked me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. You say you were attacked by a shadowy figure, correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Do you even know what you are claiming?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    ¡°If the person who attacked you is really whom you claim to be, that means they were at the Greater Ring Realm at least. Yet, somehow, you managed to live. Explain to me how that happens.¡±


    ¡®Greater Ring Realm¡­¡¯


    Red himself was quite confused. For one, he didn¡¯t understand why that person ran away in the first place, and then there was also the matter of how he couldn¡¯t discern their strength through their fluctuation.


    ¡®Still, Greater Ring Realm¡­ That doesn¡¯t sound right.¡¯


    That person was definitely stronger than Red, but he wasn¡¯t sure they were at that level. After all, he had a small but pertinent frame of reference about the strength a Greater Ring Realm cultivator should have from his encounter with that woman during the beast horde. He was certain he wouldn¡¯t survive a single blow from someone like that.


    ¡°I know nothing about their cultivation realm.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I can only tell you about what happened.¡±


    The man sneered at him. ¡°Let me guess - he threw exploding daggers, right?¡±


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    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re correct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen so many people killed by those, and yet here you stand with almost no wounds to speak of. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?¡±


    Red indeed didn¡¯t have any open wounds, but his clothing was stained in crimson, which was enough to show the extent of his injuries. At this point, however, he was certain the man was making things difficult for him on purpose.


    ¡°Here.¡± Red lobbed something in the man¡¯s direction. ¡°You can check for yourself.¡±


    The guard looked at him with some suspicion, but he still caught the item the youth threw at him and examined it.


    ¡°What do you¡­¡± He trailed off as his expression paled.


    He let the item drop to the ground out of shock with a clinking sound. It was a small shard of metal, previously lodged inside Red¡¯s body.


    It might pass off as junk for a common mortal, but even now it was overflowing with that violet energy which wasn¡¯t visible to non-cultivators. When the Lesser Ring Realm guard touched it, though, he obviously felt the large current.


    The expression with which he looked at Red changed to one of incredulity.


    ¡°¡­ How?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Stop asking me those questions. Am I not the victim here?¡±


    It was aggravating for the youth to be treated like this when he was the one who was almost killed in the first place.


    The guard frowned at his words, but it was clear his attitude changed after he inspected the metal shard.


    ¡°You need to come with me to the headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen a Shadow act in person since the war started. We need to take countermeasures now that they have exposed themselves.¡±


    ¡®That name again¡­¡¯


    Red knew that was how the underground organization in the city was called, but this was the first time he heard it being referenced as a person.


    ¡°Why must I go?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You might have relevant information about this case. Such as why you were attacked to begin with.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°I do not know why I was attacked.¡±


    ¡°Even still, it¡¯s important we question you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is this something I am being forced to do?¡±


    The guard gritted his teeth. ¡°Why make things so difficult? If those people are really keen on killing you, then you won¡¯t be able to live if you wander by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Am I being detained?¡± Red asked once more.


    The man let out a sigh. ¡°No. However, it¡¯s likely you will receive a convocation to attend questioning. That will be something you won¡¯t be able to deny if you want to remain in the city.¡±


    ¡°When that happens, you may come looking for me.¡± Red said. ¡°Until then, I would rather not be bothered.¡±


    As the youth said that, he got up. His legs trembled from the effort, but he didn¡¯t fall down.


    With uneasy steps, he started to walk over to his sword. The guards nearby seemed unsure of what to do, looking over at their superior for instructions.


    The captain shook his head. ¡°Let him be.¡±


    They stepped out of the way, allowing Red to pick up his sword without issues. He sheathed the blade back, and in his ragged and bloody clothing, walked past the perimeter created by the guards.


    The crowd parted before him, staring at this masked stranger with gazes of both wonder and fear. On one hand, they praised his abilities for escaping with his life against a Shadow, wondering how he had accomplished it. On the other hand, they gossiped about what could have even prompted that assassin to target him in the first place.


    Those were questions that Red himself was wondering, but on top of that, there was an additional mystery.


    ¡®What is a Shadow?¡¯


    ¡­


    Red managed to drag his feet back to the manor. Some people from the earlier crowd tried to follow him from afar, but a quick glance from the youth was enough to dissuade them from that course of action.


    When the youth closed the door behind him, the figure of the imp immediately materialized out of thin air, as if it was waiting for him.


    ¡°Master, master! There¡¯s an emergency! We need to-¡±


    Before Emer could finish speaking, Red immediately collapsed face first into the ground.


    ¡°M-Master?! W-What is going on?!¡±


    The imp walked over to him and started to push his body, turning him onto his back with some effort.


    ¡°Master! Y-You¡¯re wounded! W-What happened to you?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Red pushed the imp away. ¡°Just let me lie here.¡±


    The shards hadn¡¯t left behind any lasting damage, but the youth felt completely drained of both stamina and Spiritual Energy from the effort of expelling those foreign bodies. He almost thought he was about to collapse midway through while returning to the manor, but he managed to push himself to enter the door before collapsing from exhaustion.


    ¡°W-What happened, master?!¡± The imp seemed on the verge of tears as he examined Red¡¯s ragged state.


    ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡± Red said between deep breaths. ¡°You said we had an emergency, right?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, yes!¡± The imp nodded. ¡°Someone entered the house while you were gone! I saw it on the tablet!¡±


    The youth immediately stood on alert, even in his state. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t see. They were disguised in some rogue¡¯s clothing.¡± Emer said. ¡°B-But I kept an eye on them! I watched their every move to see if they weren¡¯t planning anything nefarious!¡±


    ¡°And what did you see?¡±


    ¡°They looked around the rooms, but they took nothing at all. H-However, when they got to the workshop, they put some sort of powder on one of your materials!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Powder?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. I tried to look for it afterwards, but I couldn¡¯t see any specks of it. I-I was also too scared to mess about with the materials in case it was a poison¡­ B-But I¡¯m sure of what I saw! They took some powder from a bottle and spread it over some of your materials!¡±


    ¡®An invisible powder, huh?¡¯


    Red tried to imagine what their intention was here. Was that some kind of poison that only took effect when in contact with someone¡¯s skin? Or perhaps it was something that would cause the material to explode once Red tried to refine it? In any case, he would need to examine it carefully. Perhaps it would be prudent to get rid of the targeted materials entirely, even if it meant he would lose quite a few spirit stones.


    He needed to consider how to proceed sooner rather than later.


    ¡®It¡¯s just that¡­¡¯


    He felt too tired to do anything.


    ¡°M-Master, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I just need to rest.¡±


    Although Red said that, his words came out in a slurred mess as he felt his entire body relax.


    ¡°B-But, master! What are we supposed to do about the powder?! What if it kills us?!¡±


    ¡°Just leave it be¡­¡±


    The youth struggled to even get these words out.


    ¡°Hey, kid!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°What do you think you are doing?! Are you really going to sleep after all that?!¡±


    ¡°M-Master, what if someone comes?!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t have the energy to respond anymore. He felt tired like he had never felt before, and for the first time in more than a month, sleep started to overtake his consciousness.


    A force too strong to be fought against.


    ¡­


    When Red woke up, he found himself staring at a crimson sky that seemed to weigh down on him from above, as if the firmaments were collapsing. He felt the coarse sand against his back, and as feeling returned to him, he also sensed how small his body had become.


    It was then that he knew.


    ¡®I¡¯m back here.¡¯


    Back to this hellish landscape.

 Chapter 416 - Droplet

    Red wasn¡¯t eager to get up, but he knew standing by was not a choice. He sat up, looking at the colossal bone that stretched into the crimson sky above without end. Countless runes were carved upon its surface, of a complexity the youth still couldn¡¯t figure out even now.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± he asked.


    His only answer was the absolute silence of this windless desolation.


    ¡°Still only silence, huh?¡±


    Nothing had changed. He was the only living being in this endless desert, and he couldn¡¯t reach to anyone in here. Not to Aurelia, nor to the crimson mist that had brought him here in the first place against his will.


    ¡®I thought we were past this¡­¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he was made to sleep by the crimson mist to be brought to this place, of course, but this was the first time for over a month that it happened. He thought that maybe the being had given up on this plan and left Red to his own devices for now.


    He was clearly very wrong.


    He looked down at his feet, noticing the faint drawing of runes he made on the black sand with the sharp bone he had carved from the knight. They were all still there, and the bone knife hadn¡¯t decomposed, which indicated not much time had gone by in this world.


    Or maybe it was better to say that nothing decomposed on this plane? It was hard to say.


    ¡®Does it still want me to learn those infernal runes?¡¯


    The crimson mist itself never made its plan known to Red, so he could only assume. Since the only thing in this place were these runes, what else was there for the youth to learn here? There was a big problem with this plan of action, though.


    ¡®These runes can¡¯t help me.¡¯


    It was not that they were useless. In fact, they were very powerful, but how could Red wield this demonic power in the open? It was why he didn¡¯t make his study of the runes a priority, since he wouldn¡¯t be able to use them either way.


    His demonic partner, however, didn¡¯t seem to understand this, or perhaps it didn¡¯t care.


    ¡®I have no choice then.¡¯


    Even if he wasn¡¯t able to use them, it was good practice for his Arcane Scripture. At least, that¡¯s what he would like to think.


    ¡®My body is still that of a child.¡¯


    His development in the outside world didn¡¯t seem to have any effect in his body on this hellish landscape, as here, he was still a ten-year-old child, with just a few Spiritual Veins open and with a closed Spiritual Sea. Not that any of that would matter, since there was no Spiritual Energy in this place as far as he could tell.


    The consequences of this were that he wasn¡¯t confident in his stamina to draw the runes to their conclusion.


    ¡®Now, where did I stop?¡¯


    He looked over at his drawings on the ground. They were crooked and barely visible, though that was to be expected as a bone and the irregular sandy ground made for less than ideal paint and paper. Whatever the case, it was what Red had to work with, and he wouldn¡¯t let it stop him from memorizing the runes.


    ¡­


    It wasn¡¯t too long before the youth lost track of time. Although his physical skills weren¡¯t brought with him to this world, the same couldn¡¯t be said of his mental faculties. He had improved a substantial amount on his Arcane Scripture since the last time he was in this infernal plane, so he had an easier time committing to mind all these foreign runes.


    The big problem, however, was that it was impossible for him to know what any of these new runes did without testing them. So Red could only guess and theorize the use of connecting such runes with each other with the little information he already knew.


    Soon enough, though, the task frustrated him.


    ¡®This is pointless.¡¯


    Arcane Scripture wasn¡¯t about guess working. If one didn¡¯t know the use of a rune, they needed to test it extensively. Right now, though, Red couldn¡¯t accomplish this and was forced to memorize runes at random without knowing their ultimate use or foundational importance. It wasn¡¯t as if this method wouldn¡¯t work, but there were countless different runes on the surface of this single bone mountain.


    How long would it take for Red to figure out the use of every one of them if he needed to experiment with them in the real world first? Too long, and it wasn¡¯t time he could afford to waste, much more so considering these wouldn¡¯t be useful to him at this moment.


    This was made less vexing by the fact time passed in this place didn¡¯t correspond to time passed in the real world, but it didn¡¯t make his frustration any lesser. He couldn¡¯t help but feel there were more efficient ways to pass his time in this place, and this ate him up inside until the point that his bone ¡°brush¡± was completely spent.


    Red looked down at the remaining stub with a frown. His only tool, now completely gone.


    ¡®If I knew I was going to be using this for drawing, I would have taken more bones¡­¡¯


    Now, however, he couldn¡¯t guess where that knight¡¯s body was, as he didn¡¯t bother keeping track of his steps back then.


    Red threw aside the remaining bone piece, looking around at the ground drawings. They now occupied more than a hundred meter radius around him, full of the youth¡¯s trial and errors in drawing the runes. Right now, he felt confident he had memorized more than fifty such infernal runes, the majority of which he didn¡¯t know the use of. And yet¡­


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    ¡®I¡¯m still here.¡¯


    His return to the real world was accompanied by a wave of exhaustion at having spent himself completely. Right now, though, Red didn¡¯t feel tired at all, even after having spent who knew how long in studying those runes. It just so happened that this time around, it didn¡¯t take nearly the same effort of his part in memorizing each infernal rune, which only spoke to his improved mastery over Arcane Scripture.


    The real question was, what else was he supposed to do now?


    Red was almost compelled to look up at the sky in contemplation, but he stopped himself at the last moment. He couldn¡¯t forget about the Black Sun.


    It was only after a long time that an idea came to his mind as he stared at the bone mountain.


    ¡®What if I drop my blood on those runes?¡¯


    Truthfully, this wasn¡¯t the first time he had considered the idea. He knew these infernal runes were powered by blood, so he imagined they would have some reaction to his own blood. However, he was more than a little hesitant to proceed with this plan.


    For one, the mountain was unimaginably big, and every inch of it was covered in runes. Even if Red bled himself dry, it would not be enough to cover even a small fraction of its surface. This was not to mention he didn¡¯t know the purpose of these runes, so how wise would it be to activate them?


    This all made Red afraid to proceed with this plan, but he recognized there was little else to do. Either he tried to bleed over the bone mountain or he found some other way to die of exhaustion. He could try to memorize the infernal runes without drawing them first, but Red¡¯s skills weren¡¯t at that level yet.


    His curiosity and frustration also bore down on him. The status quo had remained for too long in this desolate infernal plain and he was gaining little from his own efforts to memorize the runes, so he was now considering doing something more extreme to cause some change.


    His innate curiosity and cautiousness clashed in his mind, and Red struggled to make a decision. Yet, at the end, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh as he came to a decision.


    ¡®No Spiritual Energy to cultivate, no tools to practice with, no books to read¡­ What else do I have with me other than my own blood?¡¯


    Even if he did nothing right now, how long would it take for him to find himself in the same situation? The crimson mist would bring him back to the future for reasons even the being himself didn¡¯t seem to know, and he would still find himself with the same conundrum. He could bring nothing other than knowledge with him to this place, so it didn¡¯t matter how strong he got out there.


    He would still be just a helpless child in here.


    ¡®Whatever the case, I can¡¯t let myself fester here.¡¯


    Time didn¡¯t pass in the real world while he was here, but his perception was still real. The youth was patient, able to take loneliness better than most, but even he didn¡¯t feel at ease in this place. Not a single sound here other than his own breathing and footsteps - it was enough to drive even the most patient individual crazy over long enough periods of time - not to mention the staleness and lack of life in the air.


    This wasn¡¯t a place for the living, and Red wouldn¡¯t spend any more time here than he had to.


    It was with all those things in mind that he made his decision.


    Red walked towards the giant bone, looking up towards the crimson sky. He couldn¡¯t see the top from here, and he felt like a piece of dust before this monumental spur. He would have double guessed himself about this being a bone at all if he hadn¡¯t observed it from a distance in the past, but he was certain of it now.


    He traced his finger along the runes carved on its surface. They were made with a crude tool, considering by the chipping, but they were still drawn perfectly as far as Red could tell.


    ¡®The work of a master.¡¯


    No longer hesitating, Red brought his thumb up to his mouth and bit down. He didn¡¯t flinch as a small droplet of blood flowed down his finger, which he proceeded to smear on the center of a rune.


    At first, the small dark red mark remained on the greyish surface, showing no reaction. Red frowned, wondering if his theories were wrong in the first place, but a few second later he saw a change.


    The smear of blood started to fade, as if evaporating into thin air. The youth squinted his eyes, trying to examine the reaction from up close, but it all happened too fast. Before he could even blink, the blood was gone, and the bone surface seemed to have returned to normal.


    ¡®Is that it?¡¯


    Red was confused. Even if his blood wasn¡¯t enough, he expected at least some kind of reaction, and yet no such thing happened.


    He took a step back, trying to examine the bone from afar.


    ¡®Wait, is that?¡¯


    He squinted. Something seemed to have changed above him. A small crack in the colossal bone, which, a few seconds later, seemed to spread to its surroundings. Soon enough, the phenomenon spread to a much larger area, until almost the entire bone was riddled by those similar fine cracks.


    The ground rumbled, and the very air crackled with deafening sounds of something far too big collapsing upon itself. Red shivered.


    Was it about to collapse?


    The youth didn¡¯t even try to run away. The bone was far too big, and even if he had a five-minute head start, he doubted he would be clear of the rubble from the collapse. He could only walk further back, trying to take in the phenomenon from far away.


    The collapse he was expecting, however, didn¡¯t come, even as the cracks continued to spread. Instead, Red saw a dust layer form on the surface of the bone mountain. This later increased until almost the entire structure was covered in it.


    It was only a few seconds later that the youth understood what was happening.


    ¡®It¡¯s¡­ dissipating?¡¯


    Sure enough, beneath this smoke, Red could see the volume of the bone being reduced. The bone dust seemed to disappear into the skies, even though there was no wind to blow it, and the mountain continued to evaporate.


    The youth covered his eyes, his entire body consumed by the cloud of dust. And yet, he didn¡¯t feel any force against his body, and no specks stuck to his clothing. It was as if the bone dust couldn¡¯t touch his body.


    After what felt like an eternity, his vision started to clear. The entire bone mountain had disappeared, leaving not even a trace behind.


    Red looked around in a daze, until he seemed to spot something. It was a glow, a floating golden light in the place where the mountain had just stood. It was almost too faint to spot, but contrasted against the endless black desert, it was all too obvious.


    The youth felt a calling to him, as if speaking deeply to his soul. Almost with no control, he walked towards it. Though the light seemed small, it was actually just too far from him, and as he got close, it increased in front of his eyes.


    It was emitting a golden light, but in fact, its surface seemed to be a deep crimson. Countless golden runes were covering its surface, and it didn¡¯t take Red more than a second to recognize them as the symbols that once covered the bone mountain. More than that, though, the youth felt a resonance from his body to this crimson-golden sphere, and an innate understanding came to him at that moment.


    Blood. That was a droplet of blood.


    Of course, calling it a droplet was understating it. The sphere was bigger than him, almost three meters across, but the youth felt sure of it. It was blood.


    And right now, he felt an almost uncontrollable desire to consume it.


    ¡®No! I can¡¯t-¡¯


    As if recovering some shred of his sanity, Red held himself back. His body seemed to be fighting against him, though, and the youth felt an unbearable pain as his own muscles clashes against each other.


    ¡®What is¡­ Going on?¡¯


    Before he could recover his thoughts, though, a thunderous rumbling came from above him. Red shivered, and he looked up.


    The entire crimson sky seemed to shiver, as deep lines formed along the firmament. Like a canvas, the heavens themselves shimmered and bulged, as if something was trying to break its way through it. The air above crackled, and it was as if the entire world was falling apart.


    An unbearable pressure crashed down on Red, and a roar reached his ears.


    ¡®No, not a roar.¡¯


    It was a word. A curse. A hatred deeper than the fiercest flames.


    ¡°THIEF!¡±


    Red knew then he couldn¡¯t remain still. He no longer stopped his body, instead dashing with all speed towards the giant droplet of blood as the entire world seemed to collapse around him.


    The lights blinded him as he got closer, but he didn¡¯t stop. Then, in an almost too familiar scenario, Red jumped headfirst into the flowing golden blood.


    Then, everything went dark.

 Chapter 417 - Burning Star

    ¡°¡­ster.¡±


    A soft voice echoed in Red¡¯s head as his consciousness slowly returned to him. Although he tried to make sense of it, his mind felt as if it was drowning in a sea of information and he was struggling to find breath to think.


    ¡°Master¡­ Master!¡±


    The same raspy voice called out again. Its tone was grating to his ears, but little by little Red felt as if he could understand its words.


    ¡®Master¡­? Then I¡¯m back-¡¯


    Before he could finish his train of thought, there was another pang of pain in his head. He let out a grunt of pain, and his entire body contorted involuntarily.


    ¡°Master?! Are you okay?!¡±


    The shrill voice, which he could now recognize as the imp¡¯s, seemed more concerned this time. Red tried to inspect his surroundings, but when he opened his eyes, all he saw was a blurry mess, and his body still seemed far too weak to move around.


    None of this would have been a problem if he could at least think properly. Yet, countless flashing images continued to assault his mind, too fast for him to make sense of. He tried to compose himself and sort through this information, but his attempts only worsened his pain.


    It seemed neither focusing on the problem nor ignoring it would lessen the throbbing pain in his head, which left Red completely bewildered as cold sweat ran down his skin.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    ¡°Suppress it, you idiot!¡±


    As if hearing his thoughts, Aurora¡¯s voice echoed in his mind with far more clarity than the imp¡¯s pleas.


    ¡®But how do I¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Use your consciousness! Suppress your thoughts before your head explodes!¡±


    ¡®My consciousness?¡¯


    Red never used the sixth sense tempered by his meditation technique on his mind. For one, his expanded awareness only seemed capable of interacting with his physical body, so he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to use it to suppress his thoughts.


    Yet, any sort of deeper consideration was thrown out the window as soon as another shock of pain ran through his head. Without hesitation, Red entered his meditative state, one of the few things he seemed capable of doing in his current state. Expanded awareness came to him, and he was greeted by the quivering state of his inner body. Every part of him was trembling in pain, even though no harmful force was acting over them. The instigator of this was made clear when Red¡¯s consciousness travelled up to his head.


    His brain was pulsating in an effort to digest the unending stream of thoughts that were forcefully inserted into Red¡¯s mind. The organ had expanded substantially, pushing against his cranium as it could not find any more room to grow into.


    It seemed as if Aurelia was being quite literal when she warned him about his head exploding.


    The youth was still unsure about what the woman meant by suppressing his thoughts, and no obvious solution presented itself as he inspected his head. The only thing Red could do in this situation was to use his expanded awareness to relax his brain.


    Red had accumulated a lot of knowledge about human anatomy through reading, so he knew that the human brain was composed of many components responsible for varied functions. The pain spreading through the organ originated from a particular area are near the core of his brain, which was one of the main parts responsible for memory. The youth could only guess it was overloaded with sudden information, and it was almost exploding trying to absorb it.


    He tried to lighten the burden from there, relaxing his brain and trying to facilitate the blood flow. Yet he was quick to find out that, unlike his muscles, his ability to ease tension from his brain was not nearly as effective. The strain lessened somewhat, but Red still felt like he was drowning in this information.


    ¡°What are you doing?! Focus on reaching your mind palace!¡±


    Red gritted his teeth. Aurora¡¯s lack of specificity frustrated him, but he didn¡¯t have the time to complain.


    ¡®My mind palace¡­ Where is my mind palace?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with the concept. The soul was divided into two parts: the consciousness and the mind. His consciousness was his awareness of his own being, while his mind was the combination of all his memories, emotions, and knowledge. The problem was, of course, that Red only had control over the former, while the latter was a far more complex and difficult part of his soul to access.


    If it was just a matter of locating it, then he would have done it a long time ago.


    Red was struggling with keeping his brain intact already, and he wasn¡¯t so lucky as to have a sudden epiphany that revealed to him how to access his mind. It was then that another idea came to him.


    Although Red couldn¡¯t stop these thoughts from attacking him, there was something he could do to ease the burden on his brain - and that was to force himself asleep.


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    ¡®They told me I could lose connection to my body this way, but¡­ It¡¯s not like I have a choice.¡¯


    With no further hesitation, Red forced his entire body to relax through his expanded awareness. It was a hard task with his throbbing headache, but as his other bodily functions started to slow down, the strain on his brain eased ever so slightly.


    Of course, Red couldn¡¯t examine it as he felt awareness over his body slip away.


    The last thing he heard before everything went dark was Aurelia¡¯s roar.


    ¡°Where are you¡­?!¡±


    Then everything went dark.


    ¡­


    However, this time, he wasn¡¯t truly asleep. No, his consciousness was still there, and he felt wide awake.


    Except, other than his thoughts and emotions, there was nothing else to feel. No pain, no heat, no smell. All his senses were gone, and Red¡¯s awareness floated in the endless nothingness of the void, only aware and capable of sensing itself.


    It was his second time entering such a state. This time around, though, he didn¡¯t panic.


    A few seconds later, he felt it, a vibration that reached his floating consciousness, which was then interpreted as a faint blue light to him by his mind. A star.


    When the first one appeared, the floodgates were open. Countless shining dots of all varieties of colors spread around him, assaulting his consciousness with sensations. Some seemed to be extremely far away, while others felt as if they were right next to him. Some were moving, while others laid still in the endless dark void.


    ¡®The Realm of Souls.¡¯


    Red learned how to enter this place by accident back in that cavern, and that was to force himself to sleep with his Radiant Current meditation technique. Back then, he just so happened to catch the attention of a passing cultivator in their consciousness form, who was kind enough to explain where he was and the dangers of this place.


    As that person claimed, this sea of stars was a dangerous place to explore with his strength, and there was also the risk of losing connection to his body the longer he stayed here. If there were benefits to be had in this realm, it was clear the youth wasn¡¯t strong enough to take advantage of them yet, and nothing much about the strength of his consciousness had changed from back then as far as he could tell.


    Yet, it was exactly this danger that provided Red with a perfect escape plan. Since this place cut off the connection from his awareness to his body, then he wouldn¡¯t feel the pain assaulting his brain, and it would also ease much of the strain from having to keep him conscious and under such torture.


    ¡®Still, is that enough?¡¯


    Perhaps his brain would still explode, but he just wouldn¡¯t be in his body to feel it. In any case, he wouldn¡¯t have done it if he felt there was another choice, but at that moment the method to access his mind palace still eluded him, and this was the only solution he could think of.


    As he inspected the Sea of Stars, his attention was drawn by all the countless motes of light floating around the realm. They were innumerable, and yet they seemed to be too few to fill the endless void of this space, their vibrations echoing through the nothingness. There was no sign, however, of the cultivator who helped him previously


    Red couldn¡¯t help but wonder what each of these ¡°stars¡± represented. Were they the consciousnesses of other living beings? If so, why did none of them seem to react to his presence, unlike that cultivator from back then? If they weren¡¯t made up of consciousnesses, then what were they?


    He felt curious and almost compelled to reach out to one of these stars close to him. Yet, he heeded the warning of the cultivator and refrained from interacting with them.


    ¡®How much time has passed?¡¯


    It was hard to discern that without physical reference, as Red came to learn quickly. In his silence, though, he was quick to notice another strange matter.


    ¡®My brain should be absorbing all that information, but why do I feel nothing change in my mind?¡¯


    Since memories and knowledge were stored in his mind, then he should be aware of the information being forcefully assimilated by his brain. Yet, nothing was changing. Did that mean there was a disconnect between his consciousness and his mind while he was in this place?


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, though¡­ How can I still remember everything I know?¡¯


    The question confused him, yet before he could think about it much further, he felt something strange. A vibration reached his consciousness, which wasn¡¯t weird in this realm, but this one stood apart from the others.


    When Red focused on it, he saw a crimson burning star. It seemed to be extremely far from him, and yet he could feel its immense size and power even from that distance. The vibrations reaching his consciousness had already awed him from that far, so he could only imagine how they looked up close.


    What caused him concern, however, was that this star seemed to be moving closer to him.


    ¡®Is it coming towards me?¡¯


    It was hard to say, as he could just be caught in the path of that enormous star. In any case, it didn¡¯t seem wise to remain still.


    ¡®Should I return?¡¯


    He remembered the method to return to his body that cultivator had taught him, but he wasn¡¯t sure if enough time had passed in the real world for the crisis to be resolved. Instead, he considered simply moving out of the star¡¯s way.


    It was at that moment, though, that he ¡°heard¡± it.


    ¡°¡­ f¡­¡±


    It was faint, almost impossible to hear, yet it cause Red to seize. Was it a sound?


    ¡°¡­ ef¡­¡±


    This time, he was sure. It wasn¡¯t just a sound - it was a word - and it was coming directly from the vibrations of that enormous crimson star. It was speaking to him, and as it approached, the sound got clearer and louder as it resonated with his soul.


    ¡°¡­ ief¡­¡±


    Red¡¯s consciousness trembled. He felt some recognition at the sound of this voice.


    ¡°¡­. Thief¡­¡±


    This time, the word was clear to him.


    ¡°¡­ Thief¡­ Thief¡­ THIEF!¡±


    A fear the likes of which the youth never felt before gripped his soul.


    Rage incarnate, all consuming.


    The manifestation of hatred.


    All directed at Red.


    The star only grew in size as it approached him, until it felt as if it was about to occupy the previously endless void that surrounded him. All the other stars were snuffed and consumed like they were but dust in front of this crimson hatred.


    And yet, despite how quickly it grew in his sights, there seemed to be an incalculable distance between the two of them. This was the only thing that afforded Red enough time to compose himself and start his escape.


    He repeated the method he had learned to return to the real world, anchoring himself to the image of his body. He felt the world around him become fainter, but the crimson star continued to grow in his sight.


    ¡°THIEF!¡±


    The flames of hatred burned even brighter as they felt Red slip away from its grasp again.


    ¡°RETURN IT!¡±


    As the reality anchor took over, the youth felt awareness of his own body return to him little by little. Yet, the rage¡¯s words still sounded as clear as day in his mind.


    ¡°YOU WILL PAY!¡±


    The star faded away from his view.


    ¡°YOU WILL SUFFER! YOU WILL¡­¡±


    Silence and darkness. The image of the star and its voice, however, were still burned bright in his mind.


    When Red opened his eyes again, though, he found himself staring at the ceiling of a familiar house with two people, or rather two beings, carrying very different expressions as they saw him open his eyes.


    ¡°Master! You¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°You damn idiot! What did you do this time?!¡±


    Red laid his head down once more and closed his eyes.


    At the very least, the headache was gone.

 Chapter 418 - Breathing

    Red took a deep breath before sitting up.


    ¡°How much time has passed?¡±


    ¡°A-A few hours, master!¡±


    ¡®Only a few hours?¡¯


    He felt like weeks had passed inside that nightmare.


    ¡°Did anyone come looking for me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°N-Not that I could tell, master.¡± The imp shook his head. ¡°I kept an eye on the tablet too, and no one broke in.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Hey, are you just going to ignore me again?!¡± Aurelia glared at him from the side.


    Red sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure about what happened myself. I just need time to think.¡±


    ¡°W-What do you mean, master?¡± The imp looked around in confusion.


    ¡°Just be quiet. I¡¯m not talking to you.¡±


    Emer nodded and stepped back, unsure of what to do as he watched the youth speak to himself.


    Aurelia frowned, but the youth¡¯s words seemed to calm her down somewhat.


    ¡°Back there, I felt your consciousness disappear from your body.¡± she said. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I went to the Soul Realm.¡±


    The woman seemed shocked. ¡°Are you insane?! You could have died there!¡±


    ¡°I almost did.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure you want to know the details.¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t say it!¡± She shook her head.


    The woman had made a point of remaining in the dark about some aspects of Red¡¯s life, much more so when they concerned anything related to the demon inside his body. It was only fair, as some entities could cause harm to others just by referring to them by name.


    ¡°Just tell me this: what happened to your mind back there?¡± she asked.


    Red hesitated. ¡°¡­ I found something in my dreams.¡±


    ¡°A dream¡­¡± Aurelia narrowed her eyes. ¡°From the same place you found your infernal runes?¡±


    The youth nodded. ¡°I feel as if a lot of knowledge was suddenly shoved into my mind - about those runes - that is.¡±


    Everything still felt a bit fuzzy for Red, much more so in the exhausted state his body and mind were in, and he couldn¡¯t properly sort through those strange new memories. It was as if an entire encyclopedia was suddenly shoved into his mind, but his vision was too blurry to read through the words.


    Aurelia grunted. ¡°Forcefully transmitting knowledge¡­ That sounds a lot like an inheritance.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Something tells me it wasn¡¯t as simple as that.¡±


    He still remembered the raging roar of that being when he revealed that droplet of blood. It was clear Red had taken something that didn¡¯t belong to him, or at the very least something someone far more powerful than he had staked their claim to.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You said it was about those runes, right? Does that mean you now know how to draw more of those infernal runes?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Their images are fresh in my mind. It¡¯s just a matter of absorbing the information and practicing.¡±


    ¡°How many runes did you learn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but I¡¯m certain it¡¯s more than a hundred unique ones.¡±


    ¡°A hundred?! That¡¯s basically an entire system already!¡±


    This came to as much of a shock to her as it did to Red, too. A hundred unique symbols might sound like a small amount when you consider the size of the bone they were carved into, but it was natural in formations and talismans to make use of the same rune multiple times. What was nearly limitless instead were the variations in which one could draw each unique sigil depending on their purpose.


    ¡°Do you know their use?¡± Aurelia asked with eagerness.


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± Red nodded. ¡°They¡¯re all related to blood.¡±


    This much wasn¡¯t a surprise to either of them, but the woman still insisted on having the youth explain the purpose of what little he could decipher off the top of his head.


    As Red already knew from his earlier experimentations, all these runes interacted with blood, both as a fuel and as a medium to enact their powers. Whether it was to cause blood to harden, to expand, to explode, or even to burn, there were dozens of effects these infernal runes could produce. It was easy to draw a comparison to the arcane system, but there were definite differences between them and some feats the elemental-based runes wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish.


    In fact, although Red knew the general shape of all those runes and their supposed purpose, their exact effects were hard to interpret without experimentation.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Aurelia seemed even more excited than him at this information. ¡°An entire system of runes learnt just like that. And to think you were still trying to decipher them one by one back then.¡±


    Indeed, if he knew they could all be learnt by just using his blood as a catalyst, then he wouldn¡¯t have gone through the trouble of trying to draw them with a bone pen. Although, he still wasn¡¯t sure whom he had provoked by causing that reaction yet, so he wasn¡¯t eager to celebrate.


    ¡°What will you do with that knowledge?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with it?¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Nothing about my situation has changed.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The infernal runes were too much of a risk to use in public, which was why he put their research aside. Even if he knew more of them now, it wasn¡¯t like he could use them.


    She snorted. ¡°Bah! You know nothing! You may not be able to use them, but you could still learn something about them.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget what arcane runes are?¡± She asked. ¡°They¡¯re a physical representation of the laws of the world! Although you can¡¯t necessarily deepen your comprehension just by looking at them, it is possible to derive some information about how our world works through their use.¡±


    The youth had a realization. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You might be able to understand the world where they came from better if you learn how these runes work.¡±


    Red had never considered things this way. Arcane runes were based on an elemental system, and one could learn about how the world worked through their interactions. For instance, how fire and water could create steam, and how lightning was conducted better through metal and water. This was basic knowledge for people of this world, but what did Red know about that infernal plane? Did the fire created by blood interact the same way with water? How well could lightning conduct through the hardened blood? What about the interaction of blood with other materials?


    These weren¡¯t questions that would necessarily make him stronger, but it would increase his knowledge of how that hellscape worked, which was something Red was in dire need of after wandering blindly for so long. In fact, it might also help him understand the being inside his body.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t have time for that right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your choice.¡± Aurelia shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°You can help me with something else, though.¡± He said. ¡°What was the realm of that cultivator that attacked me?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± She shook her head. ¡°But I¡¯m almost sure he wasn¡¯t at the Greater Ring Realm, if that¡¯s your concern.¡±


    ¡®So I wasn¡¯t wrong¡­¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t think he was capable enough to survive an attack of a cultivator an entire realm above him, even if he was confident in his abilities.


    He looked over at Emer. The imp was shifting on his feet uncomfortably, holding back his urge to interrupt his master¡¯s conversation with himself.


    ¡°That organization - the Shadow - they attacked me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°T-They did?!¡± The imp trembled in fear.


    ¡°They did. Apparently, the one who attacked me was referred to as a Shadow themselves. Can you clarify what that means?¡±


    This time, Emer almost lost his balance as he heard Red¡¯s words. ¡°Y-Y-You were attacked¡­ by one of the Shadows?¡±


    ¡°Tell me who they are.¡± Red cut him off.


    ¡°R-Right!¡± The imp nodded. ¡°S-Shadow is the name of the organization, but people also refer to their leaders as the Shadows.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°So I was attacked by one of their leaders?¡±


    ¡°I-If it was one of the shadows, then yes¡­¡± Emer said.


    ¡°¡­ They have assassins in their numbers?¡±


    ¡°A few, yes¡­ T-They rarely act though, and when they do, their target always dies.¡±


    ¡®And yet, here I am.¡¯


    ¡°Have they never been caught?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°O-Once, a long time ago, but they exploded themselves before they could be captured, so no one ever knew their true identity.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then tell me - throwing dagger that explode into shards - do you know a Shadow with that kind of power?¡±


    The imp froze. ¡°E-Exploding daggers?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°¡­ T-They call them the Sha-Shattering Steel.¡± Emer said. ¡°T-They¡¯re a Greater Ring Realm assassin, and they killed the Duke of Northenvale in the past.¡±


    ¡®A duke?¡¯


    Red wasn¡¯t too familiar with the nobility of the kingdom, but he knew that dukes were the nobles just below King Thomas in rank and were the heads of the most powerful families in the country. To have killed one meant this was an extremely powerful and notorious assassin.


    ¡®Still, Greater Ring Realm¡­¡¯


    That word kept bothering Red, but there was no point in dwelling on it.


    ¡°These Shadows - are they assassins for hire?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°B-But they are extremely expensive, I hear, and they don¡¯t really make themselves available for hire¡­ O-Or so I think.¡±


    ¡°And yet, one of them came for me.¡± Red frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t tell you, master.¡±


    An assassin that rarely ever appeared in public made an exception to their secrecy to kill a random cultivator - and for what reason? Even if Red had angered some people in the city, how could they ever place the same importance on his head as a Duke? Things didn¡¯t add up, and this made him all the more confused.


    The youth frowned in contemplation before looking back at Emer. ¡°Do you know anyone famous by the name of Leon?¡±


    ¡°Leon?¡± The imp seemed to be in thought. ¡°W-Well, there are a few Leons in the city, but if we are speaking about famous ones, then only Duke Leon would fit the criteria.¡±


    ¡°A Duke in the city?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, yes. He¡¯s the Minister of War for King Thomas and one of his most trusted men, so he resides in the capital, a-and also¡­ His home is in the hands of the Empire now, so he couldn¡¯t return even if he wanted to.¡± The imp said. ¡°He just so happens to also be the current Duke of Northenvale¡­ His father was the one that was killed by Shattering Steel.¡±


    ¡°¡­ How old is he?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not too sure, but he should be in his forties.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t match up.¡¯


    The young master that came to visit him was at most in his early twenties, this much Red knew for certain from his crimson sense.


    ¡°Are there any other Leons?¡±


    ¡°A-Any others?¡± Emer frowned in thought. ¡°T-There¡¯s also his son, who goes by the same name. He¡¯s one of the most talented young cultivators of our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Describe him.¡±


    The imp didn¡¯t seem too sure about the young man¡¯s appearance, but what he did know seemed to match with the appearance of the individual who bought his talismans.


    ¡®The son of a Duke, huh?¡¯


    A powerful position by all means, and this made Red wary in how to deal with him.


    ¡°What is his reputation in the city?¡± He asked.


    ¡°W-Well, he is very well-liked by people, even more so by the ones of lesser means. Some people say he even helps the refugees outside our walls with donations.¡±


    ¡®A generous person?¡¯


    It was a rarity for a noble, much less one who was also a cultivator.


    ¡°Is that all you know?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid so, master.¡± Emer nodded. ¡°Only people in the noble circles he is in could tell you more.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Red trailed off, looking over at the boxes of materials in the living room.


    ¡°Which one of those did you say they threw the powder on?¡±


    ¡°T-This one, my lord!¡±


    Emer walked over and pointed at a box near the corner of the room. Red got up with some difficulty and walked over to it, inspecting its contents. These were mostly materials for drawing the advanced talismans, with inks, pigments, and other ingredients strewn inside.


    Red used a bit of his Spiritual Energy and picked up one of those materials - a bundle of blueish tree bark - with a strand of wind. He examined it, but just like the imp said, he couldn¡¯t find any signs of a powder.


    He made the material float over to the imp with his strand of Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°Burn it.¡± he said.


    ¡°A-Are you certain, mast-?¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    Emer offered no further protest, pointing a finger at the material. The tree bark caught fire with ease, burning away in mere moments. No explosions happened, but as Red looked closely, he noticed a strangely colored wisp of smoke rise from the burning material.


    He breathed, and a strand of blood gale flew over and surrounded the wisp in a bubble of air before it could dissipate. To Red¡¯s surprise, though, as soon as his gale touched the wisp, it started to melt away into nothingness. The youth was quick to retract what was left of it, but upon further thought, he let the bloody gale dissipate instead of reabsorbing it into his body.


    Red used what little was left of his Spiritual Energy to blow the wisp outside through a window, even as he felt the strands corrode his powers. Still, at the end, he was successful with the task, but the discovery put him on guard.


    ¡®A poison that can corrode Spiritual Energy¡­¡¯


    The fire seemed to cause it to activate, but the ingredients targeted by the infiltrator wouldn¡¯t need to be burned in any form. There was probably another means of activating it which would occur during his drawing process, but after confirming the danger of the powder, Red wasn¡¯t eager to continue testing it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll burn everything in that box.¡± Red said. ¡°One by one, with extreme care.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± The imp nodded.


    ¡°Those too.¡± He pointed at two other boxes that were right next to the poisoned one.


    ¡°B-But, master, those weren¡¯t poisoned¡­¡±


    ¡°Do as I say.¡±


    Red would not take any chances in this matter. He would rather lose a dozen Spirit Stones than risk dying for the sake of small profits.


    He wasn¡¯t so greedy as to lose sight of what was more important for him, after all.

 Chapter 419 - The Lieutenant General

    After a few hours, during which Red took rests to recover his Spiritual Energy, they burned every single contaminated ingredient as the youth instructed. By then, both Red and Emer were completely spent.


    ¡®This is the weakest I have felt in a while.¡¯


    Not even after his fight against the ghost in Bestrem did he feel this weak. All his muscles were completely exerted, and this included his Spiritual Sea, which ached with a dull pain - his first experience with the consequences of overusing Spiritual Energy. The worst of it all was that it didn¡¯t feel as if his body was recovering as fast as he was used to - and that was with his superior regenerative abilities.


    Anyone else in his situation might have been crippled, or even worse.


    ¡®I need to buy some pills.¡¯


    A recovery pill could be life-saving for a cultivator. Red hadn''t bought those since entering the city, but that was also because he didn¡¯t think his life would be at immediate risk this soon.


    ¡°M-Master¡­¡± Emer approached him while taking deep breaths. ¡°The sun is already up.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°You can rest. I¡¯ll remain here.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you certain, mast-¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± he cut him off. ¡°Just keep an eye on the tablet if I have to leave.¡±


    He still wasn¡¯t sure who tried to sabotage him, but if it happened once, it was likely to happen again.


    The imp nodded before turning invisible and hiding in a cabinet in the kitchen. Red was left alone in the living room, sitting cross-legged and staring at the door as if waiting for something.


    Finally, a few hours later, he felt multiple fluctuations approach his front door before he heard a loud banging.


    ¡°By the authority of the crown, the city guard hereby summons foreigner Viran to attend interrogation at our headquarters!¡±


    After that, they fell silent, waiting for a response from inside the house. Red sighed before getting up and approaching the door. When he opened it, he found himself face to face with the same Lesser Ring Realm cultivator from yesterday. This time, though, he brought an escort of over ten other guards.


    ¡°Mister Viran.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Show him the decree.¡±


    One of his subordinates stepped forward and handed Red a sealed scroll. He looked over the symbol, examining the tree that was the official sigil of the Kingdom of Lomrikh.


    Without further ado, the youth broke the seal and opened the scroll. Like the Captain told him, this was a letter summoning him for questioning about the accident the previous day, mentioning the importance of collaborating in an investigation about an organization as dangerous as the Shadow. At the end of the letter, there was King Thomas¡¯ personal signature and stamp, proving the veracity of this document.


    Red rolled the scroll up again before looking up at the guards. ¡°Am I being arrested?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The Captain shook his head. ¡°From everything we know, it¡¯s clear you are the victim in this matter. This is merely an invitation to collaborate with the investigation, but we aren¡¯t forcing you to agree.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He frowned beneath his mask. ¡°Then what if I deny it?¡±


    ¡°As is stated in the contract of temporary citizenship, the Kingdom reserves the right to renounce said status at any moment with reasonable justification.¡± The guard said with a serious expression. ¡°A citizen unwilling to cooperate with official investigations of importance to the city of Carlhanne is not a citizen the Kingdom has any interest in keeping around.¡±


    ¡°So these people are meant to escort me out of the city if I refuse?¡± Red pointed at the guards.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The captain nodded. ¡°So I urge you to accept this summoning, as we discussed yesterday.¡±


    Red fell silent, deep in thought. This matter of collaborating with the investigation wasn¡¯t something that would end at just being questioned. As far as he was concerned, at any point the city guard could demand something from him under the guise of collaboration, and if the youth refused, then they would still be justified in expelling him from the city. Red didn¡¯t know if they would go so far, but it would be a perfectly legitimate strategy if they wanted to force him out of the city or even make him give concessions over his plans.


    Unfortunately, though, there was nothing the youth could do against it other than showing his willingness to collaborate.


    ¡°Can I bring my weapons?¡± Red asked.


    There was a pause as the Captain seemed to consider the request. ¡°¡­ You can.¡±


    ¡°And my mask? I won¡¯t be forced to take it off, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You will not.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let us be on our way.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Are you not going to change your clothing?¡±


    ¡°My clothing?¡±


    Red looked down, noticing his shredded and blood-stained clothes. He was so used to walking around in rags that he forgot to change and clean himself once he got back.


    After a few moments of thought, however, Red shook his head. ¡°No need. It would take too long.¡±


    The guards gave him strange looks, but the captain nodded. ¡°Fine. Then follow us.¡±


    The youth closed the door behind himself as the guards led him away. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t plan to go to their headquarters on foot, and there was a carriage waiting to escort Red away. Still, as he sat inside, the guards all kept a close eye on him, as if afraid he would suddenly change his mind and run away.


    None of that happened, and soon enough, they had arrived at said headquarters. The enormous building looked brutish, built off of large polished stone blocks and nary a piece of wood. A large spire rose above it, which was overshadowed only by the palace a few kilometers away. By all intents and purposes, this resembled a fortress built in the middle of a city, and it stood out in the rather rich neighborhood it was found.


    ¡®It certainly looks familiar.¡¯


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    As Red stepped off of the carriage, he didn¡¯t hesitate to extend his crimson sense towards the towering stone building in front of him. The last time he crossed the place, he felt one Greater Ring Realm cultivator and five Lesser Ring Realm ones. This time, the Greater Ring Realm practitioner was still there, but other than him, there were only two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators inside - three now, if you accounted for the Captain that arrived with him.


    Said Captain was waiting for him as he stepped off the carriage near the large metal gate.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± he said. ¡°The General is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°General?¡± Red frowned. ¡°He¡¯s conducting the investigation?¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Foreigners like you might not realize the severity of what just happened, but our General is well aware of it. He has been fighting the Shadow for longer than most people in the city have been alive.¡±


    The general he referred to, of course, was the Lieutenant General of the City Guard, Elton Winslowe. Even Red, who had less than an appropriate knowledge of the capital, knew the name. He was a commoner turned soldier for the Kingdom, who rose through the ranks through his own efforts, becoming a folk hero for many aspiring peasants as the example of what one could achieve through hard work. He later retired from his life in the army and was awarded a position in the city guard.


    This was as much as Red knew, though, and this was the first time he was hearing about his apparent conflict with the Shadow.


    The Captain, however, didn¡¯t seem to be inviting him for a conversation, simply turning around and walking inside as he beckoned Red to follow into the wide entrance hall. The youth was not the only civilian inside the building, as many people seemed to be in the process of filling in complaints or being dragged against their will into jail cells, or into stairs that extended below ground.


    There were easily hundreds of people just in the first few large rooms Red came across. Most guards greeted the Captain with reverence as they came across him, and it was through that where he learned the man escorting him was named Johann.


    The youth examined the place as well as he could, but as he was led through a courtyard, he noticed someone staring in his direction. Another Lesser Ring Realm guard, looking down at him from a window at the second floor of a connected building. Red would have not thought it was strange if not for the fact the man¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to him as soon as he walked into the courtyard, as if he was expecting his arrival.


    Nothing happened, however, and soon enough Red was led out of that guard¡¯s sight and into another large building. Through his crimson sense, he was already able to guess what awaited for him inside.


    Captain Johann came to a stop in front of a set of double wooden doors. ¡°The General is waiting for you inside.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°He¡¯s interrogating me in his office?¡±


    ¡°You are not a prisoner¡­ Besides, the matter is of great importance to him.¡± The Captain said. ¡°Now just go in.¡±


    Johann proceeded to open the doors, revealing the room to Red. A simple, circular office, with a wooden desk and wooden chairs for seating - illuminated by the light of lanterns as no window could be found inside. Other than that, there were a few bookcases lined up on each side of the wall - but at first glance, one would be hard pressed to associate this office to one of the most powerful men in the city.


    And, of course, behind this desk was a grizzled middle-aged man, with a finely trimmed beard and grey hair tied into a small knot behind his head. He had a crooked nose, a missing ear, and plenty of small scars across his face that spoke to his experience on the battlefield. He didn¡¯t wear any armor, much to Red¡¯s surprise, instead sporting what one could only call common city folk clothing, with a dark leather tunic over top of it. The only thing to attest to his rank was the star-shaped embroidery with an oaken tree drawing sewed into his leather tunic.


    That, and his Greater Ring Realm cultivation, of course.


    The man seemed to be reading some documents with a frown on his face when the Captain opened the door.


    ¡°General Winslowe.¡± Johann saluted to him. ¡°The victim of the Shadow¡¯s assassination attempt is here to see you, as you commanded.¡±


    The man nodded, but he didn¡¯t raise his gaze from the documents. ¡°Good, you can go¡­ And close the door behind you.¡±


    The captain did as much, leaving Red alone with the General inside the room. The youth didn¡¯t feel nearly as much of a pressure coming out from the man as he did from other Greater Ring Realm beings, but he didn¡¯t feel at ease in his presence either.


    ¡°Please, sit.¡± The general pointed at the chair across from him. ¡°I just need to finish this one paper¡­¡±


    Red followed the man¡¯s instructions, sitting in the wooden chair across from him with no hesitation. He took the time while the general was occupied reading to inspect his fluctuation more in depth.


    Although the man looked middle-aged, Red could tell through his fluctuation that he must be as old as Hector was, at the very least. It wasn¡¯t a surprise, though, as advancing through realms would slow down your aging considerably.


    What was surprising, though, was the lack of weapons in the room. The man didn¡¯t have even so much as a dagger visible at his waist, which was strange for a military man.


    ¡®Then again, he doesn¡¯t need a weapon to defend himself from me¡­¡¯


    A few minutes passed by while the General read through a couple more documents, before he finally set them aside and looked up at Red with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Mister Viran. At my age, if I leave some of these documents half-read, I¡¯ll have to go through them all over again to remember what they were about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, senior.¡± Red nodded with respect.


    Contrary to the man¡¯s rough appearance, his relaxed expression and his affable smile made him seem more approachable than one would expect.


    General Winslowe chuckled. ¡°Senior? There¡¯s no need to call me that. I¡¯m not a cultivator by trade, so just sir will do.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Red nodded again. ¡°May I ask what I have been called here for, sir?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t tell me they brought me the wrong person? ¡°The man seemed confused for a second. ¡°Were you not attacked by one of the Shadows last night?¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± The youth nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was referring to, though. I¡¯m just afraid I don¡¯t have much information to add other than what I already told your men.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± The general waved his concern off. ¡°I would like to hear how things happened from your mouth.¡±


    ¡®Here it is.¡¯


    Red was worried about this exact possibility. He had too many things to hide, and there were too many holes in his story that would cast suspicion over his abilities. A cultivator this talented would definitely pick up on it, of this he had no doubt about. His major concern was if the general would push him on those matters.


    ¡°Where do you want me to start?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°From when you were walking back home.¡± The General said as he set a blank piece of paper and inked his pen. ¡°Did you notice anything strange by then?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. The only moment I noticed something strange was moments before the assassination attempt happened¡­¡±


    Red proceeded to retell his version of events. He didn¡¯t lie about anything, though he did gloss over some facts, such as how he was able to notice the Shadow, or how he was able to survive against a cultivator far more powerful than him. To his surprise, the General didn¡¯t ask him anything other than some clarification questions, until the story was done.


    ¡°It is remarkable that an early stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was able to survive such an attempt on their life.¡± General Winslowe frowned. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but I don¡¯t feel comfortable revealing my means.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± The man nodded. ¡°At the end of the day, a cultivator still has to keep his secrets. It¡¯s just that¡­ You are aware of the reputation of the Shadow that attacked you, right?¡±


    ¡°Shattering Steel.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I have learned about them since our encounter.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be aware of his cultivation realm, right?¡± The man asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to insult your skills, but for someone to survive a surprise attack against a cultivator an entire realm above them¡­ That¡¯s surprising, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°¡­ He wasn¡¯t an entire realm above me.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± The General¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have much time to examine their cultivation base, but I¡¯m certain they were still a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The man looked perplexed. ¡°¡­ And you¡¯re entirely sure about it?¡±


    ¡°I am almost certain.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I have a rough grasp on a Greater Ring Realm cultivator¡¯s strength, and I couldn¡¯t have survived against such an attack if the perpetrator were in that realm.¡±


    The General nodded and jotted down a few more lines on his paper.


    ¡°We will investigate your claim¡­ Now, just a few more things.¡± He looked up at Red, his expression changing ever so slightly. ¡°You said your assassin ran away, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡±


    Red had a bad feeling about where the conversation was headed.


    ¡°That seems strange.¡± General Winslowe frowned. ¡°There was no one else nearby, and the guard arrived entirely too late. It seems to me he could have kept his attack up a while longer if he truly wanted to kill you, and yet¡­ He didn¡¯t. Do you know why that is?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure about it either, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    The man smiled, pointing at Red¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Is it not because of that cloth-covered sword on your waist?¡±


    The youth immediately felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 Chapter 420 - Under Pressure

    Red didn¡¯t respond to the accusation, but the General¡¯s gaze seemed to see the truth even beneath his mask.


    ¡°This is nothing more than an educated guess.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any Spiritual Energy from that sword, but it¡¯s not rare for artifacts to be imbued with runes to hide their power¡­ Of course, the safer option would be to stow it in a dimensional storage, but I assume you don¡¯t have the option.¡±


    The youth still kept silent, paying close attention to the General¡¯s actions. Although he kept his composure, his mind was working furiously to come up with responses to whatever came next, but no obvious way out made itself apparent.


    The older man seemed to guess at what he was thinking, so he just gave him an amenable smile. ¡°I had my men ask around, and never once did they see you part ways with your swords. In fact, you made quite a point to be with them even in your meeting in the Golden Temple. Mind you, it¡¯s not uncommon for swordsmen to refuse to part ways with their blades, but I sense no shred of Sword Energy or intent in you, so that led me to believe the value lies in the weapons¡¯ powers rather than in their emotional significance. After last night, Captain Johann was able to inspect that dark iron sword of yours and assured me it was not an artifact, so that only leaves me with one option¡­¡±


    ¡®The other sword, of course.¡¯


    This was an oversight on Red¡¯s part, but one that there was no way to avoid. A covered weapon at a cultivator¡¯s side was always sure to catch the eye of others, and yet the youth could not part ways with the blade, seeing as it contained a demon within its steel.


    ¡°Of course, there is no hard evidence to back up any of this.¡± General Winslowe said. ¡°But I have a feeling that I¡¯m not off base, and with my experience, you learn to trust your gut on these things.¡±


    ¡°Is that relevant to the assassination attempt from yesterday?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Not directly.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon for cultivators to carry hidden artifacts with them, so it¡¯s hardly something I can blame you for. However, this does relate to another matter of importance: who are you exactly?¡±


    This was the question Red didn¡¯t want to hear.


    The General seemed to read over a list on his table. ¡°Mask to hide your identity, what I assume can only be a fake name, skills with scripture, carrying a powerful artifact¡­ You have something to hide, that much is clear, but that in and of itself is not particularly rare in our capital during times of war. I wouldn¡¯t be so interested in it either if it wasn¡¯t for what happened yesterday. So here is the question, Master Viran, why did one of the Shadow try to kill you?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re as well informed as you seem to be, you will probably know more about it than me.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°Right¡­ You were at the center of a dispute between the Golden Hand and the Royalists, though your involvement was more of a catalyst to their previous disputes than anything.¡± The man nodded. ¡°At one point or the other, it was likely some nobles would have tried to make matters hard for you, but to involve one of the Shadows directly¡­ Too big of a cost and too high of a risk to get rid of the equivalent of a pawn. It makes no sense as a political move.¡±


    Red kept silent, but he frowned beneath his mask. These were questions that bothered him, too.


    ¡°There must be another reason.¡± The General said. ¡°Another reason they would want to kill you. Perhaps you yourself might not be aware of it, or maybe you have a good idea what it is. In any case, I¡¯m certain it involves some of your secrets, and my intuition has never led me astray on these matters.¡±


    ¡®Another reason¡­¡¯


    Red could imagine such reasons, but it was hard to substantiate anything without hard evidence. Suffice it to say, though, following such a line of thought would be disadvantageous to the youth.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there has been some sort of misunderstanding here.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Whatever reasons that assassin had for targeting me, you know as much about it as me.¡±


    General Winslowe smiled. ¡°Is that so? Then you wouldn¡¯t mind cooperating with me, would you?¡±


    He extended his hand over towards Red.


    ¡°Would you mind letting me see that sword at your waist?¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°¡­ Is this an order?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It is merely a friendly request.¡± The man said. ¡°Mayhap you could have acquired an artifact of interest to the Shadow, hence why you were targeted. Since we don¡¯t know the real reason, it¡¯s important to explore all venues to find a connection that would help us catch the culprit... This is something I will stress to my superiors in the court tomorrow.¡±


    In other words, while this was still a friendly request, the General was more than willing to turn this request into a more ¡°formal¡± one. Red couldn¡¯t help but sigh internally.


    ¡®How did it come to this?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he the one being targeted by assassins? What did he do to accrue such suspicion?


    The worse of it all was that General Winslowe wasn¡¯t wrong for pushing the youth on the matter either. It was likely one or many of his secrets were involved in the reason he was targeted by the Shadow.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®What do I do now?¡¯


    Handing his sword over was out of the question. Yet, was there really no way to leave this conversation on a friendly note? A note that would make sure investigators wouldn¡¯t come knocking at his door and turn his manor upside down in search of clues.


    Before Red could think much further, there was another knock at the door.


    ¡°What is it?¡± The General frowned, showing the first hint of displeasure since their conversation began. ¡°I¡¯m busy!¡±


    ¡°G-General, someone is demanding to see you!¡± The voice of Captain Johann came from behind the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the son of Duke Leon!¡±


    Red¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What?!¡± The General sounded baffled. ¡°What does that child want now?¡±


    ¡°That ¡®child¡¯ is here under the orders of the Minister of the Left, Duke Leon Northvale, to see that the investigations into yesterday¡¯s accident are proceeding apace.¡± Another voice came from behind the door, one Red was familiar with.


    The General¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°¡­ Come in.¡±


    The door opened, and in walked Leon, wearing similarly fashionable noble clothing from when he met Red yesterday, yet embroidered in a different style and with much more vibrant colors. Once he walked in, he looked at Red and nodded with a smile.


    Captain Johann waited behind him, but he didn¡¯t dare to barge into his superior¡¯s office like the young master.


    General Winslowe let out a sigh as he looked at that friendly yet conniving visage. "What is it you want, Young Master Leon?¡±


    Leon smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, General? I¡¯m here to make sure the investigation is proceeding apace.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Your father sent you, is it?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± The young master nodded. ¡°As soon as he heard about the matter of the Shadow resurfacing again, he took great interest in accompanying the investigation closely. However, his responsibilities as minister make it impossible for him to personally take part in the proceedings, so he sent me, his son, to assess matters in this place.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I see.¡± The General nodded. ¡°It just so happens we were in the middle of an interrogation.¡±


    ¡°And am I to believe this gentleman is the victim?¡± Leon pointed at Red.


    ¡°Yes, he-¡±


    ¡°Great! Then please, continue from where you left off!¡± Leon waved and walked to the side of the room, watching the two of them with a smile.


    No one said anything, though, and an awkward atmosphere set into the office.


    Leon frowned in confusion. ¡°What is it General? Please, continue with the interrogation as if I wasn¡¯t here!¡±


    The man¡¯s face continued to get uglier. ¡°I will, but-¡±


    ¡°What is it? Is there a complication?¡± Leon looked at Red. ¡°Is he not cooperating with your questions?¡±


    ¡°He wants to see my sword.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Huh? Your sword?¡± The young master looked over at General Winslowe with surprise. ¡°Is his weapon relevant to the case?¡±


    The General eyebrow twitched. ¡°¡­ If you would step outside the room, I can-¡±


    ¡°He thinks I¡¯m hiding a secret, and that secret is the reason the Shadow attacked me.¡± Red said, cutting the General off. ¡°He seems to think that by prying into my past and things that I keep from the public eye, it will give him an insight into why I was targeted.¡±


    The youth, who was smart enough to pick up on Leon¡¯s cues, interjected before the General could say anything. This earned him a glare from the man who was an entire realm above him, but before he could be rebuked, Leon spoke up.


    ¡°Is that true, General?¡± The young master asked in a severe tone.


    ¡°Yes, young master.¡± The man didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°The Shadow have always been very hard to hire, so it¡¯s hard to imagine a minor dispute in court would lead to someone hiring them to eliminate an almost unrelated party. There has to be another reason for their actions.¡±


    ¡°Is that so, General?¡± Leon frowned. ¡°And what evidence do you have to back that claim up?¡±


    ¡°The background of the victim is entirely unknown, young master. It¡¯s rather obvious that he is hiding something, and that could be rather vital in-¡±


    ¡°Vital how, General?¡± Leon cut him off. ¡°Unless this person is directly involved with the Shadow, do you think you will find anything that will get us closer to their capture?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Any information at this point is valuable, young master. It could get us a lead we would otherwise not have.¡±


    ¡°A lead?¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°You have been investigating their organization for longer than I have been alive, General. Even when we found people who had direct dealings with them, it always led to a deadend and we could never so much as get close to their leadership. Why are things different this time?¡±


    The General frowned. ¡°Young Master, we can¡¯t give up on a lead, no matter where it takes us.¡±


    Leon sighed. ¡°May I be frank, General?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I wish you would be, young master.¡±


    ¡°Someone gets attacked by the Shadow, survives, and the first thing the City Guard does is to investigate and pressure the victim. What kind of message do you think that sends to the rest of the capital?¡±


    The man was quiet, but judging by his expression, it was clear he wasn¡¯t too happy to hear this.


    Leon continued. ¡°I know what you are gonna say, ¡®this is the only lead we have.¡¯ You probably had your man investigate the entire area and maybe even the entire city for clues about the assassin¡¯s whereabouts, only to turn empty-handed. Now, having to come to terms with your failure in turning up anything useful once more, you turn to harassing the victim in hopes of finding clues you know very well will not be there.¡±


    ¡°I do not appreciate your insinuation, Young Master Leon.¡±


    ¡°I do not share these thoughts, General, and I am certain of your commitment to keeping this city safe. Yet, you can surely see how others looking from the outside will interpret this situation, can you not?¡±


    The General snorted. ¡°So what do you suggest, young master? To just let him go? For what? To appease how the court and people will look at our efforts?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly what I suggest, General.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Our house, most of all, is committed to finding and eliminating the Shadow. If we believed such a line of pursuit would turn up positive results, we wouldn¡¯t mind to let you continue it. Yet, this is a pattern we have seen many times before, and more than a few innocent lives were hurt during these pursuits. In such troubled times, it¡¯s important we thread carefully in how we deal with these matters.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Am I to assume these are also the Duke¡¯s thoughts? Or is this just another one of your attempts to save one of your strange friends?¡±


    ¡°I am representing my father¡¯s will, General Winslowe. I assure you he won¡¯t protest to my decision.¡±


    The General sighed and shook his head. ¡°Get out of my office, you two.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°Thank you for your understanding, General.¡± He turned towards Red and nodded. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Soon, the two of them were walking out of the headquarters under the unfriendly gazes of hundreds of guards. It seemed Leon didn¡¯t have an excellent reputation amongst the city guard.


    Once they were outside, Leon turned towards Red with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re free now.¡±


    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Red asked.


    With his suspicious nature, this was the first question that came to his mind.


    Leon chuckled. ¡°Why, did you forget? You still owe me that meeting later tonight!¡±


    Once again, Red started to regret his decision to come to this city.

 Chapter 421 - Friendly Meeting

    ¡°Follow me.¡± Leon said. ¡°I have a carriage waiting for us.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I can walk back on my own.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you certainly could, but how would you attend the meeting like that?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that was tonight.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Circumstances changed.¡± Leon shrugged with a helpless. ¡°I called my friends to meet us over at my manor. They will be waiting for you there.¡±


    Red frowned, and for a moment he considered refusing the invitation. He wasn¡¯t ungrateful, but as things stood, he still needed some rest to recover his strength after the assassination attempt.


    Leon seemed capable of reading the situation from his silence. ¡°Trust me, this is more than just a casual meeting. We will be discussing things that will certainly be of interest to you.¡±


    ¡°How would you know what¡¯s of interest to me?¡±


    ¡°We might have need of your expertise and there¡¯s a lot of money to be made¡­ But if that alone doesn¡¯t convince you, wouldn¡¯t you at least like to learn more about the Shadow and why you might have been targeted?¡±


    Red sighed and fell silent once again. Their presence in front of the guard base was drawing more than a few curious and hostile gazes, and the youth didn¡¯t want to spend a moment longer in this place.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± he nodded.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Leon smiled and led Red over to an ornate carriage drawn by two horses. An older man wearing butler¡¯s clothing sat on the coach¡¯s seat, and once he noticed their approach, he made a slight bow.


    ¡°Young master." The butler nodded. ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Back to our manor.¡± Leon said as he opened the door and climbed into the carriage. He looked back at Red. ¡°Come on, get in.¡±


    Red followed him in, closing the door behind him and sitting across from the young man. Soon enough, the carriage lurched, and they were being led through the busy streets of the capital.


    Leon looked out the window with a relaxed expression. ¡°Have you had the opportunity to get to know the city?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I have learned what I needed to learn.¡±


    The young master chuckled. ¡°Of course, you are a cultivator, after all. Even so, there are some sights worth seeing in this plac-¡­¡±


    Right as he said that, they passed through what seemed to be a widespread brawl in front of a store. Guards were trying to restrain the agitators, but it was clear they were lacking in manpower to contain the fight.


    Leon cleared his throat and looked away from the sight as they drove by. ¡°Of course, the capital doesn¡¯t find itself in the best of states at this moment, but trust me when I say there are sights and experiences you can only taste in here.¡±


    Red completely ignored his companion¡¯s attempts at conversation, instead looking around the carriage.


    ¡°You have no bodyguards.¡± He said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Leon nodded, as if he found his reply reasonable.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can carry my own in a fight, and I also have some items on me against such ambushes.¡±


    ¡°Enough to live against one of the Shadows?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Not necessarily. However, only a bodyguard at the Greater Ring Realm would provide me with any security against such a threat, and those are in short supply.¡±


    ¡°Your family doesn¡¯t have any such cultivators?¡±


    Leon¡¯s expression turned solemn at this question. ¡°We had five of them¡­ Right now, the only ones alive in that realm are my father and my uncle.¡±


    ¡®So that is the power of a noble house.¡¯


    Red, noticing he seemed to have touched on a sensitive subject, decided not to ask any further questions. Leon didn¡¯t remain in a gloomy state for long, though, and soon was spewing all sorts of facts about the city to his mostly silent companion.


    Their trip brought them into the inner city, and closer to the towering palace than Red had ever been before. Eventually, the carriage came to a stop near a large manor wide enough to occupy an entire neighborhood at the outer edges of the capital. The house itself was already big enough, but the yard and other facilities surrounding it seemed to form a small village closed off by large steel fences.


    A white flag flew above the main gate, with a golden sigil of a strange wolf-like beast.


    Red didn¡¯t recognize it, but he could only assume it belonged to the Northvale family. Two guards waiting by the gate opened the way for the carriage, who drove onto a road that seemed more well-paved than the one outside, before stopping near the entrance of the manor proper.


    Leon opened the door and walked out, with Red following behind him. As soon as he stepped out, the young master was greeted by a group of five maids and butlers.


    An older maid, the one at the lead of said group, bowed to him. ¡°Welcome back, young master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Silla.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Have my guests already arrived?¡±


    ¡°Young Master Emeric and Young Lady Ilse are here. Pierre is yet to arrive, and Madam Lehmann said she would not be able to attend.¡±


    ¡®Lehmann?¡¯


    Red frowned at the name, but he didn¡¯t speak up.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°In the gazebo in the backyard where you told me to take them.¡±


    ¡°Have you provided them with refreshments?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young master.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The young man looked back at Red. ¡°Do you have any preferences?¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Drinks, something to eat, perhaps.¡± Leon shrugged. ¡°Your preference.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Fine, then.¡± Leon looked at the woman. ¡°I will take my guest there. We are not to be disturbed until I say otherwise.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, young master.¡± the maid nodded.


    The two of them walked through the path around the manor until they arrived in the backyard - a garden full of vibrant plants and a large artificial lake where various colorful fish swam - with a spacious gazebo at the center of it all. Two individuals sat inside it, with all sorts of delicacies spread across a table in front of them.


    One of them - a young, tall and slender man, with blonde short hair and refined features - spoke in a boisterous voice that could be heard from the other side of the courtyard.


    ¡°With the mask he is supposed to be wearing? Has to be a barbarian shaman!¡±


    Another calmer voice responded, this one coming from an elegant young woman with long auburn hair and a fashionable red dressing that seemed to shine brighter than even the surrounding garden.


    ¡°You have no sense for these things, you oaf.¡± She shook her head and took a sip of her tea. ¡°If he really wants to hide his identity, why would he wear something that would give others a hint about his background?¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what he wants you to think.¡± The blonde youth tapped his head. ¡°Hiding in plain sight, and all of that. Besides, haven¡¯t you heard his name? I looked it up, and-¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡± The lady put her cup down and glared at her companion before looking back.


    ¡°What? What is it-¡± The young man followed her gaze and spotted Red and Leon approaching the gazebo. ¡°Oh, look! They¡¯re here!¡±


    Leon waved at the duo as he approached, while Red, who quite clearly heard their entire conversation, followed behind him in silence as he observed them. He had already long since scouted their cultivation with his crimson senses, and unsurprisingly discovered that both of them were at the Lesser Ring Realm.


    ¡°Leon, is that¡­?¡± The blonde young man¡¯s gaze was drawn to Red, showing undisguised curiosity.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°The friend I wanted to introduce to you.¡±


    ¡°By the gods, he looks even more savage than I expected! Why are you all bloody?!¡±


    ¡°Someone tried to kill me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re still wearing those clothes from when the Shado-¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± The young woman interrupted him. ¡°Let us at least be introduced before you force all your impertinent questions on him!¡±


    ¡°Right, of course! My name is Lord Emeri-


    ¡°The host, Emeric! The host is the one supposed to make the introductions!¡±


    Leon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine!¡±


    He turned around, looking over at Red.


    ¡°This is Master Viran, as you may already know.¡± He then pointed at the duo. ¡°That is Lady Ilse, and this is Lord Emeric. They are my good friends.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Master Viran.¡± Lady Ilse got up and did a curtsy towards Red. ¡°I heard a lot about you from Leon.¡±


    ¡®We only met yesterday.¡¯


    Red refrained from pointing that out, though.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Lord Emeric extended his hand towards him. ¡°Are you a barbarian?¡±


    Red looked down at his hand and made no motion to accept his handshake. The young master seemed to become embarrassed at this before retracting his hand.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He shook his head. ¡°We welcome even peasants amongst us, so what is a barbarian on top of it?¡±


    Red sighed before looking over at Leon. The young man seemed to guess at his thoughts and pointed at one of the chairs.


    ¡°Please, sit.¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to discuss this on our feet.¡±


    Everyone sat down, and Ilse and Emeric proceeded to partake of the pastries in front of them like they were never interrupted.


    ¡°So, Leon.¡± Lord Emeric said. ¡°I saw that egg-headed bastard yesterday, and you won¡¯t imagine what-¡±


    ¡°Not now, Emeric.¡± Leon cut him off. ¡°Business first.¡±


    The young man''s eyes widened. ¡°Business first?¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°Out of consideration for our friend¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Emeric looked Red up and down, as if only now remembering his state. ¡°Business first, then.¡±


    The air around the young man changed, and he adjusted his posture on the chair. From a decadent wastrel to a serious politician partaking in an important meeting - the change was evident to all who looked at him.


    Lady Ilse took one last sip of her tea before setting it down and adjusting her posture, too.


    ¡°The others are not here yet.¡± she said.


    ¡°Marina isn¡¯t coming.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°And I have already spoken to Pierre.¡±


    ¡®Marina¡­¡¯


    If Red was uncertain before, that name all but confirmed the identity of one of Leon¡¯s friends.


    ¡°What have you found?¡± Leon looked at Emeric and asked.


    ¡°Not much more than you.¡± The young man shook his head. ¡°Noble circle was just as surprised when they heard about the Shadow, and no one seems to have done anything out of the ordinary yet. Not even the usual suspects.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the court response?¡±


    ¡°They moved quickly, as I¡¯m sure you know.¡± Emeric spared a glance at Red. ¡°None of them seem too keen or hopeful in pursuing this investigation, though. At least not with the Imperials at our gates.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Leon nodded before looking over at Ilse. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± She shook her head with a calm expression. ¡°Though this shouldn¡¯t surprise you. The Shadows would never make contracts with reckless clients.¡±


    The young master sighed. ¡°So it seems.¡±


    They all fell silent, and Red was left puzzled.


    ¡°I thought you said I would learn more about this Shadow.¡± he said, looking over at Leon.


    ¡°I did.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°We have still not given up on investigations, but first of all, there is something you should know¡­¡±


    When he said those words, the air around the gazebo suddenly changed.


    ¡°Leon, what are you saying?¡± Lady Ilse asked with a frown. ¡°What do you mean to tell him?¡±


    ¡°I mean to tell him everything.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve only just met him yesterday! How could you trust him with that information?¡±


    ¡°I know, but the fact he was targeted by the Shadow means he is definitely not on our enemy¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°So says you! There is still no proof they were involved!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of life or death for him, Ilse.¡± he said. ¡°There is no telling if or when he will be targeted by them again. By then, not only will an innocent bystander have lost their life, but we will also have lost a potential ally.¡±


    Ilse frowned at those words, and although she fell silent, her skeptical expression remained. Red, who had no idea to what they were talking about, listened to the conversation with interest.


    Emeric frowned and looked between Red and Leon. ¡°Are you certain about this?¡±


    ¡°If we had more time, I would have proceeded more slowly, but right now, we have no choice.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Fine, then. I trust your judgement.¡±


    The young master gave his friend a grateful smile before turning over towards Red.


    ¡°You must be confused.¡±


    ¡°Not particularly.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°There is something you should know, Master Viran¡­¡± Leon said with some hesitation. ¡°As you might have surmised yourself, though the city nobles might seem to have had motive to act against you after guessing you might be a Golden Hand agent, it¡¯s hard to imagine they would resort to assassination to deal with you.¡±


    ¡°Assassination through Shadow, no less.¡± Emeric said.


    Red nodded. ¡°I have been told as much before.¡±


    Leon continued. ¡°This leaves us then, with the reasonable possibility that a third party might have been involved. One who might have benefited from seeing you dead.¡±


    ¡°Benefited how?¡±


    ¡°We think they would have used this as pretext to further the conflict between the royalists and the Golden Hand in the court.¡± Emeric said. ¡°Even if you weren¡¯t an agent of the Golden Hand, they surely would have seen an attack against their client as a major provocation.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°And at that point, it wouldn¡¯t matter if they found it reasonable that a noble could be behind this. If they didn¡¯t seek retribution, they would be displaying weakness.¡±


    Red fell silent in thought. ¡°¡­ That is certainly a reasonable way to see it. But that is not what you wanted to tell me, right?¡±


    In fact, the youth had considered such possibilities himself, but they were beyond him to investigate. At least, so he thought until a moment ago.


    Emeric and Leon exchanged glances, as at that point the young Northvale master seemed to hesitate to speak. Someone else spoke in his stead, though.


    ¡°What matters is not their intent, but who is behind it.¡± Ilse said, looking at Red. ¡°Demon cultists, Master Viran. They have infiltrated our capital.¡±

 Chapter 422 - Hidden Cults

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    Red was startled at the sudden mention of demonic cultists, though none of it showed in his body language.


    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that there are demon cultists in a city this large, much more so after that Blood Moon.¡± he nodded. ¡°Unless you mean to say the problem is bigger than it seems.¡±


    He already knew the answer to that, but he could only feign ignorance and ask questions that would be expected of him.


    ¡°Likely much bigger.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Cultists hidden amidst the population are something we have had to deal from time to time even before the moon turned red. Now, though, it is likely they have infiltrated positions of importance in the city.¡±


    ¡°You paint the wrong picture, Leon.¡± Lady Ilse cut him off. ¡°These people were probably already in positions of power long before the Blood Moon. The only reason we know of their existence is because they deigned to make their moves.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I do suppose we might have been too distracted with the conflict with the Empire to weed out these demonic roots.¡±


    ¡°And how did you discover this?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Another friend of ours, Pierre, discovered something.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°He is not with us right now - he¡¯s working as a city guard.¡± Emeric cut in.


    ¡°Indeed. I would have preferred to have him explain it, but we can ill afford to waste too much time on this.¡± Leon looked over at Red with a serious expression. ¡°What I am about to tell you is confidential information with the guard, so it goes without saying that you shouldn¡¯t reveal it to anyone else.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The young master took a sip of his steaming tea cup and cleared his throat before continuing.


    ¡°You know of the implications behind the Blood Moon, right?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It heralds the beginning of a possible demonic invasion.¡±


    ¡°Great, so this spares me from explaining a lot of the details. This is not the first time the kingdom has had to deal with a Blood Moon in its history, and in other times the work of eliminating these demonic cultists would be left to the Sects. However, their position has never been weaker than it is right now, and as we are faced with an Imperial Invasion, this particular Blood Moon couldn¡¯t have come at a worse time for us.¡±


    Red frowned beneath the mask. ¡°You mean to say you are working as the kingdom¡¯s officials to deal with a demonic cult?¡±


    Emeric shook his head with a smile. ¡°We are working for the kingdom, but not so much in an official manner.¡±


    ¡°What he means to say is that Leon has put it in his head that as young scions without strong ties to the court or great responsibilities, we can act outside of the capital¡¯s official jurisdiction and not have our efforts hampered by any demonic collaborators.¡± Lady Ilse said with some derision.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to put it.¡± Leon scratched his head. ¡°But don¡¯t think of us as vigilantes, though. We have the blessing of our families to pursue this matter on our own time.¡±


    ¡°Some of us do¡­¡± Lady Ilse looked over at Emeric with a smile.


    The young master, however, seemed to play dumb as he devoured another biscuit.


    ¡°Does the kingdom not have anyone looking into these cultists other than you?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°They leave most of those investigations to the city guard.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°However, other than the fact that we don¡¯t exactly know whether we can trust them, we seem to disagree on the severity of the problem. The city guard seems to be mostly worried about imperial agents and nobility conflicts, and while they acknowledge these cultists could end up being a problem, there have yet to be any big accidents to prompt them to look into the matter more deeply.¡±


    ¡°Yet you seem to think otherwise. Do you have access to information they don¡¯t?"


    There was a brief silence amidst the noble trio at this question.


    Leon was the first to recover his composure and speak. ¡°We don¡¯t have any more information they do, yet the way we interpret some vital information is how we differ.¡±


    Ilse snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. Just tell him.¡±


    Leon sighed and continued. ¡°A few weeks ago, the guard uncovered a hidden cult in the city. Seven people total, running an underground cult while using a grocery shop as a front. One of them was also an unregistered Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, as the guards came to discover once they tried to arrest them. Thankfully, they were wise enough to send two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators of their own in case of such accidents, and Pierre was amongst them. Unfortunately, although they managed to crush the cultists, they all killed themselves before being captured, so the guards couldn¡¯t extract any information from them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Did you know what cult they were from?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Memorabilia and symbols in the scene pointed to them being part of the Serpent¡¯s World Cult.¡±


    Red had learned of them before. Other than the Nine-Star Cult, this was the other organization that apparently made its roots in the capital. The youth had a rough idea which archdemon they worshipped, but out of a sense of self-preservation, he didn¡¯t seek to confirm it.


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    ¡°Is that all?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°The presence of a Lesser Ring Realm demonic cultivator was a surprise, but that wasn¡¯t what caught the attention of the guard¡­ They found a formation circle in the basement.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What kind of formation?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. The guard contacted both formation specialists and demon experts from the sects, but none of them were able to give a definite answer. Their best guess was that it was a summoning circle, but that¡¯s just from previous knowledge of how these cults acted. The truth is, no one in the city saw that kind of formation before.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you approached me? To analyze the formation?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, and no.¡± Leon said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a talented arcane script master, but unless you¡¯re part of their cult, I doubt you could tell us more than we already know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the materials that worry us.¡± Emeric said. ¡°Almost one hundred spirit stones worth of materials confiscated from that formation, yet no sign of transactions made within any of the city stores to account for it. Even in the black market, such large transactions would have raised a few eyebrows.¡±


    ¡°So you see, our worry about this matter isn¡¯t so much the cultist¡¯s plans, but how they got these materials in the first place.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°The guard was concerned by this as well, but to them, once the matter with the cultists was resolved, their problem was dealt with and they could go back to their ¡®real¡¯ problems.¡±


    Lady Ilse chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s the official reason as to why they didn¡¯t pursue the matter. The truth is that they were scared of the repercussions of any such investigation.¡±


    Red could only imagine. In the case these materials for the formation weren¡¯t bought through official means, then the only possibilities left were contraband or some large power in the city cooperating to keep the transaction off the record. If it was contraband, that meant that the city guard had allowed cultists to slip in potentially dangerous magical items into the city - that or someone in the guard turned a blind eye to this. If they were bought with the help of a large power, that would lead the investigation to the royal court. This would raise an enormous scandal and probably yield them nothing of use.


    With those concerns on top of them not considering the cultists to be a major threat, it was no wonder they wouldn¡¯t pursue this thread.


    ¡°We can¡¯t blame them for that.¡± Emeric said. ¡°It¡¯s not like they had any leads to begin with. Marina didn¡¯t turn up with anything either.¡±


    ¡°Even so, the least they could do was an internal investigation.¡± Ilse shook her head as she set her teacup down and leaned back. ¡°No one was willing to take responsibility over the matter.¡±


    Leon smiled. ¡°This is where we come in.¡±


    The young woman sighed. ¡°We haven¡¯t made any progress either.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we need Master Viran¡¯s help.¡± Leon turned to Red. ¡°Do you see why we believe that higher powers might be involved with those cultists?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t think it could have been a mistake from the guard?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°You came into the city fairly recently and you saw the procedures to get through the gate. They are always very thorough, so either there¡¯s another entrance into the city we don¡¯t know, or they willingly allowed these highly valuable materials into the capital on purpose.¡±


    ¡°They could have been bribed.¡±


    ¡°I certainly do hope that is so, as the alternative would be much more troubling.¡± Leon shook his head with a troubled expression. ¡°In any case, that is just one of the alternatives, and the other is equally worrying. Other official appeals to crackdown on these possible cults in the court haven¡¯t been met with a lot of enthusiasm either. Many are worried about what a harder stance on investigations could mean to the economy and unrest of a city who are already suffering under Imperial threat. To them, since nothing bad has happened yet, they don¡¯t see much of a reason to take any drastic measures. At least that¡¯s what many of them claim - but some people could just as easily be using that as an excuse to hinder anyone trying to look into the matter in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed troublesome.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Yet I don¡¯t see how any of this concerns me.¡±


    Leon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re an arcane script master.¡±


    ¡°I am, but you said it was unlikely for me to recognize the formation, and I¡¯m compelled to agree.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but there are other ways to identify a formation, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°You want me to replicate it?¡±


    ¡°That is so.¡± The young master nodded.


    ¡°¡­ You are insane.¡±


    Replicating the formation wasn¡¯t so much the issue for Red. The real problem was trying to replicate a demonic formation whose purpose he knew nothing about. It was both an extreme danger and also heresy of a great degree, and if any sect caught wind of this, he and his collaborators would be imprisoned without a doubt.


    ¡°I know how this sounds, but I can assuage some of your worries.¡± Leon said. ¡°We have the permission of the Crystal Sky Sect to execute such a plan.¡±


    This time, Red was truly surprised.


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°My father is friends with the ambassador of the sect here in the city.¡± Leon said. ¡°The Crystal Sky Sect is also concerned with the rise in demonic activity around the eastern part of the continent, but they aren¡¯t allowed to act in the capital unless King Thomas explicitly asks for their help. However, if someone else is doing it on their behalf, then it¡¯s another matter entirely.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°If they know about the formation, couldn¡¯t they replicate it themselves?¡±


    ¡°They claim their arcane script masters are all occupied with more important matters, and that such a task could take months of their time.¡± Leon said.


    Ilse snorted. ¡°That is to say that while they are concerned, they don¡¯t care enough to divert their forces to deal with. That, and they also don¡¯t want to risk the lives of their cultivators in case something goes wrong in the process.¡±


    ¡°Yet you are willing to risk mine.¡± Red looked over at Leon.


    The young master shook his head frantically. ¡°T-That¡¯s not the case. We are planning to help in any way we can, and if the task ever feels too dangerous, you are free to back out of it!¡±


    Emeric nodded. ¡°Lady Ilse here also knows a thing or two about formations. I¡¯m sure she can help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak for me, you bastard!¡± The woman threw a biscuit at him.


    Leon cleared his throat. ¡°In any case, I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable putting you in danger if it wasn¡¯t for a good cause, Master Viran. I¡¯m also more than willing to pay for compensation for the task.¡±


    Red was silent in thought for a while before speaking up.


    ¡°¡­ Why me?¡±


    Leon scratched his chin. ¡°Well, you are a talented arcane master, and while there may be more skilled masters in the city, they have ties to other factions. Even if I trusted them, I doubt I could convince them to do this for me.¡±


    ¡°You mean there is no one a duke¡¯s family can hire to do this task?¡±


    ¡°You overestimate our means and underestimate the rarity of an arcane master.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°Besides, even if we had a choice, I would prefer to hire you.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because I think you¡¯re a good person.¡±


    A heavy silence hanged in the air after those words. Ilse frowned with a pondering expression, while Emeric didn¡¯t show any reaction as he sipped on his tea. Red, on the other hand, was truly perplexed.


    ¡°Nothing I have done could lead you to that conclusion.¡± he said.


    Leon chuckled. ¡°Yet, I still believe it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just a feeling.¡±


    Leon¡¯s fluctuation remained as steady as ever as he said that, which to Red meant he was a consummate liar or he was telling the truth. His companions didn¡¯t show any surprise at this strange justification.


    This all made the youth¡¯s decision rather easy.


    ¡°I have decided.¡± he said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You¡¯re going to help us?¡±


    ¡°No. I refuse.¡±


    Red got up from his chair and started to walk out the way he came.

 Chapter 423 - Collateral

    There was a heavy silence as the three nobles didn¡¯t know how to react to Red¡¯s response. Only when the youth was almost fifty meters away that they had a reaction.


    ¡°W-Wait, Master Viran!¡±


    Leon came running after him, but Red didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Please, just wait a second!¡± Leon said as they walked side-by-side. ¡°There is more to discuss before you give us a definitive answer!¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I know the task may seem dangerous, but we have prepared countermeasures for it!¡±


    ¡°Better countermeasures than what a sect could provide?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, not necessarily, but-¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re dealing with.¡± Red shook his head and kept walking.


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but that¡¯s why we need your help!¡± Leon looked at him with a desperate look. ¡°Innocent people may suffer if this matter is left alone! I understand you¡¯re not a citizen of this city, but would you ignore their plight if you could help?¡±


    ¡°It is a pity, but I have to care for my own safety first.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t mind offering a helping hand to someone in need, but that was only in case his own life wasn¡¯t put at risk in the process. To get involved in this demonic matter at the moment was a bad idea, and for more reasons than his hosts apparently knew.


    Leon frowned, struggling to come up with any other reasons to convince his guest. ¡°T-Then what about compensation? We haven¡¯t discussed that!¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to afford my price.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that before we even discussed it? I know that what I¡¯m asking you to do is reasonable, so I¡¯m willing to pay a significant sum, if that¡¯s what it takes!¡±


    ¡°¡­ How much?¡±


    This finally gave Red some pause. Taking a risk was always a bad idea, unless there was a worthy reward waiting for him at the end.


    Leon shook his head. ¡°However, much is necessary, but listen- can we at least continue this discussion back at the table?¡±


    Red finally stopped walking. ¡°¡­ Fine.¡±


    ¡°Good, then we-¡±


    ¡°But I need you to tell me the truth first.¡±


    Red lowered his voice as he stared at Leon.


    The young master seemed confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hiding something from me.¡±


    This time, Leon¡¯s face became more serious. He seemed to consider his words for a moment, looking back at the gazebo where his companions waited from the corner of his eyes.


    He then looked at Red with a stern gaze. ¡°What exactly do you think I¡¯m hiding from you?¡±


    ¡°Your reasons for investigating this formation are flimsy.¡± The youth said. ¡°You seem sure that you will get something useful out of investigating this matter, so much so that you would invite a stranger to do it for you when out of options¡­ You know something about it that you¡¯re not telling me and don¡¯t feel comfortable telling others.¡±


    The risk of investigating a demonic formation might be high, but if Leon was offering so much money in the first place, Red was sure someone would take the job. Besides, while it was possible the guard was none too eager to investigate the formation, if they were sure they would get something useful out of it, would they hesitate to look into it? It was not like it would be one of their guards researching the runes in the first place, so the most they would do is spend a lot of money to hire a specialist to do it.


    Leon instead acted like this was a task of utmost importance, and while it might all be a shot in the dark, Red found that to be too farfetched. Wouldn¡¯t it be more useful to spend these resources to investigate other cultist activity? It¡¯s not like the city was lacking any, by the looks of it.


    The entire situation was too suspicious, and there were some other matters too that led him to believe Leon was hiding something from him.


    The young master sighed. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re sharp, but I¡¯m afraid that is something I can¡¯t tell you unless you agree to the job.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s discuss compensation first, then.¡±


    Leon smiled, somewhat regaining his composure. ¡°That is wise.¡±


    They returned to the gazebo, receiving weird looks from the two other nobles.


    ¡°How did you convince him?¡± Emeric asked.


    ¡°¡­ We will discuss compensation first.¡± Leon said.


    Lady Ilse chuckled. ¡°Hah! So much for him doing it out of the kindness of his heart.¡±


    ¡°I do not blame him.¡± Emeric shook his head. ¡°We are putting him in a difficult situation in the first place.¡±


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    Leon sat down across from Red, ignoring the comments of his companions. ¡°So exactly how much do you want?¡±


    Emeric almost spit out the tea from his mouth as he heard this. ¡°What is this ¡®how much do you want¡¯?! Are you right in the head?! What if he asks for more than this is worth?!¡±


    ¡°He is the one taking the risk, so he deserves to set the price.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this guy! Do you even know anything about negotiating?!¡±


    Leon ignored his companion and looked back at Red. ¡°So how much?¡±


    ¡°I want more than just money.¡± Red said.


    Emeric glared at him. ¡°More than just money?! So you want the money too?!¡±


    ¡°What is it you need?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°I need you to find someone for me.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too hard if they live in the city-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that just yet. They are related to the Golde Hand.¡±


    This indeed made the young master¡¯s face of relief to change slightly.


    ¡°Is it a member of the Golden Hand?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°You could say it¡¯s one of their clients.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ And how big of a client are they?¡±


    ¡°Not big at all as far as I know, but the Golden Hand might be keeping their eye on them.¡±


    Leon closed his eyes in thought. ¡°I assume this is a matter that requires secrecy?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    The young master opened his eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s as you say, then this shouldn¡¯t be a problem. What do you know about them?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°That is something I can only tell you if you agree to my other terms. I also need a variety of items.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°Cultivation items?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you have pen and paper?¡±


    The youth put his finger to his mouth before whistling. A servant came running over from around the corner. Leon ordered them to bring him pen and paper, and less than a minute later, they had returned with the items.


    The young master handed them over to Red. ¡°Please.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. His list wasn¡¯t long, and less than half a minute later, he handed it back.


    When Leon eyed it over, he seemed surprised.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    Emeric, who was watching his expression, moved over to get a look. His expression changed when he saw the items.


    ¡°Wha- So many formations! What are you trying to build, a fortress?!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°You say you want these formations and fifty Spirit Stones?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The young master frowned for a moment. ¡°I see¡­ And these are your only conditions?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than a hundred spirit stones!¡± Emeric said in shock. ¡°Is he really worth all that?¡±


    ¡°I have seen his talismans.¡± Leon said. ¡°If he is half as good in formation drawing, then it¡¯s more than enough for what we need.¡±


    The young master looked back at Red and nodded.


    ¡°I agree with these conditions.¡±


    ¡°I also need a guarantee.¡± Red said.


    ¡°A guarantee on top of all this you¡¯re getting?¡± Emeric frowned. ¡°We¡¯re the ones who should be getting a guarantee!¡±


    ¡°Your guarantee comes in me agreeing to be related to this conspiracy at all.¡±


    ¡°Agh, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Leon cut his companion off. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±


    As he said that, he fished something out of his pouch before handing it over to Red. It was a golden insignia of the same strange-wolf beast that represented the symbol of the Northvale family.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Red asked as he looked over the object.


    There was no sign of Spiritual Energy coming from it.


    ¡°This is a symbol carried by honored guests of my house.¡± Leon said. ¡°It grants you the privilege of using any of our services in the city, including our facilities. It also allows you to visit the Royal Court, and to leave and enter the city at will. Not to mention that if you show this to the guards, they should stop giving you so much trouble.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Are you certain about it, Leon?¡± Emeric asked with an uncertain expression.


    ¡°Of course¡­ It¡¯s the only guarantee I can give that would satisfy him, anyway.¡±


    Red frowned. On the surface, this didn¡¯t look like much of a guarantee and more like another reward, but there was obvious meaning behind this insignia. If what Leon said was true, it represented the will of a great noble house of the kingdom, and any trouble its carrier got into while wearing it would also reflect on the family.


    With this, Red could deliberately cause problems for them if he wished to. Not to mention, the benefit of being able to travel freely through the capital couldn¡¯t be understated.


    He wouldn¡¯t be bound by bureaucracy to this city if he was forced to leave in a hurry.


    ¡°Does this serve as collateral, Master Viran?¡± Leon asked.


    Red, who couldn¡¯t detect a hint of dishonesty from his fluctuation, nodded. ¡°It will suffice¡­ But there are also the others.¡±


    ¡°Others?¡± Leon looked back at his companions. ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to give you my insignia too, do you?!¡± Emeric glared at Red.


    ¡°No.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°Good, because-¡±


    ¡°You can also hand something of equal value as collateral.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°The choice is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you bastard!¡±


    Ilse didn¡¯t say anything, but judging from her expression, she also wasn¡¯t happy to hear his demands.


    Leon sighed. ¡°I understand your worries, Master Viran, but the situation of my companions is different from mine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, their houses are not as powerful as mine. In fact, Lady Ilse is the only member of her family in the capital, and Lord Emeric¡¯s father only relocated to the city recently. Their insignias wouldn¡¯t hold much meaning, and I¡¯m afraid they wouldn¡¯t be able to offer anything of the same value.¡±


    ¡°And the other two from your inner circle?¡±


    Leon hesitated. ¡°¡­ Well, Pierre is just a guard with peasant blood, and Marina is a merchant¡¯s daughter. They¡¯re not nobles.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°So they can offer me no collateral, is what you are saying?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to offer you any more collateral than the Northvale insignia.¡± Lady Ilse interjected. ¡°All of us are intimately involved with Leon and his investigation, so anything implicating his house will also implicate us. If it comes down to it, I¡¯m sure you can use that insignia to threaten us, too.¡±


    Leon flinched at those words, but nodded. ¡°It¡¯s as she said.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too satisfied with this. His worry was that someone from this inner circle of Leon might backstab him and reveal information about the youth, hence why he would have liked to have collateral from each one of them.


    ¡®Then again, if this insignia is as important as it seems¡­¡¯


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to drag down these companions of Leon even if they went behind his back.


    ¡°It will have to suffice.¡± Red nodded.


    Leon seemed relieved. ¡°Good¡­ Then, I believe there was also your other request, right? Do you now feel comfortable sharing more information about it with us?¡±


    This time, it was Red who hesitated. If possible, he would have liked to investigate this matter on his own, but after learning how powerful the Golden Hand was in the capital, he realized how risky it would be to look into their affairs.


    The information he needed would likely be located inside their temple, and a Spirit Core cultivator guarded that place. That or he could threaten a certain merchant for it, but that was, in some ways, even more dangerous than trying to infiltrate their headquarters.


    As such, he realized that only someone as powerful as a duke¡¯s family could have the resources and information network to accomplish that task without much risk.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a girl.¡± Red said. ¡°She has a rare disease that threatens her life and that can only be treated with Spiritual Medicine.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°Do you know her name?¡±


    ¡°No. I know that a merchant from the Golden Hand named Gustav might have been involved with her case, however.¡±


    ¡°Her case?¡± The young master frowned. ¡°I assume she borrowed money from them?¡±


    ¡°Not her. Her brother.¡±


    ¡°Do you know his name at least?¡±


    Red hesitated.


    ¡°I do¡­ It¡¯s Rimold.¡±

 Chapter 424 - Visions

    ¡°I see.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°How delicate is this matter?¡±


    Red frowned behind his mask.


    The young master¡¯s face changed at the misunderstanding. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t mean we won¡¯t be discreet with our search¡­ It¡¯s just that any information about hidden dangers would be appreciated in preparation.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need to ask, then?¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Just treat it as the most important mission of your lives, regardless of the actual danger or importance behind it.¡±


    Emeric glared at Red. ¡°This guy-!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Leon stopped his friend¡¯s outburst and nodded at Red. ¡°It¡¯s as you say. My men will treat this mission with the utmost secrecy and caution.¡±


    The youth was satisfied with the man¡¯s guarantee, so he didn¡¯t push the subject any further. The mission itself wouldn¡¯t be that dangerous, as Rimold¡¯s sister was probably not someone the Golden Hand paid much attention to, but the actual risk was in Red¡¯s identity, possibly being revealed. Rimold was his sect companion, and someone could make a point of investigating his sister because of his connection to Red.


    It wasn¡¯t a strong lead, but assuming the imperials were as smart and resourceful as they seemed, they would cover all possibilities in trying to dig out Red.


    ¡®If I wanted to be completely safe, I would never look into this, but¡­¡¯


    There were some risks he just needed to take, regardless of the danger.


    Red stared at Leon and change the subject. ¡°Now, is there something else you wanted to tell me?¡±


    The young master frowned and looked over at his friends, as if looking for their blessing.


    Lady Ilse frowned. ¡°What are you looking at me for? If you¡¯ve made up your mind, just tell him.¡±


    Leon sighed and looked back at Red. ¡°The truth about the summoning formation is a bit more complicated.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°We believe that their summoning was a success, and that the guards were fooled to think otherwise.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°¡­ One of us had a vision.¡±


    ¡°I had a vision.¡± Lady Ilse cut her friend off. ¡°I saw a demon walking on the city streets in plain view.¡±


    Red fell silent, digesting this strange revelation.


    ¡°She¡¯s a clairvoyant.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears, as if sensing his confusion.


    Her voice, however, also displayed her surprise.


    ¡°Are you familiar with the concept of clairvoyants, Master Viran?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± Red nodded.


    He knew these were cultivators capable of reading the threads of fate, learning information about the past, present, and future without having to physically witness said information. Such cultivators were rare, though, and most of what Red knew was from common knowledge contained in widely available books - which was to say, not very much.


    There was also the fact the Spirit Hawk placed a divination ward on him that would protect him from the Imperial clairvoyants. In retrospect, that might have been the greatest gift the hawk granted him, considering how things developed afterwards.


    Red looked over at Lady Ilse.


    ¡°Explain this vision to me.¡±


    She put her teacup down and crossed her arms. ¡°What exactly do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°How can you be certain about its accuracy?¡±


    ¡°There is no way to be completely certain about a vision, no matter how powerful of a clairvoyant you might be. There is, however, a way to corroborate your suspicions with information from the real world. Suffice it to say, with what we now know, concerns raised by my vision are now founded on actual evidence.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You had this vision before the attempted summoning?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± She nodded. ¡°Of course, interpreting a vision is not always so straightforward. They don¡¯t always reflect reality, and sometimes they may even seem nonsensical, so their meaning may not be clear for a long while. In this case, however, what I saw seems to be quite literal.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you think the summoning ritual was a success.¡±


    Ilse sighed, as if resenting having to explain this to Red. ¡°We believe in that because the vision hasn¡¯t disappeared ever since it first came to me, no matter how many times I¡¯ve divined it since.¡±


    Red was about to ask something else, but he stopped himself. He still had a lot of questions about the mechanism behind such divinations and visions, but these weren¡¯t of importance to the task at hand. Not to mention the fact that cultivators didn¡¯t look kindly on others prying into their techniques.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are confused by this as much as those who first learn of Lady Ilse¡¯s skills are, Master Viran, but she is reliable.¡± Leon said. ¡°She has proven her skills on other occasions, so if she has reason to be concerned, then we should also take the matter seriously.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I understand. However, no matter how sure you are of the threat, there are still a lot of problems with this line of reasoning.¡±


    ¡°Please, enlighten us, Master Viran.¡±


    ¡°There is no guarantee this ritual of summoning was a success. There could be others that will come to pass in the future, and that may be what her vision is pointing to, correct?¡±


    Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°You are right. There is not necessarily a way to distinguish past, present, or future with some visions. The only thing I can confirm is that this is still a very active concern in the fate of the city.¡±


    ¡°There is also the matter of a release of energy. I may not be familiar with summoning rituals, but I¡¯m certain it would leave behind a great amount of demonic energy that would be extremely hard to mask.¡±


    Even if the guards of the city weren¡¯t certain about what they were dealing with, they would sense the energy left behind by summoning a being from another plane. The release of energy necessary to bring about such an event would be enormous even for a weaker demon, not to mention the lingering corruption.


    ¡°You are correct on both accounts, Master Viran.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°It would be very hard to mask such a release of energy, but not impossible, much more so for the cult we are dealing with.¡±


    Red noticed the heavy tone behind the young master¡¯s words. ¡°You mean¡­?¡±


    Emeric piped into the conversation. ¡°Serpent¡¯s World Cult. Specialists in illusions, charming, and poisons. Members of my family have dealt with them in the past, so we know of the kind of deception they¡¯re capable of. If anyone would be capable of such a feat, it would be them.¡±


    ¡°The timing is also very convenient.¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°The guards uncovered a large cult in the city and seemingly stopped their operations before they could come to fruition. To them, the threat is under control, at least for now, and so they lower their guard and stop looking into the matter as thoroughly. This will leave the cult to operate more freely and scheme behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡®Sacrificing so many cult members just for that?¡¯


    It was an insane plan, but the youth knew better than to doubt the madness of demonic cultists.


    ¡°Still, you are assuming a demon was summoned to the city.¡± Red said. ¡°Would they adhere to such subtlety?"


    ¡°If they summoned a demon, they probably have a way to control it.¡± Emeric shrugged. ¡°Besides, I hear that there are some demons that are not mindless beasts, so you never know.¡±


    Leon sighed and shook his head. ¡°This is all just conjecture and theories we have come up with. Considering the threat, though, we need to treat the risk seriously, and this is where you come in, Master Viran.¡±


    Red realized the meaning behind his words. ¡°You want me to discern whether the ritual worked or not.¡±


    This made more sense to the youth. There was little reason to be so keen on studying this summoning formation, as there was no guarantee it would lead them to uncovering any more of these cults. If they had reason to believe in a conspiracy, though, then studying the formation might lead them to find out something out of place.


    ¡°That is our main concern, yes.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Other specialists might have glanced over the formation and found nothing out of place, but there is no way that such a deception would be revealed with a cursory glance. This is why we want a dedicated Arcane Scripture master to study it.¡±


    The surroundings fell silent as Leon trailed off. He looked over at Red, waiting for his response. The young master had put all their cards on the table, and now he could only hope Red would still move forward with the plan.


    ¡°¡­ There is one more thing I want to know.¡± Red said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Leon asked, with a curious expression.


    Red looked over at Ilse. ¡°This demon you saw... What did it look like?¡±


    The lady¡¯s expression twisted at the question. ¡°That is something I would rather not like to recall. Besides, what does it matter?¡±


    ¡°A humanoid snake, is what she said.¡± Emeric said. ¡°Beautiful and horrifying at the same time, or something like that.¡±


    The woman glared at him, but Emeric pretended not to notice it and continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s called the Serpent¡¯s World Cult for a reason. Most of their symbolism is related to snakes, so it¡¯s within reason that the demons they worship also look like snakes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Red nodded.


    He couldn¡¯t help but let out an internal sigh of relief. He heard about this cult already and had suspicions they weren¡¯t related to certain demons he had met before, but to receive confirmation was reassuring to his safety.


    ¡®Or maybe I should be concerned that I will be meddling in the plans of yet another archdemon¡­¡¯


    Such concerns were beyond him at this point, though.


    ¡°Is there a schedule on this?¡± Red asked.


    Leon hesitated. ¡°¡­ As soon as possible, is what I¡¯d like to say. We have kept the formation site intact against pressure from the guard, but we don¡¯t know how long we will be able to maintain it.¡±


    ¡°I need a week or two before I start my research. I need to make some preparations first.¡±


    ¡°Does that involve those formations you asked for?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and got up from his seat. ¡°Make sure to have everything I asked for delivered to my manor as soon as possible. Today, preferably.¡±


    With those words, he turned around and started to walk away from the group. This time, none of the trio tried to stop him, staring at his back with a mix of indignation, uncertainty, and relief.


    Soon enough, Red was walking out of the estate, escorted by a maid.


    ¡°You may board the carriage, Master Viran.¡± The woman pointed at the vehicle. ¡°We will take you back to your manor.¡±


    ¡°I want to go to the market.¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, too. Our driver can take you there and back to your home.¡±


    Red thought about refusing, but he reconsidered a few moments later.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Under her lead, he entered the carriage and, soon enough, they were traveling down the streets of the city. Alone inside the vehicle, Red was left to ponder the interaction he had just gone through.


    Or so he would have liked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big risk you¡¯re taking.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Just because you have some resistance to demonic corruption doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a good idea to fiddle with it.¡±


    Red frowned and asked in a low voice. ¡°Is there a risk in even researching it?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is! Much more so if it¡¯s those serpent maniacs¡­ They might have even left a trap behind in their formation so if someone tries to research it they would have a surprise waiting for them.¡±


    ¡°The formation is not active, so how would that work?¡±


    ¡°Who says it¡¯s not active?¡± Aurelia snorted. ¡°If it¡¯s really an illusion, it¡¯s entirely possible the formation is still working, waiting for an idiot to mess with it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t consider that.¡±


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re still too na?ve! You have no idea about the kinds of tricks cultivators can come up with to fool each other, not to mention demonic worshippers!¡±


    ¡°I see. I still need to research it, though.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I would like to say I am surprised at your stubbornness, but that would be a lie.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t die when the time comes.¡±


    The risk was obvious already to Red, but the rewards were worth it. With this, he would be able to look into the matter of Rimold¡¯s sister and gain a large amount of cultivation resources all at once. That would, in turn, enable another plan that was brewing in his head since yesterday¡¯s events.


    ¡®If subtlety is out of the question¡­ I might as well make a fortress for myself.¡¯

 Chapter 425 - Fortress

    His visit to the marketplace didn¡¯t last long. With the help of Leon¡¯s servants, Red was able to locate all the materials he needed to build the Spirit Gathering Formation. It was impossible to keep such purchases a secret, as most of the materials necessary could only be bought in large stores, so he didn¡¯t bother with being subtle.


    He was recognized by his mask, and he heard more than a few whispers about how he had been attacked by a Shadow just the night before. Whatever the case, no one bothered to bring the matter up to his face, and many people even regarded him with some amount of fright.


    ¡®Seems like this is the perk of having a poor reputation.¡¯


    Given the choice, Red would always opt to remain in the shadows. If that was no longer an option, however, then he would make use of his infamy to keep others away from him.


    A few hours later, the coach dropped him off at his manor. Red inspected the area with this crimson sense, but couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary. He entered the house and closed the door behind him, and a second later, the imp came tumbling out from behind a box with a worried expression.


    ¡°M-Master!¡± He ran up to Red. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing dire for now.¡± The youth shook his head.


    He went on to explain his encounter with the General of the Guard, as well as the deal he struck with Leon and his companions. Emer was far more familiar with the city and its nobles than him, so Red hoped he could provide more insight into these encounters.


    ¡°H-He really did that?¡± The imp asked in confusion. ¡°He went against the general for you?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I assume this must be a larger political move than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Well, General Winslowe holds quite a bit of sway in the capital. He went against many nobles before when they tried to interfere in his work¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean to say that it¡¯s strange he gave way to the son of a Duke?¡±


    ¡°D-Duke Northvale is one of the hands of the king, so if the old General was going to give way to anyone, maybe it would be him¡­ But in the past, he was always known to be troublesome to anyone that wasn¡¯t the King himself.¡±


    This made Red go silent in thought.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t mean to presume, though.¡± The imp shook his head. ¡°The only things I know about the royal court are what¡¯s spread among the common people¡­ My dead brother would have probably known more, though.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Red walked past the imp. ¡°As long as it keeps him from investigating me, I do not care why he gave way.¡±


    The youth then inspected the improvised workshop with narrowed eyes. He went through every piece of material and furniture, comparing them with his mental image before he left the house.


    The imp, who was following behind him, seemed to guess at his thoughts. ¡°N-No one came by, Master. I stared at the formation plate the entire time.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Red nodded. ¡°Continue keeping watch. I have work to do.¡±


    With that said, he set down his large bag full of formation materials he had bought from the store. This was not everything he needed to set up the Spirit Gathering Formation, but the rest of it would only be delivered in the next couple of days.


    He could have asked Leon to buy this formation for him too, but that wouldn¡¯t satisfy Red. For one, he was building the formation from the book he gained from the inheritance, which meant that the material names and method of building were all somewhat different. It was still an effort to find the contemporary ingredients while visiting the market, but this time around he made a point of comparing his master¡¯s method with the one available on the market, which made figuring out the ingredients a lot easier.


    Of course, he could have still just asked Leon to buy him a complete Spirit Gathering formation, but that would defeat the other half of Red¡¯s plan.


    That was - practicing Arcane Scripture.


    The Spirit Gathering formation was a jump in difficulty for anything Red had done in the past, and it would be an excellent test of his own skills to inscribe it himself. The other complete formations that he had asked from Leon were all less complicated than this, so he could forego of creating them himself.


    ¡°Mind explaining your plan to me now?¡± Aurelia¡¯s figure manifested by his side, staring down at the materials on the ground.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Since I plan on making this my base of operations, I might as well reinforce it as well as possible.¡± Red said.


    It was a very simple line of thought. The youth couldn¡¯t keep to the shadows at the moment, as he lacked the skills and knowledge of his environment, so his next best course of action would be to protect himself as well as possible. The formations he requested from Leon were all for this purpose - they were trapping and defensive formations to keep intruders out.


    Aurelia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad plan, but if the enemy really wants to get in, those formations alone won¡¯t stop them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red said. ¡°They are more of a deterrent than anything.¡±


    The formations were powerful for their level, but they would at most be dangerous for cultivators at the early and middle Lesser Ring Realms. Someone as strong as the assassin that attacked him last night would have no issue just powering through them.


    The important thing was, though, that secretly breaking into his manor would become a much harder task for anyone. As such, if they wanted to act against Red, they would need to be much more overt, and considering his potential enemies, it was unlikely they would risk revealing their identity just for that.


    ¡°That makes sense, but are you planning on making the Spirit Gathering Formation right now?¡± Aurelia asked. ¡°You¡¯re still not totally recovered.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t afford to waste time. I need to set the formation up, if only its most basic aspects.¡±


    The truth was that formation skills weren¡¯t what Red needed to prioritize right now. What he lacked was combat strength to deal with enemies like the Shadow, but how could he improve his power so quickly? From the Lesser Ring Realm forward, improvements in both cultivation level and Spiritual Arts became measured in weeks, months, sometimes even years. Even if Red needed strength, results wouldn¡¯t come to him as fast as he needed them.


    This was why he still kept to the idea of setting up a proper foundation for improvement rather than rushing into training. The Spirit Gathering Formation was just that - a way to increase the density of Spiritual Energy in his surroundings and speed up both his cultivation and skill training. That would delay the true start of his cultivation, but it would save him time in the long run.


    For the rest of the day, Red focused on preparing the materials and measuring the formation. To his surprise, though, as night arrived, someone came knocking at his door.


    Red came to greet them, only to find a group of servants and carriages with the Northvales¡¯ colors at his front step.


    ¡°The materials Master Viran requested have arrived.¡± The well-dressed man at his doorstep bowed.


    ¡®Already?¡¯


    It hadn¡¯t even been half a day since he made these requests, but Red wasn¡¯t about to complain. The servants carried all the boxes into his living-room turned workshop, not making any comments about the strange state of the house.


    A few minutes later, they were gone as if they had never been there in the first place, and Red was left staring at the dozens of wooden crates lined up in his workshop.


    ¡°You¡¯re running out of space.¡± Aurelia said with a grin.


    Red frowned. ¡°I thought this place would be big enough.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen the homes of some cultivators? They¡¯re sometimes even bigger than the estate of that noble brat! Not to mention the homes of crafters like you!¡±


    The youth should have expected as much, considering the amount of materials and ingredients he was now working with, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily his primary concern in the past few weeks.


    The imp seemed to notice his predicament, approaching him while holding his hands together. ¡°I-If master would like, I can move some of these boxes upstairs.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s best I keep them in my sight for now.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Besides, once the materials are all used up, space won¡¯t be as much of a concern.¡±


    Right now, he was pushing his living spaces to the limit, but it was still manageable.


    Since the formations arrived earlier than expected, Red set about placing them around the manor. Thankfully, setting up formations was a much easier task than creating them from scratch, and early the next day, he was done placing the plate in their proper places.


    Eight formations total, overlapping and covering every piece of the manor.


    After Red was done, he approached the imp who had been watching his work closely, and handed him a bunch of smooth and etched stone tablets.


    ¡°Here.¡± He said. ¡°The controlling plates.¡±


    ¡°M-Master?!¡± The imp looked at the items in fright. ¡°T-There are so many of them, how could I-¡±


    ¡°This will be your main task since you will never be leaving this manor.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°I will explain how each formation works for you, and you will familiarize yourself with them. Do you understand?¡±


    Emer nodded under the youth¡¯s piercing gaze. ¡°Y-Yes, master!¡±


    ¡°This controls the trapping formation.¡± Red pointed at one of the tablets. ¡°If there is an intruder in the house, you can section certain rooms off with it and create a force barrier that will keep them trapped there. The way to activate it is¡­¡±


    He proceeded to explain how each formation worked to the imp until he was sure every single process was ingrained in the demon¡¯s mind. This took the better part of two hours, since Emer wasn¡¯t a cultivator in the first place, but by the end of it, the demon was actually quite eager to put them to test.


    ¡°So this one will cause an explosion?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Yes. As a last resort.¡±


    ¡°C-Can I test th-¡±


    ¡°No. Just be sure they will work when the time comes.¡±


    The youth also provided the imp and the formation with enough Spirit Stones from the bounty Leon had granted him to power them for multiple uses. Since these formations weren¡¯t constantly active, their only energy usage was for detecting intruders stepping into their domain. Red made sure to exclude himself, the imp, and the maid who was now in charge of cleaning the workshop from said intruder list, of course.


    After the formations were set up, the youth felt a weight being lifted off his back. These weren¡¯t invincible defenses, and they would all crumble against more powerful enemies, but they were layers of protection between Red and those who meant to harm him. Even if they were for naught, they would give him more than enough time to react against any invaders.


    This meant that now Red could work and cultivate in a little more peace.


    ¡®Now, to the Spirit Gathering Formation, then.¡¯

 Chapter 426 - Spirit Gathering Formation

    In some ways, the Spirit Gathering Formation was simpler than the Parting Storm Formation his master imparted to him. The symbols were easier to draw, but there were far more of them, and this made the calculations and setup considerably harder.


    As a general rule, a formation master should always seek to use as few symbols as possible to achieve a desirable effect, as more variables meant more room for error and harder calculations. For some formations like the Spirit Gathering one that gathered and condensed Spiritual Energy, though, the large amount of formation plates was necessary.


    ¡®I wonder if I could simplify it¡­¡¯


    It was not an uncommon for masters to try to replicate formations with fewer materials. However, the idea was soon struck off of Red¡¯s mind when he remembered these were all his Master¡¯s hand-written formations. He wasn¡¯t so arrogant to think he could improve on that man¡¯s work.


    At least, not just yet.


    ¡­


    The entire process lasted for almost a week. Formation-making wasn¡¯t a practice that had a well-established point of absolute success, such as pill-making or the mastery of a technique. It was a matter of assembling many smaller pieces into a greater whole, and while said pieces could be tested individually or in groups, there was really no way to know whether you succeeded until the formation itself was fully assembled.


    This was what Red went through.


    The symbols themselves were not difficult for him. They took work and time, but he had a good grasp of how to draw them.


    The real problem were the calculations and connections. One symbol too big or a few degrees too skewed on the formation plate could snowball into a problem that would prevent the formation from working. And as it turned out, with a formation this large, mistakes like those were far more common than one might imagine.


    These were things Red had to solve himself too. The manual only gave him instructions on how to build a formation, but there were too many variables one had to account for themselves, like size, environment, purpose.


    The problems didn¡¯t immediately make themselves apparent, either. Sometimes, an issue with a plate formation would only reveal itself when connected to another of its siblings. This would make it so Red had to go through all those parts in search of a mistake or miscalculation he wasn¡¯t even aware about.


    These issues only increased as the parts were united into the final assembly.


    On that week alone, Red made more calculations on this formation than all his other works combined.


    The living room was a complete mess. Papers with numbers and geometrical drawings strewn everywhere, while discarded paint bottles could be found atop every surface. A sickening smell of paint filled the workshop, but Red had gotten too used to it to even notice.


    The imp offered to clean the room many times with the maid¡¯s help, but after the second time being told off by the youth, he gave up. It wasn¡¯t that he liked to work in this mess, but that every paper counted.


    What if the imp discarded a calculation that Red would later need? It happened more than a few times, so he gave up on the idea of cleaning the room just yet. This did reinforce his earlier ideas, though.


    ¡®This is too small for a workshop.¡¯


    ¡°Are you done, master?¡±


    Emer¡¯s voice came from the other side of the room. He seemed to have noticed Red had stopped moving his hands, a rare sight over the last week.


    ¡°Almost¡­¡± The youth said, with a tired voice. ¡±I need to test it again. Help me move the papers out of the way.¡±


    The imp and the maid went about their business, carefully avoiding the lines and formation plates. The formation itself looked awe-inspiring - being composed of marble-white round plates connected by both strings and golden symbols drawn directly on the ground. It was composed of 25 plates organized in three circular rings, the outer one with 18 plates, the middle one with 6 plates, and the inner one with a single plate. This last one was far larger than the others, being almost 3 meters in diameter, and also a designated place for the cultivator to sit and absorb the energy.


    As soon as the environment was cleared, Red took a deep breath.


    ¡®Here it goes.¡¯


    He fished out a Spirit Stone from his pouch and placed it on one of the outer formation plates. It was possible to regulate the amount of energy this formation used by placing as many as 18 Spirit Stones as fuel, the amount of outer plates in the formation¡¯s composition.


    The formation was quick to light up, and Red felt the energy from both the stone and his surroundings moving towards one of the middle plates, which also lit up, and finally towards the center of the formation. While the gathering process was quick, though, it took a few moments until he felt the density of Spiritual Energy increase around the central plate. In fact, it seemed to cause a small shimmer to appear in the air.


    ¡°It worked, master! It worked!¡±


    The imp jumped around in undisguised joy, but Red wasn¡¯t as relieved.


    ¡°One gathering plate worked.¡± He shook his head. ¡°We need to test the other seventeen.¡±


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    ¡°O-Other seventeen? T-That means¡­¡±


    Red nodded. Eighteen spirit stones in total just to test a formation.


    It was a ludicrous amount, but it was necessary if the youth wanted to make sure his work was successful. Besides, it was not like he would need to drain every stone to their last drop.


    ¡®Just a large part of them.¡¯


    So Red went about testing the formation with various configurations. He tried to make sure no problems would crop up, no matter how many plates he used in how many ways.


    The density of energy in the room increased substantially over the tests, and every breath Red took filled him with unprecedented energy. Then, it was time for the final trial - the absolute limit of what this formation could produce.


    He placed Spirit Stones on the formation one by one, observing as the energy around the formation became more substantial. When he had placed the 18th stone on its spot, the Spiritual Energy seemed to undergo a fundamental change.


    Its ephemeral state became more solid, and a glimmering mist took shape around the center of the formation.


    Red shook in surprise.


    ¡®This is¡­?¡¯


    The density of Spiritual Energy could also correspond to state of matters. Its normal density made it invisible to mortal eyes, and as it got more condensed, it would eventually manifest into a gas, a liquid, and sometimes even a solid. Spirit Stones were an example of this last state of energy, but while it was a good way of storing said energy, cultivators couldn¡¯t directly absorb solid pieces through their veins.


    The best way to absorb energy was then in between a gas and a liquid, a state of equilibrium between both states where the energy wasn¡¯t solid enough to be blocked by the pores and acupoints and not ephemeral enough that its density was too small. This was the exact phenomenon Red was witnessing here, something he had never expected.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t imagine that-¡¯


    ¡°You idiot! Look at the Spirit Stones!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice snapped him out of his daze, and he looked down. The glow of the Spirit Stones on the plates was diminishing at a rapid rate, and their edges began to crumble as Energy was seeped from them.


    Red frowned and waved his hand. A wind swept past the Spirit Stones, throwing them off the plates and stopping the absorption. The glow of the formation didn¡¯t immediately dissipate, only diminishing and disappearing after some 10 seconds. The same went for the gathered Spiritual Energy, which remained in the air for 30 seconds further before dissipating into nothingness.


    Red could still feel a somewhat increased density of energy in his surroundings, but it would return to ambient levels in a matter of hours.


    ¡®Gone, just like that.¡¯


    He sighed and approached the Spirit Stones.


    ¡°M-Master, did something go wrong?¡± The imp asked, following behind him.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡®At least, I don¡¯t think so.¡¯


    The sudden increase in energy density was unexpected, but it couldn¡¯t be said to be a failure. When he picked up one of the Spirit Stones, though, he couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡®Almost empty.¡¯


    In those few moments of absorption, the stones had been reduced to less than 10% of their reserves. Before, a Spirit Stone could last maybe even a few days under that absorption, but as soon as all 18 slots were filled, the formation seemed to undergo a transformation.


    There was nothing Red read about such transformation in his manual, though.


    ¡°Is this normal?¡± He asked Aurelia.


    ¡°Not as far as I can tell.¡± She said. ¡°We have formations that can achieve the same effect in our sects, but none of them are this simple.¡±


    When he received this answer, Red immediately arrived at one conclusion.


    ¡®Another surprise from my master.¡¯


    This formation wasn¡¯t quite the same as the ones he saw on the market, and it utilized some different symbols and materials which Red thought he knew the purposes of. Yet, this was clearly not the case, as his master once again surprised him with a hidden feature of this formation of his.


    The expenditure of fuel was insane, though, and Red couldn¡¯t imagine how many Spirit Stones he would need to keep this density up for any substantial amount of time. However, couldn¡¯t this be a useful tool if he was ever on the edge of a breakthrough?


    ¡°So, have you figured it out?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°Figured out what exactly?¡± Red asked in confusion.


    ¡°Why this formation can do this?¡±


    ¡°I assume this is¡­¡±


    Red trailed off as he examined the formation. Now that he thought about it, what parts of this formation were such a mechanism hidden in? Sure, the symbols and composition were slightly different from most other Spirit Gathering Formations, but such a wondrous effect wouldn¡¯t come from just a few changes.


    It would require altering the entire formation, adding more symbols and plates, as well as other connections. And yet, there was no such thing here. It was still similar enough to be called a Spirit Gathering Formation. So whence, exactly, did such a change come from? What symbols or connections interacting with each other cause this phenomenon to sprout?


    Red couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom it, no matter how hard he stared at the complex lines and symbols. The feelings of success were soon replaced by a gloominess he couldn¡¯t truly understand.


    In his head, when the formation worked, he thought he had mastered it, and yet as he looked at it, a feeling of puzzlement filled his mind.


    Aurelia¡¯s sneer reached his ears. ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t expect too much from a beginner. Oh well, what matters is that it worked, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Her words, which hardly ever bothered him anymore, made the youth frown. Before he could do anything else, though, the imp cleared his throat.


    ¡°Uh-uh, master, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red turned around to stare at Emer.


    ¡°A-Ah, it¡¯s just that¡­ Someone came around a few nights ago.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡± Red frowned. ¡°How did I not notice such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I-I think you were too focused with work, m-master.¡±


    ¡®Was I?¡¯


    In truth, he couldn¡¯t remember much about the last week besides his work. He didn¡¯t rest nor eat, or do much of anything else other than work on his formation. Yet, to be so focused as to not realize when even someone was at his own door¡­ Wasn¡¯t that too risky?


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Someone came by. More than a few times.¡±


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t notice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too uncommon for cultivators to block out the world around them when they are focused on something. Besides, they didn¡¯t seem to have any unfriendly intentions, so it¡¯s unlikely any of your instincts would have kicked in.¡±


    This explanation made sense, as his crimson sense could also somewhat detect ill intent from other people. Perhaps the youth had become too reliant on it, such that when it didn¡¯t give him any warnings, he didn¡¯t bother to become alert while focusing so strongly on something else.


    ¡®I should be more careful in the future.¡¯


    No matter how strong this power was, it wasn¡¯t all-powerful.


    Red nodded and looked at the imp. ¡°Did you greet them?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Emer nodded, before panicking and shaking his head. ¡°N-No, I mean, I didn¡¯t! The maid did!¡±


    ¡°What did they want?¡±


    ¡°T-They wanted to give you a report on something you asked them.¡± The imp said. ¡°Something you asked the Northvale family. I told them you were busy and to return the next day¡­ But then the next day came, and you were still busy¡­ And then the next day came and-¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°Will they come here again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, tonight.¡± The imp nodded. ¡°They said they didn¡¯t care how many times they had to come, they would only speak about their business with you.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Red was surprised that Leon had already investigated the matter even before a week had gone by. Now that he was done with the formation, though, it was time to verify this information and enact the next part of his plan.

 Chapter 427 - The Sister

    By the time Red had finished the formation, night was already arriving. As the imp told him, the messenger said he would come back at the dead of night so as not to bring any attention to his visit. It was unlikely that would matter, though, considering there were still people watching his manor from afar.


    ¡®I wonder if they detected that increase in Spiritual Energy.¡¯


    Even cultivators who hadn¡¯t broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm would still be sensitive to Spiritual Energy. If any vein-opening practitioners were around when the formation activated, they would have certainly felt it from dozens of meters away.


    ¡°You said the messenger was a guard?¡± Red asked Emer.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The imp nodded. ¡°He said he was here on Young Master Leon¡¯s behalf, though.¡±


    ¡®A guard? Then that may be Pierre.¡¯


    Three more hours passed by, during which Red did nothing more than sit and rest. The formation writing had taken an even bigger toll on his condition this time, and he would need a few days of rest at least before he felt completely recovered.


    ¡®If I didn¡¯t have this demonic blood in my veins, I could never keep such a rhythm.¡¯


    This increased stamina turned out to be a benefit for him both in and out of combat.


    While Red was pondering his plans, he felt someone approach his house through his crimson sense. Their fluctuation told him it was a young Lesser Ring cultivator, and surprisingly enough, the youth wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with his presence.


    Soon enough, he heard two knocks at his door. Red threw a glance at the imp, who nodded and scurried off alongside the maid upstairs.


    He then approached the door and opened it, being greeted by a serious visage.


    ¡®So it was him.¡¯


    A young man with stern and sharp features, wearing the usual armor from the city guard, though its garnishings distinguished him as being of a higher ranking than the common soldier. He wore a metal helmet that covered most of his head, through which short brown locks could be seen, and carried a sword sheathed at his side and a kite shield strapped to his back.


    ¡°Master Viran?¡± The young man asked in a strict tone.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded, still wearing his wooden mask.


    This was the same man that gazed at him from the sidelines when he entered the Guard Headquarters. The youth wouldn¡¯t have bothered to recognize his fluctuation if it was a common person, but he made a point of remembering every Lesser Ring Realm individual in the city. This revelation, in turn, explained how Leon came to know of Red¡¯s interrogation so quickly.


    The guard regarded him up and down with a severe gaze, though it was hard to tell if that was just the usual solemnity of soldiers or undisguised unfriendliness towards Red.


    ¡°I¡¯m Pierre.¡± The young man said. ¡°I have something to report on Young Master Leon¡¯s behalf.¡±


    Red nodded and stepped aside, allowing the guard to walk in and closing the door behind them.


    Pierre frowned as he looked around at the mess the living room had turned into, but his gaze was drawn towards the large Spirit Gathering formation that now occupied most of the space. There was a flash of surprise in his expression, which soon returned to his usual professional stare.


    Red brought two chairs over, setting them across from each other and sitting down. The guard didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and also took his seat.


    ¡°We have investigated the girl you told us to look into.¡± Pierre said. ¡°Since you required discretion, though, I chose not to write down a report and speak of our findings directly with you.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That¡¯s for the better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important I mention how deep we went with this investigation. I wasn¡¯t given many specifics by Leon, but he told me this was not a background check, so me and my subordinates merely gathered information about her current situation. Some of her background, of course, came up naturally as we investigated, but since it is not relevant information, we didn¡¯t bother pursuing it.¡±


    The youth was surprised at this sudden disclaimer, as Leon could have just as easily pried into the matter and gained information about Rimold and Red. In fact, he could have still done it in secret, but to declare outright he hadn¡¯t done spoke of an intent to be as honest and cooperative with the youth as possible. Red would always be suspicious, as was his nature, but since that was a risk he accepted, he didn¡¯t bother worrying about it too much.


    ¡°First, then, is her general description.¡± Pierre said. ¡°Her name is Yrsa. She is 20 years old, about 168 centimeters tall, pale complexion, dark hair, light brown eyes, freckled face. Sister to a Rimold, daughter to a Margaret and an unknown father. As far as we can tell, has no extended family in the city.¡±


    Pierre pause and looked up at Red, as if waiting for his confirmation.


    The youth, though, knew nothing about the woman before, so he only nodded. ¡°Continue.¡±


    The guard then proceeded, as if reading things from a mental list. ¡°Her mother, Margaret, has been dead for over ten years. She lives in a tavern alongside a man by the name of Tulley, who is a friend of the family, and she works there as a maid, serving costumers and cooking. She rarely leaves the house, something likely brought about by her illness, which causes her to have a weak physique and leaves her bedridden for long periods of time every few weeks.¡±


    ¡®There it is.¡¯


    Until now, Pierre might have been speaking about any woman as far as Red was concerned, but the mention of an illness gave more legitimacy that this was whom the youth was looking for.


    ¡°What illness does she have?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Her illness is undiagnosed.¡± Pierre said. ¡°What is keeping her ill, though, is her Decaying Spiritual Veins, as far as we could gather.¡±


    Red was familiar with the term. Decaying Spiritual Veins were a condition where the body¡¯s twelve spiritual veins, whether they were open or not, started to decay and rot inside one¡¯s own body. This would spread weakness and potential disease to the rest of the body, while also cultivating harmful Spiritual Energy inside one¡¯s own rotten veins.


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    Decaying Spiritual Veins was a common symptom in mortals with spiritual illnesses, just like fever was to other diseases. It was a signal something in their body was draining Spiritual Energy, and since they didn¡¯t have any, it would directly target their Spiritual Veins trying to absorb something that wasn¡¯t there, which in turn, caused harm to said veins.


    The problem was, though, that there were countless illnesses that could cause such a symptom in mortals. Trying to diagnose someone just off of that was impossible.


    ¡°Any other symptoms?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°None.¡± Pierre shook his head. ¡°Just the Decaying Spiritual Veins, and at a rather high intensity.¡±


    The youth frowned. ¡°She has visited Spiritual Healers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, some of the city¡¯s best ones. They inspected her entire body in search of invading Spiritual Energy, but found nothing that was causing the decay. Her illness is still undiagnosed and they could only treat the symptom.¡±


    ¡®How strange¡­¡¯


    Illnesses that could cause vein decay often brought about other symptoms. Someone infected harmful cold spiritual energy, for instance, would have their body temperature drop and suffer from chills. This made it easier for cultivators experienced in healing to identify and treat said illnesses.


    Not all spiritual diseases were that simple, of course, but the majority were accompanied by other symptoms than just simple vein decay.


    ¡°She takes medication?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes, and of good quality, provided directly by a Golden Hand mediator, which is why she has remained alive for so long.¡± Pierre said. ¡°We did not trace where said medicines or the money for it comes from, however.¡±


    Red, of course, knew exactly who provided money for said medicine, but he didn¡¯t plan on mentioning it to the man.


    ¡°Anything else of importance?¡± The youth asked.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Pierre shook his head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to have any close friends other than the owner of the tavern, and her schedule remains the same throughout the week. The Golden Hand has no one keeping an eye on her, and from what my men gathered, the mediator only delivers her medicine at the beginning of every month.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Red nodded. ¡°And where is this tavern located?¡±


    As the youth said this, the guard fell silent. The already stern expression seemed to become even more serious as he stared at Red.


    ¡°Before I answer that, may I ask what your intentions with this girl are?¡±


    The youth frowned at this. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t supposed to pry.¡±


    ¡°That may be so, but while I am Leon¡¯s friend, I am also a guard of this city.¡± Pierre said. ¡°How could I possibly put a citizen in harm¡¯s way?¡±


    After some thought, Red shook his head. ¡°¡­ I assure you I mean her no harm. My only interest in her safety.¡±


    Pierre fell silent for a long time, and his gaze directed at the youth didn¡¯t relax.


    ¡°¡­ Some people may mean no harm to others, but can cause it by their mere presence.¡±


    These words struck Red¡¯s mind, and for a second he remained completely speechless.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you are an evil person, Master Viran.¡± Pierre said. ¡°But I can imagine you¡¯re someone involved in a lot of troubling matters. Leon and the others know the dangers and have the means to defend themselves, but innocent people like this girl have no idea about it. Even if you mean to help them, just by being around them is enough to put their lives in danger. Since you don¡¯t mean her any harm, then listen to what I say¡­¡±


    The guard''s gaze pierced into Red¡¯s mask.


    ¡°Leave her alone. Leave not just her alone, but every single peasant in this city, too. Do your business, profit as you want, advance your cultivation, but also do as every cultivator should do and stay out of matters concerning our citizens. Neither of you will gain anything from it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ It often seems like I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Red said.


    ¡°That may have been before, but now you do have a choice.¡± Pierre said. ¡°The girl is safe, and you can¡¯t cure her of her illness. If you wish to pay for her medication, that can also be arranged, but I beg you to leaver her alone and not to involve any more people in this mess than we already have.¡±


    The youth was about to ask why this mattered so much to the guard, but he realized how silly of a question that was. Didn¡¯t Leon say this Pierre was of peasant blood? Someone of common blood, now a guard in a prominent position in the capital. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t surprising he wanted to protect the citizens with such fervor.


    This fervor, however, wasn¡¯t what moved Red, but rather, how similar the situation seemed to his past. Wasn¡¯t there another time where he knew his mere presence represented danger to others around him? His sect members accepted the risk then, but they all ended up dying for it. Now, there was this girl, whom he thought of helping in her brother¡¯s stead, but realistically, interacting with her was more likely to put her in danger.


    It was a very valid point, and yet it put Red¡¯s plans in jeopardy.


    ¡®If it was just a matter of paying for her treatment, I could maintain my distance, but¡­¡¯


    There were other potential dangers Pierre was not aware of, and that he couldn¡¯t speak of so deliberately.


    ¡°I understand your concerns, and I promise I will take your advice into serious consideration.¡± Red nodded. ¡°However, I would still like to know her location.¡±


    The young man was silent again for a long time, his expression showing the slightest hint of conflict. In the end, though, he leaned back in his chair and returned to his professional posture. ¡°¡­ Waking Horse Tavern, at the eastern part of the suburbs.¡±


    The guard seemed somewhat resigned, but he still gave him the information he wanted.


    Red nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°There is something else.¡± Pierre said. ¡°Leon wants to know when you might be ready to investigate the formation.¡±


    ¡°How long do I still have?¡±


    ¡°A week at most. There is pressure on the guard to have the whole place torn down, and it¡¯s just a matter of time for word of it to reach the court.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go investigate it in four days.¡± Red said.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re certain you can get results in just three days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not replicating the formation, I¡¯m merely studying it. If I¡¯m unable to find anything useful in three days, it doesn¡¯t matter how much more time I have.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Pierre nodded, getting up from his chair. ¡°I will relay your words to Leon and the others.¡±


    The guard left the house without ceremony, and Red was left alone with his thoughts once again. Or at least, until the imp and maid came tumbling down the stairs once more.


    ¡°M-Master!¡± The imp ran up to him. ¡°How did it go? Did you find out what you need?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking when you were clearly eavesdropping?¡± Red looked at Emer.


    ¡°A-Ah, I mean¡­ I-I didn¡¯t intentionally¡­ I j-just so happened to hear-¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just be out of my way while I rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master!¡±


    The imp was eager to get out of Red¡¯s sight, disappearing behind another room.


    ¡°Decaying Spiritual Vein, no other symptoms, no trace of foreign energy.¡± The youth looked at the wall in front of him. ¡°Does that sound recognizable to you?¡±


    ¡°It can happen.¡± Aurelia''s disembodied voice said. ¡°There¡¯s two possibilities, really.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°Either the cultivators were not good enough to detect the foreign energy, which seems possible but unlikely, or it¡¯s an illness targeting the soul.¡±


    ¡°The soul?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Soul illnesses can affect both body and soul, so it¡¯s not out of the question. We call those curses, and they are something demonic cultivators love to use.¡±


    ¡°You mean someone cast a curse on a mortal?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Curses can also be passed through bloodline, and some soul diseases are developed naturally. It¡¯s hard to tell without knowing what it is.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°But if it¡¯s the soul, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is something only cultivators at the Spiritual Awakening Realm will be able to diagnose and treat.¡±


    The fourth realm. It was no wonder then that Yrsa¡¯s illnesses couldn¡¯t be diagnosed.


    ¡°Could you diagnose her?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. My soul sense is not as powerful as it was back then, so if it¡¯s a more insidious curse, it¡¯s possible I will miss it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth to try, though.¡±


    ¡°So, are you just going to go right now? In your condition?¡±


    ¡°No, I plan to do something first.¡±


    Red was taking Pierre¡¯s advice seriously. If it was someone else, he wouldn¡¯t have been as careful, but this was the sister of his companion. How could he carelessly approach her and bring attention to their possible connection? That would be dooming her.


    No, if he wanted to help her and be assured of her safety, it all needed to be done in absolute secrecy, and for that, Red needed a technique that would assure his stealth in a city like this. It just so happened he had picked one a long time ago, and now that the formation was set, he could finally set about practicing it.


    Gale Drift - his movement Spiritual Art.

 Chapter 428 - Gale Drift

    The manual his master gave him contained dozens of techniques in different realms and elements. Some of them occupied the same function and level of power, though, differing mostly in specialization. For wind movements techniques at the Lesser Ring Realm, for instance, there were three distinct lines of specialization Red could have gone for: acceleration, sustained movement, and stealth.


    They each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and it was possible to learn all of them and even fuse their functionalities at a high enough mastery. For a beginner, though, it was better to focus on one at first, and Red opted for stealth since it better suited his current needs.


    Gale Drift was exactly that. It focused on the lightness of the wind to soften movements, making one¡¯s body seem as light as a feather as they used wind currents to move from place to place. Such a technique allowed for a high skill ceiling, since it relied a lot on a cultivator¡¯s ability to read and manipulate wind currents to glide from spot to spot, while it also spent a relatively small amount of energy.


    Its weakness also related to its strength. Since this was a Spiritual Art that relied a lot on manipulation of the surrounding wind currents, it could be heavily affected by external factors. Strong winds could disrupt the path of its user, while stale air would also require a lot more energy to use the technique.


    These weren¡¯t deal-breakers to Red, though. Such adverse conditions could be circumvented with enough skill, and it just so happened that wind manipulation was what he was best at.


    After he felt he had rested enough, Red set about activating the Spirit Gathering Formation.


    Aurelia¡¯s image manifested by the side, leaning against the wall as she inspected him with a frown.


    ¡°Already?¡± She asked. ¡°You barely rested.¡±


    ¡°I have no time to waste.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Besides, I already memorized the Spiritual Art¡¯s instructions. It will just be a matter of execution, so I should get it in a couple of days.¡±


    Aurelia sneered. ¡°A couple of days? When did you get this arrogant?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not arrogance.¡±


    He was just confident in his skills. After practicing the Gale Breath, he now more or less had a way to judge how hard mastering such skills would be with his talent. This Gale Drift wasn¡¯t any harder than the previous one, hence why he felt confident.


    Aurelia shook her head and smiled. ¡°Spiritual Arts aren¡¯t just about understanding what¡¯s on paper. Even if you master the circulation, you need to know how to use it in tandem with your body. This won¡¯t be as easy as you think.¡±


    ¡°That may be so, but I won¡¯t know until I try.¡± Red said as he put five spirit stones into the formation.


    The density of Spiritual Energy increased in the room, and the youth stepped into the center of the formation as he begin his preparation.


    He took a deep breath, and streams of energy entered his veins through his pores. He circulated that current, transforming it into the wind-aspected energy of the Storm¡¯s Blessing circulation art and, once he felt he had enough energy, started to direct it according to the manual¡¯s instructions.


    As a movement technique, the circulation of the Gale Drift focused mostly on the lower body, and it didn¡¯t require much preparation, unlike a spell. It took Red almost ten seconds to adjust the flow of energy through its proper path and in a state where it could be used.


    Ten seconds was way too long for the activation of a movement Spiritual Art, but since this was the youth¡¯s first time executing it, it was good enough.


    Once the energy was ready, Red directed it to exit his body through his legs. An almost invisible cyan mist surrounded his feet and lower leg. He immediately sensed as if his body became much lighter, and it was as if a simple gust of wind could blow him away into the distance.


    It was a strange and wondrous feeling, but Red didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it. With the initial part of the Spiritual Art complete, he focused on his surroundings in search of wind currents. This closed off space was the perfect environment to practice, as the wind from outside was weak, and easy enough for the youth to trace and capture.


    Once he spotted a stable wind current blowing towards the other side of the room, Red didn¡¯t lose his chance. He skipped forward, as if trying to step on air, his cyan feet landing upon the weak current.


    And in the next moment, he floated. A fantastic and terrifying feeling at the same time, but it proved to him that the technique worked.


    Yet this moment of wonder only went on for a split moment. With a sudden lurch, Red felt his body being carried forward outside of his control at a high speed. He tried to stop himself, or at least control how he was going to land, but as soon as he exerted force on his legs, the support he felt from the wind current disappeared.


    ¡®It broke?¡¯


    These were Red¡¯s last thoughts before he crashed into the ground with all his weight. He knocked down boxes and pieces of furniture, creating a path of disaster before crashing against the wall with a heavy thud.


    After the sound of falling items and broken vases stopped, a heavy silence followed. Then a peal of laughter and a scream of worry.


    ¡°Ha, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°Master, are you okay?!¡±


    Emer hurried over to him, but Red brushed him off as he got up.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡± The imp asked.


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    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± Red shook his head before walking back to the formation.


    Aurelia stared at him with a look of gloating. ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t be so easy. Perfecting the energy circulation is the easy part, the hard part is to actually execute the technique!¡±


    Red ignored her, looking around the room. Then, he directed his attention towards the imp.


    ¡°Move those items to another room.¡±


    ¡°A-Another room, master? Unless you plan on taking things upstairs, we might run out of space soon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just for now.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t afford to have a cluttered environment as he practice his technique. That, and he couldn¡¯t afford to damage his products whenever he crashed down.


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to get back into it?¡± Aurelia asked with derision. ¡°No time to ponder what you got wrong?¡±


    ¡°No point.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It will become clear with more practice.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Really? If you want to, I can give you some tips.¡±


    ¡°No need. I can do this myself.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Suit yourself! Just be careful not to break your neck when you fall down again!¡±


    And fall down he did.


    Not once or twice, but for more times than he could count.


    ¡­


    The first day.


    ¡°Look out! Someone might come to investigate all these crashing noises!¡±


    ¡°You made a dent on the wall there!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you almost crushed the imp that time!¡±


    ¡­


    The second day.


    ¡°Falling down with a roll?! Any enemy would take advantage of that in battle!¡±


    ¡°What kind of stance is that?! Is that how you land on your feet?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?! What¡¯s there to be proud about landing on your own two feet?!¡±


    ¡­


    The third day.


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t get cocky! See if you can ride a stronger wind this time!¡±


    ¡°Hah, there we go! Not so easy, is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can actually use it in the way it¡¯s meant to be used!¡±


    ¡­


    Later on that third day.


    ¡°Bah! It¡¯s just a damn Lesser Ring Realm technique! If you made any less progress with your talent in wind, I would be surprised instead!¡±


    Red finally deigned to sit down, deactivating the formation that had provided him with constant energy for practice. Then he took a deep breath and let his muscles relax.


    He did it. He mastered the Gale Drift Spiritual Art at an initial stage, being able to activate it in less than a second. Though he would like to credit his perseverance to it, the truth was that the task wasn¡¯t as hard as he imagined it would have been.


    His mastery over wind seemed to give him insight into how these wind currents worked. How much weight he could apply on them before they broke, how far and how fast they could take him - these were all things that became apparent to Red in the first day of practice. After that, it became a matter of executing it successfully, a long process that was much expedited thanks to him being able to identify all his mistakes very quickly.


    Now, he felt confident in riding most wind currents with his Gale Drift, even some stronger ones. However, he could only call this initial mastery of the Spiritual Art, and not complete mastery, because learning how to ride the currents was just one half of the technique. The other half was how to control said currents while riding them, directing them towards where you wanted to go with as much speed as you wanted to.


    That was still something he was far from mastering.


    ¡®Right now, I¡¯m very beholden to the surrounding winds in how I move, but¡­¡¯


    For a three-day effort, it was a staggering success for Red.


    ¡°Master.¡± Emer approached him once he noticed the youth stopped cultivating. ¡°Tomorrow is the day you agreed to go investigate that formation for Young Master Northvale, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But I have something to do first.¡±


    ¡°M-More?¡± The imp seemed worried. ¡°You have been practicing for so long, master¡­ Do you think that¡¯s wise?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red nodded. ¡°This was nothing compared to drawing formations.¡±


    The youth wasn¡¯t boasting either. This practice was much easier than the energy and concentration he spent building the Spirit Gathering Formation, and at most, his Upper and Lower Leg Spiritual Veins felt sore.


    Such discomfort was akin to nothing at all to Red, though.


    ¡°B-But what else do you plan to do, master?¡± Emer asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going out.¡±


    ¡°T-This late?!¡±


    ¡°It will be fine.¡± Red said. ¡°I don¡¯t intend on being noticed.¡±


    ¡°B-But, master¡­¡±


    ¡°Just make sure things are in order here.¡± The youth said. ¡±If anyone tries invading the house while I¡¯m away, you know what to do.¡±


    The imp hesitated, but staring at Red¡¯s impassive face made him nod. The youth then turned around and started to walk upstairs.


    ¡°Master?¡± The imp seemed confused. ¡°Are you not leaving?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Red said. ¡°Not through the front door, though.¡±


    Over the weeks he spent in this manor, the youth had become accustomed to being spied from outside, often by the same regular set of fluctuations. Said spies observed his house at all times, covering all angles of escape Red could have taken - including the upstairs windows.


    This was a problem for Red, as while this movement technique made his steps silent and his movements quick, it didn¡¯t make him invisible. If he tried to leave his house, they would notice him, and even if he tried to lose them after, wouldn¡¯t they be inclined to break into his manor by then?


    It was a tough situation to be in, but thankfully, the people spying on him were only mortals, so Red had a potential solution at hand. And as it so happened, the time to put his plan into action was almost here.


    As Red arrived at one of the bedrooms upstairs, he stood beside a window and focused on a certain fluctuation on the other side of the street. The youth could tell with his crimson sense that they posted on a roof of a neighboring house, where they could see all the windows on this side of his manor.


    ¡®It should be just about now.¡¯


    Sure enough, another fluctuation approached that spy. This happened every night, and it was a change in shift Red had gotten used to. Once he felt the two fluctuations make contact, the youth peered through the curtain of his window, and sure enough, two almost imperceptible shadowy figures seemed to be speaking to each other a few hundred meters away. It would have been almost imperceptible in the night, even for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, but Red was blessed with a vision that allowed him to see at night as well as he could in daylight.


    Once these two people turned towards each other, the youth moved.


    The window unlatched, and he hopped out before waving his hands behind him and closing the window with a soft gust of wind. Then, he landed on a dark alley by the side of his manor, crouching down and paying attention to the surrounding fluctuations.


    The two spies kept the same state of emotion, and soon enough, the new arrival set himself down while the older one walked away and disappeared from the range of his crimson sense. They hadn¡¯t noticed anything.


    With a hop, Red moved through the alleys, avoiding any fluctuations that might be coming in his direction. Once he was far away from his home, he climbed up the side of a building, looking over the modestly rich area of the city he lived in.


    ¡®No one is following me.¡¯


    Only when Red noticed this, did he slightly relax.


    Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re doing, or are you going to keep me in the dark again?¡±


    ¡°You can guess.¡± Red said.


    The woman was smart enough to figure this out on her own.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to visit that girl?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I want you to examine her.¡±


    ¡°Since when did I agree to such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I thought we were partners.¡±


    ¡°Gah, you only say that when it benefits you!¡± Aurelia said. ¡°But fine! I¡¯ll help you, but I¡¯ll be keeping track of this favor this time!¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Red nodded.


    His attention then turned to the distance, where the lights of the slums at the edge of the city still burned. That was his destination, and now Red had the means to arrive there safely.


    ¡®Let the wind carry me.¡¯


    His energy circulated, and a soft cyan energy covered his feet. The youth waited, and a few seconds later, he felt a breeze hit his back.


    Then, he hopped off the building, and like a leaf to the wind, a dark figure floated over the neighborhood, unseen and unheard by anyone.

 Chapter 429 - Tavern Maid

    Red rode through waves of wind with increasing familiarity. At first, the feeling of letting an external force dictate your movement was alarming to him. Inside the house, the steps were small, but in the open air, he felt like it was possible to ride a current for over a hundred meters at a time. At times, it took him all of five seconds before he touched the ground again. He even felt somewhat compelled to see how far he could float, as curiosity encroached on him.


    Yet he reined such stray thoughts quickly. It was no time for experimentation, and he reminded himself the lack of control was relative. Sure, once he stepped into a wind current, his path was set, but he was the one who needed to pick the right gale and also the one who could step off of it any time. All he needed to do was make the right choices and keep aware of his surroundings, and in that way, he could derive the right path and soar to any place he wanted.


    Such deliberate choices made his trip slower, but safer from detection.


    The city night of Carlhanne was far more active than what Red was used to. Whether it was night patrols or people drinking and partying far into the night, there were people everywhere, and it was harder to sneak around. Thankfully, in this rich neighborhood he lived in, few people hung around the rooftops, and with his crimson sense, he avoided the ones that did.


    This was to change soon, though, as he approached the suburbs. Here, houses were built on top of each other haphazardly, forming layers of interconnected buildings and creating a part of the city that couldn¡¯t be seen from the ground. Or from the outside either, for that matter.


    This meant that even the rooftops were alight with activity. Yet, there were fewer guards and Lesser Ring Realm Cultivators in this part of the city, not to mention the labyrinth of stone and wooden buildings could provide with cover for sneaking around.


    He landed on a rooftop at the edge of the suburbs, letting the energy of his Gale Drift disperse. Then, he turned his attention to his Spiritual Sea.


    ¡®About sixty percent left.¡¯


    Just on this little over ten-minute trip, he had already spent almost half of his energy on this movement technique. There were, of course, a lot of wasted movements of his part, not to mention he was still just an early Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, but this expenditure wasn¡¯t small. This Gale Drift didn¡¯t prioritize sustained action though, so perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be surprise.


    He was sure as he got more proficient with the technique, the amount of energy he would need to use would be far lower.


    ¡°You¡¯re going on foot?¡± Aurelia¡¯s disembodied voice asked.


    Red nodded. ¡±I need enough energy for the return trip and in case of accidents.¡±


    ¡°Gods, I forget how pitiful you rogue cultivators are. Even an early Lesser Ring Cultivator at my sect could keep up that technique for over an hour!¡±


    The youth ignored her comments and made his way into the suburbs. He chose to sneak through the upper-levels, of course, since even if there were plenty of people there, there would be far more on the ground level.


    This next leg of his journey wasn¡¯t too difficult. Although he wasn¡¯t familiar with the paths, there were only mortals in his way, and none of them were sensitive enough to detect his presence. He climbed over buildings, jumped over shoddy bridges, and even sneaked through houses at times. Whenever he found a dense concentration of people or a strong cultivator, he made his way around them patiently.


    No one spotted him. Yet, his deliberate route and lack of use of the movement technique made this part of his journey take almost an hour. The difference was night and day, even though Red moved around the same distance.


    ¡®I need to focus on accumulating more energy next time.¡¯


    Now that he knew the benefits of a movement technique, how could he settle for any less?


    Still, he reached his destination all the same. The suburbs were full of inns and taverns, and at first Red was worried about how he would find the exact one he was looking for. Thankfully, though, these places had their name written in plaques at their front, and the one he was looking for just happened to be a particularly popular one.


    ¡®There it is.¡¯


    Waking Horse Tavern. Red read it from atop a rooftop across from the building.


    It was a large for the cramped the suburbs, being three entire stories tall and as wide as three houses in the neighborhood. The first two stories were where the customers were being served, while the third seemed to be where the bedrooms could be found. The whole place had a run-down feeling to it, being built mostly out of wood and decorated with furniture and ornaments that had seen better days.


    Yet, judging by the amount of customers, this wasn¡¯t a deterrent. The place was almost full to the brim as peasants occupied these long tables set in rows, drinking from tankards and speaking obscenities to each other. It was about what one could expect from a tavern, and nothing Red wasn¡¯t used to.


    With a rough outline of the place figure out, he focused on the crimson sense and started to inspect the customers.


    ¡®Mostly peasants. Few practitioners, most of which have perhaps opened a few veins at most. No Lesser Ring Realm cultivators.¡¯


    This was good news for him, but Red wasn¡¯t immediately relieved. The Empire and the Golden Hand could use normal mortals as spies as well, so it was hard to pass judgement from just their fluctuations. Right now, his best option was to find the girl and keep an eye on her.


    There were almost fifty people in the tavern and plenty of women, so Red assumed it would take some time to find Yrsa. Yet, no sooner did he start to inspect these fluctuations more closely that he felt something odd.


    He frowned.


    ¡®¡­ What is this?¡¯


    A fluctuation, belonging to a girl. At first, he assumed it was an older woman, but upon closer inspection, he found that not to be quite right. Her signals seemed to move at an irregular rhythm, something Red first misconstrued as advanced age, but now understood were signs of irregularities in their body.


    In other words, these were the signs of illness.


    Red never quite experienced such a weird fluctuation. Most of the time, people¡¯s fluctuations moved in his crimson sense at a constant rhythm, which allowed him to discern information about them. When that didn¡¯t happen, it meant something was physically wrong with them.


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    Illness and old-age were often the principal causes of these irregular rhythms, and both of them were often correlated. This girl¡¯s fluctuation, though, was so erratic that Red started to wonder how she was even alive in the first place.


    ¡®Is it really her, though?¡¯


    To be safe, he examined all the other women in the tavern. A few of them seemed to match the age he was told Yrsa had, but none of them displayed irregular fluctuations.


    Red was now almost sure he had the right woman, but he needed to get a better view of the tavern to confirm.


    After making sure the path was clear, he jumped over to the building right next to the tavern. This allowed him to have a clearer glimpse into the establishment and hear their conversations better.


    He focused on the direction of that weird fluctuation first, which was on the second floor, and his suspicions were immediately confirmed. A pale girl, dark hair, brown eyes, freckled face, maid clothing, and a sickly complexion that would otherwise form the appearance of a lively and graceful young woman. On top of that, there was a strange sense of familiarity as Red peered into that worried expression of hers as she carried around a tray full of drinks.


    ¡®She looks like him.¡¯


    ¡°Yrsa! Yrsa!¡± Another older woman approached the girl. ¡°What are you doing?! There are more orders on the first floor!¡±


    The young woman seemed flustered as she looked around. ¡°I-I haven¡¯t finished here yet-¡±


    ¡°Here, just give it to me! Go help Tulley on the first floor! People are tired of waiting!¡± The woman grabbed the tray out of her hands and pushed her in the direction of the stairs.


    Yrsa seemed unsure at first, but under the woman¡¯s prompting, she nodded in a hurry. ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    She started to walk over towards the stairs. Her stride, however, seemed skewed, and she seemed to lose her balance with each step forward. No one in the bar seemed to notice it, too engrossed in their conversations and work.


    No one, other than Red, that is.


    ¡®Is she¡­?¡®


    As if to answer his question, Yrsa finally reached the stairs. Then, as soon as she took her first step, her legs seemed to give beneath her and was sent tumbling down.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Her scream and the subsequent crashing sounds echoed above all the conversation in the building. She rolled all the way down the stairs, bellowing in pain until she finally fell to the bottom floor on her back.


    Suddenly, all the conversation and laughter in the tavern died down as everyone¡¯s attention turned to the girl. She was moaning in pain, but was still trying her best to get up. The expression that greeted everyone was a heavily bleeding nose and tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°T-Tulley¡­¡± She said through gritted teeth. ¡°W-Where ish the order¡­?¡±


    A bald and heavy-set man sitting behind a counter looked at her with an aghast expression.


    ¡°Yrsa!¡±


    He ran over to her, helping her to her feet.


    He then looked over at another barmaid nearby. ¡°Quick, come help me!¡±


    With their help, they brought Yrsa up towards the third floor. It took a while, but the conversation in the bar seemed to resume like nothing ever happened.


    Red was watching this all through the window with a frown. He had noticed that her fluctuation became even more unstable in that short period.


    ¡°Her disease is flaring up.¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you figure she has no more medication?¡± Aurelia asked.


    The youth didn¡¯t know, but he decided to check. He climbed further up the neighboring building, up to its roof, where he could get a clear view into the third floor. The windows were covered by curtains, but Red was able to see the sillhouettes behind them and hear their conversation.


    ¡°What happened with you?¡± The voice of the man named Tulley asked.


    Yrsa responded with a weak voice. ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know, I just suddenly felt weak and¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it, get another one of those pills!¡±


    ¡°A-Another? B-But I took one just last week¡­¡±


    ¡°What does it matter? Would you rather die, stupid girls?!¡±


    Yrsa fell silent at this.


    Red couldn¡¯t see what was happening behind the curtain, but a few minutes later, he felt her fluctuation somewhat stabilize. This, in turn, made him even more curious.


    ¡®What kind of pill exactly is she taking?¡¯


    ¡°Has she broken anything?¡± Tulley asked.


    ¡°Her nose seems to be broken.¡± The voice of the madam from earlier said. ¡°Other than that, just bruises.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the better. Go to sleep, girl. We¡¯ll manage the tavern.¡± The owner of the tavern said.


    ¡°B-But I¡­¡±


    ¡°Just go to sleep! What use do I have for you dead?¡±


    Yrsa fell silent once again, offering no protest. Soon enough, she was left alone in the room as they turned off the lantern. Red, however, was able to hear the conversation between this Tulley and whom he assumed was his wife just outside.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting worse.¡± The woman said. ¡°Nothing like this has happened in the past¡­ At least not this often.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I know.¡± The man said with a worried voice. ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do other than keep giving her medicine, though.¡±


    ¡°Tulley, I know you don¡¯t like to talk about it, but have you considered that she might be¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep caring for her as long as we can. There¡¯s nothing else to be concerned about.¡±


    ¡°You always say that, but how can we keep paying for her medicine when it¡¯s not even work-¡±


    ¡°Enough, woman!¡± The man cut her off. ¡°I won¡¯t have this discussion again.¡±


    They both fell silent, and the last thing Red heard were the man¡¯s angry footsteps down the stairs. The woman followed him a bit later, and soon enough Yrsa was the only one left in the third floor.


    Red was left wondering about what he heard. Wasn¡¯t Rimold the one who had been paying for her medicine? Did his money already run out?


    ¡®Not to mention¡­ Her situation is worsening?¡¯


    Right when Rimold was no longer able to send them money for the medicine, of all things. It was fortunate that Red didn¡¯t try to delay his visit to this place any further.


    He waited for a few hours as he observed the tavern. Movement started to die down, and eventually the owner called for closing time. Another hour passed by as they started cleaning and organizing things in the now empty tavern, before Tulley, his wife, and a couple of other girls all went to sleep in their bedrooms on the third floor.


    Red then waited one more hour to make sure all of them were asleep before he moved. He jumped onto the side of the tavern, grabbing onto the eave of Yrsa¡¯s window. It was locked from the inside, but this was not an issue to the youth.


    He made a gesture with his hands, and a small gust of wind entered through the slit in the window and pushed the latch up without making even a bit of noise. With his way open, Red entered the girl¡¯s room like a ghost as he parted the curtains.


    She was sleeping under covers on the bed by the side of the door. Although she seemed to be moaning in pain under her breath, her sickly complexion had clearly improved since she took her medicine.


    The first thing Red then did was look for the bottle of medicines. Although he didn¡¯t see where the man kept it, there were only a few drawers in the rather empty room, so he had no problem finding it. They were white pills kept in a glass bottle, and Red counted 12 of them left.


    He could feel the slight Spiritual energy emitting from them. These couldn¡¯t even be called proper Spiritual Medine, but the youth couldn¡¯t judge their effectiveness from that alone. Without hesitation, he picked out one of them and put in his pouch before returning the bottle to its place.


    He didn¡¯t have a proper replacement to ensure no one discovered the missing pill, and even if he did, it would be unwise to place some false medicine in there in case the girl fell ill again. Red could only hope that at least for now, no one would notice it.


    Once this was done, he approached the woman in her bed. Then, he touched his moonstone core in his pouch.


    ¡°Can you inspect her?¡± he asked through his consciousness.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything from the outside.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You need to touch her with the core for me to do a more thorough inspection.¡±


    Red frowned at this. ¡°Is that wise?¡±


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t she be infected by the moonstone energy?¡±


    Even if the Moon being was still dead silent, it was always a possibility that it would come back at any time.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I¡¯m controlling the energy, so I can assure you I won¡¯t let any of it remain in her body.¡°


    ¡°Fine.¡± Red nodded.


    He couldn¡¯t find a reason to mistrust Aurelia¡¯s words right now after all they had been through, so he decided to do as she said. Red picked out the core and moved it closer to Yrsa.


    Thankfully the young woman had left one of her hands outside of her cover, so Red had an easy target. With as small of movements as possible, he touched the core over the back of her hand, barely making contact in fear of awakening her.


    As soon as he did that, though, something happened. Red¡¯s crimson sense detected it first, but it was too late for him to react.


    Yrsa¡¯s eyes shot open in confusion, and in less than a second she seemed to be fully awake. Looking around in confusion, her gaze was quickly drawn to the masked figure looming over her.


    For a second, their gaze locked and neither of them knew how to react.


    Then, Yrsa face twisted in terror and she made to scream.

 Chapter 430 - Hexed

    Red¡¯s hesitation was momentary. He straightened his palm and struck Yrsa on the side of her neck before she could scream.


    ¡°Guh!¡±


    The woman fell unconscious with a strange sound. Red didn¡¯t relax, though, and used his crimson sense to inspect his surroundings. To his relief, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had heard what happened in the room.


    He sighed, and his attention turned to the crystal core in his hand with a frown.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    Silence.


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You told me you could control the energy.¡±


    Aurelia blew up on him. ¡°Are you implying this is my fault?!¡±


    ¡°If not yours, then whose?¡±


    ¡°Listen, you little brat! There was no way to know she would be that sensitive to Spiritual Energy!¡±


    ¡°You mean she felt the spiritual energy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened! Or do you really think I¡¯m that sloppy in controlling my own powers?!¡±


    That would be strange to Red. Aurelia was by far the most experienced cultivator he knew, so it was very unlikely she would commit such a simple mistake. Yet, the alternative was just as strange.


    ¡°How would she have felt the Spiritual Energy?¡± Red asked. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have even a single vein open.¡±


    It would be a hard task for someone with just a few veins open to sense small threads of Spiritual Energy, not to mention a mortal with no open veins at all.


    Aurelia, who seemed to have calmed down from her initial indignation, was pondering the same question. ¡°I assume it might be related to her condition¡­ No, it can only be related to her condition.¡±


    Red was surprised. ¡°It increased her sensitivity to Spiritual Energy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Would an illness really bring about such benefits?¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Well, it can hardly be called a benefit when it¡¯s killing you, can it? Either way, we will know more once I can examine her.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is it wise to touch her with the core again?¡±


    ¡°You tell me! You¡¯re the one who knocked her unconscious!¡±


    Red looked over at the sleeping woman. She was grunting with discomfort, but it was unlikely she would wake up again.


    With no further hesitation, he touched the crystal core to the back of Yrsa¡¯s hand. She squirmed ever so slightly, but this time, she didn¡¯t wake up.


    The green crystal core glowed in a soft light, and Red felt a thread of energy move from it into Yrsa¡¯s body. Her squirming intensified, which made him to worry that this process was causing more than just simple discomfort to her.


    To his surprise, though, it took less than ten seconds for Aurelia to retract her energy back into the crystal core.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She said. ¡°We can go.¡±


    Red frowned in confusion, and the woman seemed to pick up on his hesitation.


    ¡°Do you really doubt my skills?! I have seen what I need to see! When we are back at the manor, I will explain it to you.¡±


    He could offer no counter to that, so he stowed the crystal core away.


    Red took one last look at Yrsa¡¯s sleeping figure. Now that the Spiritual Energy was retracted, she looked more comfortable. He had to admit, though, that what happened earlier worried him.


    ¡®Will she remember my figure?¡¯


    It took most people a good amount of time to be fully conscious after they woke up. Yrsa would probably not even remember what happened, and even if she did, she would probably blame it on a nightmare. Still, Red never liked to leave loose ends, and the fact his mask was seen at all already left a lingering worry on his mind.


    ¡°What are you concerned about?¡± Aurelia asked. ¡°She won¡¯t die so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°She saw my mask.¡±


    ¡°It was dark, and she¡¯s a mortal! Even if she remembered what happened, there¡¯s no way she could have seen your mask clearly. Besides, what are you going to do if she did? Kill her to keep her quiet?¡±


    Her vicious question stung at Red.


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯


    Recently, Red had to learn to accept his own powerlessness a lot. Some things were outside of his control, no matter how much he tried to steer them right.


    Of course, just because he knew that, it didn¡¯t mean he felt any more comfortable with the fact.


    He turned and exited through the window, making his way back to his manor.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡­


    It took him a few hours before Red returned. He could have been faster if he wanted to, but he made sure he wasn¡¯t being followed through any leg of the journey.


    Only when he was sure there was no one on his trail did he make his way back.


    Of course, when he got to his manor, there were still people watching all the entrances. Unfortunately for Red, though, there were no more shift changes until the sun rose again, so he had to wait for a few extra hours on a nearby alley.


    When the time arrived at the crack of dawn, he slipped back into his manor like a ghost. He then walked downstairs, where he found the imp waiting for him.


    ¡°Master! You¡¯re safe!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°N-No, not at all.¡± Emer shook his head. ¡°I kept my eyes on the controlling plates the entire night, and I don¡¯t think anyone noticed you were gone.¡±


    This was good news to Red, who was now more assured in the effectiveness of his Gale Drift.


    ¡°You can go rest, then. I will likely be away from the manor for a few days at least, so you will need to watch the place the entire time I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°You can trust me, master!¡± The imp said. ¡°I¡¯m up to the task!¡±


    ¡°Right, but it¡¯s best you go rest either way.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, if master commands it¡­¡±


    Even though he was a demon, Emer still needed to rest to restore his energies now and then. Once the imp was gone to find a place to sleep, Red sat down on the floor of his workshop.


    Aurelia¡¯s figure manifested in front of him, also sitting in a cross-legged position as she stared at him. She had a thoughtful expression, as if she was still digesting what she saw.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a curse.¡± She said.


    ¡°A curse?¡± He frowned.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he heard the word. His connection to the lunar being could also be called a curse, but the term could be used for many kinds of negative conditions that took root at more than just the physical body.


    ¡°A hex, to be more precise.¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s taken root in her soul.¡±


    ¡°A hex? You mean it¡¯s a demonic curse?¡±


    ¡°Hexes aren¡¯t necessarily always demonic in nature¡­ But in this case, yes, it is demonic without a doubt.¡±


    Red¡¯s frown deepened. His knowledge about hexes was limited, but from what he read, this was a rather common demonic technique. They were spiritual curses of varying intensity that could cause all kinds of adverse effects on their target¡¯s body, and they were extremely hard to cleanse or block for most common cultivators.


    Most of these hexes would disappear with time as the energy used in creating them was spent. This was the first time that Red heard of a hex affecting someone¡¯s soul, though, and he could guess the solution wouldn¡¯t be as simple.


    ¡°Can you cure it?¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Maybe if my cultivation was recovered. Right now, though, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    This response did not surprise Red.


    ¡°If this is affecting her soul, does it mean a Spiritual Awakening cultivator cast this curse on her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°While that is possible, I can¡¯t imagine a cultivator of that level wasting time on a mortal like that. What probably happened is that this curse was inherited by her blood.¡±


    ¡°You can inherit curses like that?¡±


    This came as a surprise to Red.


    ¡°If the cultivator is strong enough, then it is definitely possible to cast a curse on someone that can be inherited by their descendents. In fact, there are some demonic cultivators that can curse entire bloodlines, causing even those who have already been born to contract the curse as long as they share a connection to the target.¡± Aurelia said.


    ¡°So you mean to say that she likely inherited this curse by her blood connection to someone?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That is the most reasonable explanation.¡±


    Red held his chin in thought. ¡°If we go by what you said earlier, though, then that means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is probably related to a cultivator. Someone strong enough that it merited a Spiritual Awakening demonic cultivator to cast such a powerful curse on their bloodline.¡±


    Her affirmation was enough to solidify the idea in his mind.


    ¡®Rimold did not have such a curse, which probably means they did not share the same two parents.¡¯


    This, alongside Guard Pierre¡¯s report from earlier, made Red realize this curse probably came from Yrsa¡¯s unknown father. Of course, he might have been wrong and perhaps Rimold and she shared the same father instead of the same mother, but he felt that if that woman had the same illness as her daughter, Pierre would have mentioned it.


    Aurelia was quick to interrupt his line of thought, though. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking of trying to figure out where this curse might have come from, I would advise you to give up the idea.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°If a bloodline curse is powerful enough, it could last a dozen generations. It might not even manifest in full-force in some generations, just to ensure their carriers can survive long enough to reproduce. Unless you have a full map of her ancestry, it would be almost impossible to trace this curse back to its original owner.¡±


    Red wanted to rebuke her, but he found out she was right. If the cultivator who was targeted by this curse was a more immediate family member of Yrsa, like her father or grandfather, would she have been left to live in such squalor? Like Aurelia said, that cultivator was probably already dead, or if they were still alive, they might be hundreds of years old, with hundreds of descendents.


    It would be hard to trace this back to the original source, at least in a more conventional manner.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we search for people with similar symptoms?¡± Red asked. ¡°It might be a good way to find who the original source was.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t work.¡± Aurelia shook her head. ¡°Although these curses aren¡¯t common, there are still quite a few of them spread over different bloodlines in the world. Besides, what is even the point of searching for the source? The mere fact that the girl still has the curse means no one has cleansed it from her bloodline, so it would be useless to seek it out.¡±


    He was silent for a good while. ¡°¡­ Then how do we cure it?¡±


    ¡°The best way would be to seek the help of a full-fledged Spiritual Awakening cultivator, although even then there¡¯s no guarantee they could do anything about it. Your best chance would be to seek an even stronger cultivator or help me recover my cultivation first so I can cure her.¡±


    ¡°If a Spiritual Awakening cultivator might not be able to do it, why do you think you can do it?¡±


    Aurelia seemed angry at the question. ¡°That¡¯s because I am a genius! I can do things that other Spiritual Awakening cultivator can¡¯t! If I had my cultivation back, I could definitely study this hex and devise a counter-curse to dispel it.¡±


    Red reflected on her words. Aurelia had a big ego, but he had learned she didn¡¯t speak out of place on her skills most of the time. If she said she could do it, then it was probably true, and yet helping her recover her cultivation was a monumental task.


    ¡°From your estimations, how long does she have to live?¡± Red asked.


    Aurelia frowned at this question, as if she was able to guess his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. The curse is meant to inflict suffering, not to kill its host, so her case will only worsen.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°¡­ By my estimation, she has less than half a year before the curse turns irreversibly her into an invalid. A very slow death will arrive in around two years.¡±


    This was all Red needed to know to make his decision.


    ¡°We need to find another way to cure her, then.¡± He said.


    Aurelia gnashed her teeth. ¡°What, do you think finding another cultivator capable of curing her will be easier than restoring my cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It might be even harder to find someone I can trust, but we might have another way.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What way?¡±


    ¡°You said the curse was demonic in nature. If that is the case, I assume demonic cultivators would have an easier time identifying and curing someone of it. They might even know of some methods we are unaware of, methods that might not even require a powerful cultivator to enact.¡±


    ¡°Wait, do you mean¡­?¡±


    Red nodded.


    It just so happened he was currently living in a nest full of such demonic cultivators.

 Chapter 431 - The Task Begins

    Aurelia stared at him for a few long seconds.


    ¡°Do I need to list the problems with that idea?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I am well aware of them.¡±


    ¡°Then why consider it? You¡¯re not stupid, so you know how insane the idea of extracting such specific information from a secretive group like that will be.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect them to have a library with books about how to remove a curse.¡± Red said. ¡°The best way to go about it would be to capture one of them and interrogate them about where I could obtain that kind of information.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the guarantee the person you capture will know about it?¡±


    ¡°Then I will ask who might know, and I will narrow down the list of suspects even if only by a small amount.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°And then what? You will go through every member of their cult one by one? What if only their leader knows about it? Will you make it your goal to dismantle their entire cult in this city for the answer?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s still the best way to achieve my goal in enough time.¡±


    Red was under no delusions. This was still an extremely dangerous task, and even if he succeeded, there was no guarantee he would get the answers he wanted. It was very much a bet, and while he wasn¡¯t averse to taking risks, he wasn¡¯t used to gambling with his life for no perceivable reward.


    This was a decision taken out of necessity, not out of choice.


    Aurelia seemed to guess as much if Red was to judge by her serious expression.


    ¡°I know why you are doing this.¡± she said. ¡°You want to help your friend¡¯s sister, whether out of a sense of guilt or obligation. But you need to ask yourself - is it worth it?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, and kept staring at the woman with his impassive expression.


    She continued. ¡°You need to first be able to help yourself before thinking of helping others. You already have demonic traces all over you, and you know better than anyone the risk of drawing unwanted attention to yourself. If something goes wrong, you won¡¯t even be able to save yourself, much less that girl.¡±


    ¡°Do you not believe I can do it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°You are growing stronger, and with my help, one day you will be capable of going against any cult in the world. Right now, though, you have barely begun cultivating, and you are taking a risk that is completely unnecessary. Is your life and all that you can accomplish for your companions in the future worth taking a chance to save someone in the present who you don¡¯t even know you can save?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You are smarter than this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about how likely I am to succeed.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s about how I am the only one that can do something about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Even if the chances of success are so small?¡±


    ¡°Even if it is almost impossible.¡± He nodded. ¡°It is my obligation.¡±


    Once upon a time, Red thought he would repay his debt to the sect and leave for his own journey to the world. The more time passed and the more he grew accustomed to the truth of the surface world, the more he realized how big the debt he owed to them was. The protection, tutelage, and trust put into that slave boy who brought nothing but disaster with him was something no sane person would provide. Yet, they had given that to him, even when it came at the cost of their own lives.


    Even now, Red didn¡¯t know why they did it, and he didn¡¯t think he would have done the same in their position. However, he didn¡¯t need to understand it, he only felt it was right to repay in kind.


    That girl was the most important thing to Rimold, a companion of his. How could he face the man in the future and tell him he had the chance to save her but didn¡¯t because of the dangers? Even if he went into detail about how the chances were small and how risky it all was, even if Rimold forgave him, it didn¡¯t sit right with Red himself.


    If he could do something, then he was under the obligation to do it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself too much.¡± Red said. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to tackle this all by myself.¡±


    Aurelia raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean those brats?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°They are interested in the demonic cults as well. I can¡¯t say I fully trust them, but with their help, I will have support and a legitimate reason to look into these matters.¡±


    ¡°And what about your other identity? Are you not worried your demonic ¡®allies¡¯ will reveal your identity if they discover your prodding?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°If I can keep my efforts a secret from them, it would be better. It¡¯s likely at one point or the other that they will find out, though, and by then I can only hope I have already accomplished my goal.¡±


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    He was in the city under the guise of being a Black Dragon cultist. This was enough of a deterrent to keep the other cultists away from him, but it was a flimsy protection at best, and Red was prepared for a potential falling out in the future. In some ways, it would be best to be the one to choose when their confrontation would happen rather than being taken by surprise.


    Aurelia seemed to reflect on his words for a while before shaking her head. ¡°Sometimes I think you are too cold and too focused on cultivation, at the detriment of everything else around you. At times like this, though, you surprise me and show these noble attitudes that will do nothing but bring you trouble for your cultivation¡­ Even now, Red, I am still trying to learn who you are, but I think I¡¯m starting to understand something my seniors used to tell me about rogue cultivators.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°That they were all not quite right in the head.¡±


    ¡­


    Red spent the next few hours recovering his energy and waiting to be called upon.


    It wasn¡¯t until some time past midday that he heard a knock at his door. He took one last look at the imp, who nodded with a confident expression.


    ¡°I will take care of everything while you are gone, master!¡±


    Red nodded and walked over to open the door. He already knew who was waiting for him from their fluctuations.


    ¡°I assume you are ready, Master Viran?¡± Pierre, the guard captain, asked without ceremony.


    He was alone, except for the coach who was driving a carriage that was parked right in front of the manor.


    Red nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    Soon, he was aboard the carriage, sitting across from Pierre as he held onto his bag. He had brought the minimal with him in a bag, which included his swords, his spirit stones, and his other sensitive possessions. The rest of the materials he had ordered from Leon were all left back at his manor.


    He had expected to go the entire trip in complete silence as Pierre sat across from him with his stern expression and crossed arms. However, a few minutes later, the guard broke the silence.


    ¡°How much has Leon told you about the formation?¡± he asked.


    Red moved his gaze from the open window to Pierre. ¡°You and the guard fought some cultists from Serpent¡¯s World Cult. They killed themselves before you could capture them, and you found a summoning formation in the basement.¡±


    ¡°So you have the gist of it.¡± Pierre nodded. ¡°The evidence we gathered indicates the formation wasn¡¯t activated, but my superiors haven¡¯t been very thorough in their investigation. To them, since no outward signs of summoning were found, there is no reason to spend resources to investigate it. I, however, do not share their optimism and think that when it comes to demonic matters, we can never be too thorough.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Were you the one who told Leon about the formation?¡±


    Pierre seemed to hesitate for a second, but then nodded. ¡°Leon and his father share my concerns. They think that the current political turmoil in the city presents the perfect opportunity for demonic cults to act, and we can¡¯t allow anything to slip us by. Other¡­ ¡®powers¡¯ within the city don¡¯t seem to agree, though, and even after the Blood Moon, they won¡¯t act until they see demons roaming the streets.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Red said. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re telling me this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for your own benefit in case you get mixed into this political mess more than you already are¡­ There is another reason, though.¡±


    At this, Pierre pause and looked around with a frown, as if searching for any eavesdroppers even inside this moving carriage. Only after a while did he seem satisfied and continue.


    ¡°The place we found these cultists is in a delicate commerce region to a few noble families in the city.¡± he said. ¡°Some underground deals go through these, and while it doesn¡¯t seem like these cultists were involved in them, these people were none too happy when we started investigating that region.¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. ¡°Is that why the guards didn¡¯t want to investigate any further?¡±


    ¡°I would like to say that was the reason, but it was more of an incentive. They were already all too eager to consider the case closed in the first place and move on to what they considered to be more important matters.¡±


    ¡°Leon didn¡¯t tell me any of this.¡±


    ¡°These underground deals weren¡¯t something he knew about at the time. In fact, it¡¯s not something most of the guard is privy to. I only learned about it recently through my own investigations, and can only assume a select few in the City Guard even knew about it in the first place.¡±


    Red felt a headache coming as he learned this.


    ¡°Is this going to be a problem while I study the formation?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, I personally guarantee that no one will bother you during the next three days.¡± Pierre said. ¡°I am just telling you this for the sake of clarity, or in case you hear any commotion outside while you¡¯re working. In any case, Leon has told me he is willing to increase your pay for these new unforeseen circumstances.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure that is something we can discuss when I meet him again.¡±


    Pierre nodded at that and fell silent once more. No more words were exchanged between them until they arrived at their destination.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The guard said as he opened the door of the carriage.


    Red followed him out and examined his surroundings. They were in a narrow street, and the carriage almost couldn¡¯t fit through it. Both sides of the road were surrounded by layers of buildings and sky bridges that blocked almost any sunlight from reaching the ground, making them feel as if they were inside a dark and musty tunnel.


    Like Pierre mentioned, this seemed to be a commerce street near the suburbs of town, with many storefronts and signs hanging about. None of these stores were open, though, and the street saw almost no foot traffic at all.


    Red¡¯s attention was then drawn to the only place he could see some sort of activity - a ruined storefront, where two guards seemed to be posted. When he tried to look further into the dark store, though, he paused in his steps.


    Pierre, who seemed to notice his faltering steps, turned around and looked at him with a frown. ¡°Is there a problem, Master Viran?¡±


    Red shook his head, quickly recovering his composure. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just felt some lingering Demonic Energy.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t lying about what he felt. There were very minute traces of demonic energy inside the store - not enough to cause corruption, but still enough to stand out amidst the pure spiritual energy.


    ¡°We have cleansed the area from Demonic Energy.¡± Pierre said. ¡°The only lingering energy comes from the formation, which we couldn¡¯t take down before letting you examine it. We made sure that it wouldn¡¯t be enough to cause harm to you, though.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    In truth, the demonic energy wasn¡¯t what surprised him. It was, instead, a strange sense of recollection when he felt that energy. Red couldn¡¯t quite place it, but he was sure.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he came into contact with that kind of demonic energy.

 Chapter 432 - The Demonic Formation

    Pierre didn¡¯t press Red further, and led him into the building. The two guards made a military greeting to the captain, who nodded in response before silently walking past them.


    The inside of the spacious building was in much worse condition than the outside. Wooden furniture was smashed into smithereens, small craters lined up the stone ground and walls, and it was almost impossible to tell what kind of commerce this might have been in the past. There were two sets of stairs, a destroyed one leading up to a second floor, and another one that seemed to lead to an underground area.


    Pierre picked up a lantern from his waist and lit it up, brightening the dark and musty environment. Not that it made any difference to Red, though.


    ¡°The formation is downstairs.¡± Pierre said.


    Without waiting for a response, he walked on and went down the stairs.


    Red followed behind him, descending about five meters of steps before arriving at what looked to be a large empty. The destruction didn¡¯t seem to have reached this place, but the only thing that remained in this place was an ominous formation towards the back of the room.


    Pierre lit up a few other lanterns along the wall before looking at Red. ¡°There were a lot of other things in this room. Symbols, spiritual materials, even a sacrificial altar. We thought it best to take all of it away to be destroyed after we confirmed they weren¡¯t connected to the formation.¡±


    Red nodded. The formation by itself was already dangerous enough. It wasn¡¯t wise to keep other sources of corruption in the room.


    He stepped past the guard and examined the wide circular formation. It was even bigger than the Spirit Gathering Formation he built, almost ten meters in diameter, and it occupied most of the space in the extensive cellar. Green formation lines that invoked a sickening feeling within Red connected arcane symbols and materials that emitted no small amount of corruption.


    It almost stung his eyes to look at it for too long.


    Pierre seemed to notice this. ¡°The corruption is not strong enough to spread, but it¡¯s also not good to remain in contact with it for too long. The number I was given was at most 8 hours a day for a normal cultivator. Anything after that and adverse effects could start to show.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I might need to stay for longer if I want to complete my investigations on time.¡±


    ¡°That is understandable. Leon has told me that he can arrange a cleansing for you after the ordeal is over.¡±


    ¡®A cleansing?¡¯


    That would have been ideal if not for the fact that Red was corrupted with a far stronger demonic energy than the one lingering within the formation. That alone made him resistant to the influence of lesser sources of corruption, meaning he could probably stay near the formation for far longer than 8 hours.


    He wouldn¡¯t let Pierre know about that, of course.


    ¡°I have some confidence in resisting these effects myself.¡± Red said. ¡°If it comes down to it, though, I will appreciate the assistance.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    The guard took one last look at the room before turning his attention back to Red.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remain here, but if you need anything, ask the two guards upstairs for it. They are loyal to me, so your message will reach me directly. Remember, you have three days.¡±


    ¡°I am aware.¡± Red nodded.


    Pierre gave a grunt of affirmation before making his way upstairs with no ceremony. Soon, Red was left alone with the formation and its lingering corruption.


    He didn¡¯t immediately relax or set about examining it, though. Instead, he investigated his surroundings with both his vision and spiritual sensitivity. He wanted to make sure there were no spies within the cellar or near it, whether they were human or a magical treasure.


    Only after a thorough inspection and finding nothing abnormal did he lower his guard somewhat. As if on cue, Aurelia¡¯s graceful figure manifested out of thin air by his side.


    ¡°You need help?¡± She asked as if reading his mind.


    ¡°I have questions.¡± Red looked back at the formation. ¡°Have you ever met anyone from this Serpent¡¯s World cult, or at least came into contact with their demonic energy?¡±


    Aurelia shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t say I have. They were always the kind to keep to the shadows, and the demonic cultivators I primarily dealt with were the not-so-subtle types.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t recognize the energy?¡±


    The woman frowned. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I felt a sense of recognition when I inspected this demonic energy. I don¡¯t know where this feeling comes from, though.¡±


    Red only came across three types of demonic corruption - the one from the crimson being, the one from the lizard, and the one from Domeron¡¯s Slaughter Spirit. He was still unsure if the crimson being and the lizard¡¯s corruption were from two dissimilar sources, but what he did know was that none of them matched with this demonic energy from the formation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t come up with an explanation for this, but I feel like I shouldn¡¯t ignore it.¡± Red said.


    Aurelia seemed to ponder his question for a while. ¡°Cultivators have a very keen sensitivity towards these things, so you¡¯re wise to listen to your instincts. I can only imagine two explanations: you might have come across this energy in a dream or vision, or you could have come across it in the past but just didn¡¯t notice it.¡±


    ¡°How could I have come across a source of demonic energy and not have noticed it?¡±


    Red felt like this second option didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Technically, these cultists are specialists in illusions, so they could mask their presence.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You¡¯re right, though, it¡¯s very unlikely to be the second option, because if that was the case, I would have noticed it as well. It would only make sense if this happened before you met with me.¡±


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    ¡®I hadn¡¯t opened my Spiritual Sea back then. Would I have noticed anything?¡¯


    It was still unlikely, but that meant that only one explanation make sense.


    ¡°So I might have seen it in a dream?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Indeed. Do you remember anything?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Not at all.¡±


    His dreams were always rather vivid, even when he did not include his visions and trips to the infernal realm. He remembered them very well, so he would recall if he came across such a source of corruption.


    Aurelia seemed irritated with his response. ¡°Now, how can you be so sure about that?¡±


    ¡°I have a good recollection of my dreams. I would definitely remember this kind of demonic energy.¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°In that case, that leads us back to the second option, right? Someone or something either fooled me, a powerful cultivator, or they fooled you, a mere Lesser Ring Realm practitioner. Which do you think is more likely?¡±


    Red would like to rebuke her, but he knew she was right. It was much more likely that he made a mistake.


    ¡°In any case, it seems like neither of us will recall anything by talking.¡± He said, moving over to the formation.


    Aurelia snorted, but didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Red stood over the demonic formation. Unlike his infernal runes, demonic arcane scripture in the cultivation world still relied on the same orthodox symbols. The fundamental difference, however, was that they used demonic materials and fuels to build and power these formations, thus twisting the results according to their will.


    Red, however, could already tell at a glance that this was nowhere near as practical as his infernal runes. He sorted through the jumbled mess of information he still hadn¡¯t completely digested regarding the blood inheritance and compared a few runes to a simple energy gathering part of the formation.


    He came to a single conclusion.


    ¡®So inneficient.¡¯


    What they sought to accomplish with almost a dozen runes and hundreds of connections could have just as easily been accomplished with a couple of his infernal runes and to a better degree. It wasn¡¯t even within the same realm of efficiency.


    This conclusion, of course, also brought with it another grim realization to him.


    ¡®My master was right. If my infernal runes were to be leaked to these demonic cultivators, the results would be apocalyptic.¡¯


    He had in his hands the key to increasing the power of these evil forces by a significant amount, perhaps even giving them a chance to defeat the orthodox sects and bring about a new demonic invasion. The weight of this wasn¡¯t lost within him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t erase this knowledge from my mind. What I can do, though, is make sure to never use it.¡¯


    Red put this troublesome matter to the back of his head, and set about studying the formation.


    Like he had been told, this was a rather complex formation. It contained far more symbols and materials than anything he had ever done, and it would take him almost a month to fully construct something this big and complex. He couldn¡¯t imagine how long it took for the cultists to do this in secret.


    It would likewise take him a rather long time to sort through the functions of every plate and symbol of this formation. However, Red had an advantage that would expedite this process substantially.


    His infernal runes.


    He didn¡¯t intend to use them, of course, but they could be used as a basis for comparison. Rather than test the formation bit by bit, he could study the individual parts and symbols, calculate their purpose, and find the matching infernal rune and its information in his mind to extrapolate on the results. This would skip the rather lengthy and dangerous process of testing an unknown demonic formation and let Red calculate everything on paper.


    Of course, there was no guarantee this would work. Perhaps the infernal runes wouldn¡¯t be a perfect match for the symbols he saw, and there was no guarantee the knowledge in Red¡¯s mind was complete. Still, it was a more promising research direction than blind testing. Not to mention, Red didn¡¯t necessarily needed to know how the entire formation worked.


    ¡®I just need to know its purpose.¡¯


    ¡­


    Six hours passed by.


    The only sound that could be heard from the cellar was rustling paper and pen writing. The entire ground around the formation was filled with drawing and calculations - a mess that any outsider would have a hard time parsing through. Still, it was all kept in perfect order to Red, who could remember where every piece of paper was in the dozens of piles.


    He had made good progress in a short amount of time, and he already had some preliminary results.


    For one, he understood why people who came to examine this formation assumed it had failed or not even been activated in the first place. The corrupted spiritual materials used in the formation were almost all spent, and weren¡¯t truly of high quality. This would lead one to believe the formation was activated, but any cultivator could this probably wasn¡¯t the case.


    The wires and symbols connecting the formation plates had no sign of wear and tear in specific places, as one would expect to happen when large amounts of Spiritual Energy moved through them. This meant that they weren¡¯t used, and the energy had leaked at specific places in the formation, if it was even activated at all. Maybe the materials were already half-spent in the first place from experimentation and corruption, as these types of demonic items had a hard time sustaining themselves for long.


    This was also the explanation Red was leaning towards as he inspected the formation. Most of the runes seemed to point towards some type of summoning that would grant body and energy to a being. This would probably be activated alongside a ritual to summon the soul of a demon into this world to occupy the form made by the formation, which would match its true body most of the time.


    This was Red¡¯s initial supposition, and it matched with what he knew about demonic summoning.


    However, with his infernal runes, he found some inconsistencies that made no sense.


    ¡®This is too incompetent of a formation.¡¯


    Too many symbols and plates were completely unnecessary for this purpose. Other formation experts unfamiliar with summoning might look at it and think nothing of it, as this wasn¡¯t their area of knowledge and they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the purpose of a lot of symbols without extensive testing. Red, however, had his infernal runes for comparison, and he noticed these matters the further he examined the formation.


    Mainly, he noticed one key problem: too much Spiritual Energy. There were too many spirit gathering symbols, more than necessary for the transformation and effects of the inner runes. In fact, he doubted there was even enough energy coming into the system for these gathering symbols to use.


    It was the epitome of inefficiency for a formation master, wasting materials and times to draw symbols you do not even need. On one hand, this could be explained by the incompetence of whoever drew this formation, but considering the circumstances of his task, Red thought of other possibilities.


    ¡®Maybe there was more energy coming into this system that I can¡¯t see, and it was then refined and sent to power something else.¡¯


    This would be a good explanation, of course, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact there was nothing else in the room as far as Red could see. No hidden compartments, connections, or formations.


    It was an issue that made his new theory die quickly.


    ¡®Unless¡­¡¯


    ¡°Do you know if there is a way for a formation to transmit energy over a long distance without any physical connections?¡± Red asked the empty air by his side.


    Aurelia¡¯s figure manifest by him with her arms crossed.


    She nodded. ¡°Some materials and runes can achieve such an effect. There were similar formations in my sect, but as far as I know, those kinds of things are something only the most skilled formation masters can do.¡±


    ¡®A skilled formation master¡­¡¯


    Red didn¡¯t continue the conversation, instead staring around him.


    He looked up first.


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be up. That kind of energy transmission would be noticed from miles away.¡¯


    He then looked at the walls.


    ¡®It seems unlikely. It would still be very close to the surface, and there are many other cellars in this city. Someone was bound to notice this kind of energy transmission.¡¯


    Then, with the only option left, Red looked down beneath the formation.


    ¡®If I¡¯m right, then this is the only thing that makes sense.¡¯


    He waved his hands, and all the papers scattered around the room were shredded by the wind until there was nothing legible in the miniscule pieces that were left. Then, Red walked upstairs, where he met the two guards.


    ¡°Call Pierre. I want to dig something.¡±

 Chapter 433 - Excavation

    It took less than an hour for Pierre to arrive. It was already night, but the captain still seemed to be on the job, judging by his uniform and countenance. He met Red downstairs, looking around the cellar with an inquisitive gaze.


    ¡°You already have results?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Partially.¡± Red nodded. ¡°I need to verify something, which is why I asked for you.¡±


    ¡°You want to dig down?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I need to verify something.¡±


    Pierre sighed, but didn¡¯t question it further. Instead, he pointed at the formation.


    ¡°Won¡¯t this ruin the formation?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to be found about this formation.¡± Red said. ¡°Your preliminary observations were right - this is a summoning circle. However, it might have had a hidden function.¡±


    Pierre raised his eyebrows in curiosity. ¡°And that is what you need to verify?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    The guard nodded before looking back at the stairs. ¡°Jonas, come here!¡±


    A guard came down the steps after he heard the shouting. He looked at the formation with a weary expression, but tried his best to maintain his composure.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°Bring me the sealing box.¡± Pierre said. ¡°We are disassembling the formation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    These words seemed to come as a relief to the guard, who went back upstairs. Soon enough, he and his companion brought a couple of heavy steel boxes down to the cellar. They were plain and solid, but Red could see a sheen of spiritual energy covering their surface.


    As eager as they were to get out of this oppressive room, the guards still were meticulous about their job in storing the demonic materials. It looked like they were dealing with a bomb that was set to explode at any second, and in some ways, that wasn¡¯t too far from the truth.


    Half an hour passed before the guards were done. As soon as the last corrupted item was stored and the box closed, they ran out of there, leaving Red and Pierre alone.


    ¡°How far down do you need to dig?¡± Pierre asked.


    ¡°Hard to tell.¡±


    If the cultists wanted to avoid detection, they would try to dig the hole as far down as they could. That being said, there might be a certain range limit to the formation, or they might lack the means to dig too far down.


    Pierre nodded, unbothered by the vagueness. ¡°Step back.¡±


    Red looked at the man for a moment.


    His expression was hidden behind his mask, but the captain seemed to guess his thoughts.


    ¡°I can dig this on my own.¡± he said.


    Red¡¯s doubts were evident. Even for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, digging down into the foundations of the city would be a tiresome endeavor. He thought that Pierre would have brought his subordinates to help, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Still, if the man was confident, Red wouldn¡¯t stand in his way. He stepped to the side and watched as Pierre walked up to where the formation was set.


    The captain took a deep breath, and the air around the room changed. A sheen of dark yellow light covered his body - a sign of Spiritual Energy - before quickly gathering towards his hands.


    Pierre then knelt down and touched his palms to the ground, and a pulse of vibrant energy spread from the contact.


    The building shook for a second, before the immediate area around him suddenly sank. Earth and stone were displaced to his surroundings, gathering around the edges of the half-meter deep depression Pierre had formed with his techniques.


    Red, who watched this carefully, couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    Other than the initial ground trembling, which seemed to only affect the immediate area, there were no other disturbances from Pierre¡¯s actions. He managed to move quite a substantial amount of earth like it was nothing, forming a three meter wide hole around himself.


    This didn¡¯t seem to be the end of his technique, though, as he closed his eyes and took another deep breath. The aura around his hands, which had decreased with the use of this Spiritual Art, once more gathered around his palms.


    Pierre pressed down again, and the same scene from earlier repeated. The ground beneath him sank another half-meter, and earth and debris were thrown out of the hole.


    A large amount of dirt gathered around the hole, and Red, who could already see the issue, waved his hands. A gust of wind blew against the rising mounds of earth and blew them towards the edge of the room, granting Pierre more space to work.


    The captain repeated this process quite a few times, until the hole was almost five meters deep. The drain on his energy was quite visible, as his breath became heavier and beads of sweat rolled down his face.


    Red, who was watching and assisting with the process, couldn¡¯t help but frown.


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    ¡®Was I mistaken?¡¯


    Five meters might not seem like much, but the deeper down one went, the harder it became to dig. This went for both Pierre, and for the supposed underground chamber Red was looking for, making the chances that his theory was correct decrease by the second. He also took the time to examine the dirt, hoping to find any signs of corruption in them, to no avail.


    However, if Pierre was thinking of giving up, he didn¡¯t show it. He was about to use his technique again when he suddenly froze. The aura around his hands dissipated, and he stood up, looking at the top of the tunnel where Red observed his work.


    ¡°There¡¯s something beneath here.¡± he said.


    ¡°A chamber?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Hard to tell. I just felt a sudden increase in resistance from the ground, which tells me something tougher than dirt is beneath this.¡±


    ¡°Can you break through?¡±


    Pierre nodded. ¡°Yes, but we need to make preparations.¡±


    Red understood his meaning. Since they were dealing with a demonic matter, they needed to be extra careful. Who knew what was waiting for them beneath there?


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you get up here, then.¡± He said. ¡°I can try breaking whatever is beneath from range.¡±


    Pierre nodded in agreement. With a leap, he jumped out of the hole and walked to the side.


    He looked at Red. ¡°I don¡¯t have any items to protect against corruption on me. Do you?¡±


    Red shook his head. Magical items that could shield one from corruption were rare and expensive. They were the domain of the sects, who specialized in hunting demonic cultivators, and the most common cultivators could get were containers like those steel boxes that could seal small amounts of corruption. Anything stronger than that was hard to find, not to mention shields meant to protect individuals.


    Pierre frowned, showing some hesitation in his expression. Still, that was soon replaced by conviction.


    ¡°Be prepared to run.¡± He said.


    Red nodded. Their cooperation and similar understanding of the situation made it easy for them to decide on a course of action.


    He peered over the hole and began to circulate his azure energy through his veins. A few seconds later, a blade of wind formed in front of him, before shooting down towards the bottom of the hole.


    An explosion happened, shooting earth all the way to the top of the hole. After the dust and debris had settled down, something else was revealed beneath all that dirt.


    ¡®Bricks.¡¯


    Stone bricks, rough and worn by time. His wind blade had made quite a dent at this built surface, but it couldn¡¯t break through in one go. Still, this proved that Pierre¡¯s assessment was correct.


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate and formed another blade of wind, before shooting it against the brick surface. Another explosion happened, and this time, the wall blew apart, revealing a glimpse of a chamber beneath it through a rift.


    None of them had time to consider it though, as a dark purple mist shot out from the same gap as soon as it appeared.


    ¡°Get back!¡±


    Pierre¡¯s shout reached him, but Red was already moving. The two of them barely had time to react as they jumped back from the hole.


    The purple mist shot up the hole like a geyser, hitting the ceiling of the cellar before either of them could run out of the room. Still, it didn¡¯t spread through the room as Red was expecting. Instead, the energy seemed to seep at the stone surface, corroding it into a black mush and creating a large hole as it continued upwards.


    It then hit another ceiling, this time the one from the ground floor, corroding it in the same manner, albeit somewhat slower this time. It was only when it reached the roof of the two-story building that it seemed to lose force and dissipate into the open air, but not before eating away at most of the structure and leaving a large hole behind.


    Red, who was watching it from below, felt a cold sweat run down his back. His reactions were on time, and avoided the mist, but the terror of the situation wasn¡¯t lost on him.


    ¡®If that had touched me¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like to think about what could have happened


    Pierre didn¡¯t seem to be in a better state, as he was also trying to recover from what happened.


    ¡°That¡­ thing. It had no Spiritual Energy.¡± He said.


    Red frowned. He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to investigate the substance in the brief moment he saw it, but he could feel no signs of energy from the mist. This was part of the reason both of them were taken by surprise by it.


    Of course, this made little sense. The stronger a substance or element was, the more suffused it would be with Spiritual Energy. This was a fundamental truth of the world, and considering how powerful this mist seemed to be, it should have been emitting a lot of energy.


    Since one option was impossible, that left Red with just one conclusion.


    ¡°It had to have Spiritual Energy.¡± he said. ¡°We just couldn¡¯t sense it.¡±


    Pierre¡¯s expression worsened as he seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.


    ¡°A trap?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Possibly.¡± Red nodded. ¡°But it seems pointless.¡±


    Once this trap was released, the underground chamber would already have been revealed to the city guard, even if it killed someone.


    Pierre snorted. ¡°They¡¯re cultists. They would delight in taking down even one of us in their petty revenge, no matter how pointless it seems.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t refute his logic.


    Footsteps could be heard upstairs, as the voice of a panicked guard called for them.


    ¡°Captain! I-Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Pierre said. ¡°Send someone to the headquarters and report on what just happened.¡±


    ¡°I-I will, sir, but¡­ What exactly happened?¡±


    The captain sighed. ¡°Just tell the General we made a new discovery on the demonic formation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Another set of hurried footsteps, and Red felt the guard distance himself from the building as fast as he could.


    He looked over at Pierre. ¡°You won¡¯t report this to Leon first?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly hide this from my superiors long enough. People might have seen what happened and are likely to report it. By then, if I¡¯m not the one my superior hears from first, I will be reprimanded.¡±


    Indeed, some of the purple substance had shot through the roof and dissipated into the air above. While it was still night, the city was a well lit place, and any curious eyes watching the building might have seen what happened.


    ¡°We need to investigate what happened before your superiors arrive, then.¡± Red said.


    Pierre shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s reckless. We don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the only trap down there, and we have no way to counter any corruption.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think we will be able to investigate it after your superiors arrive and learn what you might have been doing behind their back?¡±


    There was a prolonged silence from Pierre at these words, as he showed a grim expression.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s risky, and you have already done your job.¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to risk yourself anymore.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done my job yet.¡± Red said. ¡°I still need to figure out what the formation was for, and this might be the only opportunity to do it.¡±


    This was not to mention that he hadn¡¯t forgotten the sense of recollection he felt from the demonic energy. If he didn¡¯t take this chance now, he might not find out about it in the future, and he could be missing a vital piece of information.


    Pierre frowned. ¡°The circumstances have changed. Leon wouldn¡¯t want to risk the life of someone he hired like this.¡±


    ¡°Yet, it must be done, and I have already been paid.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fine.¡±


    The captain relented, not wasting any more time in discussion.


    Red admired his stance, as even if Pierre doubted his motives, he was decisive enough to not hesitate and take the opportunity presented to him to further their goals. To his surprise, though, the man approached the hole before him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Pierre said. ¡°We need to be quick.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I can go on my own.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Not happening.¡±


    It was Red¡¯s turn to hesitate. He had some resistance against corruption, while the captain didn¡¯t. Who knows what could happen to the man down there?


    Yet, he let go of his doubts a few seconds later. Whether out of a sense of responsibility or mistrust, Pierre would accompany him down there, and the youth couldn¡¯t waste time convincing him otherwise. He needed to be decisive as well.


    With a nod, Red approached him and looked down at the bottom of the hole.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± He said.


    Pierre nodded.


    With no further exchanges of words, Red jumped down towards the underground chamber, ready to face whatever waited for him there.

 Chapter 434 - Hidden Purpose

    Once Red landed, he looked around in a hurry. The place was pitch black, but with his special vision, he could still see the entire room. Though calling it a room was perhaps not the correct term.


    The circular chamber resembled more a cave than anything else. It was only four meters wide, and there seemed to be an attempt to cover the exposed rock walls with bricks. Whoever was doing it, though, seemed to stop halfway through.


    Before Red could examine the place much further, there was a thud by his side as Pierre landed a few seconds after him. He didn¡¯t have the same dark vision as Red, though, so he lit up a lamp that he was carrying in his right hand.


    As the chamber brightened up, though, Pierre¡¯s expression darkened.


    ¡°What is this place?¡±


    His attention was drawn to the same things as Red, though eventually both of their gazes came to a stop on the ground beneath their feet. The lines and symbols were all too familiar to them.


    ¡°Another formation.¡± Red said.


    Pierre frowned, as the weight of the discovery dawned on him.


    ¡°Was this what you were looking for?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s what I expected.¡±


    The formation was much smaller than the one above it. The symbols seemed to be quite different as well, but Red, who had been prepared for such a sight, did his research beforehand, expecting what he would find.


    ¡°Gathering and sealing symbols.¡± He pointed at the edges of the formation. ¡°The formation above produced a specific type of energy, and this one attracted it down here into this circle. The summoning ritual was just to fool anyone not too familiar with these scriptures. It¡¯s also why there were no signs of Spiritual Energy in the cellar.¡±


    Pierre¡¯s heavy expression continued to worsen. ¡°How could this formation attract the energy above when there were so many layers of earth between them?¡±


    ¡°In normal situations, it wouldn¡¯t be possible, or at the very least, it would only draw a miniscule amount of that energy.¡± Red said. ¡°However, experienced formation masters can attune their formations to transmit energy between them without a need for physical connection.¡±


    At least, this was how Aurelia explained the matter to him.


    He pointed at the center of the formation, an empty spot. ¡°There was likely an item here with such capabilities. It was attuned with the energy above and absorbed it through all the layers of dirt. This formation surrounding it was probably only meant to avoid leaks and keep the energy contained while this object absorbed it.¡±


    Pierre absorbed his words in silence for a while. Then he looked up at Red.


    ¡°Why go through the trouble of connecting those two formations?¡± he asked. ¡°If they had access to this hole, couldn¡¯t they have just done the ritual here?¡±


    ¡°There are a couple of factors that could have led them to that decision. Up there, they would have a better concentration of Spiritual Energy for their formation and also an easier time acquiring the materials they needed. Not to mention it¡¯s unlikely they dug this tunnel from their cellar, as it would attract a lot of attention.¡± Red looked around. ¡°They probably dug this chamber from another underground tunnel, somewhere out of the way, where they would have a hard time bringing too many materials through.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The sewers.¡± Pierre said.


    At this, both of them looked around the chamber. The place didn¡¯t have any entrances other than the one they forcefully made on the ceiling.


    Pierre, however, didn¡¯t seem deterred by this. He approached a wall and put his left palm against it. The same yellowish energy from earlier gathered in his hand, but this time, it didn¡¯t concentrate to dig through the dirt.


    Instead, it spread like a wave through the wall, leaving a bright yellow sheen behind as it covered the entire surface of the chamber. The next second, though, the wave of light receded until it returned to Pierre¡¯s hand, where it completely dissipated.


    The guard retracted his hand and immediately looked at a spot on the wall on the other side of the small chamber. He walked over to it and punched it with no hesitation.


    His fist seemed to disappear into the rock, as if it met something ethereal. Then, the surrounding surface of that wall shimmered, before disappearing into thin air and revealing a small tunnel behind it.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®An illusion.¡¯


    Red, who watched the entire process, was surprised by Pierre¡¯s resourcefulness.


    The guard, however, only frowned as he looked at the tunnel.


    ¡°It¡¯s too narrow.¡± he said. ¡°Not something an adult could crawl through.¡±


    ¡°A child, then.¡± Red said. ¡°Or perhaps¡­ a snake?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Pierre nodded. ¡°A demon under their control, or perhaps one of their special abilities.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to dig through it?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work. I would need to dig sideways, and my ability is not gentle, so it¡¯s bound to make the earth collapse on top of me if I¡¯m not careful. Not to mention, the tunnel seems to be collapsed halfway through.¡±


    ¡°You can sense that?¡± Red could only see the tunnel curve beyond his view.


    ¡°With my ability from earlier, yes. Even if I tried to dig through, I would lose the route at some point. They covered all their trails, but if they were using the sewers to escape, we¡¯re bound to discover where they exited.¡±


    With nothing else to find in the tunnel, Pierre turned his attention back to the formation.


    ¡°Do you think they succeeded in gathering that energy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Impossible to say.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The formations were built to keep energy from leaking, so we can¡¯t use the surrounding concentration to discern their success. If we are to judge by the half-finished state of the room, though, they were probably planning on staying here for far longer.¡±


    ¡°And the energy? Can you tell what it was?¡±


    ¡°Unless I replicate the process, I won¡¯t be able to give you an answer.¡±


    Different types of Spiritual Energy reacted with each other in both predictable and unpredictable ways. Some of these reactions were recorded in scholarly books, so a master could use that knowledge to discern the output of a certain formation. When For a demonic formation, though, there was no such recorded information.


    Red could still use his infernal rune knowledge to make an educated guess about some processes and their results, but the final product would be much more complex. The resulting energy from the formation would be something unique and impossible to predict with just the information he had.


    ¡°That would be impossible.¡± Pierre shook his head in resignation. ¡°Is there anything else that you need to investigate here?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Unless there is another illusion, it¡¯s unlikely there is anything else.¡±


    He also did not detect beings other than pests and small lifeforms in his surroundings, which meant whoever had been in this chamber didn¡¯t stick around the premises.


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s leave this place quickly.¡±


    Pierre¡¯s expression had become somewhat strained, which served as a sudden reminder to Red.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, the corruption¡­¡¯


    Though the energy itself was sealed, the corruption of the surroundings was almost impossible to keep completely contained. Although it wasn¡¯t strong, there was still an invasive and oppressive feeling in the air. Red could barely feel it, but it was clear his companion was under great discomfort.


    They both jumped out of the hole, standing once again in the dirt covered cellar.


    Pierre looked over at him and nodded. ¡°Your job is done. I will inform Leon about what you told me.¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to report this?¡±


    ¡°That was never agreed upon. Still, if Leon finds it necessary to speak with you in person, I will inform you of it.¡±


    Red thought to protest this, but he kept quiet instead. His plans had changed, and he now wanted to take an active role in investigating these cults, but he couldn¡¯t show such a change in attitude so soon. It would only arouse suspicion.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to accompany you back, but the carriage is still waiting up there.¡± Pierre said. ¡°It will bring you to your manor. You must depart swiftly before my superiors arrive.¡±


    With a nod, Red turned around and walked up the stairs. There was now only a single guard in front of the ruined building, looking unsettled. He walked past the man and stood in front of the coach, who was shivering in his seat as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to bring me home.¡± Red said.


    ¡°O-Oh yes! Hop in, master.¡±


    Without further ado, Red entered the carriage, and they were soon on their way.


    Now completely alone in the vehicle, he was left with time to reflect on his worries. Or rather, his primary worry.


    It wasn¡¯t the unknown purpose of this formation. It also wasn¡¯t the fact the cultists apparently had a very skilled formation master on their ranks, either. These were all concerning things, but they didn¡¯t trump the one feeling that still ate at his mind.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t find out where I recognized that energy from.¡¯


    There was no sudden revelation, no clue that he found to point him in the right direction. It remained an unanswered question to Red, and it still bothered him to a great degree. It felt as if he was missing a very vital piece of the puzzle, and this wasn¡¯t a good thing for someone who wanted to survive in a city filled with conspiracies.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about something.¡± A feminine voice echoed in his ears.


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I know you are. You might think of yourself as hard to read, but everyone has their tells.¡± She said. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re still bothered about that feeling from earlier?¡±


    He grunted in affirmation.


    Aurelia laughed. ¡°This is indeed cause for concern. If someone with such a rotten fate as you are worried about something, then it must be very serious.¡±


    ¡°This concerns you as well.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Well¡­ You¡¯re not wrong. Which is why you better seek assistance.¡±


    ¡°From whom?¡±


    ¡°That girl, the diviner. She can probably help.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Some diviners specialize in digging up hidden memories and interpreting dreams. If someone can help you deal with your problem, it¡¯s probably her.¡±


    ¡°Would that involve revealing what is bothering me?¡±


    ¡°Of course it does! They can¡¯t divine from nothing!¡±


    Red immediately fell silent again.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°Bah, I know your concerns, but isn¡¯t this better than dying?!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s that serious.¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, and we won¡¯t know it either until the knife is stabbed in your back!¡±


    Aurelia didn¡¯t speak any further, leaving Red even more worried than before.


    He knew the woman was right. On the game he was playing, knowing something might be the difference between life or death. Knowledge was power, and every stone left unturned would probably come back to haunt him sooner or later, when things got truly dire.


    Yet, the solution to this problem asked a lot of Red. In fact, it asked him to do what he considered to be harder than any physical ordeal.


    To trust someone else.

 Chapter 435 - A New Deal

    Red did not dwell on this issue either. If he ever asked for help regarding this strange problem, it wouldn¡¯t be until he verified some venues first.


    Soon enough, he was back at his manor. He opened the door under the watch of spies waiting on the roofs of the neighborhood and walked in. His eyes shot over to an empty corner, where he knew the imp was hiding in his invisibility.


    Emer¡¯s figure materialized out of thin air and ran over to Red.


    ¡°Master! You¡¯re back!¡±


    The imp was carrying a bundle of formation plates in his arms, some of them almost half-the-size of his own body.


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Not at all, master! I kept a close eye on the plates the entire time, and nothing out of the ordinary appeared.¡±


    ¡°Good. Continue keeping watch. I need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Ah- then is master¡¯s task over?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Red refused to elaborate further and walked over to the Spirit Gathering formation. He sat down cross-legged and examined his inner body with the help of his expanded awareness.


    Although he hadn¡¯t been harmed by the trap, he couldn¡¯t forget the kind of enemy he was facing: a cult known for illusions and subterfuge. Red didn¡¯t know their capabilities, but it might be possible that he had fallen under some kind of effect without being aware of it.


    On an initial examination, however, he didn¡¯t spot anything out of the ordinary in his body.


    Still not satisfied, though, he touched the crystal core in his pouch.


    ¡°Can you check my body for anomalies?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia scoffed. ¡°After what happened with that third eye of yours?! Do you want me to die, you bastard?!¡±


    ¡®Right¡­¡¯


    Red almost forgot about that issue of his third eye, as it had been inactive for a long time. It was bound to absorb Aurelia¡¯s spiritual energy as soon as she entered his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too concerned, though.¡± She said. ¡°If something tried to invade your body, I would have detected it.¡±


    Red sighed. It wasn¡¯t the reassurance he wanted to hear, but it was as much as he would get in this situation.


    After making sure nothing was out of the ordinary with the rest of his equipment, he closed his eyes and started to meditate with the Celestial Current. He did not use much spiritual energy in studying the formation, but just trying to access the memories of the infernal runes took a lot of him mentally.


    He needed to be well rested before considering his next move.


    ¡­


    The night passed and morning arrived.


    Before Red could even start to contemplate his day, he sensed someone approaching his manor. Ten seconds later, and there were some knocks at the door.


    This wasn¡¯t a fluctuation he recognized, but he didn¡¯t sense any ill intent behind their actions. Once he opened the door, an old servant greeted him.


    ¡°Master Viran!¡± He bowed. ¡°Young Master Leon invites you to have breakfast with him. He says he has some important matters to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡®That quickly?¡¯


    Red had been expecting this kind of invitation, but he thought it would arrive at least a few days later. It seemed, however, that the situation was more urgent than he imagined.


    He took a look behind himself and spotted the imp behind a crate. Emer gave him a thumbs up and a smile, as if he knew exactly what his master was about to ask.


    Red frowned at this, but paid the imp no mind.


    He turned back to the old servant and nodded.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡­


    A carriage brought Red through a familiar path towards the district of the nobles. Along the way, though, he couldn¡¯t help but overhear the conversations on the streets.


    ¡°The Empire attacked us!¡±


    ¡°Those bastards! Didn¡¯t we have a treaty?¡±


    Red frowned at this.


    ¡®Why are they only learning about this now?¡¯


    Bestrem was conquered well over a month ago. From the time Red arrived in the capital, it had already been long enough that he had assumed they would have known about this some time ago, either through the Crystal Sky Sect or through the lack of communication with the town. The fact the public didn¡¯t know about this made him presume the court had a reason to keep the information hidden - most likely to avoid panic.


    The Empire hadn¡¯t pushed their invasion any further than Bestrem, so perhaps the king thought it wouldn¡¯t come to all-out war again. Yet, it seemed the information was leaked, intentionally or not.


    This didn¡¯t bode well for Red¡¯s peaceful cultivation.


    Soon enough, he arrived at the Northvale manor. This time, though, he sensed a new fluctuation belonging to a Greater Ring Realm cultivator.


    ¡®Either a visitor, or perhaps Duke Northvale himself.¡¯


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Did Leon mean to have Red break bread with his father? If that was the case, Red would have to find an excuse to leave.


    Thankfully, though, the servants led him to the same gazebo from the last time. This time, though, only Leon was seated at the table, with an assortment of pastries and other delicacies spread in front of him. He didn¡¯t seem to be very interested in the food, though, and as soon as he spotted Red, he shot up from his seat.


    ¡°Ah, Master Viran, you are-¡± Leon seized, his expression filled with embarrassment. ¡°I mean to say welcome, Master Viran, and thank you for accepting my sudden invitation.¡±


    Red took a moment to study the young master¡¯s expression before nodding.


    ¡°You told me there is an important matter to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Leon pointed at the chair across from him. ¡°Please, sit first.¡±


    Red did as much, but his gaze stayed trained on the man across from him.


    Leon couldn¡¯t hide his worried expression, but he still kept a forced smile. ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°Young Master Leon-¡±


    ¡°Just Leon, please.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Leon, then. I do not care about such pleasantries. I entertained you out of respect for you as my host the first time, but I dislike wasting my time when it could be better spent cultivating or attending other important matters. So if there¡¯s something important to be discussed, go ahead.¡±


    Leon chuckled, as some of the tension in his posture disappeared. The concern in his expression, though, remained there.


    ¡°It¡¯s a habit, Master Viran. I hope you can forgive me.¡±


    He did not wait for a reply, instead pushing a small ornate box across the table towards Red.


    ¡°First of all, this is for you.¡±


    Red examined the box with curiosity, but also didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He lifted the lid open, and a rich scent of Spiritual Energy flew to him.


    A pure white pill was inside the box, resting on top of an embroidered cloth.


    Red¡¯s eyes narrowed as he sensed the large amount of energy in this immaculate medicine.


    He looked up at Leon.


    The young master seemed to have an apologetic expression. ¡°Pierre told me what happened yesterday. You risked yourself and were exposed to some amounts of corruption, beyond the safe amount.¡±


    ¡°This is a cleansing pill?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s the only way I can repay you for taking a risk you didn¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°I do not need it. The corruption didn¡¯t affect me much, and this pill would be wasted on me.¡±


    ¡°In that case, think of it as a gift. Something you can use in case of an emergency.¡±


    These words made Red reconsider. It would be disingenuous to pretend this wouldn¡¯t be useful for him in the future, though perhaps not in the way Leon might be thinking.


    He nodded. ¡°I will take it then.¡±


    Without ceremony, he closed the lid and stowed the box away into his pouch. Then he looked back at Leon.


    ¡°I assume there must be something else.¡±


    ¡°There is.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Have you heard the news of the Empire¡¯s attack?¡±


    ¡°I heard something about it on the way over. Where did they attack?¡±


    ¡°A small town in the southern region of the kingdom. It seems they left the place not soon after the attack, though, and they might have taken the citizens there into custody.¡±


    ¡®They left?¡¯


    This was news to Red.


    Leon continued. ¡°Truth be told, though, this isn¡¯t new information. The court had been aware of it for quite some time already.¡±


    ¡°Why did they keep this from the public, then?¡±


    Although Red knew the likely answers, he still needed to pretend.


    ¡°It was not a unanimous decision, but¡­ The court thought since the Empire didn¡¯t seem to have plans to push their invasion further, there was no need to spread further panic in the city. They would investigate this sudden attack, and when they knew the reason behind it, then they would tell the citizens¡­¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°Well, at least that was the supposed reason. Truth is, they just wanted to let this matter go since they didn¡¯t think anything of much value was lost and that looking into it would be more trouble than it¡¯s worth.¡±


    These words echoed in his mind, and a feeling Red wasn¡¯t used to rose in his mind. Still, he was quick to push it down and return to normal.


    ¡°Why did they decide to reveal this information now, then?¡± Red asked.


    Leon frowned and looked down. ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t. No one knows how the information leaked, but by dawn, the news seemed to have spread like wildfire. People sought to confirm it with their contacts, and by then the strangenesses and lack of response from this Bestrem town started to raise suspicion. The court then decided to come ahead of the matter and reveal everything before matters got out of hand.¡±


    ¡°I assume there was a very dedicated effort to keep this information hidden.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, I have only learned about this myself this morning from my father. Only a handful of officials in the court even knew about it in the first place.¡±


    Red started to notice the strangeness of the situation.


    ¡°Could this have been a deliberate leak to cause unrest in the city?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That is what my father suspects. Any unrest would benefit the Empire when the time to invade came once more. However¡­¡± Leon hesitated. ¡°I have some of my own suspicions as well.¡±


    Red could somewhat guess at his thoughts. ¡°You think someone from the court leaked it?¡±


    ¡°I think that could be a possibility, much more so with what I know.¡±


    At this, Leon fell silent and looked around, as if making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. This, in turn, also made Red stand more on guard.


    ¡°Pierre is being punished for insubordination as we speak, but he managed to relay the information you two found to me before that.¡± Leon said. ¡°He told me about the tunnel beneath that house, and how it is likely connected to the sewers. It also happens that quite a few influential families in that area use those sewer tunnels for conducting illegal transactions.¡±


    Red followed along his logic. ¡°You think one of them might be involved with what this cult was doing?¡±


    ¡°Pierre told you about the families that own that district, didn¡¯t he? At first, I thought it strange they were so opposed to us investigating that formation, but it would start to make sense if they were involved with that cult in the first place. Not to mention, they have a deep knowledge of the tunnels beneath that district. Would they not have noticed cultist activity in that area? Or better yet, would the cultists have managed to dig that space without their help?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m unqualified to speak on their capabilities, but if they know those sewers that well, then it does seem like a strange coincidence that they wouldn¡¯t notice the cultist¡¯s movement.¡±


    ¡°Those were my exact thoughts.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Which is why, before dawn even arrived, I was already preparing to present a motion to investigate the sewers in that district to the court.¡±


    A realization came to Red. ¡°And before you could do that, the news of the Empire leaked.¡±


    ¡°That is the case. And now, the entire court is occupied discussing how to respond to that, and my motion will not be discussed until tomorrow, at the very least.¡±


    ¡®That gives them enough time to clean those sewers of any clues.¡¯


    Red looked at Leon. ¡°Are you certain about these assumptions?¡±


    The young master shook his head. ¡°Not at all. However, even if it¡¯s just a coincidence, this still gives anyone down in the sewer the opportunity to hide any important clues from us. Even if the motion to investigate is accepted tomorrow, I fear we won¡¯t find anything of use.¡±


    Red could only imagine. In fact, it was likely those sewers were being scrubbed clean as they spoke, which explained why Leon had called him so early in the morning. This also explained another matter.


    ¡°You want my help.¡± Red said with absolute certainty.


    Leon smiled with a difficult expression. ¡°That is indeed the case. The enemy most likely has a very skilled formation master on their side, and you have proven to be capable enough to see through their schemes. I¡¯m afraid only you can help me and my companions to see this through in one piece.¡±


    A silence befell the surroundings as the young master revealed his intentions. Leon noticed Red¡¯s lack of response and started to show more worry in his expression.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m asking a lot of you, but trust me, should you accept not only will you be helping the entire city, you will also be more than appropriately compensat-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Red cut him off.


    Leon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I have some conditions of my own.¡±


    ¡°Anything, Master Viran! As long as we can buy it, we will-¡±


    ¡°What I want can¡¯t be bought.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°I need a Spirit Contract. Something that will bind you to your word if you agree to my terms.¡±


    This time, Leon seemed at a loss.


    ¡°I will only accept the job if you agree to that.¡± Red said.

 Chapter 436 - Conditions

    Leon seemed to struggle with the suggestion.


    ¡°A Spirit Contract is a rare item.¡± he said. ¡°It''s tricky to get my hands on one.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I am sure it is. Still, it¡¯s the only thing that will give me peace of mind to work together.¡±


    The young master remained quiet, reflecting on his words with a frowning expression. It was only half a minute later that he spoke up again.


    ¡°I will need to consult my father on this.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Red said.


    He didn¡¯t expect their ventures to be a secret from the Duke. In fact, he was almost certain that Leon¡¯s father funded his investigation, as the man also might have a vested interest in their findings.


    Leon got up and walked away. He entered the manor and left Red by himself for almost half an hour.


    When he returned, he brought a locked box with him. He set it down in the center of the table and sat down. The gaze with which he looked at Red seemed to have an added sense of severity to it.


    ¡°My father has allowed me to use a Spirit Contract.¡± Leon said. ¡°However, there are certain conditions which he wants us to establish before we can use it.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t unexpected to Red, so he nodded.


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°First, it¡¯s your role in the investigation. If you agree to this contract, you are to help with the entire investigation into the demonic cults in the capacity of a Formation Expert. You will still be offered payment for your duties, but backing out of your responsibility will make the contract void and cause backlash.¡±


    Red frowned. Perhaps it was expected that they would try to secure the cooperation of a formation master like him after finding out the enemy had a similar expert, but this was still a lot of responsibility to take on.


    ¡°As long as these responsibilities do not force me to put my life in danger against my will, I do not mind.¡± He said.


    ¡°We won¡¯t force you to investigate anything that would put your life at risk.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°The second condition is about information secrecy. As long as you agree to this contract, any leak in information learned through our investigations to others, excluding to those I give my explicit agreement towards, will be considered a breach in contract.¡±


    ¡®I wonder if that includes Aurelia.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ That is fine.¡±


    Leon looked relieved as he heard his responses.


    ¡°The third and final condition is that if any of your actions deliberately cause harm to innocents within the city, it will also be considered a breach in our agreement.¡±


    This one gave Red pause.


    ¡°This seems like a rather ambiguous statement.¡± He said.


    There were too many ways in which that condition was unclear, and just by putting the word ¡®deliberately¡¯ there didn¡¯t make the interpretation any more direct. For instance, what if Red fought another cultivator in a public space? He wouldn¡¯t have any intent on harming mortals around him, but it¡¯s entirely possible it would happen. If he still chose to engage while acknowledging that risk, would that be a deliberate action to harm innocents? What if he needed to weight the lives of two groups of people and choose who to save? Would the deaths in that scenario be put on him as far as the contract went?


    Leon didn¡¯t seem surprised by Red¡¯s words. ¡°It is a vague statement, and I also struggled with how to include it in a contract, which is why it won¡¯t be part of the contract. It¡¯s just a promise between the two of us.¡±


    Red was taken aback.


    ¡°A promise?¡±


    Leon sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like working with these kinds of contracts, Master Viran. I think mutual trust is the best way to establish a good working relationship with others, so I would rather believe in someone¡¯s character to stand by their word, even if I have to open myself to be betrayed. With all that said, the first two conditions were absolute requirements on my father¡¯s behalf to allow the use of the Spirit Contract. This last one is just a request on my part.¡±


    ¡°¡­ If it¡¯s just that much, I can promise you that.¡± Red said. ¡°Though I can¡¯t guarantee no harm will come to pass to others if I¡¯m targeted by assassins again.¡±


    Leon smiled.


    ¡°I just ask that you keep that in mind when taking action. I would rather never lose sight of the reason I am doing this in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You want to save innocents?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Of course! Why else would I be doing it?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Why else?¡¯


    Perhaps Red had spent too much time around self-interested and cynical cultivators as he grew up, so it was strange for him to see someone with such pure motives. Still, there was a reason that most cultivators lacked in heroic spirit. At best, it would accrue you a lot of enemies, and at worst, it was bound to get you killed for messing with the wrong person. In either option, it was bound to make your cultivation journey much harder while providing you with little to no advantages.


    Perhaps Leon hadn¡¯t faced that reality yet due to his sheltered life, but it wasn¡¯t Red¡¯s responsibility to teach him a life lesson.


    ¡°Are those all the terms?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°They¡¯re all written in the contract already.¡±


    He opened the box and passed a sheet of paper over to Red. It looked like an ordinary item, but when he gazed at the symbol near the top of the paper, he froze.


    It was an eye.


    ¡®This is very similar to the symbol that elder taught me in my dreams.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t quite the same, yet the similarities were too much for this to be a mere coincidence.


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    Red didn¡¯t let any of his surprise show in his actions. He read further down, seeing the conditions he had already agreed to written on the paper already. There was still a lot of space on the paper where he assumed his own conditions would be placed.


    ¡°Who made this contract?¡± he asked.


    Spirit Contracts did not work on a simple agreement basis. To make sure that both parties kept their word and to punish them in case they didn¡¯t, the contract must be overseen by a stronger existence who was capable of these things in the first place. A fair and benevolent one, if that was possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Spirit Contract my father bought from the Divine Dream Sect.¡± Leon said. ¡°The eye symbol is a form of connection to the Ancestral Spirit of their sect.¡±


    ¡°Their Ancestral Spirit?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Red heard of the rather recluse Divine Dream Sect. It was the first time he heard about this Ancestral Spirit, though.


    ¡°The Ancestral Spirit of the Divine Dream Sect is known to be fair and just in all its judgements.¡± Leon said. ¡°They say it¡¯s the spirit of an ancient artifact, but no one knows for sure. All that I know is that it¡¯s the standard judge for making Spirit Contract in the cultivation world.¡±


    Aurelia piped up at this. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. Even in my time, people used the Ancestral Spirit as the standard overseer of agreements.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this is safe, though?¡± Red asked. ¡°Is it not possible to cheat it?¡±


    Leon seemed to be at a loss for words. ¡°Uh¡­ I suppose I never thought about that before, but as far as I know, no one has ever accomplished that before.¡±


    ¡°What if someone took control of that Ancestral Spirit? Wouldn¡¯t they be able to control these agreements?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I¡­¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Stop being paranoid! The Ancestral Spirit of the Divine Dream Sect doesn¡¯t exist in the material world. No cultivator can reach it through normal means, and even if they could, they would need to deal with a Spirit that has been around since the founding of the sects. If they have the power to do that, then they could just do whatever they want in the world anyway and ignore any contracts!¡±


    As always, Aurelia¡¯s explanation shed some light on the matter. Leon, though, was still struggling with an explanation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Red said. ¡°If the sects use this as standard, there¡¯s no reason for me to cast doubt on it.¡±


    Leon let out a breath of relief. ¡°Good.¡±


    Red, of course, still couldn¡¯t ignore his new discovery about the eye symbol. How was it related to the one in his dream? Was that elder involved in all of this? Perhaps this was something worth investigating, but he doubted Leon could provide him with any answers.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve agree with my conditions, I suppose you can put your conditions forward now.¡± Leon said.


    Red nodded. ¡°Any information I reveal to you as it relates to my personal matters can¡¯t be revealed to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Leon frowned. ¡°What kind of personal matters?¡±


    ¡°Sensitive matters.¡±


    ¡°Will they affect people around me or my investigations?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Though I can only see such a thing coming to pass if you reveal them to others.¡±


    Leon closed his eyes in thought. A few seconds later, he opened them and looked at Red with a serious expression.


    ¡°Are you involved with nefarious matters?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°All I can say is that I¡¯m not an evil person.¡±


    Leon gave him a helpless smile. ¡°What is that even supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you make of it.¡±


    The young master paused again.


    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t tell this even to my companions?¡±


    ¡°No. The only information you can reveal is that which I allow you to, or what you need to reveal to help me with my tasks.¡±


    Leon raised his eyebrows. ¡°You need help with something?¡±


    ¡°That is the second condition. You will help me accomplish something to the best of your ability in exchange for my services.¡±


    ¡°To the best of my ability? Is it something difficult?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Red said. ¡°Though it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s beyond your capabilities.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re being honest, then I agree with all of it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Just like that?¡±


    Red was surprised.


    The young master laughed. ¡°What is there to discuss? I talked about trusting people, so I obviously need to put that into action¡­ I just hope it¡¯s nothing evil.¡±


    ¡°We can put that down in the contract if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine! My instincts tell me I can I trust you¡­ I think.¡±


    Over the next hour, they both set about writing the conditions on the piece of paper. Other than the specific terms they discussed, there were a bunch of general conditions they needed to establish, such as not betraying each other, or not working directly for their enemies. With the help of a pen and a magical ink that was easily erased, they had the finished draft after a lot of revisions - mostly on Red¡¯s behalf.


    Leon leaned back and looked down at the document. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Now we sign it with our vital blood.¡±


    Leon bit the tip of his thumb, causing a droplet of blood to pour down. He smeared it on the bottom of the contract, and the paper glowed in a silver light. Just as quickly as it came, though, the light disappeared.


    ¡°Your turn.¡± Leon said.


    Red hesitated. He knew that it would come down to this, but now that the time came, he was worried about showing off his blood.


    As if responding to his concerns, he felt a rumbling from the pit of his stomach. Something seemed to float all the way from his stomach to his right hand and towards the tip of his thumb.


    Red knew this was his cue.


    He bit the tip of his finger, causing a droplet of blood saturated with Spiritual Energy to emerge. Then he smeared it on the contract, and the reaction was almost instantaneous.


    The paper glowed in the same silver light, though this time more intensely. The eye symbol seemed to come alive, and Red felt as if he was being stared by a great existence. Before he could react, though, the contract suddenly morphed into two beams of light, one which shooting into his and Leon¡¯s head.


    Then, the feeling of being watched suddenly dissipated, and nothing remained of the contract in front of them. Yet, Red felt as if something was suddenly inserted into his mind - a boundary of sorts. The feeling was hard to describe, but he knew that this meant the Spirit Contract was now in full effect.


    A weight seemed to be lifted off of Leon¡¯s back as he looked at Red with a wide smile. ¡°Finally, we can put that behind us. Will you tell me what you need help with now?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Do you remember that girl I told you to investigate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though Pierre is the one who knows the details about the investigation.¡± Leon leaned over. ¡°Is your request related to her?¡±


    ¡°It is. She¡¯s sick.¡±


    ¡°So you mean to find a cure? I can help with-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s cursed.¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°Cursed?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°Yes, her soul is cursed. I mean to search for a cure in those demonic cults, and I want your help.¡±


    The young master leaned back and massaged his temples.


    ¡°Now I see why you said that I might not be able to help you¡­ As far as I know, souls are the realm of Spiritual Awakening practitioners, right?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°That is correct. There is no guarantee that the cults in this city will have the cure, but it¡¯s my best lead.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I can¡¯t promise you that we will definitely find it, but me and my companions will certainly try our best.¡±


    ¡°That is enough for me.¡± Red took out a small pill from his pouch. ¡°There¡¯s also this medicine she takes on a regular basis. I want you to test it and tell me what its effects are.¡±


    ¡°That is something I can certainly do.¡± Leon picked up the pill, eyed it, and stowed it away in his pocket.


    He looked back at Red and smiled.


    ¡°She must be pretty important for you to go to all these lengths for her, right?¡±


    All the response Leon got was an impassive gaze beneath the mask.


    He shook his head, embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡±


    Red ignored him. ¡°There is another matter. You said your friend Ilse saw a vision of a demonic snake in the city, correct?¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡± Leon nodded.


    ¡°Can you describe it to me?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want a description, I think Lady Ilse would be much better for-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a contract with her. I have a contract with you.¡±


    ¡°R-Right¡­ However, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s not much to talk about that you don¡¯t already know. It was a humanoid snake, probably a fusion between a cultist and a demon.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Was there anything out of the ordinary with it? Its clothes, its features?¡±


    He was still bothered by that feeling from yesterday. Now, he was trying to dig for clues, but it still felt like a pointless search.


    Leon seemed ashamed. ¡°It was a demon, Master Viran. It had the body of a human and the head of snake, and all of its features were distorted to some extent, as Ilse told me.¡±


    ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯


    A remote possibility dawned in Red¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Can you tell me what was distorted about it?¡± he asked. ¡°Other than the snake''s head.¡±


    ¡°Well, she made a drawing of it, though it¡¯s not in my possession. From what I recall, though, it had curved horns, four arms, an elongated neck, six eyes, a protruding fan-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Red cut him off. ¡°You said six eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It had six eyes, three on each side of its head and¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t listen to the rest of Leon¡¯s explanation. Suddenly, things clicked and the faint sense of recollection became clear as day.


    He had felt that energy before, without a doubt. Though back then, it wasn¡¯t as strong, or as corrupted.


    That energy was the same as his pet snake.

 Chapter 437 - Preparation

    ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s no way!¡±


    Aurelia shouted in an incensed tone. She seemed to have realized the same as Red.


    ¡®The same as that snake¡­¡¯


    ¡°Did that description help you in any way?¡±


    Leon¡¯s question snapped him out of his reverie.


    ¡°Do all serpent demons share the same features?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°That type of knowledge is something only sects know these days.¡±


    ¡®A dead end, then¡­¡¯


    Another thread of uncertainty to an already chaotic web of secrets and mysteries. Red felt that he was bound to lose track at some point, but at the very least, he was gaining information this time around.


    ¡°The operation,¡± He said. ¡°When do you intend to set out?¡±


    ¡°At midnight.¡± Leon said, with a hushed tone. ¡°We will need to go about it stealthily so as not to attract any attention.¡±


    ¡°¡®We¡¯? You¡¯re coming?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t intend to let others do all the work for me and my family.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any subordinates better suited for this?¡±


    Leon frowned. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? You think I can¡¯t hold my own as a cultivator?¡±


    Red looked the fancily dressed young noble up and down. His gaze then went to the assortment of delicacies on the table.


    Leon seemed to guess at his thoughts. ¡°Look! Just because all you¡¯ve seen me do is eat doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not a cultivator!¡±


    ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°My abilities are supportive in nature. I can help strengthen others¡¯ powers and heal them if they¡¯re wounded.¡±


    ¡°Can you defend yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can! However, direct combat is not my specialty, so I work better alongside a fighter.¡±


    ¡°I assume you have one of those prepared for this mission as well.¡±


    Leon nodded. ¡°You remember my friend Emeric?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Him?¡±


    Of all of Leon¡¯s acquaintances, he would have expected Pierre to be chosen. The only impression he had of this Emeric was of a spoiled young noble with a rather short fuse from their brief interaction.


    ¡°Emeric is a reliable ally.¡± Leon said. ¡°Besides, when it comes to actual combat, he is one of the strongest cultivators his age in the city.¡±


    ¡°And that is the only help you have?¡±


    ¡°The only one I could gather in a short period. Pierre is under house arrest, Ilse has a meeting scheduled tonight, and Marina will be with her father. There are other¡­ Venues where I could find help, but the gist of the matter is secrecy. People are always watching us, and our involvement with this matter is definitely not a secret anymore. We don¡¯t want to alert anyone to our movements, and only me and Emeric are disengaged for the day. Our presence won¡¯t be required anywhere.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean they still won¡¯t keep an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°That may be so, but we have the support of our households to slip away unnoticed. We have made ample preparations for such an occasion.¡±


    ¡°And what about me? I also have my own stalkers.¡±


    Leon smiled. ¡°This is part of the reason I invited you here. If someone were to ask about your presence, I am consulting you in some important matters, which will require a long discussion that could last well into the night.¡±


    ¡®He even thought about this.¡¯


    If people figured out Red¡¯s involvement in the investigation of the demonic formation, they wouldn¡¯t find it weird he visited Leon the very next day to give his report.


    ¡°This still feels risky.¡± he said. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t see us coming, there¡¯s no way they will leave that underground area unprotected, if it¡¯s that important to them.¡±


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    Leon nodded. ¡°I know, but this is our only opportunity. I don¡¯t plan on risking my life if the situation seems untenable, but I have to take this chance, at the very least.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°As long as you understand that.¡±


    Since he had already agreed to help, he wasn¡¯t too worried about confrontation and risks. However, he wanted his companions to be on the same page - that being not throwing their life away if they were in a tough spot.


    ¡°Tell me the exact plan.¡± he asked.


    ¡°We will move at nightfall.¡± Leon said. ¡°I have a magic item that can make us invisible and will allow us to sneak by anyone watching. We will then make our way to a sewer entrance, which some of my family¡¯s members have secured beforehand. The trip there will be long, but our first stop will be halfway through where we will meet Emeric¡­¡±


    The young master went on to detail their route and their general plan. This was a reconnaissance mission, and their priority would be to find any evidence of the cult¡¯s wrongdoings in the sewers. Combat was to be avoided, but if they had no choice, they would need to end their engagements quickly or retreat.


    Red¡¯s role was simple - he would be on the lookout for any traps or hidden formations. Since the enemy already made use of subterfuge, it was reasonable to expect they would employ it again to surprise anyone snooping about.


    ¡°While Emeric will be in charge of combat, I want to be sure you have the means to defend yourself if it comes down to it.¡± Leon said. ¡°Do you require any equipment? I would be more than happy to lend you artifacts for this mission.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Red said. ¡°I can¡¯t promise to be of much help in taking down an enemy, but I can take care of myself.¡±


    He still had his Gale Breath as an offensive spell, but he couldn¡¯t use it in front of others. He would need to rely on his swordsmanship to cause any harm, which wasn¡¯t as powerful just yet.


    Before Leon could ask him any more questions, Red spoke up.


    ¡°I need a room to meditate and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, we can certainly provide you with that¡­¡±


    It seemed like the young master still had more to say, but he held himself back.


    ¡°One of my servants will bring you to a guest room, where you will have your privacy.¡± Leon said. ¡°If you need anything, just ring a bell by the bedside. I will send someone to look for you when night nears.¡±


    Red nodded and stood up. Soon enough, a servant came by to bring him into the mansion, leaving behind a Leon that seemed quite baffled by the sudden end of their meeting.


    Judging by his fluctuation alone, he still had a lot of worries regarding their plan, perhaps on Red¡¯s part and reassurances. However, Red couldn¡¯t tell him his secrets, so there was no point in entertaining the conversation any further.


    The servant brought him through a luxurious corridor, but he barely paid attention to its details. Once he was inside a spacious guest room and was sure the door was locked and no one was nearby, he reached into his pouch and grabbed the crystal core.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He reached through his expanded awareness instead of speaking up. After all, he didn¡¯t know if there were any spying devices in this room.


    Aurelia¡¯s angry voice was quick to respond.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®what is it¡¯?! How exactly did you know that stupid snake was involved in this?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it. I just had a feeling of recollection when I felt that demonic energy.¡±


    ¡°And how could a little boy that is barely a cultivator recognize a spiritual energy that escaped even my perception?¡±


    ¡°It may have to do with my corruption.¡± Red said. ¡±It allowed me to tame the snake in the first place, so perhaps there is an instinctual recognition of their energy signature now.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that.¡±


    Aurelia went quiet for a few seconds.


    ¡°Still, that would mean that your corruption is more than just skin-deep at this point.¡± She said.


    Red frowned. ¡°But I haven¡¯t been in contact with any of that corruption lately.¡±


    ¡°Well, you just entered a city full of cultists. Your body is bound to react in a few peculiar ways when faced with other types of corruption.¡±


    ¡°That can also happen?¡±


    As far as he was concerned, his corruption would only worsen if he came into contact with more demonic energy for extended periods of time. If it developed on its own or by simply coming into contact with more corruption, then it would make matters much more dangerous.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s just a wild assumption.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The more likely scenario is that you already had that instinctual power for a while, but just never had the opportunity to use it.¡±


    This other alternative gave Red some comfort.


    ¡°So, does this mean this cult has that snake under their control?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly answer that.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°I doubt that snake is unique, so it could be some other six-eyed snake. It could even be that some of their demonic techniques are based on those species of serpent, hence why you felt recognition in that spiritual energy. In the end, though, I can¡¯t feel even the slightest bit of similarity between them, so this is something only you can answer for sure.¡±


    That would be quite difficult, since Red had neither his pet snake nor the demonic energy nearby to study and compare. Still, knowing that the cultists might be related to the six-eyed snake was already precious information.


    That serpent could seal its egg and make it seem like was uncracked even at close inspection. Its venom also had extremely powerful paralytic ability. If the cultists had similar powers to that, it was something Red needed to be wary of.


    At moments like these where his life and not his principles were on the life, he was never too proud to ask for help from his most valuable source.


    ¡°Do you have any advice in fighting these cultists?¡± he asked.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°I told you already, I never really fought these snake idiots.¡±


    ¡°You have fought other demonic cultivators, though.¡±


    ¡°Bah, what is there to know? They didn¡¯t turn to worshipping a demon because they were wise or mentally stable. If you can¡¯t kill them outright, just be smart, prey on their emotions, and wait for an opening. That kind of strategy never failed me.¡±


    Red expected more actionable advice, but perhaps it was truly that simple.


    ¡®Or perhaps I need to learn better than to take the advice of a sect genius in combat.¡¯


    ¡­


    Hours passed, and night soon arrived.


    Red, who was meditating, heard a knock at his door.


    ¡°Master Viran. Young Master Leon requests your presence.¡± An old voice said. ¡°He tells me it¡¯s about time.¡±


    Red took a deep breath and got up, strapping his swords to his waist.


    For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he would be the one on the hunt again.

 Chapter 438 - Sewers

    The servant led Red to a large bedroom. Leon was there, waiting for him.


    ¡°Are you prepared, Master Viran?¡±


    Unlike their previous encounters, Leon¡¯s getup was quite different. He was wearing an all black martial outfit, resembling a rogue more than a noble. The pouch by his waist also blended with his clothing, almost impossible to detect if one was not paying attention.


    What really stood out, however, was a dark wooden flute strapped to the other side of his waist. There was an undisguised spiritual energy aura emitting from the instrument.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to sing?¡± Red asked.


    Leon smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a spiritual artifact. Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t make noise. Are you prepared, then?¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Step close to me.¡± Leon said. ¡°And make sure to stay within two meters at all times.¡±


    He did as instructed, though he didn¡¯t get any closer than two meters.


    The young master chuckled at this before fiddling with his pouch. He pulled out a round plain iron insignia, inserting a dark green energy into it.


    The item glowed, and a faint aura spread around it. Leon disappeared from view in an instant.


    Red¡¯s eyes twitched, but he didn¡¯t panic. He could still feel the man right in front of him. The aura stopped expanding around the two meter mark, covering him in its domain.


    Red felt an electrifying sensation touching his skin. He looked down at his hands, noting that they had gone invisible, too.


    ¡°The item can turn everyone I want within two meters invisible. As long as they don¡¯t resist it, that is.¡± Leon said. ¡°Come on, we will go out through the balcony.¡±


    The window was already half open, so they didn¡¯t need to touch anything. They stopped at the edge of the balcony, looking down at the garden below.


    Leon¡¯s room was on the second floor, so they would need to jump down. Not a problem for cultivators of their level, but they still needed to coordinate to not be farther than 2 meters apart.


    The young master looked over at him - or at least that¡¯s what he did as far as Red could tell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll count us down. I haven¡¯t informed the guards about my plan, but the formation won¡¯t be alerted to our presence.¡±


    Red only nodded. A few seconds of silence went by before he caught himself. ¡°I understand.¡±


    That seemed to be enough for Leon.


    ¡°One, two, and¡­ Jump!¡±


    They jumped in sync, landing at the middle of the ground without making a single sound. As soon as Red¡¯s feet touched the ground, though, he felt a gaze on his back.


    In a panic, he turned around and looked at its source. There, on the third floor of the house, a silhouette was staring directly at him from behind a curtain. With his crimson sense, Red could immediately tell it belonged to that same Greater Ring Realm cultivator he felt earlier.


    ¡®He can sense us.¡¯


    Perhaps this shouldn¡¯t be a surprise.


    As if detecting his alarm, Leon spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My father knows what we are doing.¡±


    ¡®He seems quite willing to see his son take such risks.¡¯


    Red kept this thought to himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Like Leon said, the way out of the manor was smooth. They avoided any patrols and were able to jump the fence with no issues.


    Red also used his crimson sense to scout the way, and he felt quite a few presences on the rooftops of neighbouring buildings - hidden just out of sight. The spies, he presumed.


    Thankfully, none of their attention seemed to be directed at the invisible duo, which meant their escape plan was a success.


    ¡°There¡¯s a long way to go to reach the sewer entrance.¡± Leon said. ¡°Tell me if you ever need to stop. I won¡¯t rush my steps.¡±


    Red grunted in agreement.


    As Leon explained earlier, they secured an entrance to the sewers in another section of the city. It would be a good way to avoid bringing any attention to their operation.


    The way over was mostly smooth. With their invisibility, they didn¡¯t need to hide away from prying eyes, though they still found it wise to stick to alleys and out of sight. Sometimes Red would feel they were headed to a direction where multiple Lesser Ring Realm cultivators lived, but before he could even give Leon a warning, the young master stopped.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make a detour here. There''re some cultivators ahead, and I don¡¯t want to risk detection.¡±


    This surprised Red. Either the young noble had some means of detection, or he had very detailed information about the cultivators in the city.


    With Leon¡¯s guidance, Red had little to do other than follow. All he focused on was making sure they were not being stalked by anyone.


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    Almost an hour later, they reached the outskirts of town. Then, after scouting around with some landmarks, Leon finally arrived in front of a shoddy wooden house hidden away in a small alley.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± he said. ¡°We arrived just on time, too. I think the artifact only has some ten minutes.¡±


    ¡®So close?¡¯


    Red held back his annoyance.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one inside.¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s by design. We didn¡¯t want anyone to spot our men.¡±


    Leon walked forward and pushed against the door.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside before anyone passes by.¡±


    Red followed behind him and closed the door. The inside of the house didn¡¯t look any better, with half-rotten wooden furniture and webs all around.


    Once they were inside, Leon deactivated the invisibility. He looked over at Red and smiled.


    ¡°I told you it would go smoothly, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t believe you, I wouldn¡¯t have taken the job.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Well¡­ Either way, the entrance should be over here.¡±


    Leon walked to a corner of the room where a large dirty rug laid. He pulled it off, revealing a locked wooden hatch beneath it.


    ¡°This is how you hid a secret entrance?¡± Red asked.


    Leon smiled. ¡°Until yesterday, we didn¡¯t consider the entrance to the sewers to be a particularly important secret to keep. Still, we have other means of telling if the space was tampered with.¡±


    As he said that, he took out a small slab from his pouch.


    ¡®A formation plated.¡¯


    Red was quick to recognize it.


    Leon looked over the plate before nodding and stowing it away.


    ¡°We are safe. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He unlocked the hatch and threw it open, revealing a ladder passage that led straight down to the underground. They both climbed down before landing in a small stone room. An iron door stood on the other side, and already foul odors reached their nostrils.


    Leon looked over at Red, his expression hardening. ¡°From here on out, we are entering unknown territory. My family has limited control of these sewers, and over the years, many factions in the city have expanded these tunnels to conduct underground activities. It¡¯s not just the cult territory we need to beware of.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°This is what I¡¯m here for. Let me scout the way and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    The young master nodded back. ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you, then.¡±


    Leon walked over to the iron door and unlocked it before swinging it open. On the other side, they were greeted by the grisly sight of the sewer tunnels.


    It was a large arched pathway reaching about five meters tall and ten meters long, paved with crude stone blocks. A wide stream of foul water ran through the middle of the passage, surrounded on both sides by narrow sidewalks where one could tread. The air was damp and fetid, and it caused Red to hesitate to even draw breath.


    It was common for cultivators, with their enhanced senses, to be more affected by things like smells. Still, this was why it was all the more important for them to control their bodily reactions.


    It took Red a few seconds to shut the smell away and focus on his surroundings.


    Leon, however, wasn¡¯t faring very well, as he held his nose with a disgusted expression. Still, as he looked over at his companion standing unbothered, he tried to compose himself.


    ¡°I have the map memorized in my head.¡± he said. ¡°There might be additional passages along the way, but unless they blocked off the main tunnels, the path will remain the same.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it easier for them to ambush us, then?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Is something I didn¡¯t consider.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about it now. It¡¯s still a preferable option than taking unknown routes to our destiny.¡±


    The sewers spanned almost the entire city underground. Even if the enemy expected them, it would be hard to pinpoint where they would come from. Or at least, so Red hoped.


    ¡°Just stay behind me and be ready to act.¡± he said.


    ¡°Right.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°We need to meet Emeric as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°No point in rushing, if it means we lower our guard.¡±


    With that, Red walked down the sidewalk with Leon as a guide. The tunnels were long, and they often diverged at many intersections, but the young noble seemed to have a good handle on their path.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Leon pointed to the left.


    The tunnels were mostly dark, but there were some dim lamps hanging on the walls every ten meters - most likely to help light the path for people who worked down there. This meant they didn¡¯t need any tool to light their path - not that it was an issue for Red.


    For his part, he kept a close eye on every surface of the tunnel, in search of marks or symbols that seemed out of place. The only thing he found, though, was the usual sewer access leading above or signs of human activity in almost every crevice they came across. It seemed quite a few people lived in these tunnels, though they were nowhere to be found at the moment.


    In fact, even using his crimson sense, Red had yet to detect any human being or monster in these tunnels. This started to bother him very quickly.


    ¡°These tunnels are supposed to be quite active, right?¡± he asked.


    Leon nodded, his expression also showing puzzlement. ¡°At least underneath the slums, this is supposed to be a very active place, but...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡±


    Red considered the possibility that they might be hiding in some of these poorly dug side-tunnels, but his crimson sense told him otherwise. He could sense up to three hundred meters around him, even farther if he focused in one direction - and he had yet to sense any sign of life.


    Something was strange.


    ¡°There are no signs of combat or struggle.¡± Leon said. ¡°Everyone seems to have just¡­ Left.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they were told to leave.¡± Red said. ¡°And from the looks of it, they were quite compliant.¡±


    The young master frowned. ¡°The city guard, perhaps? But they don¡¯t mess with matters of the sewers unless it¡¯s something extremely important.¡±


    ¡°Who did it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is why they did it.¡±


    What was the point of evacuating the entire sewer system when the area the cult was acting under was rather isolated?


    Leon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell, but I doubt they would go to such lengths just to prepare for us.¡±


    ¡°You may be right, but it¡¯s best to be prepared for confrontation sooner rather than later.¡±


    They continued to make their way through the tunnels. Leon judged it would take them no more than half an hour to reach the meeting place where Emeric waited, but midway through, something happened.


    ¡®A fluctuation!¡¯


    Red felt it, roughly in the direction they were walking towards. As he took another step, another one appeared, followed by almost a dozen more. The number continued to increase until it almost reached the hundreds.


    This gave Red pause.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Leon asked as he stopped walking.


    ¡°Something is happening up ahead.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The young master frowned. ¡°How can you¡­ No, that doesn¡¯t matter. What is it you felt?¡±


    ¡°A gathering. Dozens of mortals, up ahead.¡±


    ¡°Dozens? What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡± Red shook his head. ¡°Be prepared for combat.¡±


    He had a bad feeling about the situation.


    Leon nodded and unstrapped his flute from his waist.


    Red continued to lead the way, and their path brought them closer to this gathering. As they approached, a faint whispering sound reached their ears.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Red tensed, and his hand went to his sword. It wasn¡¯t just a single voice, but rather dozens of them. Each one was too faint to hear individually, but together they formed a chorus that echoed through the tunnel.


    Once the duo turned a bend, the source of this sound was revealed to them.


    Dozens of ragged human figures knelt around an altar, their figured prostrated to the ground and hidden by shadows. This altar was built on a platform raised over the sewer stream, and a single object stood atop it.


    A statuette of a snake.


    As soon as Red gazed at it, he felt his body freeze involuntarily. Then, at the next second, the whispering noises stopped.


    The heads of the kneeling figures whipped around, staring at the unwelcome visitors. Their eyes were all glowing red, with dark slits for pupils.


    The eyes of dozens of serpents.

 Chapter 439 - Statuette

    As the eyes of the cultists trained on him, a powerful pressure struck Red head-on. Although their gazes came from different sources, they formed one shapeless force that washed over him.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    His body tensed under the strain, and he felt paralyzed. A second later, though, he shook the sensation off and took a step back in surprise. The cultists kept their gazes trained on him, but Red¡¯s attention turned to his companion behind him.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Leon also suffered from the sudden attack, and he bent over and clutched his head in pain. He didn¡¯t seem to recover from the blow as easily as Red, and struggled to maintain his footing.


    After confirming his companion¡¯s state, Red tuned around to face the cultists again. He had shaken off the pressure, but their reptilian gazes were still emitting a strange force against his body that made it hard to move forward. He gave up on the idea of charging forward and instead raised his hand in their direction. Azure energy flowed from his veins and gathered in front of him into the shape of a blade.


    There was a sudden shift amidst the cultists in reaction to his movements. Their eyes shone and the pressure surrounding Red disappeared. The youth was alarmed, but didn¡¯t stop his casting.


    Before he could finish, though, the air in front of him shimmered and the entire world became distorted, causing Red to lose sight of his target. Colors and shapes twisted, and the acrid smells and sound of rushing water vanished alongside it. A second later, the scenario reformed in his vision.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    To his surprise, he found himself standing on a field of flowers stretching as far as the eye could see, and a blue, bright sky hanging overhead. Birds chirped as they flew, and a pleasant smell reached his nostrils.


    A word manifested itself in his mind.


    Paradise.


    A sense of serenity spread through his body. His sense of alertness and tension slipped away, and Red felt as if he wanted to lie down and relax amidst the flowers. Of course, his still somewhat rational mind could pick up on what was happening.


    ¡®An illusion.¡¯


    However, this realization didn¡¯t change his situation. The feeling of relaxation kept trying to overtake his entire body, and Red needed to focus his entire mental energy into staving it off. This left him unable to figure out how to shatter the mirage.


    As he pondered his dilemma, a whistle reached his ears. The invading sensations promptly retreated from his body, and the illusionary world twisted and shattered as he returned to the damp and dark surroundings of the sewers.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!!¡±


    A cacophony of screams immediately greeted his ears. The cultists all grabbed their heads in pain, breaking the unity of spirit they were acting under. Red spared no time trying to understand what happened and grasped this opportunity to finish his spell.


    A blade of cutting winds shot forward, disturbing the stale air of the sewers. Its target, however, wasn¡¯t the cultists.


    The spell struck the serpent statuette the cultists were surrounding, and it offered no resistance as it shattered into countless pieces like broken porcelain. As this happened, the cultists¡¯ screams ceased.


    They fell to the floor one by one like dolls that lost their support. Red didn¡¯t need to use his crimson sense to discover that their bodies had no sign of life. It was all so sudden, though, that he didn¡¯t lower his guard, staring at the corpses as if they could come back from the dead at any second.


    It was Leon¡¯s voice that broke his focus.


    ¡°They¡¯re dead?¡±


    Red turned to look at him. The surprised young master was holding the dark flute up to his mouth, looking between Red and the cultists in confusion.


    ¡°You broke the illusion.¡± Red said, in what was more statement than question.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the flute¡¯s effects.¡± Leon lowered the instrument. ¡°I¡¯m lucky that they seemed focused on you, or else I wouldn¡¯t have been able to use it.¡±


    Red nodded and turned his attention back to the cultists.


    ¡°You targeted the statuette.¡± Leon said. ¡°How did you know that would stop them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Red said. ¡°It was just an educated guess.¡±


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    ¡°A guess?¡±


    ¡°They all were using their powers in perfect unison from the very moment they spotted us. That isn¡¯t something mere teamwork can achieve, so there had to be some kind of spell or artifact that made this unity possible.¡±


    ¡°Hence, the statuette.¡± Leon showed an expression of understanding.


    What Red said was indeed true, but there was another factor that confirmed his suspicions during that brief battle, and that was the fact he could feel a substantial amount of demonic energy emanating from the statuette as soon as the battle began. This was something he was especially sensitive to.


    ¡°But to think they would die as soon as the statuette was destroyed¡­¡± Leon frowned as he stared at the corpses. ¡°This is terrible demonic magic.¡±


    ¡°Their lives seemed to be tied to this statuette¡¯s.¡± Red said.


    He approached the corpses, intent on examining the pieces of the idol.


    ¡°Wait, Master Viran!¡± Leon tried to stop him. ¡°There might be a lot of corruption there!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have the pill you gave me.¡±


    Although Red said that, he wouldn¡¯t have approached the altar if he still felt lingering demonic energy. In fact, the lack of the corrupting influence was what puzzled him in the first place.


    He knelt by a large piece of the statuette. The fact the idol wasn¡¯t ground into smithereens by the wind blade spoke a lot about its durability. Upon first inspection, though, Red couldn¡¯t identify the material.


    ¡®Some kind of marble-like rock. I would need to examine it further before coming to a conclusion.¡¯


    He looked around for a smaller piece of the statuette and stashed it away in his pouch.


    Leon observed his actions with an expression of concern.


    ¡°Are you certain that¡¯s wise?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s almost no corruption in the rock.¡± Red said. ¡°I can resist these small amounts.¡±


    ¡°No corruption?¡± Leon seemed puzzled.


    Red could understand his confusion. That unified attack from earlier was enough to threaten the two of them who were Lesser Ring Realm cultivators. This meant that a large amount of demonic energy would have to be involved in the confrontation, enough to leave definite signs of corruption behind. Yet there was almost no evidence of demonic energy left in the shattered statuette or in the surrounding air.


    ¡°Such amounts of energy wouldn¡¯t just vanish into thin air.¡± Leon said. ¡°Do you think¡­?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s somewhat similar to that demonic formation.¡±


    ¡°There are no signs of formations here, though.¡±


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t need to be. Perhaps there is a formation somewhere in the sewers that can absorb demonic energy from afar.¡±


    ¡°Is something at that level possible for a formation master?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, it shouldn¡¯t be. However, they may be using items similar to the ones we found in the hidden chamber to attract the demonic energy, only on a much larger scale.¡±


    Red stood up and looked at the altar.


    ¡°Perhaps the purpose of the statuette was to gather demonic energy that would be delivered to a central formation.¡± he said. ¡°Only, they might not have expected interference.¡±


    Leon had a grim countenance as he digested Red¡¯s words. He looked around at the corpses, as the initial adrenaline died down and the death surrounding him seemed to register in his mind.


    They were all wearing ragged clothes and had unkempt appearances. One glance would make it obvious to anyone that these were the previous inhabitants of the sewers. Their eyes, previously carrying red serpentine pupils, were now completely white, as mouth hung open and their bodies twisted in unnatural positions in death.


    There were well over twenty of such corpses surrounding them.


    Leon¡¯s expression seemed a mix of anger and sadness. ¡°This¡­ How could such a horrible thing come to pass?¡±


    Red, unbothered by the situation, looked around in thought. ¡°These types of people living beyond the purview of the city authorities would make for easy sacrifices and wouldn¡¯t draw much attention if they disappeared. Perhaps they were coerced into participating in this ritual, or they could have even been willing participants who were converted by a demonic cult. In any case, I don¡¯t expect any of them were told what role they were to play.¡±


    He was still somewhat unsure of the details, but he was confident this entire ritual was a bid to gather. The sewer dwellers gathered demonic energy into the statuette, through worship or some other dark art Red didn¡¯t know about, and this gathered demonic energy would then be transferred to somewhere else in the sewers.


    It was akin to the formation Red had investigated before, but the amount of energy involved in this ritual was much smaller. Unlike the summoning formation, it also was quite exposed and would be hard to keep a secret in the long run when dozens of people disappeared at a time, even if they were sewer-dwellers.


    ¡°They are not hiding their operations, which implies they don¡¯t care about being found out.¡± Red said. ¡°This can only mean that whatever they have planned will come to fruition soon.¡±


    Leon snapped out of his daze as he heard this. ¡°You¡¯re right! All the more reason we need to move quickly!¡±


    ¡°You intend to try to stop them?¡± Red frowned. ¡°Are you certain we are capable of that?¡±


    For all he knew, this cult might have committed their entire backbone into this operation. Red, who already had some notion of the power of these cults, was not delusional enough to think they could stop them with just a few Lesser Ring Realm cultivators.


    ¡°I hold no such illusions, Master Viran.¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°We could request reinforcements from the surface now that we have evidence of demonic activity, but I don¡¯t know if they would respond in time and I would rather not take the chance. In such a situation, we are the ones in the best position to stop their plans.¡±


    ¡°¡­ This is not part of my contract.¡±


    ¡°And I will not force you to accompany me. I would appreciate your cooperation, however, until you deign the mission too dangerous to partake in, at the very least.¡±


    Red fell silent. After some thought, though, he nodded. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Leon smiled upon hearing this. ¡°Then let¡¯s be on our way.¡± He was about to rush ahead, but stopped after a few steps. ¡°¡­ Sorry, but if you could continue to scout the way ahead.¡±


    Red said nothing, simply stepping past Leon and continuing to lead the way.


    A few minutes later, Leon spoke up, as if suddenly remembering something.


    ¡°We should be getting close to our meeting spot with Emeric¡­ Do you think we will meet more statuettes on the way?¡±


    Red thought to himself for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s very likely.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t imagine the cultists executing any kind of large ritual with just that amount of demonic energy from earlier. It would be a waste of time to reveal themselves for just that much.


    ¡°¡­ How many more statuettes do you think there are?¡± Leon asked.


    Red considered what he knew about demons and their cults before answering.


    ¡°How many people live in the sewers?¡±


    Leon''s expression fell.

 Chapter 440 - Sewer Fire

    After Leon realized the weight of the situation, he tried to hurry their journey along. Red, however, had other plans.


    ¡°We can¡¯t rush ahead. We¡¯re still dealing with a formation expert who can set traps anywhere along our path.¡±


    ¡°But Emer might be in trouble!¡± Leon said.


    ¡°You told me he can handle himself. Besides, these cultists don¡¯t know the direction we are coming from, so unless he made a point of rushing ahead by himself, they wouldn¡¯t have found him.¡±


    Leon gave him an awkward smile at these words. Red frowned.


    ¡°Is he stupid?¡±


    ¡°No, such thing!¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that since we are taking longer than normal, he might try to meet us on the way over.¡±


    ¡®So he is stupid¡­¡¯


    Red sighed.


    ¡°We keep to our course.¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no point in rushing ahead to help him if that gets us in trouble.¡±


    His words were more like a decision than a suggestion. Leon still seemed conflicted, but he nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    With his companion¡¯s agreement, Red started to scout the path ahead again. Still, it seemed his caution was unwarranted, as they didn¡¯t find any signs of cultists or traps to their meeting place.


    ¡°The meeting spot should be right up ahead.¡± Leon said.


    ¡®Is it?¡¯


    Red¡¯s crimson sense already told him what to expect before they turned around the bend. They came across an entrance very familiar to the one they exited from. The door was open, but there was no sign of the partner they were supposed to meet.


    Leon¡¯s expression fell.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡± Red said.


    Leon¡¯s mind seemed to go through multiple scenarios. ¡°Was he ambushed?¡±


    Red looked around. ¡°There are no signs of conflict. However, the fact he didn¡¯t even bother to close the door before leaving tells me that he was in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t meet him on the way over, so¡­¡±


    ¡°He rushed ahead?¡±


    ¡°¡­ He wouldn¡¯t have done that for no reason. Something must have happened.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he was kidnapped.¡±


    Leon jumped. ¡°That is highly unlikely! Emeric is a powerful warrior!¡±


    ¡°So you say¡­¡± Red shook his head. ¡°In either case, that means we can only find him ahead.¡±


    ¡®Whether he¡¯s dead or alive.¡¯


    Leon nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s hurr-¡­ I mean, let¡¯s go as quickly as possible.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. He closed the door and continued to scout ahead.


    He had already memorized the route they were supposed to be taking, but even still they kept coming across tunnels and alcoves that weren¡¯t supposed to be there according to official maps. These discoveries made him realize how much of a maze this place could be if one didn¡¯t have guidance.


    As they moved forward, however, they still failed to find signs of Emeric. They did find other things, though.


    ¡°There were other gatherings.¡± Red said. ¡°Probably more cultists.¡±


    They could eliminate the traces of corruption from the air, but it was hard to cover the evidence of a gathering of dozens of people. Regardless, these supposed cultists were not here any longer.


    ¡°Either they completed the ritual, or something forced them to move.¡± Red said. ¡°Perhaps it was Emeric himself.¡±


    Leon looked puzzled. ¡°There are still no signs of fights. Emeric must not have met with them in that case¡­ I wonder what caused him to rush ahead, then.¡±


    ¡®¡­ He¡¯s still ignoring the other possibility.¡¯


    Red was about to speak, but something made him stop. A rumbling sound, distant, but still there. Their gazes met.


    ¡°You felt it too?¡± Leon asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not coming from the direction of our objective.¡±


    ¡°We still need to investigate it! What if Emeric¡¯s in trouble?¡±


    Red thought to question where his partner¡¯s priorities lay in this mission, but he held back. Leon already made it clear what kind of person he was in their previous interactions. There was likely no convincing him on that front.


    ¡°I am here to help you with the investigation.¡± Red said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who chooses how we proceed.¡±


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    Leon seemed surprise at his words, but he still nodded. ¡°In that case, please lead us to the sound.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. He made a turn at the nearest intersection, heading towards the origin of the rumbling. In the meantime, the sound kept repeating, getting louder and louder with each step.


    Soon enough, they could also feel the ground shaking with each rumble.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s fighting.¡± Red said with certainty.


    Leon frowned and took out his flute.


    ¡°I¡¯m behind you.¡±


    As they approached the source of the sound, a sulphuric smell reached their nostrils.


    ¡°It¡¯s Emeric!¡±


    Leon shouted in alarm and ran ahead.


    ¡®Wait, damn it!¡¯


    Red could only follow behind as his companion seemed to throw caution to the wind.


    His crimson sense could tell him what was happening ahead before they even laid eyes on it. Sparks and gouts of flames spewed from a figure whom Red recognized as Emeric, who was clashing against two less-than-human opponents. Their bodies were mostly humanoid, wearing torn rags, but green scales sprouted from where the skin should be, and in place of a human head there was instead a giant snake head, fangs exposed and hissing at their target. Dark-green demonic energy surrounded their bodies as they bit and clawed at Emeric, the air sizzling from the clash of fire against this mysterious energy.


    Both of them were at the Lesser Ring Realm, and there was already one burnt corpse of a similar creature near the current location of the fight.


    ¡°Emeric!¡±


    Leon screamed in worry at seeing his friend, who was evidently on the back foot against these two monsters. Their arrival immediately caught the attention of the engaged fighters. Emeric¡¯s struggling face brightened. The two snakemen, however, simply glanced at them and resumed their attacks with renewed fierceness.


    Emeric did not even have a chance to feel relieved before being forced to defend himself again.


    ¡°We need to help him!¡±


    Leon shouted at Red before rushing ahead to join the fight. Red frowned and followed behind his companion. However, after taking a few steps, he felt an almost imperceptible surge of spiritual energy. His eyes immediately dashed to the source - the corpse of the dead snakeman that lay between them and the fight.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    He grabbed Leon by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him back. At the very next moment, something glowed in the creature¡¯s exposed belly - a small formation circle. The snakeman¡¯s belly suddenly engorged to an obscene size before exploding.


    A gory mess of blood and entrails shot all around the body, but the red spectacle was quickly overwhelmed by an expanding green gas. It quickly covered the tunnel, rushing towards the duo.


    Red was quick to realize they couldn¡¯t outrun it.


    ¡®I noticed it too late!¡¯


    He didn¡¯t bother trying to retreat any further. He seized the spiritual energy from his sea and focused it around his palms, creating a wind to blow against the approaching gas. It was not a spell or technique, but it was the quickest counter that he could execute.


    Some of the gas was redirected, but it started to reach around Red¡¯s improvised shield, as if it had a life of its own. It threatened to slip through the cracks in his defense and surround him, but before he could devise what to do, a calming whistle came from behind him.


    ¡®Leon.¡¯


    Before Red could even turn around to see what the man was doing, a bright white wave of energy washed past him before clashing against the green smoke. The gas started to dissipate like it had met its nemesis, and a few moments later, it had completely disappeared from in front of them.


    This, however, only applied to the wave that came in their direction. The gas kept flowing unabated towards Emeric and the two snakemen, about to swallow them whole.


    Seeing this, Leon dashed ahead with a worried expression.


    ¡°Emeric, burn it all!¡±


    Red did not know what this meant, and he couldn¡¯t see Emeric¡¯s response through the thick gas. At the next moment, however, he felt a sudden explosion of spiritual energy from beyond the green veil, followed by a rumble and a wave of fire that washed towards them.


    It burned away at the green gas without resistance, and both Red and Leon were blown away by the sudden force of the explosion.


    Red fought through the sudden impact and heat, returning to his feet with a practiced roll. Leon didn¡¯t seem to recover with the same grace, but Red¡¯s gaze instead focused on the scene ahead.


    Emeric was kneeling there, holding onto his chest with a pained expression. The two snakeman were tossing and turning on the ground, wailing in inhuman voices as their flesh burned away. Still, they were not dead, and much to Emeric¡¯s surprise, they tried to stand up and crawl their way to him, as green energy surged from their bodies.


    The young noble¡¯s expression fell, but before the snakes could reach him, Red was already on the move. With a single step, he rushed ahead and seized upon a gale path to arrive at Emeric and the snakemen. Although the winds were blowing against him, he managed to force his way through and land at his destination before his slowed down enemies could do anything.


    The snakemen noticed his approach, turning to face him and hissing through their melting jaws.


    ¡°Their energy is corrosive!¡±


    Emeric¡¯s warning reached Red¡¯s ears, but considering the situation, he didn¡¯t have a choice but to engage in melee combat. One of the snakeman swiped at him with their only good arm, covered by the dark green energy. Its movements were slowed, however, and in a single movement, Red dove under its attack and drew his sword in a wide arc.


    The weapon met no resistance against the weakened flesh of the monster, cutting halfway into its midsection and through the spine in a clean motion. The snakemen immediately threatened to collapse, and its companion rushed forward to strike at Red.


    It did not have the chance, though, as Red pushed its falling ally into it with a kick, causing the snakemen to crash into each other. This moment of distraction was all he needed, as he seized upon another wind path to rush towards them with increased speed.


    His sword swung high, and with a single swipe, Red cut both of the creatures¡¯ heads off. Their bodies collapse to the ground as dark blood spewed from their necks. Despite all their wounds, though, their separated body parts still twitched and moved about.


    Red watched them from a safe distance as they bled out, keeping close attention to their stomachs. To his surprise and relief, he didn¡¯t see any signs of a formation or explosion, and almost twenty seconds later, the snakemen stopped moving.


    Leon, who also observed the situation from behind, finally rushed ahead after the monsters died, helping Emeric to his feet. He looked at Red and his friend with a worried expression.


    ¡°Are you both alright? Did they wound any of you?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°They didn¡¯t have the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°T-They¡­ Didn¡¯t¡­¡± Emeric tried to catch his breath.


    Leon looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulder after hearing this. ¡°Good, good¡­ I don¡¯t need to tell you that their powers were probably poisonous, right?¡±


    Emeric hissed at Leon. ¡°M-Motherfucker, why do you think I was having so much trouble?¡±


    As Leon tended to his friend, Red looked around, observing his surroundings with his crimson sense. He didn¡¯t find any other enemies waiting for them, though.


    His attention then turned to Emeric. He regarded the young noble with an icy gaze.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Emeric seemed taken aback by the intensity of the eyes behind the mask, but he tried to keep his composure.


    ¡°I saw¡­ some vagrants rushing past me. They seemed weird, so I followed them¡­ I ended up coming across a bunch of cultists there, and I think their leader too. And then¡­¡± He fell silent.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°Then they started fusing together.¡± He pointed at the dead snakemen. ¡°And turned into this.¡±


    For a moment, no one knew how to respond.

 Chapter 441 - Merging Ritual

    Leon looked surprised. ¡°They merged? How?¡±


    Emeric shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, they just¡­ Their flesh started melting and fusing together.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±


    Emeric jumped in shock. ¡°More specific?! What else do you want me to tell you?¡±


    ¡°Everything you can.¡±


    The noble hesitated and looked over at Leon. His friend just nodded at him with a serious expression, and that seemed to be enough for Emeric.


    He looked back at Red. ¡°They started to glow with that green energy. Some of them glowed brighter than the other, and the other ones got close to them, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Their flesh melted and fused into the three snakeman?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I assume their bones did, too.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°And why didn¡¯t you stop them?¡±


    ¡°I was chasing after their leader! I almost caught him too, but then he started chanting some weird spell and this whole mess happened.¡± Emeric said. ¡°I killed one of the demons off with a spell and tried to focus on rushing after him, but the other snakemen caught up and surrounded me. I-I¡¯m not a melee expert, so I wasn¡¯t really able to finish them off that quickly.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Leader, what did they look like?¡± Leon asked.


    ¡°They were wearing some kind of ceremonial robe and a snake mask. Probably a man from their size, but most of his body was covered. When I found him, he was doing something to the cultists, but when he saw me, he turned around and ran.¡±


    ¡°Ran? He didn¡¯t try to fight you?¡±


    Emeric scratched his neck. ¡°Seems to be the case. He was definitely in the Lesser Ring Realm too, so if he tried to join forces with those snakes, I would have been in trouble.¡±


    ¡°He was in a rush.¡± Red said, looking over at Leon. ¡°Probably related to whatever ritual they were trying to do.¡±


    ¡°Ritual?¡± Emeric seemed confused. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Leon recounted their experience with the cultists from earlier, at which point Emeric looked worried.


    ¡°What are they trying to do? Some kind of summoning?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Leon said. ¡°It¡¯s probably safe to assume they were probably doing similar rituals in other places along the sewer.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ It¡¯s good that I stopped them, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you could have also died!¡±


    Leon¡¯s temper suddenly flared up as he stared at Emeric with an incensed expression. The change was so sudden that even Red was surprised.


    He jabbed at Emeric¡¯s chest with his finger. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t arrived in time, what do you think could have happened to you?!¡±


    Emeric grabbed onto his friend¡¯s wrist with a conflicted expression. ¡°They were clearly up to something! How could I have known that these demons were-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a cult here! What else were you expecting?! This isn¡¯t a test anymore, Emeric. We¡¯re dealing with people who can truly kill us, and a lot of innocent lives depend on our actions.¡±


    Emeric looked down in remorse. ¡°¡­ I know, but-¡±


    ¡°You can talk about this later.¡± Red cut into their conversation. ¡°We are pressed for time.¡±


    Red, who never imagined himself to land in this position, now acted as a mediator for his allies.


    Leon seemed to snap out of his anger and look over at Red with an apologetic smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, master Viran. We should prioritize our mission here above everything else.¡± He looked over at Emeric. ¡°Did you see anything else?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Emeric said.


    ¡°Then we-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Rec cut in once more. ¡°You said the leader was doing something to the cultists, right?¡±


    Emeric nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Was he doing anything to their abdomen?¡±


    ¡°Well, the cultists were blocking my view, but now that you mention it¡­ I do think he was kneeling when I first arrived.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s probably as I thought.¡¯


    Red frowned beneath his mask. Leon seemed confused by the question, but he picked up on the underlying meaning quickly.


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    He looked over at Red in surprise. ¡°You think he was the one who caused the snake¡¯s belly to explode?¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I spotted the formation drawn on its belly right before it exploded. The other two didn¡¯t have it on them, so I can only assume this leader didn¡¯t have time to draw it on the other two.¡±


    ¡°This¡­!¡± Leon¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Then do you think it¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°Unless they have more than one formation specialist, then it¡¯s likely the case.¡±


    This was the only reasonable explanation. It didn¡¯t answer, however, what this man was doing running around the sewers.


    Emeric smiled. ¡°So, my so called reckless actions did end up yielding some results, huh?¡±


    Leon glared at him. ¡°And what would have happened to you if you weren¡¯t lucky enough to kill the exploding snake first?¡±


    Emeric¡¯s smile faded.


    ¡°What was he doing here?" Leon asked. ¡°I assume that a formation expert would be guarded and in hiding, working on whatever project this cult put him on.¡±


    Red was glad that Leon was smart enough to pick up on the same inconsistencies as him. It made the conversation flow much more easily.


    ¡°I can only assume two possibilities.¡± He said. ¡°He was in transit, and our appearance caught him by surprise, or he was forced to move from wherever he was hiding to do something.¡±


    ¡°Sending a formation expert by himself out here? Isn¡¯t that risky for them?¡± Emeric asked, confused.


    Red nodded. ¡°It is. So if they did that, then it means that either all the other members of this cult are busy, or they don¡¯t have nearly as many members as we expected them to.¡±


    More of the picture seemed to come to Leon as his expression showed his realization.


    ¡°Do you think they were sent to stop us?¡± He asked. ¡°Perhaps they noticed what we did with those cultists from earlier and were planning to ambush us with those exploding formations!¡±


    ¡°Unless someone else is invading the sewers, then that is likely to be the case.¡± Red said. ¡°In any case, these actions of theirs tell us yet again that whatever they are doing is time sensitive, or I doubt they would have taken the risk. We need to move forward before something happens.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°We need to collect the demon cores first, though, or they will cause a lot of corruption to spread.¡±


    With that said, he walked over to the two snake corpses. Light-green spiritual energy surrounded his hand, and he used it to slash open the creatures¡¯ chests.


    While the young noble poked around in the creature''s entrails, Red reached into his pouch to communicate with Aurelia.


    ¡°Have you seen something like this before?¡± he asked through his mind connection.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen other techniques that fuse beings into more powerful monsters, but I¡¯ve never seen heard of this cult doing it.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t surprise me, though. The archdemon they represent also symbolizes unity of body and mind between their believers, in the literal way too.¡±


    ¡°But to create Lesser Ring Realm demons just like that... Is it that easy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. These cultists probably needed to be converted to true believers first and then prepared in some rituals. Also, there are some other limitations, too.¡±


    Red was about to ask how she knew about these limitations, but a surprised cry came from his side. It was Leon, protected hands still poking around the demon¡¯s bodies, and he was looking at Red with shock.


    ¡°There are no cores in their bodies!¡±


    Emeric was the first one to respond. ¡°No cores? But they were so strong! How could that be possible?¡±


    Red finally understood the meaning of Aurelia¡¯s words. He retracted his hand from his pouch and walked over to their corpses.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a limitation of this fusion.¡± He said. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be this easy to create demons this powerful, so I assume they don¡¯t have any cores, and their powers are probably temporary.¡±


    Leon nodded in realization. ¡°Now that you mention it, this does seem like a rather powerful technique. It makes sense that there would be some kind of limitation to it, or else they could have taken over the city like this. I think this technique is like a-¡±


    ¡°Like a fire that burns bright, but not for long.¡± Emeric finished the sentence.


    Leon looked at him with a frown.


    ¡°What?¡± Emeric seemed offended. ¡°I just have experience in the matter!¡±


    Leon shook his head and stood up.


    ¡°It is still a very dangerous technique.¡± He said. ¡°Even if their powers don¡¯t last for long, they could cause a lot of damage to the city! I mean, could you imagine if¡­¡±


    Leon trailed off, his expression changing in horror.


    ¡°W-What? What is it?¡± Emeric asked, looking around in alarm.


    Leon didn¡¯t respond, instead looking over at Red.


    ¡°Master Viran, do you think¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s possible.¡± Red said, already arriving at the same realization.


    ¡°What is it?! What are you guys talking about?¡± Emeric kept asking in frustration.


    Leon looked over at his friend with a grave expression. ¡°There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of people living in these sewers, and the cult has probably converted a huge part of them. If they were all capable of fusing in this manner, or if they all fused together, then¡­¡±


    Emeric¡¯s face also twisted in horror.


    ¡°Oh, fuck! They¡¯re making a monstrosity!¡± he said. ¡°How are we going to stop them?!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to panic yet.¡± Red said. ¡°You told us that this leader chanted a spell before this fusion took place. It¡¯s safe to assume that he was the catalyst for this transformation, and it probably takes a lot of Spiritual Energy to cast it. This might also be the purpose of the ritual from earlier, to gather said energy, and considering the lengths this man went to stop us, they probably don¡¯t have enough.¡±


    ¡°And we interrupted it.¡± Leon nodded. ¡°Still, if this ultimate fusion is their goal, they might still be able to create a very dangerous demon with just what they have. With this power, why would they need to summon any demons?¡±


    Red was bound to agree. If this technique could be cast at will, the only thing they needed was enough energy and subjects to throw this city into complete chaos. He suspected that the energy gathered from that fake summoning circle was probably meant for a greater fusion, and even if it wasn¡¯t, it could certainly be used for it.


    ¡°We need to hurry, then!¡± Emeric tried to shake his exhaustion off and pointed behind them. ¡°He escaped that way! We need to run after him!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to be careless.¡± Leon said. ¡°Now that we know this was probably the formation expert, we know that there are probably all kinds of traps waiting for us up ahead. Master Viran can¡¯t properly detect them if we run.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Leon looked at him in surprise. ¡°But earlier you said¡­¡±


    ¡°That was before I knew how grave the situation was. Now that this man knows that we are here, he is bound to send whatever monstrosity he creates our way to kill us. Being slow now is more likely to put us in danger than whatever trap he may have set.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Are you certain of this, Master Viran?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Red nodded. ¡°All you need to do is follow my lead.¡±


    Leon and Emeric exchanged glances before they both nodded.


    ¡°We trust in your judgement and skills.¡± Leon said. ¡°Please, lead us!¡±


    His eyes were filled with such conviction and trust that almost made Red feel uncomfortable. Leon didn¡¯t know him well enough, and in his position, Red would never rely on any stranger that much, no matter what contract was established between them. Such decisions were bound to get you betrayed and killed, but he wasn¡¯t here to teach the noble life lessons.


    ¡°Follow me, then.¡±


    With these words, the three took off down the tunnel path.

 Chapter 442 - Toxic Fumes

    Although Leon and Emeric let Red lead the way, their fidgeting steps and anxious gazes displayed their anxiousness, as if another demon would spring up on them at any moment. A few minutes later, their worries were proven right.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Red held his hand up and called for a stop. His companions froze in their steps and looked at him with concern.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Leon asked, grabbing the spiritual flute from his waist.


    Red pointed at a spot on the wall ahead of them.


    ¡°There¡¯s a trap ahead.¡±


    ¡°A trap?!¡± Emeric jumped in fright. ¡°More of those snakes?!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Leon glared at him.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­ Right.¡±


    After admonishing his companion, Leon squinted and stared at the spot Red pointed out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything,¡± He frowned. ¡°Is it more of those demons?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Red shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a formation, another one of those traps that expert drew in the body of that snake demon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon seemed surprised. ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°I can see in the dark better than other cultivators, and I can tell that someone made an attempt to cover their tracks there. Unfortunately, it seems like they were in a hurry, so their disguise is sloppy.¡±


    ¡°Should we find a different path, then?¡±


    ¡°No need. Just step back and let me handle it.¡±


    Leon and Emeric exchanged glances, but they didn¡¯t hesitate to step out of Red¡¯s way. His abilities seemed to have earned him the trust of his companions, which made things easier for him.


    He walked forward, focusing on the disguised formation drawn on the wall. A normal person, or even an average cultivator, would only notice the grime and muck covering that spot of the stone surface. Yet, in the small areas where the dirt failed to cover, Red could see textures and colors that did not fit with the damp environment of the sewers. After he compared this image with the formation he saw earlier, it became simple to figure out a trap awaited them.


    Red, however, kept approaching it with no hesitation. Behind him, he heard Emeric speak.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t he going to activate the formation if he approaches it like that?¡±


    ¡°You think he doesn¡¯t know that? If he¡¯s approaching it, then he has a plan.¡±


    Leon was correct that he had a plan, though it wasn¡¯t as complex as they might have been thinking.


    Red regulated his breath and kept approaching until he was right next to the formation. The trap didn¡¯t activate.


    From up close, he could discern the design properly. It was dangerous to swipe the dirt to get a better look at the formation, but the mere glimpses Red could catch from it were enough. He compared it with the formation from earlier, as well as the hundreds of runes he memorized in the past, and the image and purpose of the formation quickly came to him.


    ¡®Exploding formation.¡¯


    A variation of it, at the very least. The lines were drawn with fire infused paint, so there was no need for supplementary materials and the formation worked with bare minimum effort. That being said, its effectiveness was also limited, and the explosion would not be enough to kill a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.


    Red pointed at a spot in the formation. A small blade of wind shot out from his finger and struck the wall, causing some rock splinters and a small spark to appear. The formation glowed from a moment before falling silent again.


    He turned around and looked at his companions.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    They stared at him in disbelief.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Emeric asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing difficult about disabling such a simple formation.¡± Red said.


    The young noble still seemed somewhat skeptical, but Leon was already walking ahead. After seeing nothing else happen, Emeric followed behind his friend.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the formation activate when you approached it?¡± Leon asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°It detects people based on their presence,¡± Red said. ¡°If you are able to hide your presence and minimize your Spiritual Energy emission, then it¡¯s a simple matter to pass by it undetected.¡±


    This was something he learned how to do before opening his Spiritual Sea. The Tranquil Beak Weapon art that Domeron taught him was an assassination technique, and it could only work when someone could hide their presence and intention. However, the applications of this technique went far beyond just assassination, as Red had just shown.


    Leon gave him an odd look and smiled.


    ¡°You make it sound simple, but I¡¯ve never seen a cultivator do something like that without the assistance of a Spiritual Art.¡±


    Red shrugged.


    ¡°We all have different skills.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Leon nodded and looked over at the formation. ¡°Could you tell what the formation was?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an exploding formation. Too weak to cause damage to us, but it might have caused this tunnel to cave in if it went off.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re trying to delay us,¡± Emeric frowned. ¡°Still, finding formations like these means that we are on the right track! They¡¯re getting desperate to stop us.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Whatever the case, we are still a step behind, and there¡¯s no telling if we can stop them in time,¡± Leon looked at Red. ¡°I assume these traps won¡¯t be a problem for you?¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re all as clumsy as this one, then no,¡± He said.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s be on our way.¡±


    They restarted their journey, and it didn¡¯t take long for Red¡¯s skills to be tested again. It wasn¡¯t just once either, but multiple times.


    Unfortunately for the demonic expert, his rushed work wasn¡¯t enough to even give him pause. No matter the type of formation or camouflage, he could see through and deactivate them with little effort and all attempts to slow the group down ended in failure. Perhaps if their opponent had more time to set up these traps, it would have been much more troublesome for Red, but their actions were rushed and desperate. They were far from enough to trick a formation expert as skilled and attentive as him.


    Instead, these attempts at slowing them down only served as confirmation they were on the right path. Soon enough, the environment of the sewer seemed to undergo a gradual change.


    ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s this smell?¡± Emeric held his hand up to block his nose.


    Red was also having a hard time breathing in. The smells of the tunnels were unpleasant already, but as they moved forward, a more pungent and powerful odor was brought with the wind, violating their senses. It overwhelmed even the foul stench of the sewers and was enough to give the three Lesser Ring Realm cultivators pause.


    ¡°We can¡¯t breathe this in.¡± Red said.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if this odor was toxic, but he knew that nothing good would come out of filling their lungs with this air.


    ¡°Stay close.¡± Leon said and pulled out his flute.


    He blew a couple of long and melodious notes through the instrument, and a bright white aura expanded from the artifact. It surrounded the group, and an earthy and natural smell replaced the strange stench.


    ¡°Thank gods.¡± Emeric let go of his nose in relief.


    Red, however, stared at Leon with a frown.


    ¡°How long can you keep this barrier up?¡±


    ¡°Half an hour at most,¡± Leon said as he lowered the flute. ¡°And that¡¯s if I don¡¯t use my energy for anything else. I have some pills to help me, but¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound confident.


    ¡°That should be fine, right?¡± Emeric asked with some worry. ¡°I mean, this smell means we¡¯re probably getting close to¡­ something.¡±


    There was a grave silence as he said this.


    ¡°Just focus on keeping the barrier up.¡± Red said. ¡°This odor is bound to get stronger as we move forward.¡±


    Leon nodded with a serious expression and tightened his grip around the flute. The artifact continued to glow, absorbing its wielder¡¯s energy to keep the barrier functioning.


    They continued to walk forward. Soon they could see strands of green mist in the surrounding air, similar to those from the exploding snakeman from earlier, though Leon¡¯s barrier kept them from touching the group. It wasn¡¯t just the air that changed, though, as the tunnel also seemed to change as they walked into this toxic domain.


    The water moving through the sewer turned dark green, becoming more viscous as its flow slowed down. The stone walls seemed to have lost their texture, corroded by the air, and even the ground the group threaded on gradually lost its consistency. Soon enough, it was as if they were walking on dirt, and the soles of their shoes start to deteriorate from the contact with the corroded surface.


    ¡°Cover your feet with Spiritual Energy.¡± Leon said. ¡°My barrier can¡¯t protect us from solid matter.¡±


    Red and Emeric did as much, though the situation continued to worsen as they walked ahead. Soon enough, Leon wore a strained expression as the toxic fumes grew denser and the energy expenditure to keep the barrier up increased. Upon recognizing the severity of the situation, he pulled a white pill out of his pouch and swallowed it. This seemed to alleviate his struggle somewhat, but his expression was still troubled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can keep this up,¡± He shook his head. ¡°If it comes down to a fight, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be of any help.¡±


    Red frowned at this. He could use his wind Spiritual Energy to clear the surrounding area in a pinch, but that wouldn¡¯t stop the incessant stream of toxic fumes and it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as effective as Leon¡¯s barrier. Overall, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep himself safe for long without the barrier¡¯s help, and he wasn¡¯t sure any of his talismans would help him either.


    ¡°Can you expand the barrier if we get into a fight?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I can,¡± Leon nodded. ¡°But that will cause me to spend more Spiritual Energy.¡±


    ¡°Just keep us informed about how long you can last and be ready to expand the barrier when we start a fight,¡± Red looked over at Emeric. ¡°We can¡¯t entertain the thought of a lengthy confrontation under these conditions, so we¡¯ll need to finish any combat as quickly as we can. Can you still use that same technique you used against the snakes?¡±


    ¡°I can use it again, but it¡¯s a Spiritual Art where I pour out almost all the Fire Spiritual Energy in my body. It¡¯s a last resort, if I can help it,¡± Emeric said. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I can differentiate between friend and enemy when I use it.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I mean¡­ I can use it again, but you guys will probably need to carry me on your back when we are leaving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Red nodded. ¡°Just be ready to use it when the time comes. I don¡¯t know what we will find up ahead, but I¡¯m certain that if we don¡¯t coordinate our efforts properly, all of us will die here. Since that¡¯s not something I would like to do, the only way we¡¯ll go forward is if the two of you stick to the plan and follow my lead. Do you understand that?¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t used to ordering others around, and neither did he want to. He would rather rely on his own skills, but he wasn¡¯t arrogant to the point of thinking he could deal with this situation all by himself. Since his survival and success in the mission depended on their cooperation, then he needed to be certain they would all stick to the plan, or else he would rather turn back and escape while he still could.


    It was clear his sudden ultimatum left Leon and Emeric taken aback. Leon was the first to recover his composure and nod with conviction.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to have to rely on you to spearhead our operation, master Viran,¡± He said with some regret. ¡°I won¡¯t try to dissuade you at this point, so I can only promise you that we will follow your lead.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can still fight, you know?¡± Emeric interjected.


    ¡°And you will follow master Viran¡¯s lead in combat, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I mean¡­ I suppose that¡¯s the smart thing to do.¡±


    Leon turned back to Red.


    ¡°You do not need to worry about the toxic fumes. As long as I have any energy remaining, they won¡¯t touch any of us.¡±


    Red nodded, and they resumed their journey.


    At this point, they couldn¡¯t see too far ahead because of the thick toxic fog blocking their view. Red, however, wasn¡¯t worried about any more traps, considering it would be almost impossible to draw anything on the corroded rock surfaces.


    It didn¡¯t take too long for his crimson sense to pick up some fluctuations. However, he immediately noticed something strange and froze in his steps.


    ¡°Is there a problem, master Viran?¡± Leon asked as he notice his sudden pause.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting near,¡± Red said. ¡°They should be right up ahead.¡±


    Emeric looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°How can you-?¡±


    ¡°Are they waiting for us?¡± Leon asked, cutting his companion off.


    ¡°No, but¡­ There¡¯s something strange going on, that¡¯s all I can feel.¡±


    More specifically, there was something strange with his crimson sense. He felt dozens of fluctuations up ahead, yet they seemed to be constantly changing in intensity, being extremely faint at one time before suddenly flaring with power at the other. It was the first time he had ever come across such a situation and it felt as if his crimson sense was unable to parse through this information.


    This made it impossible for Red to assess the level of danger waiting for them up ahead.


    ¡®It¡¯s like they¡¯re constantly transferring life force between each other¡­¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± He said. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Soon enough, the tunnel they were walking on changed. The passage widened, much like the caves Red was used to, and the path opened up into an enormous cavern that seemed to have been carved out by the corroding toxins. The space was wide enough that their view was no longer blocked by the green mist, and this gave them a glimpse of many other openings along the perimeter of the chamber - other tunnels that ultimately led to this place. Waterfalls of viscous, green liquid poured out of these tunnels, pooling towards the bottom of this cavernous chamber alongside a curtain of toxic fumes that settled down and made it impossible for one to tell how far the ground was.


    Yet, at the center of the chamber, the shadow of an enormous shape peaked out above the mist. Only its round tip was in full view, and it took a few seconds for Red to recognize what this shape was.


    Emeric pointed a trembling finger at it.


    ¡°Is that¡­ an egg?!¡±

 Chapter 443 - Flesh

    No one replied Emeric¡¯s question.


    ¡°The toxic fog is blocking out vision,¡± Leon said. ¡°It¡¯s risky to approach like this.¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Red said.


    While his companions were trying to make out the ovoid shape in the chamber, he was busy making sense of what his crimson sense told him. The confusing flaring of fluctuations continued, and Red was able to pinpoint the locations of these presences to the inside of the giant egg. Yet, to his surprise, the egg itself didn¡¯t seem to have a fluctuation.


    ¡®Maybe I just can¡¯t sense it.¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t assume his crimson sense to be perfect, as he knew some techniques could trick it. Still, amidst the sea of flickering fluctuations, he could pinpoint one fluctuation that remained constant in its strength.


    ¡°There¡¯s a demonic cultivator here,¡± he said.


    Their fluctuation belonged to someone in the Lesser Ring Realm, and the corruption infecting them seemed similar to that of the snakes from earlier.


    ¡°It must be the formation expert!¡± Emeric squinted. ¡°Where do you see him?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re right by the egg, but that¡¯s not the most important part. I can sense multiple other presences in the room, but they are all fluctuating in strength.¡±


    ¡°Fluctuating in strength?¡± Leon frowned. ¡°Is that because of the egg?¡±


    ¡°Most likely, but whatever the case, don¡¯t let your guard down. We might be swarmed by enemies out of nowhere.¡±


    His companions nodded with severe expressions.


    ¡°Can your barrier be broken by spells from the inside?¡± Red asked Leon.


    This question seemed to give the young noble some pause.


    ¡°It can be affected, but as long as you tell me beforehand, I should be able to open a path so the spell isn¡¯t disrupted.¡±


    ¡°Then be ready,¡± He pointed in a certain spot. ¡°I¡¯m going to attack.¡±


    Emeric¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Wait, just like that?!¡±


    ¡°They might be waiting in ambush, so there¡¯s no point in walking right up to them. Since I can tell where he is, I¡¯ll strike first, and we¡¯ll move in after.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that. Do you need me to attack too?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Just be ready to follow up if one strike is not enough.¡±


    Emeric nodded, and Red looked back at Leon.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Leon nodded with a focused expression.


    With this confirmation, Red turned around. He held his hand up towards where he could detect the demonic cultivator, and Azure Spiritual Energy gathered in front of him, forming a blade of wind. At the same instant the spell was formed, a gap appeared in the white barrier protecting them.


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate and let his spell loose.


    This entire process took just a few seconds to happen, and the blade of wind cut a large path through the toxic fog into the room. Then, an instant later, the parting mist revealed a silhouette, but before they could discern their features, Red¡¯s spell struck true.


    The condensed wind exploded as it made contact, throwing violent gusts that created a contained storm within the room. The stagnant fog was sent into disarray, dissipating around the large chamber and giving them a better look into the previously blocked view.


    Before the turbulent winds even settled, though, Red was already able to see his attack had missed as the silhouette of the cultivator remained standing.


    ¡®No, not missed. It was blocked.¡¯


    A green translucent barrier shone in front of his target, insulating the figure from the cutting winds. Yet before he could even formulate a follow-up plan, something else caught his attention.


    ¡°W-What is that?¡± Emeric asked in a trembling voice.


    The egg, previously blocked by the toxic fog, was revealed in full to them, though at this point it was hard to tell if this was still an egg. Rather than a solid shell, its surface was composed of a fleshy material that pulsed and squirmed as if alive, resembling a breathing organ. Blood and other sickly green liquids oozed from strange orifices, which also continued to spew more of the toxic fog that filled the entire chamber, but even that wasn¡¯t what stood out to Red.


    Humans, their skin dissolving and organs exposed, were attached at various points around the flesh egg, seemingly in the slow process of being absorbed into its unholy being. Only parts of their body remained above the surface, some being consumed feet first with their torsos still free, while from others only dangling arms and legs could be seen. Yet, despite their deteriorating flesh, the bodies of these individuals still moved, limbs and torsos squirming around soundlessly as if searching for something.


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    They were still alive.


    The sight was so grisly that even Red was shocked into silence. Yet, amidst his companions, he was the first one to recover his composure.


    ¡°Emeric, attack the egg!¡±


    They had to grasp this opportunity before the toxic fog settled and their opponents reacted.


    His shout seemed to snap Emeric out of his gaze. Though he was still affected, he raised both hands in the egg¡¯s direction and started to chant something. A large fireball, far bigger than the ones Red could conjure with his talisman, took shape in front of him before shooting towards the egg with an enormous boom.


    Yet, before it could make contact, it seemed to strike another invisible obstacle, and a blinding explosion of flames rose in front of their eyes. When it settled down, they saw another translucent green shield had appeared out of nowhere, blocking the spell before it could hit its target.


    Red frowned, and he looked over at the demonic cultivator, whom he could now see was covered in a dark green robe and a snake-like mask. Inbetween their attacks, that figure had ample time to react, yet they remained standing in the same spot, staring at the invaders without moving. They weren¡¯t the ones who had cast the barrier, and after taking another glance around the chamber, Red realized something.


    Emeric gritted his teeth and raised his hand again, ready to cast another spell.


    ¡°Damn it, they blocked it! We need to-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Red raised his hand to stop him.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Emeric stared at him in surprise.


    ¡°There¡¯s a formation protecting them.¡±


    After the toxic mist cleared away, Red saw it - the plates and lines drawn in a vast circle around the egg and the demonic cultivator. This was a large protection formation, and it wasn¡¯t one made in a rush either.


    ¡°Can we break through it?¡± Leon asked with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Red shook his head.


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Emeric looked at the egg in alarm.


    Red didn¡¯t respond immediately, instead staring at the demonic cultivator hiding behind the formation. Although he couldn¡¯t discern their expression behind that mask, he could tell they were surprised and even somewhat anxious at the sudden intrusion. They weren¡¯t expecting Red and the others to make it to this point, or at least not this quickly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s approach,¡± He said.


    The toxic fog had somewhat cleared with Red¡¯s wind and Emeric¡¯s fire, but there was enough of it to cover the chamber again once it settled down, not to mention that more was being spewed by the flesh egg. They needed to make their way over before they lost sight of their opponent.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Leon asked with a frown.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t moved yet, so they¡¯re confident in the strength of their formation,¡± Red said. ¡°Whatever the case, I won¡¯t be able to do anything from this far. I need time to study the formation.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Leon nodded and looked over at Emeric. ¡°Protect Master Viran if he gets attacked. He is our only hope of breaking through the formation.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡± Emeric nodded.


    With that, they started approaching the center of the room with careful steps. The cultivator kept staring at them without moving, and they could see two reptilian yellow eyes beneath their mark. Eventually, they reached the edge of the formation and came to a stop.


    This close, the details on the surface of the egg were much clearer, and they felt an unnatural force affecting their minds. They all had the distinct feeling they were looking at something that shouldn¡¯t exist, a violation of the principles of life itself, and every second they spent in the presence of this thing, this feeling of revulsion grew.


    The egg was a source of corruption, and it was extremely strong.


    ¡°You violate the sanctuary of our mother, intruders.¡±


    A melodious and almost hypnotic voice came from the masked cultist. Red couldn¡¯t tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Leon glared at them. ¡°What are you doing to them?¡±


    ¡°I am giving them a chance to become something greater, to feel the blessing of our Mother.¡±


    As the cultist said that, one of the people being absorbed by the egg groaned, their voice an almost inaudible croak as their body sank further into the demonic flesh. Despite their corroded bodies, it seemed they were still fully aware of the sensations enveloping them.


    Emeric and Leon stared at this in horror.


    ¡°H-How can you be so cruel?¡± Emeric asked.


    ¡°Cruel?¡± The cultist laughed. ¡°There is no pain in this, only pleasure and happiness, my child.¡±


    ¡°Happiness?! How could there be happiness?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it?¡± They pointed at the egg. ¡°Their euphoric expressions? They are in bliss, children, not pain.¡±


    They looked up at where the cultist pointed. There stood someone who was still maintaining their lower body above the surface, their body in the process of corroding just like the others. Yet, their half-melted face maintained some semblance of human shape still, and in it, they could recognize an expression.


    It was a smile.


    ¡°Look past the mere surface, children,¡± The cultist said in fanaticism. ¡°Our skins block us from experiencing the world as it truly is. Only by shedding these restrictions and uniting in flesh can we truly know the pleasures our Mother can gift us.¡±


    As if responding to his words, the flesh egg pulsed and the bodies on its surface sank faster. At the same time, the revulsion they felt receded, and beneath it, a different feeling started to grow.


    A yearning to be part of something greater.


    Red and the others stumbled on their feet, and for a moment, the barrier protecting them from the toxic fumes flickered. Leon, however, shook his head and managed to keep the protection up, while Emeric seemed to struggle more as he fell down on one knee.


    ¡°Master Viran!¡± Leon looked at Red with a desperate gaze.


    Red was faring better than the others because of his natural resistance to the corruption, but it was clearly affecting him, too. He frowned in discomfort and pain, but still kept his focus as his mind continued to work.


    ¡°Why do you resist, children?¡± The cultist hypnotic voice reached their ears. ¡°What is the point of fighting against it? What awaits you on the other side is not pain, not sadness, not hell - it is eternal bliss. It is paradise.¡±


    Their words continued to eat away at their mind, and it was clear by his companions¡¯ expression they would soon reach a breaking point. However, Red had already accomplished his goal.


    ¡°Emeric, strike there!¡±


    He pointed at a spot in the formation not too far away from them.


    Emeric looked at him with a struggling expression, but still did as he was told. He raised his hand, summoning another fireball, smaller than the one from earlier, but still powerful enough to cause a large explosion. At the same time, Red conjured another wind blade in front of him and aimed at another spot in the invisible barrier.


    Their spells shot out and hit the invisible barrier simultaneously, causing the translucent green barrier to manifest. It was still able to block the attacks from penetrating the formation, yet something strange happened as the barrier, once as rigid as a wall, wobbled like a piece of sheet metal.


    It happened just for a moment, but following that, the glow of the translucent shield diminished significantly.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    The cultist shouted in a shrill voice as they saw this.


    The formation was suddenly on the verge of collapsing.

 Chapter 444 - Hatching

    In principle, breaking a formation was a straight-forward matter: crack it with brute force or make it spend its energy. Of course, while the goal was simple, the path to achieve it was anything but.


    A strong cultivator, or one with enough time and energy, could destroy a formation by attacking it until it broke or spent its energy - if it wasn¡¯t being recharged, that is. However, this was all under the condition one ignored the threat of the situation. Most of the time, if you found yourself facing a formation, escaping it was a time-sensitive matter, and you might die before breaking free or through.


    This was the case with Red and his companions.


    Thus, the most efficient way to break it was by targeting its weakness, something only a formation expert knew how to do. Said weaknesses might not even be explicit and could be as minor as a faulty material. Yet, it was common knowledge that no formation was invincible, and if you weren¡¯t able to find a flaw, you just weren¡¯t skilled enough.


    Thankfully, Red didn¡¯t fall short here.


    ¡°Strike there next!¡±


    He pointed at another spot for Emeric, who nodded with renewed spirit. He raised his arm to shoot out another fireball.


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    The cultist screamed with a shrill voice. They pointed at the group, and a bright green arrow of energy shoot towards Emeric, too fast for him to react. However, the projectile clashed against the flute¡¯s barrier, which solidified at that point of impact, dissipating into a shower of toxic fumes before it could hurt .


    He looked at his friend with a thankful expression, but Leon glared at him.


    ¡°Shoot it now!¡±


    Emeric¡¯s expression changed, and he turned around and completed his spell.


    At the same time that the fireball shot out, Red also finished casting another wind blade and threw it at a different point of the barrier. The spells struck the formation simultaneously, and the shimmering shield shattered like a piece of glass before dissipating.


    ¡°No!¡± The cultist stared in horror at this.


    Red had used the time of their conversation earlier to examine the formation. The arcane symbols weren¡¯t hidden, so he realized this was a larger version of the shielding spell he wrote in his talismans and that he was extremely familiar with. This one was powered by some kind of demonic energy, but that didn¡¯t change its structure.


    All that Red needed to do to break it was to figure out the flow and gathering nodes of Spiritual Energy in the formation, after which he could target two spots in the barrier where this energy took the longest to reach. The formation would split its power to protect both spots at once, while also taking much longer to reach them, at which point the protection it could provide would be at its weakest.


    It was a simple method for breaking formations, yet Red only accomplished it because the structure of the formation was not hidden from him - a mistake on the cultist¡¯s part. Perhaps they didn¡¯t expect someone as skilled as Red to appear, or were just incapable of hiding the formation in the first place.


    Whatever the case, it provided the perfect opportunity for him.


    ¡®The hypnotic effects have weakened.¡¯


    After the cultist lost their focus, some of the corrupting pressure seemed to have disappeared, which also allowed them to move more freely.


    ¡°Expand the barrier and attack!¡±


    Red gave this simple order to his companions. Leon seemed to have anticipated this instruction and expanded the barrier to cover the cultist, while Emeric shot to his feet and charged ahead, a small explosion happening beneath his feet that propelled him forward. Flames gathered around his fist as poised to strike.


    The cultist seemed to recover from their shock and reacted. Toxic fumes flowed out from beneath their mask, gathering into a barrier in front of them as they prepared to meet Emeric¡¯s punch.


    A wave of flames erupted as they made contact and the shield was no match. The noble¡¯s flaming fist pierced through the toxic fumes like paper and struck the cultist¡¯s face. Beneath the roaring fire, the sound of porcelain cracking and bones breaking echoed in the room.


    The cultist shot back from the impact like a canon, flying out of the barrier and crashing into the flesh egg.


    Emeric stood there and stared at his fist in surprise.


    ¡°That weak?¡±


    His reaction was warranted. The snakemen from earlier were much stronger, yet everything made sense to Red when he considered this was a formation expert. Most of them forewent combat training to focus on arcane scripture, so it was sensible they would be weaker than the average cultivator.


    ¡°They¡¯re not dead!¡± Red said as he charged ahead with his sword.


    The cultist squirmed on the ground, trying to get up. Red opted for close combat, as he had already spent a significant amount of Spiritual Energy casting his spells earlier and he needed to keep an emergency reserve. It was why he let Emeric attack first, but now that the cultist was down, he would deal the final blow.


    Leon seemed to pick up on his intentions and expanded the barrier to cover his charge.


    His opponent seemed to hear his approach and raised their head to look at him. Red was met with a human face covered by green scales, whose features were hard to discern beneath all the blood. Their eyes, however, showed a simple emotion.


    Fear.


    Red reached the opponent in a few steps and stabbed forward with his sword. Yet, before his weapon connected, he felt something. The constant flickering fluctuations from the flesh egg seemed to shift for a moment, before gathering at the center of the egg. Then, out of nowhere, they started to fuse and something horrifying appeared in his crimson sense.


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    This all happened in a matter of instants, but Red, who was always paying attention to these fluctuations, was able to react immediately. He stopped his stabbing motion and jumped back the way he came.


    A second later, something struck the place he had just been at, raising a vast cloud of debris and dust.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Leon¡¯s let out a pained cry as his barrier seemed to be pierced and started to dissipate. He stumbled on his feet, and the toxic fumes that surrounded them seeped in through this crack.


    Red watched this with alarm, but before the barrier dissipated completely, Leon seemed to regain his composure.


    ¡°Come closer!¡±


    Red and Emeric heeded his order. At the same time, Leon put the flute to his mouth and blew the same notes from earlier, causing the collapsing barrier to reform around them - this time significantly smaller.


    The toxic fumes closed in around them and obscured their view again. However, something heavy seemed to shift in the air, its movements inadvertently clearing away vast swathes of the gas and revealing the chamber to them again.


    Red then saw what had just attacked him.


    An enormous, blood-covered tentacle appendage had sprouted out of the flesh egg and was waving around the chamber aimlessly. At the same time, a strong, dark-green demonic aura manifested around the egg, its pressure hitting the group like a hammer.


    ¡°Go back!¡±


    Red warned his group, and they all retreated to the edge of the chamber, where the pressure didn¡¯t affect them as much. There, they could take a moment to look at the creature that had just appeared.


    ¡°I-Is that¡­?¡± Emeric trailed off, his voice trembling.


    ¡°A Greater Ring Realm demon,¡± Red said with a frown.


    He was also struggling to maintain his composure.


    The bodies on the surface of the egg had all disappeared, absorbed into this entity all at once. This was Red felt as he approached, and if he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to those fluctuations, he would have definitely died.


    As the blood dripped down the writhing appendage, its true appearance became clearer. What they at first assumed to be a tentacle resembled more a snake¡¯s tail, covered in jagged green scales, and a pitch black fluid dripped from between the nooks in its skin. When this liquid touched the ground, it started to eat away at the stone, which evaporated like water in a hot pan.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± Leon said in a shaken voice. ¡°We couldn¡¯t stop the ritual.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Red shook his head. ¡°The ritual is not done yet.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The noble looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°The demon is still forming.¡±


    He could feel it with his crimson sense. The fluctuation of the demon was pulsing, as if the life force it had just absorbed was threatening to leave it. This oscillation in strength was diminishing every second, but it was clear the creature inside the egg was still not in a stable state.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not out of the egg,¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s probably still stabilizing its strength.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes lit up at this.


    ¡°Then can we stop it?!¡±


    ¡°Even if we could, I doubt we could damage it enough to stop the process.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is there really nothing we can do?¡± Leon frowned.


    ¡°What could we do?!¡± Emeric looked at him in fright. ¡°It¡¯s a Greater Ring Realm demon! We can¡¯t kill it!¡±


    Before they could say anything else, they heard a maniacal laughter. They saw the cultist had stood up and was holding their arms up as if to worship the emerging demon.


    ¡°You have blessed us with one of your true children, mother! Now, let it be born and tech this city the-¡±


    The cultist was interrupted as the tail suddenly slammed down on top of them, pulverizing their body and cracking the ground in half. The entire chamber shook under this impact, and rocks came falling down from above.


    ¡°W-We need to go!¡± Emeric said as he saw this. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do anymore, Leon!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Leon still seemed hesitant.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything else,¡± Red said. ¡°But we might be able to delay it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Leon looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°We can collapse this place.¡±


    Seeing the chamber tremble under the demon¡¯s attack had given him this idea. This entire place was already corroded by the toxic fumes, and its foundations were already weak. He didn¡¯t think burying the demon would kill it, but it might delay its emergence at the very least.


    ¡°But we are in the middle of the city,¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°Who knows how many people are living above here?¡±


    ¡°They might have felt the tremor and already started to escape,¡± Red said. ¡±Besides, I doubt they would build this chamber in a place too populated, as they might have risked being discovered.¡±


    ¡°Still, how can we be sure?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, but when this demon emerges, the people above will be the first ones to die. However, if we delay it here, even if for just a moment, we will give the other people in this area a chance to escape.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t suggesting this out of a sense of heroism. Whatever option they chose wouldn¡¯t necessarily affect whether they could escape from this place before the demon emerged, but since he had the opportunity to hinder the cult¡¯s plan and save lives at the same time, he saw no reason not to do it.


    Leon seemed to struggle with the decision for a few moments, but soon resolve came to his expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to try to stop it.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s good, but¡­¡± Emeric interjected. ¡°How do you plan on collapsing this place?¡±


    ¡°You will do it.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Me?! How?!¡±


    ¡°Your explosive attacks are our only option. Focus on shooting the area above the snake with all you can, and we¡¯ll carry you out of this place if we need to.¡±


    Red¡¯s wind spells wouldn¡¯t be effective for something like this.


    Emeric, however, was looking around in fright.


    ¡°A-Are you serious? Why don¡¯t we just-?¡±


    ¡°Please, Emeric.¡± Leon stared at his friend with a sincere expression. ¡°I need you help.¡±


    There was a prolonged silence as he heard his companions¡¯ words.


    ¡°Agh, I mean¡­¡± Emeric shook his head in resignation. ¡°I can do it, but how can we know if it will work?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Red shook his head. ¡°At that point, we¡¯ll have done all we can.¡±


    As they were talking, the movement of the demon¡¯s tail was getting more frantic.


    ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± Emeric nodded, his expression still uncertain. ¡±Let¡¯s do it then.¡±


    After getting his confirmation, the group moved to the entrance of the tunnel they had come from. There, Emeric took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Right, here goes nothing.¡±


    A fiery aura started to gather around his body, hot enough that it forced his companions to step back.


    Over this mission, Red realized that Leon¡¯s confidence about Emeric¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t misplaced. When it came to raw power, he couldn¡¯t compare to the fiery spells of the young noble - at least not yet.


    The aura around Emeric gathered around his hands, which he put together in a cupping motion before pointing it at the ceiling above the egg. His expression suddenly paled, and a fireball similar to the ones from earlier started to form in the air in front of him.


    This one, however, seemed different. The flames seemed contained this time, unlike the more wild appearance of a normal fireball, and as Emeric¡¯s aura finished gathering in his hands, the spell resembled more an orb of pure orange light. Yet Red could feel an enormous amount of power within the fireball.


    ¡°Could you have always done this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mess with my focus!¡± Emeric glared. ¡°I need to spend my vital blood to use this spell.¡±


    Red understood what this meant. This was spending life force, which one couldn¡¯t recover, to strengthen or execute a spell.


    As Leon heard this, his expression changed.


    ¡°You-!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late already!¡± Emeric shook his head. ¡°You want to help them, right? The spell is already done, either way. Now stop interrupting me.¡±


    Both Leon and Red fell silent. Emeric had never shifted the focus from the orb in front of him, his expression strained as if he was engaged in an invisible battle against the fireball. Only a few moments later did he seem to relax and look over at his target again.


    Then, with a shout, he let loose.


    The condensed fireball shot forward like an arrow, faster than the spells from earlier, and before they could even blink, it crashed into the ceiling. A blinding explosion enveloped the chamber, and the entire world seemed to shake.

 Chapter 445 - The Serpent Emerges

    While the expanding flames and dust blocked their vision, the noise of falling rocks and the trembling ground let them know what was happening.


    Emeric squinted and fell to the ground on one knee.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I did-¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence before Red picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. He looked over at Leon.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    His companion turned around and ran, focusing on maintaining the barrier.


    ¡°H-Hey, you don¡¯t need to actually carry me!¡± Emeric said, as he was carried off like a sack of potatoes.


    Red ignored his complaints and focused on running. His crimson sense could tell the situation of the nobleman¡¯s better than the individual itself, and he was certain that Emeric was in an extremely weakened state. Even if he could run, it would never be fast enough.


    ¡®Although, his friend doesn¡¯t look much better.¡¯


    Leon also had a strained frown on his face. The mental focus required to keep the barrier up while also trying to escape was weighing down on his speed.


    Of the entire group, only Red remained in mostly top condition, but he couldn¡¯t rush ahead even if he wanted to.


    ¡®We¡¯re too slow.¡¯


    As if to emphasize his worries, the rumbling behind them picked up in strength once again, and the ground trembled underneath their feet.


    ¡°T-The tunnel is collapsing!¡± Emeric warned them.


    Red took a quick glance behind him and saw a path of dust and falling rocks racing after them, burying the toxic fumes under the debris. It quickly catching up.


    He looked over at Leon.


    ¡°You need to move faster!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t,¡± The young noble said between ragged breaths. ¡°I need to keep the barrier up!¡±


    Red frowned. The path ahead was still filled with the corroding gas, and his wind spells wouldn¡¯t be able to clear it all away.


    He arrived at a quick decision.


    ¡°We need to- Ugh!¡±


    Leon¡¯s words were interrupted as Red hoisted him by the cuff of his shirt and threw him over his other shoulder.


    ¡°Master Viran, what are you-¡±


    ¡°Focus on keeping the barrier up,¡± Red cut him off and sped up.


    To a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, the weight of two human adults was negligible, so his speed didn¡¯t diminish at all. He focused his Spiritual Energy around his feet, and with a hop, rode the turbulent winds of the collapsing tunnel with his Gale Drift art.


    This proved to be far harder than he expected, as his balance was off while carrying two people on his shoulders, which caused him to stumble.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to drop me!¡± Emeric gripped Red¡¯s robe in panic.


    ¡°Stop moving.¡±


    With another step, he rode another current of air, and this time, he landed with more grace. To his luck, this tunnel was a straight path, so this made his Gale Drift simpler to use.


    He continued riding the winds for a while longer, until the rumbling behind them ceased.


    ¡°It¡¯s stopped collapsing¡­¡± Emeric said in a weak voice.


    ¡°So it seems,¡± Red nodded, still running.


    ¡°Then you can drop us off-¡±


    ¡°Not until we¡¯re out of the mist.¡±


    Emeric groaned in annoyance, but seemed too tired to complain. Leon was also having an easier time maintaining the barrier, even though the constant shaking seemed to have made him dizzy, and he had closed his eyes to keep focus.


    Red maintained his pace until they were out of the toxic gas, and only then did he drop his companions down.


    As soon as Leon recognized they were safe, he let the barrier dissipate. He sat up against a wall, taking deep breaths and massaging his temples with a pained frown. Emeric, on the other hand, kept laying on the spot he was dropped, looking up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. For Red, other than his Spiritual Energy reserves running low, this quick sprint didn¡¯t tire him at all. His demonically improved endurance was always the strongest aspect of his body, and it had only improved with his advancement into the Lesser Ring Realm.


    He looked at his companions.


    ¡°We need to move. This isn¡¯t a proper place to rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Emeric stared up at him in confusion. ¡°Are you not tired at all?¡±


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    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re still not safe.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Leon nodded, getting to his feet. ¡°We need to warn my father and the others before-¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, the ground trembled again. It was a short rumble, yet it kept repeating like a drum, and it was coming from the direction they had just escaped from.


    ¡°The demon is probably emerging,¡± Red said. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before it surfaces.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to hurry and warn my father!¡± Leon said and pulled out a slip of paper from his pouch.


    Red recognized it as a communication talisman.


    ¡°You had this all along?¡±


    ¡°I do, but my father warned me not to use it unless it was absolutely necessary. There are ways to intercept these kinds of messages if you know where they are coming from or where they are going.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Leon nodded. ¡°They are rare, but they exist. It¡¯s very likely our house is being targeted by these kinds of espionage, and if they can intercept my message, then¡­¡±


    ¡°They can figure out your house¡¯s involvement in this matter.¡±


    These were dire news for Red, as this might implicate him as well, and Leon seemed to guess at his concerns.


    ¡°I know what you are worried about, but if we don¡¯t do this, then how many people will-¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, the talisman in his hand glowed, and a man¡¯s authoritative voice echoed in the tunnel.


    ¡°What is your location?¡±


    After this question, the talisman¡¯s glow disappeared again. Leon¡¯s face lit up as he heard this question, and one could guess it was his father¡¯s voice. He was about to activate the talisman to respond, but hesitated and looked over at Red.


    All he got back was a silent gaze. Red couldn¡¯t possibly give him his consent to respond, knowing this could lead someone else to figuring out his involvement. The young noble seemed to understand this too, and he looked conflicted.


    Yet, after some thought, he sighed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it, Master Viran. Not after everything you have done to help us,¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°But in this case, we need to get out of here and hurry so we can-¡±


    ¡°If you are still alive, retreat immediately,¡± The talisman shone again and the same voice came out. ¡°A demon is about to emerge and I will be engaging it.¡±


    The slip of paper dimmed, and a heavy silence settled around the group.


    ¡°The Duke¡¯s already here?!¡±


    Emeric was the one to break it.


    ¡°But, how did he¡­¡± Leon looked down at the talisman in confusion.


    Red was also surprised. The capital was a truly enormous place, such that even a cultivator would take a while to traverse it from one end to the other. Greater Ring Realm cultivators could fly to some degree, but even then, the Northvale mansion was very far. How could the Duke have arrived here and already assessed the situation when it had barely been minutes since the demon first started to emerge?


    The answer was evident.


    ¡°He was already in the area,¡± Red said.


    ¡°No, that shouldn¡¯t be!¡± Leon shook his head. ¡°He said he would trust me with this mission and would wait back at the mansion.¡°


    ¡°Whatever the case, the reason doesn¡¯t matter. Since he¡¯s here, won¡¯t he be able to stop a tragedy from happening?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± The young noble nodded, though from his expression, there was something still troubling him. ¡°We should hurry and leave the sewers then.¡±


    Red was happy to agree, and they were about to set out, when a sudden groan of pain came from the ground next to him. When he looked over, he saw Emeric holding onto the hem of his robe and looking up at him with a pleading gaze.


    ¡°I¡­ I changed my mind. You can keep carrying me.¡±


    ¡­


    There were many entrances to the sewer spread throughout the city, so it didn¡¯t take long before they found an exit leading to the surface. While they were leaving, the rumbling sound grew stronger, seemingly reaching a crescendo.


    Red and the others left through a manhole and found themselves in the middle of a road. Even on the surface, though, they could still feel the ground tremble. As they looked around, they saw quite a few people had already emerged from their houses in confusion, perhaps from the earlier collapse the trio had caused or the current rumbling.


    They threw them strange glances as they saw the group surface from the sewers, but their attention shifted when they heard a powerful explosion from afar. This was accompanied by a stronger quake that sent the gathered peasants into a panic.


    Leon looked in the direction of the sound with a fearful expression.


    ¡°Has my father engaged it?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, frowning beneath his mask as he tried to discern the distant sounds. What followed this explosion, though, was a silence that lasted for a few seconds.


    Then came a guttural howl.


    It was a horrifying shriek, shaking windows, and furniture as it echoed through the neighborhood. It didn¡¯t resemble the roar of a beast, but the cry of pain of hundreds of voices, combined and amplified by a powerful and unholy creature.


    The birth of a demon.


    Even Red, so used to these matters, felt his body react in fear at this sound. The sound seemed to have sent a weakened Emeric, still being carried by Red, over the edge as he fell unconscious, while Leon was also struggling with keeping his composure.


    If even the three cultivators were struggling with the sudden roar, the peasants were faring much worse. A lot of them fell unconscious, and the ones that didn¡¯t seemed to enter a dazed state, staring in front of them with strange expressions. Even when the roar stopped, they didn¡¯t recover immediately, stumbling around like fools.


    ¡°This¡­ There¡¯s something wrong!¡± Leon said as he recovered. ¡°How can the demon¡¯s roar affect us from that far?!¡±


    Red understood his meaning. The only other Greater Ring monster he saw in the past was much weaker than this, which led him to believe that his crimson sense hadn¡¯t seen the full transformation of the demon before they escaped.


    ¡°It¡¯s approaching the peak of the Greater Ring Realm,¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been able to do that with just that much lifeforce, though. Someone, or something, might have intervened.¡±


    He didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that, but he understood this demon was much stronger than expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably at the peak of the Greater Ring Realm,¡± Red said. ¡°Can your father still deal with it?¡±


    Leon looked uncertain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s also at the peak of the Greater Ring Realm, but¡­¡±


    He trailed off. None of them made to retreat, though, Red out of curiosity and Leon out of concern.


    Some moments later, they saw a serpentine shape rise against the starlit sky. It was an enormous creature, this one could tell even from afar, and its entire body was covered in jagged green scales that barely seemed to reflect light. It resembled a snake in almost every manner, with slitted bright green eyes, its open maw revealing a pair of fangs and a forked tongue. Yet, setting it apart were two curving white horns that jutted out from the side of its head, with lines of dark green demonic energy travelling along their length.


    The creature stood there in the air, open mouth dripping with pitch-black venom, and its enormous head shifted around as if looking for something. For a second, Red thought it was searching for them, but soon enough its attention fixed in a different direction.


    Then, in the same direction the demon was staring at, multiple white crystal rings materialized in the air.


    ¡®No, not crystal.¡¯


    They were ice rings.


    Before either he or the demon could process the information, dozens of ice spears materialized and shot out from the center of these rings aimed at the monster. They crashed into its body like a barrage before it could react, shattering into a mist of ice that seemed to cling to its scales.


    The demon roared in pain, and from behind the rings of ice, Red saw a figure emerge.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Leon cried out.

 Chapter 446 - Collateral

    Red observed the flying Duke.


    He was wearing embroidered plate armor covered by a robe draped over his shoulders, sporting the white and gold color of the Northvale family. From this far, it was hard to discern his features other than the slicked back black hair and finely trimmed beard, but one could still feel the majesty and power from his figure glowing with white energy.


    They weren¡¯t afforded much time to study the Duke, though. He flew around the demon, a trail of mist left in his wake as he prepared to shoot more ice spears. But the serpent was quick to react.


    Its glowing eyes locked onto his figure, and it opened its mouth. A jet of toxic fumes shot from its gullet towards Duke Northvale, covering the night sky in the same noxious mist that Red and the others dealt with earlier, though this one was far darker. Such an expansive attack seemed impossible to dodge.


    Leon tensed as his father¡¯s figure was swallowed by the sea of fumes, but a moment later, a bright light shone from within. An icy mist spread from within the green gas, freezing it into a solid state midair. Then, a moment later, it shattered, icy flakes raining from above as Duke Northvale reemerged, unharmed.


    The demon roared in anger. It rose, the ground shaking as its giant body moved, and it soared towards the human up above.


    Before it could get to him, though, the Duke waved his hand and a small ray of light shot towards it. The demon was unafraid and met the attack head on, but the glimmer simply disappeared as soon as it crashed into the serpent¡¯s head, its charge unimpeded. Just as it seemed the man was about to be swallowed, the serpent abruptly slowed down.


    The icy mist that covered its scales from the earlier attacks spread further, and rings of white light materialized around its long body. The demon froze midair, bound by this mystical technique, when it should have naturally fallen down under its weight. It was a strange sight.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Ice Loop Ring!¡± Leon said with a smile. ¡°He brought it with him!¡±


    Red assumed he was referring to an artifact. Judging by how the Duke had managed to arrest the momentum of such a powerful creature, it was a powerful artifact too.


    The mist continued to spread along the body of the serpent, covering more than half of the monster before long. The creature struggled to break free, but its movements slowed down.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he attacking?¡± Red asked.


    This seemed like the perfect opportunity to strike, but Duke Northvale just stood there, staring at the demon.


    ¡°The ring requires focus to work,¡± Leon said. ¡°If he splits his power to attack, it might break free.¡±


    Red supposed such a restriction wasn¡¯t surprising in an item this powerful. In any case, whether the demon was encased in ice or skewered, it would still mean the Duke¡¯s victory.


    The mist continued to spread along the serpent¡¯s skin at a visible pace, soon reaching its head, but at that moment, the demon¡¯s struggle intensified, and its horns shone brighter. Spiritual Energy gathered around them, flashing as bright as the moon for a moment.


    Even from this far, Red had a bad premonition.


    The icy mist covering the demon¡¯s body melted as an inky black liquid surged from the cracks between its scales. The strange fluid appeared around every part of the demon¡¯s body, and it was soon entirely covered in this corroding poison. For a moment, the monster resembled a flying black river.


    The rings of light around it shattered and then, free of its bindings, the demon moved. It shot towards the Duke, even faster than before. The man didn¡¯t have time to dodge, and he raised both of his hands in front of him as a hexagonal ice barrier materialized to block the attack.


    Shield and serpent clashed in a thunderous boom. Duke Northvale¡¯s protection cracked and shattered, but it held long enough for the man to fly back and create some distance from the demon.


    Leon''s expression fell as he saw this, while Red also frowned beneath his mask. But at the next moment, something else caught their attention.


    A pitter-patter sound around them. It took but a second for the sound to intensify.


    Droplets of black liquid started to rain around them.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Red was the first to react. Still carrying Emeric, he jumped away and sought cover beneath a canopy, while Leon was a step behind, but was also quick to react as well.


    It was a brief shower, lasting no more than two seconds, but the droplets of the corroding rain ate away at everything they hit with a hissing sound. The trio remained unharmed, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the unconscious peasants around them.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Leon screamed in horror as he looked around. The black droplets were not thick enough to do much damage individually, but there were a lot of them covering a widespread area.


    Some people were lucky enough to have fallen unconscious under cover, while others lay in the middle of the stream and couldn¡¯t avoid being hit. Those lucky still weren¡¯t hit in vital areas, but many others were peppered along their entire body.


    Clothing or armor were of no help to stop the corrosion.


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    Leon tried to help them, but the poison was too fast to act, and the damage was already done before they could even blink. The young noble stared around him at a loss, his mind shaken from the sudden event.


    Red, however, focused on the battle up above again.


    Duke Northvale had turned into a streak of white light, running away from the liquid covered demon chasing after him. He was leading it away from the area, either not confident to take its attacks head-on or aware of the damage it would cause to the city if they were to clash here.


    Red looked back at Leon.


    ¡°We need to go.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t seem to register his words as he stared at the surrounding carnage.


    ¡°Other cultivators will arrive soon and we need to be gone before they find us,¡± Red said.


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re worried about?!¡± Leon glared at him in a rare display of anger.


    Red stared back at him in silence, but the young noble looked around himself in dismay.


    ¡°This¡­ We were supposed to save them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We already talked about this earlier. More would have died if we didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°They were right in front of us! I could have brought them to safety first, but I just stood there gawking, looking at the fight!¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t argue about this. They couldn¡¯t have predicted this would have happened, but it was clear that Leon¡¯s mind and priority were elsewhere as soon as he saw his father.


    ¡°H-How many more are dead around the neighborhood?¡± Leon trembled as he got up. ¡°We should¡¯ve¡­ I should¡¯ve-¡±


    ¡°We need to leave,¡± Red repeated. ¡°Whatever self reflection you intend to make, it can be done away from here.¡±


    ¡°D-Does none of this affect you? Do you really not feel anything about the people who died?¡±


    Leon was staring at him as if he was seeing Red for the first time. Red, however, remained silent.


    The young noble seemed like he wanted to say something else, but a sudden groan interrupted their conversation.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Emeric seemed to wake up on Red¡¯s back. ¡°W-what happened? Did the demon-¡±


    His words were caught in his throat as he looked around at the corpses on the street. His expression twisted in fright.


    ¡°W-What happened? How did all these people-¡±


    ¡°We can talk about this later,¡± Red cut him off and turned to look at Leon. ¡°Right now, we need to leave.¡±


    Finally, his words seemed to snap Leon out of his reverie, who nodded without confidence.


    The three of them made their way out of the area, back towards the Northvale Manor.


    ¡­


    The trip back was rather difficult as they tried their best to not be spotted, but with the help of Leon¡¯s invisibility badge, they made it all the way back before long. They came across a lot of guards on their way to the area the demon appeared, but once they got to the vicinity of the nobles¡¯ manors, their numbers diminished.


    As they arrived at the manor, Leon informed someone from inside using a talisman, and they entered through the same gap in the formation that they had exited from earlier. Once inside, they went to a resting area where a bunch of worried servants greeted them.


    ¡°Young Master Leon!¡± A maid hurried over to him. ¡°We heard news that a monster appeared in the suburbs, and we were almost worried to death!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Leon waved her off with a tired expression. ¡°Where is my¡­ I mean, have you any news of my father?¡±


    ¡°He left earlier, but we haven¡¯t gotten any news of him since then. Is he-?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Just inform me when he comes back.¡±


    Although Leon said that, there was worry in his tone.


    ¡°Now, just leave us alone to rest.¡±


    Soon enough, only Leon, Emeric, and Red were left in the room. Emeric was already informed of what happened while he was unconscious, and although he was shaken, for the most part he just seemed relieved they had made it out alive.


    Red thought to leave as soon as he got here, but he decided against it. With the city on high alert, sneaking around on his own would be risky, and if he was spotted, others might suspect his involvement. Not to mention the fact that his alibi was supposed to be his presence in the mansion, so it would be better if he left the place through ¡°official¡± means.


    There was a heavy silence in the room as Leon was preoccupied with his own thoughts, Emeric was too tired to talk, and Red wasn¡¯t intent on speaking either. Almost an hour passed by before they heard some commotion from outside, and he felt the fluctuation of the Duke approach the manor.


    Leon made to get up, but paused and sat back down with a pensive expression. Before long, the door to the room opened, and Duke Northvale walked through. Red was able to see his features in full - a weathered and serious face, resembling a soldier¡¯s, and with uncanny similarities to his son¡¯s appearance. He didn¡¯t seem to have any wounds, and Red didn¡¯t notice anything strange with his fluctuation, either.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± he said to the servants accompanying him.


    They did as he ordered and closed the door to the room. As soon as they were alone, Leon stood up with a worried expression.


    ¡°What happened to the demon?¡±


    ¡°Dead,¡± the Duke said. ¡°Duke Claiborne was the first one to appear to help, and we killed the demon before long.¡±


    ¡°Claiborne?¡± Leon sounded surprised. ¡°Why would he-?¡±


    ¡°If he remained passive while a demon destroyed an area of the city where he owns so many businesses, it would have raised too many questions.¡±


    ¡°What about the damage to the city?¡±


    ¡°After the first clash, I tried to lead it away from the populated areas so as not to cause further damage. I couldn¡¯t outrun it, however, so I focused on minimizing the collateral damage while waiting for reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°And? Did you manage to keep it from killing more people?¡±


    ¡°We did the best we could, but none of us were equipped to deal with that corrosive liquid. The destruction the demon caused before its death is extensive.¡±


    Leon¡¯s face paled at this, but his father didn¡¯t seem too concerned.


    ¡°Tell me what happened down there,¡± he asked.


    The young noble tried to recover his composure and told everything that happened in the sewers - from the rituals to the confrontation with the cultist and the giant snake. At the end of the explanation, Duke Northvale frowned and held his chin in thought.


    ¡°I see,¡± he nodded and looked over at Red. ¡°Leon made the right decision in hiring you. Without your help, they might have fed even more sacrifices to that demon and the situation could have been much worse.¡±


    ¡°I only did what I was paid to do,¡± Red said.


    ¡°In any case, your assistance is still appreciated. Would you be interested in another job?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s part of my contract, I see no reason to refuse as long as it doesn¡¯t involve me putting my life on the line.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing dangerous this time,¡± the Duke said. ¡°Are you able to identify the materials used in the formations you dealt with at the sewers?¡±


    ¡°Some of them. For others, I would need some time and experimentation.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t able to study the formations so thoroughly as to be able to identify every material they used.


    ¡°In that case, I would like you to make a list for me of those materials,¡± Duke Northvale said. ¡°We will provide you with the required items for experimentation. Would you be interested?¡±


    Red nodded. He saw no reason to refuse this.


    ¡°Good,¡± the Duke seemed satisfied. ¡°You can discuss compensation with Leon. I would also recommend spending the night here in a guest room so as not to risk arousing suspicion if you were to be spotted walking around this later.¡±


    ¡°I will do that.¡±


    With Red¡¯s agreement, the Duke simply turned around and made to walk out of the room.


    ¡°Father, wait!¡±


    Leon stood up and tried to stop him. The man turned to look at him with a frown.


    ¡°Is there something you haven¡¯t reported?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°Is there something you¡¯d like to discuss about the mission?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°In that case, this conversation is over. Other matters can be discussed at another time.¡±


    With that, he walked out of the room, leaving a bewildered Leon behind.

 Chapter 447 - Next Step

    A few minutes of awkward silence went by before servants entered the room to lead each of them to their room. Leon was still in a daze, but before they parted ways, he called to Red.


    ¡°I forgot about the matter of purification. Although none of us were exposed for too long, there could be lingering problems we haven¡¯t noticed.¡±


    With that, he took out a pill similar to the one he gave Red earlier.


    Red, however, shook his head. ¡°I still have the one you gave me before.¡±


    ¡°That one was supposed to be a gift.¡±


    ¡°It will still suffice.¡±


    In reality, Red knew that only stronger corruption could affect him, and standing in the presence of that egg for a few minutes was not enough to taint him.


    Leon didn¡¯t argue. He nodded and walked away with a despondent expression.


    A servant brought Red to a guest room, making sure to see that all his needs were taken care of. Red just wanted to be alone, though, a wish he was granted with no fuss. He spent the rest of the night writing a list of materials he recognized from the demonic formations, and after he was done, he meditated until the sun rose.


    ¡­


    As soon as morning arrived, the manor came alive.


    Red heard the footsteps of servants walking around the corridor, as well as their hushed conversations. None of them came to knock on his door, though, so he left his room of his own volition. He immediately bumped into a maid passing by, carrying a pile of clothes.


    ¡°Master Viran, you¡¯re already awake!¡± she looked at him in surprise. ¡°Please, hold on for a moment and I will get another servant to-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Red cut her off. ¡°Is your young master awake?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure, sir. I can take you to a waiting room while I check, if you¡¯d prefer.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    Red was taken to the same room from yesterday. As soon as servants saw him there, they brought along a variety of refreshments, despite him saying he didn¡¯t want to eat, and kept asking if they could be of service. He wasn¡¯t used to or comfortable with this treatment, so he just told them he didn¡¯t wish to be bothered, and after that, no servant spoke to him again.


    It took ten minutes before the maid from earlier returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Viran,¡± she approached him with an embarrassed expression. ¡°It seems young master Leon is indisposed and will spend the day resting in his room.¡±


    Red frowned at this. ¡°I was under the impression we would be discussing business.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he told me about some arrangements. The butler would be in charge of discussing terms with you, or if you¡¯d prefer, young master Leon would be available again tomorrow.¡±


    He went silent for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Lead me to the butler, then.¡±


    The conversation with the man was short and straightforward. Red provided the butler with the list, and was told that all of those materials would arrive at his manor tomorrow. When asked about how they would communicate when he was done, the man provided a talisman with which he could call for them to come and collect the results. As for rewards, Red asked for more spiritual materials. But this time, they were forging materials instead of formation components.


    After that, he left the manor. Just as he was about to board a carriage that would take him home, though, someone called from behind him.


    ¡°Viran!¡±


    Red turned around and saw Emeric running in his direction. His complexion was healthier, though he still needed to catch his breath from that quick sprint.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re just going to leave like that?¡± he asked, panting as he bent over with his hands on his knees. ¡°You¡¯re not even going to say farewell?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ We fought alongside each other yesterday, right? They say the best way to form bonds with someone is when you¡¯re both putting your lives on the line fighting against a common enemy.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard this.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Emeric brushed him off. ¡°You saved my life yesterday, so how could I feel at ease with myself if I didn¡¯t show you any appreciation?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to pay me?¡±


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    ¡°Uh, that wasn¡¯t what I had in mind, but¡­ I can try to pay you something. Be aware that I¡¯m not as rich as Leon, though!¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Your appreciation or gratitude is misplaced. I have done nothing more than what I was paid to do.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Emeric gave him a skeptical look. ¡°I thought you were just supposed to be a formation specialist, not a swordsman or a strategist.¡±


    ¡°I did what seemed practical at the time.¡±


    Red had his own reasons for collaborating beyond his established responsibilities, but he didn¡¯t care to explain this to Emeric.


    ¡°Right, if you say so,¡± the young noble shrugged. ¡°Just know that if you need my help, you can call upon me. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for Leon, even though he¡¯s¡­ undisposed at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    He was being sincere. There were many matters that would be made easier with the help of nobles and their connections, so he would be a fool to deny their assistance. Even if he needed to pay them, the option being there was already enough for him.


    With that, Red turned around and entered the carriage. He knocked on the wall of the vehicle two times for the coach to know he could go. As he was leaving, he heard Emeric shouting.


    ¡°You still didn¡¯t say farewell, you bastard!¡±


    ¡­


    On the way back to his manor, Red came across a city in chaos. People were flooding the streets, amassing around newspaper sellers who cried at the top of their lungs.


    ¡°Demon attacks our city! Tremors last night caused by a demon! Outer city neighborhood destroyed!¡±


    These words fanned the chaos and apprehension amidst the populace, who discussed nothing else. They even surrounded groups of guards, questioning them about what exactly happened and what they were going to do about it. Yet, the men could only give them vague answers, which didn¡¯t help calm anyone.


    From what Red picked up along the way, there were hundreds of people dead from just from the collateral destruction of the battle against the demon - not even including all the disappeared vagrants in the sewers. This was a disaster of extreme proportions for these people who lived their entire lives protected by the city, and the fear they felt at the moment was almost palpable.


    This was supposed to be a sanctuary for them, not another battlefield.


    The situation seemed so serious that King Thomas arranged an emergency council with all the most important officials and nobles in the city to discuss and investigate this matter. When he heard this, Red became a bit apprehensive.


    ¡®Will they figure out my involvement?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t believe Duke Northvale would say anything, but perhaps there were other avenues to discover his involvement. Red didn¡¯t think he left any evidence in the sewer, but something worried him.


    ¡°Do they have oracles in a kingdom like this?¡± he asked Aurelia.


    His only worry was divination. He still had his protective spell against them, but if they could figure out Leon¡¯s involvement like that, there was no guarantee Red wouldn¡¯t be outed either.


    ¡°What kind of world would this be if every kingdom in the world had oracles?¡± Aurelia scoffed. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of any kingdom who employed oracles, at least not at this level. This is a domain sects always kept a tight leash on, and I don¡¯t see anything changing even if thousands of years went by.¡±


    ¡°The Empire has them.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Is this kingdom as powerful as the Empire?!¡±


    ¡°I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°Then stop worrying about nothing!¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t rebuke her.


    Soon enough, he arrived at his manor, which seemed intact. But as soon as he walked through the door, he was greeted by a frantic imp.


    ¡°Master, master! Something terrible happened!¡±


    Red was immediately on guard..


    ¡°Did someone try to invade the manor?¡±


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s not that! Something worse!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A d-demon appeared in the city!¡±


    ¡°¡­ A demon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! A demon, and a powerful one too!¡±


    ¡°How could you tell?¡±


    ¡°I felt it, master, in my bones. In every part of my body! Something terrible appeared in the city, and I can tell it¡¯s just like me - a demon!¡±


    Red fell silent as he digested his words.


    ¡°Can you still feel it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± the imp seemed scared to respond. ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. A demon did appear last night, but it¡¯s already dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so I wasn¡¯t wrong?!¡±


    ¡°Not at all, though it surprises me you could sense it. It happened almost on the other side of the city.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I don¡¯t know how to describe it to you, master¡­ It¡¯s like it was calling to everyone that could hear it, and I just happened to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Calling?¡± Red was confused by the wording. ¡°Was it trying to say something?¡±


    The imp hesitated. ¡°It wasn¡¯t words, exactly, but it was definitely calling for others to¡­ Join it.¡±


    This would fit with what Red knew about the monster being an amalgamation of hundreds of people. But it was hard to tell if this was just an unthinking beast lashing out of instinct or if there was a deeper reason behind this call.


    He stared at the imp with an intense gaze. ¡°Did you feel compelled to join it?¡±


    ¡°I would never even dare to entertain the thought of betraying you, master!¡± the imp trembled and knelt.


    ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Well, for a moment I felt something appear in my mind and the idea of joining that demon did appear, but at the next second it was gone,¡± the imp bowed in Red¡¯s direction. ¡°But I swear these thoughts weren¡¯t mine! It was like someone put them there!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I believe in you.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like the imp could lie to him, in any case. Red thought to ask the imp if he knew anything about what happened, but decided it was a pointless effort. He had conversations with his servant about the Serpent¡¯s World Cult before and the former cultist didn¡¯t seem to know any more than the basics.


    With that settled, Red went around the house to check if anyone had bypassed his formation without his notice. This didn¡¯t seem to be the case, though, and he finally relaxed and sat down to reflect on his confrontation in the sewers.


    Red had come to understand his strength was falling short compared to the dangers he was facing. The giant demon was an exception, but when he thought back to Emeric and his confrontation with the three Lesser Ring Realm snakemen, he realized he wouldn¡¯t have fared any better in that position. In fact, he would have probably fared worse because he simply did not possess the same offensive power as the young noble, even with the help of his empowered Gale Breath.


    Of course, he probably wouldn¡¯t have put himself in that position in the first place, but the fact remained: he lacked firepower. This was what he needed to focus on, a reliable way to attack his enemies, and one that wasn¡¯t some sort of trump card or that could only be used a few amounts of times in a fight.


    It just so happened, Red had a rough idea of how to acquire such a power as quickly as he could.


    He took out a book from his pouch - the Amber Saber Sect forging manual his blacksmith master had once entrusted to him.


    It was time for him to forge a Spiritual Artifact.

 Chapter 448 - Choosing a Weapon

    Crafting a Spiritual Artifact was something Red planned to do ever since the day he and Goulth forged his short sword. Back then, that was nothing but a distant dream for him, but after accumulating enough resources working for Leon, it became a matter of finding the right opportunity. Or rather, creating the right opportunity.


    ¡°What are you doing with that?¡±


    Aurelia materialized in front of him, staring at the manual with a frown.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Red asked, not lifting his gaze from the book.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to craft a Spiritual Artifact.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    There was a prolonged silence.


    ¡°Are you not going to ask for help?¡± Aurelia asked.


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you should! I was a disciple of the sect that created the book you¡¯re reading, so you¡¯d be an idiot to not ask for help.¡±


    Red looked up at her. ¡°I was under the impression you didn¡¯t focus on forging while you were alive.¡±


    He knew Aurelia was a disciple of the Amber Saber Sect, but the way she spoke about it, it didn¡¯t seem she trained in anything but combat in her time.


    The woman, however, seemed offended by his words. ¡°When did I ever say that?!¡±


    ¡°Then did you train in forging?¡±


    ¡°Not at all! But I still picked up enough knowledge from other disciples to be better than most master blacksmiths out there.¡±


    Although Aurelia sounded arrogant, Red knew she was probably right.


    ¡°Then how can you help me?¡± he asked.


    She crossed her arms and looked at him with a smirk. ¡°First, I assume you mean to craft a sword, correct?¡±


    Red nodded. It wasn¡¯t surprising she could guess it, since swords were the only weapon he ever used.


    Aurelia¡¯s smile only widened at this. ¡°And I assume you want to craft a flying sword, correct?¡±


    This time, Red was a bit surprised.


    ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing difficult,¡± she said with a haughty expression. ¡°The strongest treasure you ever saw was a flying sword, and it fits your style of combat, so it would be strange if you went for anything else.¡±


    Indeed, Hector¡¯s Deep Sea Sword had left a deep impression in his mind, not just because of its power, but also due to its combat style. Speed, flexibility, and range were core attributes of a flying sword, something that fit well with Red¡¯s own fighting style.


    ¡°Then do you mean to imply that I shouldn¡¯t make a flying sword?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not at all. But I want you to consider this: with all the advantages a flying sword has, why do you not see every cultivator wielding one?¡±


    Red considered the issue. He actually didn¡¯t see many treasures at all in his life, but he suppose it was strange that he didn¡¯t see more flying swords about when they provided such killing power while their wielders could remain safe from a distance. From what he read, it wasn¡¯t because they were harder to craft than other artifacts, so that only left a single option in his mind.


    ¡°Is it because they are harder to wield?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Aurelia nodded. ¡°I mean, just think about it: at your level, how confident are you that you can use your Spiritual Energy to control a flying object with precision in combat? It¡¯s just not something Lesser Ring Realm cultivators are capable of!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Hector did it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he had decades of training, and the sword he was using had spirituality. Really, it was more like he was giving the sword instructions and the sword was doing all the work.¡±


    ¡°So, should I or shouldn¡¯t I craft a flying sword?¡± he asked, confused by her mixed messages.


    ¡°The decision is yours, but it¡¯s better to consider a few things first. The first thing is: what Spiritual Sword Art will you use with it?¡±


    ¡°Sword Art? Won¡¯t the innate power of the artifact suffice?¡±


    Artifacts, in essence, used Spiritual Energy to create wondrous effects. A flying sword Red crafted would not only fly but also manifest destructive winds to tear his enemies apart.


    ¡°See? This is why you need my help!¡± Aurelia looked at him as if he was a novice. ¡°Do you think a sword artifact in the hands of a common cultivator will have the same power as if they were in the hands of a swordsman? Of course not, and it¡¯s not just because it¡¯s a sword, but it¡¯s because of the spirit!¡±


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    ¡°You mean to say a Spiritual Artifact at this level already has a spirit?¡±


    Red was aware that artifacts could attain spirits, like Hector¡¯s Deep Sea Sword. However, that was a sect¡¯s supreme treasure, far stronger than the artifact he meant to forge.


    ¡°At the beginning, it doesn¡¯t, but as you use it more and more, it will inevitably gain some spirituality, even at this level,¡± she said. ¡°By then, a sword artifact will have its power amplified multiple times in the hand of a swordsman. The benefit will be even greater if you¡¯re the one that developed this initial spirituality, as the artifact will be even more compatible to you. Many sects give newly crafted artifacts to their disciples because of that.¡±


    Red was continuously surprised by Aurelia. Although he often denied her offers of assistance, he couldn¡¯t deny that she knew about things that didn¡¯t far beyond his knowledge, and oftentimes that could prove to be of invaluable help.


    ¡°So it¡¯s more beneficial to improve your own artifact from scratch rather than seeking more powerful weapons to replace it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It depends on the situation. At times, an upgrade in power far outweighs the potential of a familiar but weaker artifact. At the same time, nothing stops you from owning multiple artifacts, as many cultivators do. However, your artifacts will not gain spirituality as quickly if you often switch which one you use in combat or training.¡±


    ¡®So it¡¯s a matter of versatility versus single mastery.¡®


    Of course, that was a simplistic outlook on the matter. Nothing dictated an artifact could only do one thing, and an experienced cultivator could also make up for what the artifact lacked with their own powers. However, Red knew he couldn¡¯t craft such a flexible weapon just yet.


    ¡°Is spirituality the only way to improve an artifact?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, you can also reforge an artifact with better materials. But if you change the form or function of the artifact too much, then it will lose all its spirituality.¡±


    Red nodded. He understood now why she advised him to consider his choice before deciding what artifact to forge, as choosing an option carelessly could mean giving up on a substantial advantage in the future. But as he sat there thinking about this, he still arrive at a decision quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still craft a flying sword.¡±


    His considerations were simple. For one, swordsmanship was his main specialty, and he saw no reason to change his focus now. He was not as talented as Domeron, but he still had a natural affinity with the weapon, at least more than any other weapons. Then there was also the matter of the materials. Red would use his black iron short sword as a basis for his artifact, so he could only forge a metal treasure with it. He considered other options, but black iron was a rare and expensive material even here in the capital, and trying to exchange it for something of equal value would be difficult.


    Aurelia smirked. ¡°I thought as much. Let me guess, you¡¯re also thinking of crafting a short sword, right?¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with that, too?¡± Red asked, detecting the hint of derision in her question.


    ¡°Of course there is! Let me guess, your train of thought. Something like: ¡®since I specialized in wind magic and fight just like an assassin, then I should focus on the speed and agility of a short sword¡¯. Am I right?¡±


    Red frowned but didn¡¯t respond.


    Aurelia sneered at him. ¡°Since you know that you¡¯re crafting an artifact with future considerations, shouldn¡¯t you also think about your future combat style when coming up with the kind of sword you will be using?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You think I should change my combat style?¡±


    ¡°I hate assassins like you the most, but it¡¯s not about what I want,¡± she pointed at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t the name of your technique the Storm¡¯s Blessing? What kind of storm is silent and sneaky? It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re gonna have trouble adapting to the technique later on if all you focus on is on sneaking around and ambushing enemies.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t sure he agreed with her words, but her reasoning was still there. While wind lent itself well to his style, would the same be true of water and lightning? If he wanted to cultivate the Storm¡¯s Blessing, he needed to fuse all three types of energies, and it was hard to imagine that would come true if all he focused on was the strengths of the wind.


    When Red first broke into the Lesser Ring Realm, his first focus was on gaining immediate strength. He didn¡¯t think that was a mistake on his part, but now that he gained some security, it was indeed wise to consider his foundation for the future instead of immediate benefits.


    ¡°There¡¯s also something else, of course,¡± Aurelia¡¯s words brought him out of his reverie. ¡°I mean, do you fight the way you fight because that¡¯s the way you want to fight, or do you fight that way because you were forced to do it?¡±


    This question caught Red by surprise. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that you were just a weak child once upon a time. You were forced to sneak around and rely on subterfuge to deal with your enemies. But now you¡¯ve grown stronger,¡± her expression became serious. ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide and shy away from direct confrontation anymore. So ask yourself: do you want to avoid all your problems for the rest of your life or do you want to deal with them directly, like a real damn cultivator?¡±


    Red fell silent in thought. To him, subterfuge just came naturally - he was good at it and in most situations it was the best option to deal with his problems, so he gravitated to this way of acting. But he never stopped to think if this was the way he wanted to grow as a cultivator.


    He wanted to survive the most, but he couldn¡¯t say that hiding this way brought him satisfaction.


    ¡®My enemies and problems are powerful beyond imagination, such that I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be able to defeat them. If I don¡¯t grow strong enough to deal with them before I die, then will I have spent my entire life in hiding?¡¯


    This was a grim thought. This wasn¡¯t what he seeks as a cultivator.


    Red looked at Aurelia and nodded. ¡°I understand your point. My mentality indeed has been mistaken.¡±


    He didn¡¯t shy away from admitting his faults. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t go out in the streets and reveal his real identity to everyone, but he felt that perhaps it was wise to expand his horizons and consider new ways to deal with problems - if only to remain true to himself. This could put him in more danger, but it would benefit his cultivation in the long run.


    Aurelia smirked and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s good that you recognize your faults. This is why you need me as a guide!¡±


    While the woman began to praise her teaching skills, Red had already turned his attention back to the forging manual.


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Aurelia asked in irritation.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the sword I want to use.¡±


    Since Red didn¡¯t feel confined to picking a light, assassin style weapon anymore, he let his mind wander as he study the multiple wondrous designs on the Amber Saber manual. He continued to leaf through the book until he saw a sword that caught his attention.


    Red felt a sense of familiarity as he stared at the weapon¡¯s drawing, remembering there was a time during his training with Domeron where he wished to use a similar sword, but was too young and small to wield it. He turned the book around and showed it to Aurelia.


    ¡°I will forge this one.¡±


    It was a sword, straight and double-edged, with a thin blade that tapered off into a sharp point. It resembled a longsword, except it was longer in both blade and hilt, seemingly for use with two hands. The part that made it stand out, though, was its guard with forward sloping arms that ended in quatrefoils.


    ¡°A claymore?¡± Aurelia looked at him with a strange gaze. ¡°Why that one?¡±


    ¡°I like how it looks.¡±


    Her frown deepened.

 Chapter 449 - Large Trade

    Aurelia glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re going to choose a weapon just because of how it looks?!¡±


    ¡°Not just because of that,¡± Red said. ¡°But yes, it is part of the reason.¡±


    He had been considering other swords, but in the end, he settled for the claymore, something in between the usual longsword and a greatsword - what people generally referred to as a bastard sword. It was still a hefty weapon, but it could also be wielded with swiftness. His main reason, however, was because he liked how the weapon looked and felt in his hand.


    Aurelia stared at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°Have you ever used a claymore before?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I only tried it a few times when I first started training in the Sect.¡±


    ¡°Then you should pick something you¡¯re more familiar with, like a longsword!¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Aurelia seemed to be holding herself back from going on a tirade.


    Others might think that such a reasoning was silly, but it was all Red needed. After all, cultivators should have the freedom to choose how they developed their powers, or what was the point of cultivating in the first place? Of course, Red was no fool either. Perhaps if he displayed a disparate amount of talent for one weapon over the other, he would have reconsidered this decision, but nothing like that happened in his years of training.


    The only reason he was good with shortswords was because he practiced them a lot, not because of some innate talent. Such being the case, why couldn¡¯t he master another weapon in the same manner?


    Aurelia stared at him with a resigned expression. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but eventually I would have come to the same conclusion,¡± Red said.


    ¡°You are aware that the heavier a sword is, the harder it will be to use it as a flying sword, right?¡±


    ¡°I figured as much. I plan to offset the weight with cloud sky iron and specific runes.¡±


    Cloud sky iron was a wind-energy infused material that Red once used in the Parting Storm formation to open his Spiritual Sea. It could be used to create an alloy that would reduce the overall weight of a weapon without compromising its durability or internal structure.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that simple,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Most flying sword techniques aren¡¯t made for swords that large. You will have a harder time controlling it.¡±


    ¡°You said that Lesser Ring Realms wouldn¡¯t be able to use these kinds of weapons effectively anyways. This kind of sword can still be used as an effective melee weapon, and I¡¯ll have enough time to practice controlling it.¡±


    The woman seemed to relent. ¡°Fine! Do what you want, but be aware that this kind of decision is final. Once you create an artifact, you won¡¯t be able to reforge it without incurring some huge losses.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Although some of his decisions might seem impulsive, he always put a lot of thought behind them. If they turned out to be a mistake later, then he wouldn¡¯t complain. To him, one of the most important parts of cultivation was to learn through trial and error in areas you could afford to experiment. If he shied away from trying new things for fear of failure, what kind of cultivator would he turn out to be?


    As Red settled on this decision, he started to work on the schematics for his new artifact.


    ¡­


    The materials for Red¡¯s formation research arrived in the morning of the next day, along with his payment. These were delivered by the Northvale butler personally, who also used the opportunity to update him on the developments of the city.


    Suffice it to say, the chaos after the demonic attack was still ongoing. Citizens cowered in fear of new attacks, and an air of paranoia started to take root in the streets. But the court¡¯s response was swift.


    The King himself ordered the city guard and his vassals to spare no expenses in investigating the attack and rooting out any cultists, leaving no room for protest. The result was that many hidden demonic cells were already discovered on the first day of operations, which left the entire city even more apprehensive. Red didn¡¯t know if among these people were any of his ¡°acquaintances¡± from the Nine-Star Cult, but he assumed this was not the case, since there would be a far larger commotion if that happened.


    This news made him apprehensive, though, as his sudden appearance in the city a few months ago could have made him a target for investigation. But that didn¡¯t come to pass, at least not yet. Red assumed this might have been because of the interference of Duke Northvale himself, or perhaps of some influential members of the Nine-Star Cult. The former would protect him because of his previous service, while the latter would protect him so he wouldn¡¯t reveal the identity of their cult members.


    It was hard to tell, and no answer was forthcoming.


    Over the next week, Red remained in his manor researching the formation, but the butler kept him updated on events. The investigations hadn¡¯t ended yet, and they would probably continue for many more months, but they weren¡¯t able to find any more cult gatherings. Those they found previously were composed of low-ranked members, and didn¡¯t yield useful information for the court. This only angered the King further, who redoubled the investigation efforts.


    An unintended consequence of this was that the civil unrest and political intrigue brewing under the surface of the city took a backseat to this demonic issue, and the capital saw a period of unexpected peace. Neither the Golden Hand merchants nor the nobles dared to anger the King at this moment.


    There were also news about the sewers. The specifics of what happened underground weren¡¯t exposed to the public, but the number of vagrant casualties there had far surpassed the deaths on the surface. The corruption also became an issue, and a huge section of the sewers was sealed for purification.


    It would take more than a year to make the place safe again.


    Learning all these matters made Red more resolved to remain in seclusion for now. Soon, his research was done, and he delivered the results to the butler, who told him the investigation into this could also take a while.


    With no other pressing matter, Red¡¯s attention returned to forging his artifact.


    First, he realized he needed more black iron ore, as the amount in his shortsword wouldn¡¯t be enough to forge a claymore. To buy more ore, he needed more money. Just a small piece of this ore could go for over 10 spirit stones, and Red needed at least four more from his calculations. This was a substantial amount.


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    So it was that Red drew more talismans and formations for selling. This time, the entire process was much faster, and he accumulated a substantial stock in less than a week, a speed unheard of for most arcane scripture masters. This was possible because of his superior stamina, but also because of his talent.


    Red was improving at an astonishing rate.


    ¡®I feel as if I can try something more complex soon.¡¯


    Putting these thoughts aside, he focused back on his forging plans. He needed to sell his merchandise, but he didn¡¯t feel confident reopening his store, as he didn¡¯t want to attract attention to himself right now. His only option was to search for a direct buyer.


    Red pulled out a communication talisman and activated it.


    ¡°I wish to sell talismans,¡± he said.


    It took ten seconds before a reply came.


    ¡°Master Viran!¡± Marina, the merchant¡¯s daughter and Leon¡¯s friend, responded. ¡°You know, I was thinking have some products I wished to show you! How about we meet at my store?¡±


    Red thought to himself for a while before responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    After arranging his manor, he left for Lehmann¡¯s Traders.


    The streets of the city were uncharacteristically empty, and there were guards stationed at almost every corner. Red received quite a few unfriendly gazes as he made his way to the trade district, but no one tried to stop him.


    When he arrived, a lot of large stores were closed, but Lehmann¡¯s Traders stood open, bustling with movement in an otherwise quiet district. At the entrance, the attendant Lena was waiting for him with a smile.


    ¡°Master Viran,¡± she bowed. ¡°There was no need to come here on foot. Next time, we can arrange a carriage to pick you up.¡±


    Red was about to brush her offer off instinctually, but then he paused. Was walking around in plain sight in the city a good idea?


    ¡°Very well,¡± he nodded. ¡°I would like to hire a personal carriage.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Lena seemed surprised. ¡°W-Well, we don¡¯t really provide this kind of service but¡­ I¡¯m sure we can arrange something for you. In any case, please come in! Lady Marina is waiting for you on the second floor.¡±


    As Red walked inside, he saw a lot of customers being attended to by other employees - far more than the last time he came here.


    ¡°A lot of people are looking to buy items to arm themselves,¡± Elena said, noticing his wandering gaze. ¡°The news about demonic cultists hiding in the city has everyone on edge, so portable items like talismans are a hot commodity right now.¡±


    She gave Red a meaningful smile, but he didn¡¯t respond. They went up the stairs, and he was led to the same ornate room he met Marina at the last the time. The woman stood up from her cushion seat when she saw him arrive, a wide smile plastering her fox-like expression as she waved the fan in greeting.


    ¡°Master Viran, how good it is to see you!¡± She pointed at the cushion across from him. ¡°Please, sit down!¡±


    Red still didn¡¯t like this kind of ceremony, but he had learned it was more trouble than it was worth to complain about it. Elena also sat by the side, waiting for her mistress¡¯ orders.


    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Marina asked, pointing at the teapot set on the low table between them.


    Red was about to refuse, but the woman cut him off.


    ¡°Ah, before you refuse,¡± she set her fan aside and held the teapot. ¡°Please, sense this aroma first!¡±


    She removed the lid, and a faint mist rose from inside the teapot. As soon as it entered Red¡¯s nostrils, he froze. A feeling of refreshment came over him, but above that, he felt strands of Spiritual Energy stimulating his veins.


    He looked at the brownish liquid inside the teapot in surprise. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Spiritual Tea,¡± Marina said. ¡°More specifically, Black Mourning tea. It¡¯s from a plant that only grows in the Skycrown mountains, and cultivators from the Crystal Sky Sect drink this daily. It is not as effective as a pill, but it still has wondrous effects on the cultivation of Lesser Ring Realm practitioners,¡± she smiled. ¡°So, would you like a cup?¡±


    Red thought to himself for a few seconds, but saw no reason to deny it. He nodded.


    ¡°Great!¡± Marina looked at Elena. ¡°Please, pour us two cups.¡±


    The attendant did as instructed. Soon, two cups of the black tea were set in front of them. Red, however, waited until Marina had taken the first sip. After nothing happened to the woman, he lifted his mask ever so slightly, still hiding his face but uncovering his mouth to drink.


    Red was never one for taste, but this tea was by far the best thing he had ever consumed. All the fatigue from his body was dispelled, and gentle strands of Spiritual Energy entered his body, being assimilated by his Spiritual Sea without issues. He waited a few seconds to see if any adverse effects came from that small sip, but after nothing happened, he drank up the rest without hesitation.


    Marina laughed once she saw this. ¡°Another cup?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t hesitate to accept. A few minutes later, he had drank the rest of the tea, and felt the Spiritual Energy in his Spiritual Sea had increased substantially.


    ¡®If I could drink this kind of tea every day, I would reach the middle stage of the Lesser Ring Realm in less than a month.¡¯


    It was a ludicrous thought to think that sect cultivators drank this kind of tea every day. It was no wonder they advanced their cultivation so quickly.


    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Marina asked. ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can have a bag of this tea.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No cost, it¡¯s a gift!¡±


    Red frowned, suspicion coming to him.


    Marina seemed to guess his thoughts and laughed. ¡°No need to be suspicious, Master Viran. Merchants should ingratiate themselves with experts to form friendly relationships. That way, these experts would be more compelled to conduct business with them.¡±


    ¡°Are you supposed to be telling me this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned from our last interaction that you do not appreciate the formalities and hidden intentions that plague the trade business, so I am trying to be respectful and direct with you on these matters,¡± she said. ¡°Besides, you did help Leon, did you not?¡±


    Red paused, looking at Elena from the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°No need to worry about her,¡± Marina said with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s as loyal as they come, and she knows a lot about my dealings with Young Master Leon already.¡±


    Red was still hesitant to speak about these matters in front of strangers, but if Elena already knew about it, there was no point in him avoiding the topic.


    Marina flicked her fan open and sighed. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t mean to hold you here for longer than necessary. May I see the talismans?¡±


    Red nodded and pulled out two boxes from his bag. On one of them were about thirty basic talismans, while on the other there were formation plates for a small shielding formation. The woman¡¯s eyes lit up as she examined them.


    ¡°Bring me my magnifier!¡± She barked orders at Elena.


    The attendant handed her a strange glass instrument, which Marina used to examine the talismans and formation plates. A few minutes went by before she laughed in delight.


    ¡°Fantastic! Truly great products!¡± She looked back at Red. ¡°How much do you want for them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a set price. Just tell me how much they¡¯re worth,¡± Red said.


    ¡°Well, all together, the price should be around forty-five spirit stones, but since the demand for these kinds of items has increased¡­ I can offer you fifty spirit stones!¡±


    This was more than Red had been expecting. With just a week''s worth of work, he had earned more money than most Lesser Ring Realm cultivators would see in their entire lives.


    ¡°Is that to your satisfaction?¡± Marina asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Red nodded. ¡°But before we settle on anything, I would like to see if you have any black iron ore available.¡±


    ¡°Black iron ore?¡± This time, she frowned. ¡°We have some, but¡­ The prices are higher than usual because of everything that¡¯s happening in the city, and we have only about a dozen left in the storage.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t surprised to hear this. ¡°How much for a nugget?¡±


    ¡°Thirteen spirit stones.¡±


    At this, Red fell silent in thought. With fifty spirit stones from the sales and a few more he had in reserve, he could pay for four nuggets, but this wasn¡¯t a cheap amount at all. It would use up almost all his savings. Still, he was quick to arrive at his decision.


    ¡°I will take four,¡± Red said, pulling out two spirit stones out of his pouch.


    Marina nodded and instructed Elena to bring the nuggets. Then she looked back at him with an inquisitive gaze.


    ¡°I assume you mean to forge an artifact, Master Viran?¡±


    Red nodded. It wasn¡¯t a surprise she could guess this, since this was the primary use of black iron ore.


    ¡°Then do you have a Spiritual Forge to use?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    This was something Red meant to procure next. A normal forge wouldn¡¯t suffice to craft an artifact, and he would need a Spiritual Forge that could infuse Spiritual Energy into the final product. Such forges had special equipment and formations to make that possible, and often they needed to be built on special places to maximize the effect.


    However, as he said this, Marina looked at him with a strange gaze.


    ¡°Are there no Spiritual Forges in the city?¡± he asked.


    He thought it should have been possible to rent one for use.


    ¡°No, Master Viran, there are a few,¡± Marina said. ¡°The palace and the Golden Hand headquarters have one.¡±


    Red frowned as he heard this. He knew that Spiritual Forges were rare, but there were just two of them in the entire capital?


    ¡°How much is it to rent them?¡±


    ¡°That is another thing,¡± the woman said. ¡°They aren¡¯t renting these forges to outsiders anymore.¡±


    This was a major problem.

 Chapter 450 - Business Opportunity

    ¡°I was under the impression it was possible to rent them with enough money, even for an outsider,¡± Red said.


    This was something he had been casually researching since coming to the city, so he knew powerful factions often rented these Spiritual Forges to crafters or other people. After all, setting up such a facility was difficult and costly.


    ¡°This used to be the case,¡± Marina said. ¡°But it changed since the war against the Empire started. The royal family closed its forge so they could use it for the war effort, while the Golden Hand kept theirs open for renting for a while. They changed their mind though.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Marina smiled. ¡°Profits, why else? If they closed the forge for renting, they could force people to seek their guild crafters if they ever wanted to forge an artifact and earn a lot of money over these commissions. Of course, some people would be reluctant to do it since they wanted to keep the powers of their artifacts a secret, so the guild offered yet another option for them.¡±


    ¡°They could use the forge if they joined the guild,¡± Red guessed what she was implying.


    ¡°That, or they would need to work for the guild in some important matters. Suffice it to say, since the royal court was not an option and there are no other Spiritual Forges for hundreds of kilometers, most people have to work with the Golden Hand if they want their artifact.¡±


    To Red, this was an unpleasant option. The Golden Hand would definitely take this opportunity to recruit him, given what they knew of his skills, and at best, trying to negotiate with them was bound to get him swamped in a lot of debt.


    ¡°There¡¯s another option, an unorthodox one,¡± Marina said. ¡°You could ask a sect for help.¡±


    ¡°A sect? They accept commissions?¡±


    ¡°Most of the time, no, but if you present them with a valuable cultivation resource, it¡¯s possible to negotiate that. It would need to be something they are specifically looking for, though.¡±


    ¡°And would they allow me to use their Spiritual Forge?¡±


    ¡°No, they would never allow an outsider to use their facilities. They would forge the artifact to your specifications, but at the very least, they are far more trustworthy than the Golden Hand.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°That is not an option I can pursue.¡±


    Considering the inheritance of his master, it was vital for him to stay as far as possible from sects. This being the case, it left only one possibility in his mind.


    ¡°Is it possible to build a Spiritual Forge in the city?¡± he asked.


    Marina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Build one? It certainly is possible, but if it was that simple, then there would be more than two forges in the city.¡±


    ¡°I would still like to know how viable it is.¡±


    The woman fell silent with a thoughtful expression. A few seconds later, Elena returned to the room, carrying an ornate metal box. She had a struggling expression as she set it down on the tea table.


    ¡°Here it is, mistress¡­¡± she said, trying to catch her breath. ¡°I had no idea these ores were so heav-¡±


    ¡°Not now, Elena,¡± Marina cut her off with a wave of her fan. ¡°Bring me our files on Spiritual Forges and our inventory on the relevant materials.¡±


    Elena¡¯s face paled, but she nodded and turned to leave the room.


    ¡°Oh, also bring a map of the Spiritual Energy distribution in the city!¡± Marina called after the woman.


    It took five minutes before the attendant returned, carrying an enormous stack of papers in her arms. She set it down in front of Marina, who didn¡¯t hesitate to leaf through it.


    ¡°Right, you will need some special stones for this¡­ Elena, where¡¯s the pen and paper?!¡±


    Elena gasped and ran out of the room, returning with what her mistress asked. Marina set about writing pages and pages of numbers and calculations, mumbling to herself and sometimes asking her attendant to bring some other files.


    It took ten minutes before she stopped and looked at Red with a smile.


    ¡°Here it is,¡± she handed a piece of paper to him. ¡°This is how much it should cost to build a Spiritual Forge from the ground up.¡±


    Red read the number and froze.


    ¡°Two thousand Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°On the cheapest materials, yes,¡± Marina said. ¡°Suffice it to say, a facility that can endlessly produce Spiritual Artifacts is extremely expensive to build, though the potential return would make this initial expense seem like nothing.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone in the city have this many Spirit Stones?¡±


    Marina laughed. ¡°They do! Sure, it¡¯s a substantial amount even for noble families, but it¡¯s not like they can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the reason for so few Spiritual Forges?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s two-fold. First, you need a location with sufficient Spiritual Energy density to build it.¡± As she said this, she spread a map on the table. It depicted the city from above, as well as a gradient of colored circles which showed the places with higher Spiritual Energy density. ¡°To build a Spiritual Forge, you would need about this level of density.¡±


    She pointed at the darker areas on the map. Those were almost all located around the royal palace, in the center of the city. Those areas also happened to be occupied by the mansions of nobles and headquarters of large organizations.


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s another matter,¡± Marina continued. ¡°To keep these forges operating, they would need to divert an enormous amount of Spiritual Energy into them - Spiritual Energy which they could be using for other purposes. Suffice it to say, most people opt to use this Spiritual Energy for other purposes, such as cultivation or concocting pills. This is not to mention that without a skilled crafter, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use the forge to the best of its potential, and those are rare to find and difficult to train. Overall, it just isn¡¯t a worthwhile investment for them.¡±


    Red closed his eyes in thought. His wish to build a Spiritual Forge to craft a single artifact now seemed silly to him.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s assume that you find someone crazy or desperate enough to sell you one of these areas so you can build a Spiritual Forge. Not mentioning the fact the royal court would not allow someone to buy such important property without a thorough screening, the price for a place like this would be astronomical. Overall, you could easily spend over five thousand Spirit Stones to buy such a place.¡±


    He sighed. All the woman wanted to convey was that this was not possible without a ridiculous amount of money. Red now needed to consider whether it was worth it to craft this artifact right now or if he should wait for an opportunity to use one of the city¡¯s Spiritual Forges.


    ¡°So as you can see, it¡¯s not a very viable¡­¡± Marina trailed off.


    Red looked up at the woman in confusion, only to see her staring at the map in a daze.


    ¡°Hm, master Viran, let me ask you something,¡± she looked at him with a strange expression. ¡°How skilled are you at forging artifacts?¡±


    ¡°This would be my first time doing it,¡± he said.


    ¡°I see, but I mean¡­ How good do you think you would be at it?¡±


    This question gave Red some pause. He thought back to his time learning blacksmithing with his master Goulth, as well as the Amber Sect Manual and the Arcane Scripture book in his possession.


    ¡°I would be very good,¡± Red said.


    A smile grew on Marina¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± she pointed at a spot on the map. ¡°Do you know who lives here?¡±


    It was a small manor, at least relative to the mansions surrounding it. Surprisingly, it had a substantial amount of Spiritual Energy density.


    ¡°The Fairclough family?¡± Red said, reading the map.


    ¡°Well, yes, but do you know who is a member of the Fairclough family?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Lady Ilse is!¡±


    Red was surprised. Lady Ilse was one of the friends Leon introduced to him when they first met, and also the one who had the prophetic dream about a snakeman walking the streets of the capital.


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting I buy this place from her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, this place is definitely not for sale!¡± Marina seemed fearful of his suggestion. ¡°However, you should be aware Lady Ilse is the only member of her family in the capital, and for all intents and purposes, she can do as she wishes with her manor.¡±


    ¡°I see. So you¡¯re suggesting I make a deal with her?¡±


    ¡°Precisely! Since she¡¯s a friend of Leon, there¡¯s already a certain amount of rapport there for negotiations.¡±


    Red fell silent in thought.


    ¡°The money to build such a place would still be a problem.¡±


    He would need two thousand Spirit Stones. This wasn¡¯t an impossible amount for Red to accrue with his work as an Arcane Scripture master, but it could take well over a year to make that much money, and that was far too long for him.


    Marina smiled as if she was expecting him to say this. ¡°That¡¯s where I come in with my proposal!¡±


    Red realized where she was going with this.


    ¡°The Lehmann¡¯s Traders group can fund the construction of this forge,¡± she continued. ¡°Then we can provide you with commissions from clients all over the eastern continent to forge artifacts, and the profits can be split between you, Lady Ilse, and our group!¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to spend too much of my time forging artifacts,¡± Red said.


    Although this sounded like a good idea, his ultimate focus would still be on cultivation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Marina waved his concerns off. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a crowd of people who can commission artifacts, so you would have plenty of free time to do other things. If you¡¯d prefer, we can also only contact you on the more profitable or complex orders, and let a lesser team of crafter deal with the simple ones.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re this confident in my ability even though I haven¡¯t crafted anything?¡±


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t be too humble, Master Viran! I¡¯ve seen the quality of your talismans and formations, so if you claim you¡¯re very good at forging, I¡¯m compelled to trust you.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t offer a rebuttal to that, though one thing still concerned him.


    ¡°Would the Golden Hand and the royal court let this happen?¡± he asked.


    He knew the Golden Hand to be a ruthless group of merchants who didn¡¯t take kindly to being undercut in the market. As for the royal court, they might not be happy at the appearance of another group that could supply powerful weapons to the city.


    Marina, however, smirked when she heard this. ¡°They won¡¯t do anything, Master Viran, because Lady Ilse is the Queen¡¯s sister!¡±


    Red was surprised to hear this. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she the only noble of her family in the capital?¡±


    ¡°She is. The Queen is a member of the royal family, and Lady Ilse is the acting head of her family now. Of course, on paper the Queen still commands the family, but neither her nor the King truly care to enforce that authority since¡­ They have lost all their lands and power against the Empire.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the Queen be capable of barring this deal if she wanted to, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but unlikely. Lady Ilse is very well liked and cared for by the Queen, so I don¡¯t see why she would protest against something that would benefit her own sister. All that we need to be careful of is to not cross the royal court¡¯s bottom line, but that is not something you ever need to concern yourself with, Master Viran. All you need to do is forge artifacts.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, thinking about the proposal in his head.


    ¡°Master Viran, imagine the profit you could make with this,¡± Marina said with a smile. ¡°You could earn hundreds of Spirit Stones a month for just a week or less of work. This would be of invaluable help to your cultivation, and your path towards the Greater Ring Realm would be set in stone!¡±


    Her words seemed to convince him, but he raised one last concern.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this all hinge on Lady Ilse accepting this deal?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, obviously!¡±


    ¡°And how certain are you that you can convince her?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Marina hesitated. ¡°Fairly certain. Though I think your presence there might help, too.¡±


    Red sighed. ¡°When are we going?¡±


    ¡°When? We can go right now!¡± Marina looked at Elena. ¡°Prepare a carriage for us.¡±


    Elena stared at her with some apprehension. ¡°L-Lady Marina, shouldn¡¯t you inform your father before making this kind of deal?¡±


    ¡°I know my father better than you, Elena, and he would obviously agree to this kind of opportunity,¡± she waved her fan dramatically. ¡°What matters now is to seize the moment. Now, shoo! Do as I told you!¡±


    Elena scurried out of the room, her expression still full of misgivings. But nothing stopped them, and soon Red, Marina, and Elena were on her way to the Fairclough mansion.

 Chapter 451 - Partnership

    The Fairclough manor was tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the noble district, next to a park whose trees rose high enough to hide it from afar. Only when one was close could they see the building itself - an old wooden manor, which one might think had been abandoned if not for the few servants cleaning the courtyard of fallen leaves.


    It was larger than Red¡¯s stolen manor, but it was a meek property when compared to the large mansions of the nobles around the center of the city. He felt only seven fluctuations from within.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always insisted for Lady Ilse to renovate this manor,¡± Marina said as they exited the carriage. ¡°But she says it¡¯s a waste of time. The Queen doesn¡¯t seem to care for it either, so now this looks like the house of a dying noble family.¡±


    Red offered no comments as they neared the gate. A manservant looked surprised when they saw them approach, and he hurried to greet them.


    ¡°Lady Marina,¡± he bowed. ¡°We were not expecting your presence here.¡±


    ¡°I thought I would drop by to visit my friend. Is she not in?¡±


    ¡°She is, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s busy at the moment. We were told not to disturb her unless it was something important.¡±


    ¡°Well, tell her this is of the utmost importance!¡±


    ¡°B-But I thought-¡±


    ¡°Just tell her Marina is here to talk to her about something very important. If she still refuses to see us, then I can come at some other time.¡±


    The manservant nodded, but his gaze lingered on Red¡¯s masked figure.


    ¡°He¡¯s with me,¡± Marina said, waving her fan in punctuation.


    He nodded and hurried inside the manor. Five minutes went by, and Marina seemed to be losing her patience. Then the manservant reappeared.


    ¡°Lady Ilse will see you inside, if you¡¯d follow me,¡± he said, opening the gate.


    The man led them into the manor. The inside of the building was far more well-maintained than its exterior, giving off a rustic look that Red had not seen before in the capital. Paintings of regal figures were hanging off of almost every wall, wearing the same coat of arms and posing in the same manner.


    ¡°The ancestors of the Fairclough family,¡± Marina said. ¡°The founder of the family was once a disciple of the Divine Dream Sect who left the sect to found a county on the northern reaches of the kingdom. Official records would tell you he did this because of his desire to create a lineage, but the truth is he just wasn¡¯t talented enough to enter the inner sect and was allowed to leave and seek fortune in the mortal world.¡±


    She didn¡¯t lower her voice, which allowed the manservant to hear their conversation. He didn¡¯t show any reactions, though.


    Red looked back at Marina. ¡°Was he allowed to bring the sect¡¯s techniques with him?¡±


    ¡°Outer sect disciples have access to lesser versions of the sect¡¯s supreme techniques, and those are allowed to be brought outside as long as they are not sold or taught to anyone but the disciple¡¯s immediate family. Of course, even though it¡¯s a lesser version of a sect¡¯s signature technique, it¡¯s still extremely powerful and complex to master, so not every member of the Fairclough family could practice it. In fact, sometimes entire generations went by with not no suitable candidate to learn this technique.¡±


    ¡°And Lady Ilse? Did she learn it?¡±


    Marina smiled. ¡°She¡¯s the first in over fifty years.¡±


    Things started becoming clearer to Red. The Divine Dream Sect was an organization known for their oracles and divination, so if Ilse had access to one of their techniques, it was no wonder she had the prophetic dream about the snakeman.


    The manservant led them to a waiting room, where he lit up the fireplace and offered them refreshments. After making sure their needs were tended to, he said that his mistress would be here soon and left to tend to his duties.


    Almost ten minutes went by, though, and there was still no sign of the woman.


    Red looked over at Marina, who gave him an awkward smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be here soon.¡±


    And indeed, after five more minutes, he felt a fluctuation approaching them.


    Lady Ilse entered the room, wearing an embroidered red dress and with her long auburn hair tied behind her head. Her appearance seemed more ragged than when Red first met her, as if she had dressed in a hurry, and there were some spots of soot on her hands.


    As soon as she arrived, she looked at Marina with a frown before turning to Red with a smile.


    ¡°Master Viran,¡± she curtsied to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I could not properly greet you. I was not expecting any visitors.¡±


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    Red nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Lady Ilse¡¯s attention then turned to Marina. ¡°You did not tell me you would be visiting.¡±


    Marina hid her expression behind a fan. ¡°Well, I was not expecting you to be busy.¡±


    ¡°I told you about my plans a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I might have gotten carried away, but there¡¯s a good reason for it!¡±


    Lady Ilse sighed and sat down on the sofa across from them. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hear it then.¡±


    ¡°I have a business proposal for you!¡±


    Marina then went into a long-winded explanation. She talked about her conversation with Red, his desire to forge an artifact, and how he was lacking a Spiritual Forge. Then she went on about how that had given her the idea to build their own forge, and that this manor was the best place for it. All throughout the explanation, Lady Ilse did not interrupt Marina once, listening to her words with a neutral expression and sometimes taking a sip of her tea.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the gist of it,¡± Marina concluded with a smile. ¡°With your manor and Master Viran¡¯s skills, we can create a business endeavor that could make us rich! Of course, there¡¯s the problem with Her Majesty, but if you can convince her then-¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Lady Ilse cut her off."


    ¡°Hm? Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°I know my sister. She has made it clear that what I do with the manor and our family¡¯s resources are my own concern.¡±


    Marina frowned. ¡°That sounds like someone who was cutting off relationships would say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it sounds. We just have a clear understanding of our positions in the capital and have established clear boundaries on the lengths we would go to for each other.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Does that mean that she wouldn¡¯t interfere if people had issues with our plan?¡±


    ¡°Her influence would be enough to make many people think twice, but it¡¯s hard to say if she would interfere directly.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ could be a problem.¡±


    Lady Ilse smiled. ¡°Maybe, but what would others do? Invade this place and destroy the forge? If they did that, then my sister would definitely not stand by.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not their direct interference that worries me. If the Golden Hand wanted to, they could damage a lot of my family¡¯s business over this matter.¡±


    ¡°And you expect them to just let you be as it is?¡±


    Her words made Marina fall silent as she pondered the problem with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°I thought I was the one who was supposed to be convincing you,¡± she said. ¡°Does this mean you agree to the proposal?¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Lady Ilse looked over at Red. ¡°You would be forging the artifacts?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°And how much experience do you have with it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°And yet you went along with the plan,¡± she regarded him with a strange expression. ¡°What exactly is your goal?¡±


    ¡°My goal will always be to advance my cultivation. This business is just a means to an end.¡±


    It was Lady Ilse¡¯s turn to fall silent in thought.


    ¡°If it was anyone else, I would have outright denied you,¡± she said. ¡°But after what you did for Leon and Emeric, how could I refuse to help you?¡±


    ¡°I was just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but I have my own consciousness to appease as well.¡±


    ¡°Then you will do it?¡± Marina looked at her friend with excitement.


    ¡°I will,¡± Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°But I have some conditions.¡±


    She set her teacup down and looked back at Red with a smile.


    ¡°You know I am an alchemist, right?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    She paused in surprise before scowling at Marina. ¡°How could you not have told him that? Do you even take your job seriously?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well,¡± the woman waved her fan. ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t be relevant.¡±


    ¡°Irrelevant?¡± she picked up her teacup as if to throw it at her friend. ¡°Are you slow?! How could that be irrelevant?!¡±


    Marina flinched. ¡°I just thought there would be enough Spiritual Energy to go around!¡±


    Her words only seemed to anger Lady Ilse further, but she still set down her teacup and recomposed herself.


    ¡°Listen, Master Viran. Alchemy is also a very Spiritual Energy intensive practice. Splitting up the local energy between forging and concocting pills could be detrimental to both endeavors.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°But since you didn¡¯t outright deny the idea, you must have some way to work around it, right?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That is indeed the case. Truth be told, I¡¯ve been unsatisfied with my current facilities, and I would like to see them upgraded. A Spiritual Forge shares many of the same characteristics as a Spiritual Laboratory, so it seems our interests align in more than a few ways.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean to alternate their use? It might not be practical.¡±


    Either forging artifacts or concocting spiritual pills were processes that could take days, maybe even weeks to finish. Whoever wasn¡¯t using the Spiritual Energy at the moment would have no other choice than to wait, which was not preferable to Red.


    ¡°We would only need to alternate their use if there¡¯s not enough Spiritual Energy to go around,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°But if we upgrade the spiritual density of this place, then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Marina raised her eyebrows. ¡°That is a rather ambitious idea. How would you do something like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. A large-scale Spirit Gathering Formation.¡±


    Red recognized the name. It was the same formation he used for cultivating in his manor, which increased the surrounding Spiritual Energy density.


    ¡°That¡¯s insanity!¡± Marina looked at her friend like she was crazy. ¡°Do you have any idea how much it would cost to build and maintain that?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Lady Ilse said with a nod. ¡°And it¡¯s a price I¡¯m willing to pay. Besides, such a formation would benefit me in other ways, too.¡±


    ¡°And who would set up such a format- ah¡­¡± Marina trailed off, looking over at Red.


    He already understood where this conversation was leading.


    ¡°This is a lot of work.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just referring to the formation.


    ¡°It¡¯s all for a long-term goal, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lady Ilse asked. ¡°Work now will lend you much more free time in the future.¡±


    This he couldn¡¯t refute.


    ¡°I can build the formation,¡± Red said. ¡°But I also want you to make me cultivation pills.¡±


    This was the one thing he was lacking. He had the Spirit Gathering Formation, which provided him with a boost for cultivation, but a consistent supply of spiritual pills could speed up his progress by yet another level.


    Lady Ilse smiled. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s not done!¡± Marina got up and stared at the two of them. ¡°Have you forgotten about the part where a Spiritual Gathering Formation large enough to cover a forge and a laboratory would cost a tremendous amount of money? It would cost more than both the facilities put together!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I already have all the materials.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± The merchant seemed to fall into a daze before she looked at her friend in surprise. ¡°How long have you been planning this?¡±


    ¡°Long enough,¡± Lady Ilse said before looking at Red. ¡°I was just waiting for the last piece to arrive.¡±


    Red detected a subtle meaning behind her words, and it made his blood run cold for a moment.


    ¡°When can you start working?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Right now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Lady Ilse got up and waved at him. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Marina looked between them. ¡°I still haven¡¯t even drafted a contract or ordered any materials!¡±


    ¡°Well, then go and do your job!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Marina rushed out of the door in a hurry, sending dozens of messages through her communication talismans.

 Chapter 452 - A Foreboding Dream

    Lady Ilse led Red to the back of her manor, into a large storage room with multiple floors. He was surprised to find dozens of boxes strewn all over the place, packed with materials he was very familiar with.


    ¡°This is where I intend to build the workshop,¡± she waved her hand, showing him the room.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem very spacious,¡± Red said.


    It was a big room, just not big enough for both a forge and a laboratory.


    Lady Ilse smiled. ¡°I know, which is why we will also build on the second floor.¡±


    ¡°That would change the specifics of the formation.¡±


    ¡°The blueprint accounts for it. Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    She led him to a table further into the room, where she unfurled a large formation schematic.


    ¡°See here?¡± She pointed at a few spots amidst the drawings. ¡°If we build more secondary nodes on the second floor and resonate them properly, the Spiritual Energy distribution will remain evenly spread.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead studying the schematic. He was very familiar with the scripture used in this formation, and the only difference was the scale and the connecting symbols.


    ¡°So, are you confident, Master Viran?¡± Lady Ilse asked.


    Red nodded. ¡°I am. It will just take a while.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Three weeks¡­ Two weeks if I can work uninterrupted.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond to this. When Red looked up, he saw her looking at him with a strange expression.


    ¡°I expected a month at least,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    ¡°I have some experience with this formation.¡±


    ¡°So you say. In any case, by uninterrupted, do you mean you would work without resting?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°And you have no issues with doing that?¡±


    ¡°I would need a day of preparation first. After that, it should be fine.¡±


    He needed to make sure that Emer, his imp, would know of his absence and be prepared in case anything happened.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have it,¡± she nodded, furling the schematic back up. ¡°I¡¯ll have my servants prepare the room for your return. Should I expect you tomorrow or later today?¡±


    ¡°Later today.¡±


    Lady Ilse nodded before leading him back into the main part of the manor. There, they met with a frenetic Marina.


    ¡°Where did you two go?¡± She asked, waving her fan in frustration. ¡°No, nevermind that! I spoke with my people and they should be able to draft the contract for later today, but we still haven¡¯t even discussed how we¡¯ll divide the profits!¡±


    ¡°Fifty for Master Viran, thirty for me, and twenty for you,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    ¡°Uh, well, I guess that¡¯s reasonable, but¡­¡± She looked at Red and trailed off.


    Red nodded in agreement. He didn¡¯t know if this was the fairest profit split, but he didn¡¯t believe they would try to cheat him on this matter.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do that,¡± Marina said. ¡°And when do you start working?¡±


    ¡°He will start working tonight,¡± Lady Ilse responded for Red. ¡°He should be done in two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Tonight?! Two weeks?!¡± Marina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s way too quick!¡±


    ¡°And? Are you complaining about your associates doing too good of a job?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡­ Agh, I will figure it out!¡± With that, she turned around and started speaking into her communication talismans again.


    Lady Ilse smirked when she saw this before looking back at Red.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±


    He nodded, though he couldn¡¯t help but feel there was a hidden meaning behind her words.


    ¡­


    Red used the carriage provided by Marina to go back to his manor. There, he spoke with his imp about how long he would be away, though this time, he also gave Emer a few communication talismans.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ll be away for some time, it¡¯s possible some of the people spying on me will use this opportunity to infiltrate the manor,¡± Red said. ¡°I want you to warn me if someone has appeared in the detecting formation.¡±


    ¡°S-Should I still use that last resort, master?¡± The imp asked.


    ¡°Ask me first. If I don¡¯t get here within three minutes, then you have permission to use it.¡±


    The last resort was, of course, the defensive formations Red had set up in the manor. They could threaten a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, but they would also destroy his entire manor in the process, something he wanted to avoid if possible. As for the communication talismans, he was somewhat reluctant to use them after learning these messages could be intercepted, but after asking the Northvale butler, he was told that this was very difficult to accomplish. One would need specialized artifacts or techniques which were simply not available for purchase, and even the Duke¡¯s household did not have the means or connection to buy them.


    Nonetheless, the matter still worried him, so Red instructed the imp to be vague when sending messages. Then, after organizing his workshop, he returned to Lady Ilse¡¯s manor just as night was arriving. He was led to the storage room by a servant, and found the mistress of the house waiting for him there, in the middle of sorting through materials. She was no longer wearing her dress, instead sporting workman¡¯s shirt and pants, as well as a leather apron and belts lined with pouches and pockets. An alchemist¡¯s uniform, or so Red assumed.


    ¡°I have separated the materials for the core of the formation,¡± she pointed at a few boxes. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll start by the center, correct?¡±


    Red nodded. This was a modular formation, with all nodes connecting to a central core. It was wiser to begin by the part that would affect the rest of the formation.


    ¡°Do you mind if I stay here and watch?¡± She asked.


    Red hesitated at this.


    ¡°I assure you I won¡¯t bother you,¡± Lady Ilse added with a confident smile.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s your materials,¡± he said.


    That was to say, if she messed up his work, it would be her money that would be wasted. That, however, didn¡¯t seem to deter the woman, who stood aside and sat by a table, half-observing him and half sorting through some notes of what Red assumed were her alchemical studies.


    He didn¡¯t delay his work any further, getting the schematics and setting the initial parts of the formation.


    First, Red would need to calculate to calculate the measurements of the room and the future workshops to make sure the formation was designed correctly. To his surprise, he found the schematics of the formation were annotated with the exact numbers he needed, something that was definitely not present when he saw it earlier.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    As if sensing his question, Lady Ilse spoke up. ¡°I took the necessary measurements before you returned. I would have already put them there earlier, but I wasn¡¯t sure until this afternoon that this would be where the formation would be built.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, instead studying the numbers in silence.


    ¡°You can double check them, if you want,¡± she said.


    He did as much, examining the room. After confirming the first few placements were correct, though, he didn¡¯t bother checking the rest and set about gathering the materials for the formation.


    Since Red already had some experience with this formation, none of the scripture gave him any trouble, though the sheer volume of them was something he had never done before. It took him until dawn to draw the peripheral symbols. To his surprise, Lady Ilse held true to her word.


    She didn¡¯t make a noise while he was drawing or calculating, and she only moved once there was a lull in Red¡¯s efforts. When the light of the sun first shone through the windows, she turned off the lamps and sat back down, half-focused between watching him work and writing something on her papers.


    A few hours later, Marina came into the room, looking like she hadn¡¯t relaxed for a moment since yesterday.


    ¡°I have managed to secure all the materials,¡± she said, rubbing her temples. ¡°They will start bringing them in today so-¡±


    ¡°No, not today,¡± Lady Ilse cut her off.


    ¡°What?! What do you mean ¡®not today¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    Marina recoiled under her friend¡¯s glare before looking over at Red, who was sitting on the ground writing on a paper, in realization.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to have that much noise while Master Viran is working,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    ¡°B-But I have already ordered all the building materials¡­¡±


    ¡°So? Store them somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not that simple. Some of this stuff is really expensive and needs to be stored in special storages¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my brilliant merchant friend can figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Agh, you!¡­¡±


    Marina seemed like she wanted to say more, but she just left, crestfallen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the interruption, Master Viran,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Red said, not looking up from his papers. ¡°Just make sure they don¡¯t come at any crucial points.¡±


    Finishing the core of the formation took him the rest of the day and half of the day after. In the center of the room now stood a glistening golden formation circle, resembling the same formation Red had in his manor.


    ¡°The outer nodes next?¡± Lady Ilse asked.


    Red nodded and looked around the room. He was not surprised to see that the materials he needed were already set aside in neat piles right around the places he needed to build the node.


    Although these secondary nodes were simpler to build than the core, it was still a very taxing and meticulous task to connect them together, since the formation was so large. This was not something Red had done before, so he made a few miscalculations which didn¡¯t lose him any materials, but made him waste more time than was necessary.


    It took him a day and a half to finish one node, and that was without substantial breaks. This didn¡¯t make him happy.


    Of course, as he went along, his performance would improve, but it seemed he wouldn¡¯t quite be able to finish this in two weeks. A bit more than a day passed by before he finished the second node, at which point, Lady Ilse, who had been mostly silent during the entire process, spoke up.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    Red looked at her. ¡°How would you be able to help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied arcane scripture in the past, and although I¡¯m not a specialist, I still know some things. Besides, I have also been watching you work, so I¡¯ve picked up a thing or two.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond immediately, looking back at the formation in thought.


    ¡°Can you draw the outer circle?¡± He asked.


    Formation symbols and their nodes were mostly circular, and the outer edges of this circle tended to be the easiest part of the formation to draw.


    Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°I can.¡±


    She walked over to Red, sitting on the ground across from him with the formation plate laying between them. Without prompting, the young woman set aside the ink pots and brush, dipping her tool in preparation.


    ¡°The minor gathering symbols first,¡± he instructed.


    Lady Ilse didn¡¯t ask for instructions before beginning to draw. Red watched her movements like a hawk, ready to stop her if anything went wrong, but to his surprise, she drew the symbols without problem. Her hand movements were steady, and although she went about it slowly, she didn¡¯t commit any mistakes.


    When she was done, Lady Ilse looked up at him. ¡°Did I do it right?¡±


    ¡°It will work,¡± Red said. ¡°Just follow what I say.¡±


    The woman smiled at this and nodded.


    With her help, Red was able to delegate easier tasks to her while he focused on more complex symbols. Her talent in arcane scripture wasn¡¯t outstanding, but it seemed her experience in alchemy had tempered her to adapting and learning these simple symbols rather quickly. Whenever she became stumped with a sigil or didn¡¯t know how to proceed, she would ask him for assistance, and would never commit the same mistake again.


    Because of this, their work went about smoothly, and in less than two days they had completed three more nodes, a speed Red wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish on his own. However, her mental fortitude and stamina weren¡¯t at the same level as his.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lady Ilse said with a tired expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize formation drawing was this tiring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Red said.


    ¡°Alchemy is also a taxing process, but at least it doesn¡¯t require this much physical coordination,¡± she stood up and stretched. ¡°I¡¯ll take a break and rejoin you in a few hours.¡±


    Red was about to say there was no need, but he decided against it. Since she was funding this and was of actual help, he saw no reason to deny her.


    As Red became more familiar with the process and their cooperation deepened, they were able to finish the remaining eight nodes in five days, though by the end of it he was doing most of the work. Lady Ilse, knowing better than to mess up the process with her fatigue, stood aside and returned to observing him.


    Then, on day twelve, Red had finally finished the formation two days ahead of schedule.


    It was a behemoth of a formation, a circle of golden interconnected symbols punctuated by plated nodes that stretched the entirety of the large storage room. The core and six of the gathering nodes stayed on this floor, while the remaining half was on the second floor, connected by resonating symbols that would distribute the Spiritual Energy in the future workshop evenly.


    Lady Ilse couldn¡¯t help but stand up with excitement as she saw this.


    ¡°Does it work?¡±


    ¡°Do you have the spirit stones on you?¡± Red asked.


    She smiled and hurried away, returning a few minutes later with a bag full of Spirit Stones. She set each one on its corresponding spot, and Red used a controlling formation plate to activate it once all of them were in place.


    The formation glowed, and a torrent of Spiritual Energy flooded into the room, so much that Red felt his entire body shiver in reaction. The insubstantial energy gathered in droves until it started to become a fine mist that could be seen with the naked eye, and it eventually covered the entire room.


    It took a good minute before this mist dispersed, though it was still possible to feel the incredibly dense Spiritual Energy around them.


    ¡°Magnificent!¡± Lady Ilse couldn¡¯t contain her joy and spread her arms to experience the incredible sensation.


    However, a moment later, the formation started glowing, and the energy dispersed. The woman seemed surprised and looked over at Red.


    ¡°Why did you deactivate it?¡±


    ¡°Not good to waste Spirit Stones. Look,¡± he pointed at a node in the formation.


    There, one of the Spirit Stones Lady Ilse just set a moment later had lost almost all its luster. She seemed a bit shocked by the sight, but regained her composure a moment later.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I knew how expensive this would be, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then have you learned anything?¡± Red asked.


    Lady Ilse looked back at him with a pleasant smile. ¡°I¡¯ve learned more about arcane scripture observing you than from years of study, Master Viran.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about arcane scripture.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± She frowned. ¡°Then what are you talking about?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, staring at her with his impassive gaze beneath his mask. A few seconds of silence went by before Lady Ilse''s expression relaxed and let out a chuckle.


    ¡°How could I have learned anything about you, Master Viran? You barely speak and your actions seem calculated with mechanical precision. I feel that even if I could see your expression beneath your mask, I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn much.¡±


    ¡°Then what about your oracle techniques? Have they not helped you?¡±


    ¡°At my level, I can¡¯t divine at will.¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t seen anything about me in your dreams?¡±


    Lady Ilse looked at him with a helpless expression. ¡°You know I have not.¡±


    Of course, he knew that. He was protected by an anti-divination technique that even the Imperials couldn¡¯t pierce through, so how could a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator be able to do it?


    ¡°Your words earlier made it seem like you knew more about me than you let on,¡± Red said.


    This was something that had been in his mind since their meeting almost two weeks ago.


    ¡°I can¡¯t divine you or your past, Master Viran,¡± she said. ¡°But I can divine the things you will affect.¡±


    Red frowned in confusion. ¡°If you can¡¯t divine me, how can you know what I will affect?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not simple to explain, but events have a cause and effect. If the cause is often absent in my visions where it shouldn¡¯t be, then it¡¯s simple to conclude that there is anti-divination magic at work, and you¡¯re one of the few people I know with such powers.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that rare?¡±


    ¡°At our level, very rare.¡±


    This revelation somewhat worried him. It was fine if the Empire, who was half a continent away, was stumped by his anti divination shield. But what if someone who was right next to him found out they couldn¡¯t divine him? The mere revelation he had such protections could lead to people being more interested in his background.


    ¡®I suppose it is still better than having all my past revealed.¡¯


    ¡°You said you saw things I will affect,¡± he said. ¡°Could they not have been done by another person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°But I find that hard to believe, given what I now know.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    She hesitated at this. ¡°¡­I saw a formation that covered this entire city, something that definitely wasn¡¯t here before. I could feel someone was controlling it, but it was like a curtain was drawn over my eyes, and I could never pinpoint that figure.¡±


    ¡°¡­I understand.¡±


    With such a description, it would be impossible not to suspect the formation master. Before Red could ask what this vision might have meant, though, Lady Else cut him off.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± she said. ¡°The formation rose above the city like a shield¡­ and then something fell down onto it trying to break through and swallow the city below¡­


    A crimson moon.¡±

 Chapter 453 - Fast Progress

    ¡°That¡¯s very grandiose for a vision,¡± Red said after some consideration.


    Lady Ilse smiled at his reply. ¡°I thought so too, but didn¡¯t you end up helping us?¡±


    ¡°In a minor way.¡±


    The assistance he provided compared to what her dream was implying he would do was on two different levels.


    ¡°Visions are never that straightforward, and most of the time involve a certain level of symbolism,¡± she said. ¡°For instance, the crimson moon is a known omen for demonic invasions, whereas your abilities in formation are amongst the best in the city. This means that your skills in that area could be vital in the future to stop the efforts of the cultists to open a portal into the infernal realm within the city.¡±


    ¡°You are putting a lot of faith in a vision that you don¡¯t even know refers to me.¡±


    ¡°Divination is a matter best approached with faith and instinct. If you doubt the visions your own skills provide to you all the time, then you can never advance your mastery of this art.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. He knew nothing about divination, but from how Lady Ilse made it sound, it was an art that went against his natural instincts. This was not to mention something about this vision of hers bothered him.


    ¡®A crimson moon¡­¡¯


    Aurelia already told him about what it represented - a thinning of the veil between this realm and the infernal realm, which made it possible to open a portal connecting the two. But he also knew that this crimson moon in specific wasn¡¯t brought about naturally, so a demonic invasion shouldn¡¯t be possible. The cultist efforts, while damaging, would all be in vain in the end.


    Or so he assumed.


    In the end, though, Red couldn¡¯t clarify this matter with Lady Ilse without revealing some very delicate information about himself. But this did provide him with the opportunity to bring up another matter.


    ¡°You had a dream about a snakeman, right?¡±


    Lady Ilse¡¯s face fell at this question. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And is that matter resolved?¡±


    She gave him a helpless smiled. ¡°I wish I could say that I knew for sure, but there¡¯s no way for me to check.¡±


    ¡°Yet you seem to believe it¡¯s not resolved,¡± Red said, noticing her pessimistic tone.


    ¡°One does not need visions to come to that conclusion. Those cultists had the help of others within the city, but the only person we found out from that whole accident was the formation master. This matter is far from over.¡±


    ¡°There also wasn¡¯t a six-eyed snake in the sewers.¡±


    Lady Ilse looked surprised at this. ¡°¡­ Leon told you?¡±


    Red nodded. The young master had told him the snakeman she saw had six-eyes, a characteristic shared with his own snake pet that disappeared before his confrontation with the spectre in Bestrem. Not to mention that he also recognized the serpent¡¯s energy from his investigation into the summoning formation. He hoped there was no connection between these two matters, but he would be a fool to discount it.


    Lady Ilse sighed. ¡°There¡¯s not much for me to say. My dreams are hardly ever clear, but the six-eyes of that demon were very clear, so the fact we didn¡¯t find anything like that also leads me to believe this matter is not over.¡±


    Unfortunately, it seemed she didn¡¯t know more about it.


    ¡°In any case, if I have any more dreams about the matter, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± she said.


    Red nodded, going to pick up his belongings.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lady Ilse asked with a frown.


    ¡°Home.¡±


    He was under the impression his part of the job was done, and now he needed to wait for Marina to build the workshop.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to accompany the constructions?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Is there a point?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be able to build the forge to your specifications.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have specifications.¡±


    Red knew nothing about building a Spiritual Forge, so he would rather leave the matter to Marina¡¯s people and adapt to whatever they chose.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Lady Ilse nodded before taking out an ornate box from her pouch. ¡°Here, I¡¯d like you to have this.¡±


    Red took the item with some hesitation before looking back at the woman.


    She smiled. ¡°Open it.¡±


    He lifted the lid of the box, and a pleasant fragrance wafted against him. Behind this aroma, he also felt a powerful wave of Spiritual Energy, all originating from a round green pill nestled within the padded interior of the box. A strange symbol resembling a pegasus was carved on the pill¡¯s surface.


    ¡°A Condensation Spiritual pill,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°It should be of help to advancing your cultivation base.¡±


    Red examined the pill. This was a precious item, costing upwards of a hundred Spiritual Stones, and it was of extreme help for the cultivation of a Lesser Ring Realm practitioner. This one had a different color than what he knew, though.


    ¡°It¡¯s wind-aspected,¡± the woman seemed to guess his question. ¡°I learned from Emeric that you mostly used wind Spiritual Arts, so I thought it was a good bet that your circulation technique was also related to Wind Spiritual Energy.¡±


    Red closed the box and shook his head. ¡°This is too valuable.¡±


    The fact it was an elemental pill would almost double the price of the item.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°Without your help, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to build this formation for years. You can also consider it an investment, as advancing your cultivation base would help this business and our efforts to stop the cultists.¡±


    He thought to himself for a while before nodding and stowing the box away. His first instinct was to refuse any gifts, but if it came with no strings attached, or at least no additional ones, there was no reason not to accept it.


    ¡°The construction should finish in one or two weeks,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to look for you when it¡¯s done.¡±


    Lady Ilse led him to the gate of the manor and saw him off in her own personal carriage.


    On the way back to his manor, Red stood silent in thought, looking outside the window. His contemplation was interrupted as Aurelia¡¯s figure manifest on the seat across from him, with her arms crossed.


    ¡°Ask it.¡±


    Red looked over at her but didn¡¯t respond.


    She snorted. ¡°Come on, I know you have a question. Just because you have the emotional range of a plank doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s on your mind.¡±


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    ¡°The vision of the crimson moon¡­ Should I be worried?¡± Red asked, ignoring her insults.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already involved yourself so much, so why should you worry now?¡±


    ¡°You told me this was a false crimson moon.¡±


    ¡°And it is! The one she saw was just symbolism for the cultist¡¯s encroaching threat to the city.¡±


    ¡°So her vision was influenced by her own knowledge and interpretation of events?¡±


    At this, Aurelia fell silent.


    ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not how divination works,¡± she said. ¡°It is an art that reads the threads of fate, and that¡¯s a force that¡¯s independent of any one individual¡¯s knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Then how can you say for sure the threat of this crimson moon is not real?¡±


    Red half-expected Aurelia to tell him off for worrying so much as she did so often, but instead, her expression grew more severe as she considered his words.


    ¡°The fact stands that divination is not a straightforward matter,¡± she said. ¡°If we can take the threat of the crimson moon literally, then does that mean we would also have to worry about the moon crashing down on top of the city?¡±


    ¡°¡­You have a point,¡± Red said.


    ¡°I will advise you not to give too much heed to divination. I knew cultivators that had their fate read by oracles and became overly worried about what they learned, so much so that it became detrimental to their cultivation and they slowly lost their will to advance. Besides, there¡¯s also something strange about that girl¡¯s supposed visions.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, noticing the strange tone Aurelia¡¯s voice had taken.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met cultivators from the Divine Dream Sect before, from outer disciples to elders, and I can tell that almost none of them had such grandiose visions when they tried reading fate. And even if they did, it was often mired by abstract images and unclear messages. Yet this girl saw a crimson moon, a formation, and an entire city? Not only does this paint a clear picture, but it also involves the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, something that is extremely hard to do for divinator in the Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Red frowned at this. ¡°You think she is lying?¡±


    Aurelia shook her head. ¡°Not necessarily, but there is definitely something she¡¯s not telling you. Either she¡¯s a once in a thousand year divination genius, or the way she¡¯s been getting her visions is not so straightforward.¡±


    Lady Ilse¡¯s expression and fluctuation had never changed while they were talking, so Red didn¡¯t have any evidence that pointed to her being dishonest. He also couldn¡¯t think about why she would lie about this, but it was a matter that already raised alarms in his mind.


    The carriage dropped him off at his manor, upon which he was greeted by a relieved Emer.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally back! Your faithful servant has never relaxed in keeping watch, and I can safely say that no one sneaked into your manor while you were away!¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°Good. In any case, I want to look around the house.¡±


    The imp accompanied him as he examined the manor. Before he left, he made sure to remember how the entire manor looked like, just so he would notice if anything was misplaced upon his return. Some things were slightly out of place, but whenever, before he could even ask Emer about it, the imp would tell him if he or the soulless maid had touched anything.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but when Red arrived at his office on the second floor, something caught his attention.


    ¡°Did you touch the window?¡± He asked the imp.


    ¡°N-No, master! Neither me nor the maid entered your office while you were away.¡±


    Red frowned and approached the closed window, where the latch was slightly out of place from what he remembered. This was a detail that most cultivators would miss, but Red, who had always been extremely careful and had many secrets to hide, noticed it.


    The first thing he did was check the formations, but he could confirm all of them were still working. Then, he started examining every item and corner of the office with an increasingly nervous imp following behind him.


    ¡°I-I swear, master, I did not see anything in the formation!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, his frown growing deeper. He examined the room many times over, but he could not find nothing else out of place, which made him somewhat worried. Yet when he stopped to think about it, he thought maybe he was being too paranoid.


    For one, if an infiltrator got into his manor and didn¡¯t leave a single trace behind, how could they have been sloppy with the latch? His conclusion was that this misplaced detail might have been caused by the wind, the tremor of the traffic below, or by someone who thought about breaking in but got second thoughts. If the third option was correct, though, what exactly made them hesitate?


    ¡®Did they notice the formations?¡¯


    It was possible. Red did his best to hide them, but they weren¡¯t disguised by magical means, and an observant cultivator could notice them. A visual deterrent was useful, of course, but that would only remain the case if his enemies had no means of countering it, and he wasn¡¯t too confident that would always remain the case.


    ¡®I need to improve my defenses.¡¯


    ¡­


    Over the next few days, Red improved the configuration of his defensive formation until he was satisfied. They were now better hidden, though they still lacked magical disguises since he didn¡¯t have the materials on hand. It would be something he would make sure to rectify as soon as possible.


    After that, Red didn¡¯t rest. The effort he required to draw formations was rapidly decreasing, and with his improved stamina, all he needed was a quick break to recover from days of continuous drawing. It wasn¡¯t something a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator could do normally, and it proved to be perhaps his best advantage in advancing his arcane scripture mastery.


    Red activated the Spirit Gathering Formation and began to cultivate. He didn¡¯t have many spirit stones remaining to power it, but it was enough to last him through the week until the Spiritual Forge was completed. There was also the tea Marina gave him, which he drank every day and helped his cultivation immensely.


    In fact, Red never felt his cultivation progressing so quickly.


    At some point, his mind went to the pill Lady Ilse gave him, but he hesitated. It wasn¡¯t that he suspected the woman wanted to poison him, but once certain doubts appeared in his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but be extra careful with every decision he made.


    His knowledge of alchemy wasn¡¯t great, though, so he could only ask for help.


    ¡°Is this pill poisoned?¡± Red asked Aurelia.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any suspicious energy, but my senses are limited in this form.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t complete assurance, but it made Red feel more secure.


    He picked up the pill and put it in his mouth. Some of it dissolved in his mouth and travelled down his throat, turning into pure wind energy that flowed into his Spiritual Veins. Red kept a close watch on his body with his expanded awareness, but after he saw no adverse effect, he swallowed the pill whole and a torrent of energy entered his body.


    The benefits of this specialized Spiritual Energy were immediately evident. Not only was there an enormous amount of energy on the pill, but it had taken a misty form as it travelled through his veins, akin to the energy Lesser Ring Realm cultivators kept in their Spiritual Sea. This not only meant there was far more Spiritual Energy packed far more densely, it also meant it was easier for practitioners in that realm to assimilate it with their circulation technique. All of this added onto the fact the energy was also wind-aspected made it so there was basically no wasted energy as Red absorbed and circulated it.


    It took him five hours before he finished absorbing the energy. When he checked his Spiritual Sea, he saw a rich cloud of azure green mist slowly spinning like a storm. Compared to when he first started cultivating, its size had doubled.


    ¡®If I can keep up this rhythm, I can break through into the middle stage in a month.¡¯


    For a second, Red couldn¡¯t quite process this. The age limit to break into the Spiritual Awakening Realm given by the hawk spirit was thirty years old, and considering his speed in the past, this seemed like an unreachable goal. Yet now he could potentially break into the Greater Ring Realm in less than a year.


    It was hard to believe.


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± Aurelia''s disembodied voice asked as she noticed his dazed silence.


    Red nodded. ¡°Somewhat.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. A supply of pills, supplements, and a dense Spiritual Energy environment - that¡¯s all you can do to speed up your cultivation. Even sect disciples couldn¡¯t be much more efficient than this. Well, they can definitely be faster, but there comes a point where being too quick to advance is detrimental in building a good foundation.¡±


    ¡°How quick were you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Aurelia snorted. ¡°You¡¯re trying to compare yourself to me? Bah! When I was your age, I was already halfway into the Greater Ring Realm. I wasn¡¯t called a genius for no reason.¡±


    That was indeed faster than he expected.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in comparing us,¡± she said. ¡°In your situation and with your talent, you¡¯re doing about as well as you could.¡±


    ¡°Will it be enough?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°To reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm before I¡¯m thirty?¡±


    Before, he didn¡¯t even feel like he was qualified to ask this question. Now, though, he dared to let his mind wander.


    ¡°With all my talent, I only reached the Spiritual Awakening Realm when I was twenty-eight,¡± she said in a serious tone. ¡°Realms will take exponentially longer to progress in, and the resources you will need to keep an ideal cultivation speed will become rarer and rarer until you find yourself completely unable to buy them outside of sects. I¡¯m sure that with your skills in arcane scripture, you can reach that realm one day, but before you¡¯re thirty? Extremely unlikely unless you get a sect¡¯s support behind you, but...¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not an option for me.¡¯


    Red could guess what she left unspoken. What she told him wasn¡¯t outside of his expectations, and he knew he would need to seek opportunities wherever he could if he hoped to achieve that goal. It reminded him of another matter, though.


    ¡®Viran¡¯s inheritance.¡¯


    At this point, Red was almost certain the man had been a Spiritual Awakening cultivator that had lost his cultivation somehow, and this meant his inheritance was likely to contain resources he wouldn¡¯t be able to find normally. This would be his best opportunity to reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm as fast as he could. But the problem remained that the location of his inheritance was very far away and in the middle of recently conquered imperial lands.


    It would be an enormous risk to venture there, something Red didn¡¯t dare to do until he was at least in the Greater Ring Realm, and even then, he didn¡¯t know if that amount of power would suffice to survive.


    A few more days passed as Red stabilized his cultivation base, and he finally received a message from Marina telling him that the Spiritual forge was completed. After resting for a few hours and honing his mental state, he sent a message back telling her to send a carriage.


    It was time to forge his artifact.

 Chapter 454 - Birth of a Sword

    When Red arrived at the Fairclough manor, there were far more people waiting to greet him at the entrance. A lot of them wore the clothing of Lehmann¡¯s employees, and Marina was at the forefront watching him walk over with a fox-like expression.


    ¡°Master Viran, I¡¯m sorry for the delay!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ahead of schedule.¡±


    ¡°Ah, regardless, I was hoping to have it done in a week, but it took slightly longer than that,¡± she pointed towards the manor with her fan. ¡°Shall we go in?¡±


    ¡°Are you the lady of the house now?¡±


    ¡°By no means! Lady Ilse has just given me the honor.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and followed Marina inside. As soon as they passed through the door, though, the small regiment of a dozen attendants started to trail behind them in unison, causing him to pause.


    Marina looked at him in confusion. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Following us, of course!¡±


    ¡°I mean, what is their purpose here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re the trained specialists who will help you with the Spiritual Forg-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he cut her off.


    ¡°¡­ No?¡±


    ¡°I do not need help.¡±


    Marina¡¯s expression seemed confused at this. ¡°But Master Viran, have you ever operated a Spiritual Forge before?¡±


    ¡°No, but I can learn it¡­ This is non-negotiable,¡± he said as he noticed her about to protest.


    Red didn¡¯t want anyone to see him use the Amber Saber Sect forging techniques. The forging manual wasn¡¯t a supreme treasure, but if he allowed people to know he had it in his possession, it would provide them with another clue about his identity. Even if the risk was minor, only by exercising maximum caution would he feel safe.


    Thankfully, Marina didn¡¯t dwell on the matter much and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    She ordered her servants to say out in the courtyard and led Red to the warehouse. To his surprise, the large wooden doors that served as an entrance to this place had been replaced by reinforced steel doors.


    ¡°That¡¯s to protect the rest of the house from explosions,¡± Marina said. ¡°Artifact forging isn¡¯t conducive to that, but alchemy it¡¯s a different story.¡±


    With that, she opened the doors, revealing the warehouse turned workshop.


    The first thing Red noticed were the replaced walls and flooring. A layer of glimmering marble tiles covered almost every surface of the room, the only difference being the wall colors were more gray to contrast with the floor and ceiling. A large golden symbol was also drawn on the back wall of the room, resembling an eye.


    Of course, the next thing one noticed were the two large facilities built at the very center of the room. To the left, there was a wide cylindrical furnace that reached almost five meters tall, built by blocks of a dark obsidian-like rock that reflected the bright lights of the room. At the bottom, there was an opening leading to a surface where one could light up a fire and heat their metals, and further up one could also see other smaller openings whose purposes weren¡¯t clear. Connected to the bottom opening was also a channel that allowed the molten metal to travel to a block-shaped mould.


    Then, to the right of the room, stood the anvil - or so Red assumed. It was a large metallic object that resembled a round steel tabled more than an anvil, having none of the creases and corners to help hammer a metal into shape. Above it, floating in the air, was a cylindrical metal object that looked like a simple block of pure steel with no discerning features.


    There were also other things, such as a grinder and a huge amount of extra equipments set on racks along the room, but the furnace and the anvil were the primary focuses of the workshop.


    Red was eager to learn how these items worked, but another question came to his mind.


    ¡°How did you tile the floor without breaking the formation?¡±


    All the lines and formation plates were still there, except now painted and set over different surfaces. Such a thing shouldn¡¯t be possible, as one would logically need to reset the formation if they wanted to change the ground under it.


    Marina smirked at his question. ¡°We have special techniques to accomplish this. Unfortunately, it¡¯s a trade secret, so I can¡¯t share it with you.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t insist.


    ¡°Then what about that symbol?¡± He pointed to the golden sigil on the back of the room.


    ¡°Oh, I just thought this workshop lacked a bit of a personal touch, so I had someone draw your sigil on the wall.¡±


    ¡°My sigil?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the eye on your mask! Is that not your sigil?¡±


    Red was taken by surprise. He had carved that eye in passing, and he almost forgot it existed. Now, it somehow had become the sigil of his ¡®house¡¯.


    ¡®Perhaps I should change masks.¡¯


    ¡°How does the forge work?¡± He asked, changing topics.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ I would explain it to you, but I don¡¯t want to miss any details, so I¡¯ll give you this.¡±


    She handed him a small book, which Red opened without hesitation.


    Functionally, a Spiritual Forge was a Spiritual Artifact as well, with the two vital parts being the anvil and the furnace. To control it, one needed to establish a connection which was achieved by an enchanted disk that could manipulate these devices, like a cultivator would use to control any other Spiritual Artifact. The quality of a product produced by this forge was, in turn, very closely tied to the blacksmith¡¯s skills in controlling the forge.


    The functions of these devices were straightforward. The furnace was for heating but also for melting metals and creating alloys with multiple chambers along its height that allowed different materials to melt separately before being fused together. This melted alloy could then flow directly into the mould, which could change shapes according to the blacksmith¡¯s will. Its most important function was, though, the fact it could infuse large amounts of Spiritual Energy into the melted metals, which was vital for forging an artifact.


    The anvil was simpler. Although it looked like a flat surface now, the user could change its shape like a sliding puzzle, forming the needed surfaces and corners to hammer a piece of metal into shape. As for the cylindrical piece of metal floating above it, that was a hammer that could strike down with tremendous amounts of force without the blacksmith needing to exert themselves. This anvil could also drain the heat of a metal very quickly, an important part of the quenching process.


    Red could then understand that with a Spiritual Forge, the forging process was now reliant on technique and finer-control of the devices rather than on physical strength.


    ¡°Here,¡± Marina handed him the controlling disk. ¡°You just need to insert your Spiritual Energy to activate the forge.¡±


    He did as much, and the entire place came alive. Glowing runes appeared on the surface of both the anvil and the furnace, and Red felt a sense of control over the devices come to him. He tested them, lighting a flame inside the furnace which he could control the temperature of, and also changing the anvil¡¯s shape. It all worked seamlessly, but Red knew he would need to be extremely precise in how he handled the Spiritual Forge, if he wanted his artifacts to measure up to his standards.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Red looked back at Marina. ¡°I can control it.¡±


    Marina nodded, not showing any uncertainty. ¡°As you say. There¡¯s no point in me doubting your skills after coming this far, is there?¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Before Red could say anything, Lady Ilse walked downstairs from her own workshop.


    She smiled once she saw Red. ¡°Sorry for not greeting you. I was also busy checking my laboratory. Would you like to come see it?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Maybe later.¡±


    ¡°Ah, eager to start already, aren¡¯t you?¡± She laughed before looking at Marina. ¡°And where is your army of helpers?¡±


    ¡°¡­ He didn¡¯t want it.¡± Marina said with a wave of her fan.


    ¡°I told you he wouldn¡¯t. With that said, since Master Viran is eager to get working, shouldn¡¯t you give him space?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Marina looked over at Red in resignation. ¡°How long do you think this should take?¡±


    ¡°Hard to determine,¡± Red said. ¡°It¡¯s my first time doing it.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be worried about rushing it. Just let me know when you are free so we can discuss when we will start taking clients.¡± Marina then looked over at Lady Ilse and looked like she was about to say something before sighing. ¡°Nevermind. Good luck, you two!¡±


    She left the workshop, closing the door behind her.


    Lady Ilse looked at Red with a smile. ¡°Was the pill helpful?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Good. It took me a long time to make it, so I can¡¯t promise when I¡¯ll have another, but I¡¯ll keep it in my schedule.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want another pill?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I do, but next time I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t want to be indebted to the woman.


    Lady Ilse laughed. ¡°I have no need for money. I merely built this laboratory to advance my skills in alchemy, not to make a profit¡­ However, if you do not feel comfortable accepting a gift, then you could also provide me with a service in exchange.¡±


    This suggestion raised Red¡¯s guard.


    ¡°What service?¡±


    ¡°I need containers and formations to safe-keep some of my medicines, which often require special environments to maintain their properties. You could help me with that.¡±


    Red hesitated. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a fair exchange for you.¡±


    ¡°It might not be from outside but¡­ Some of the thing I have to keep are sensitive, so it¡¯s inconvenient to ask for outside help and even more difficult to find proper storage in the market. Your discretion as a business partner would be very helpful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    From the looks of it, she also had some secrets to keep, but Red wasn¡¯t sure if finding out about them would be to his advantage or not. However, the prospect of another one of those pills was too attractive for him to ignore.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I could ask.¡± Lady Ilse gave him a wily smile. ¡°If there¡¯s no issue, may I observe you at work? I¡¯m eager to see if your skills in blacksmithing measure up to your skills in arcane scripture.¡±


    Her question caught Red off-guard, as he realized an issue he had failed to consider before.


    ¡°Is there an issue?¡± She asked, noticing his silence. ¡°I think I have proven I am more than capable of keeping quiet while you work.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I have a favor to ask.¡±


    Although Red¡¯s voice kept its neutral tone, Lady Ilse was taken aback by his wording.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be left alone in this workshop until I have finished my artifact.¡±


    The same issues with why Red didn¡¯t want Marina¡¯s attendants in his workshop also applied to Lady Ilse. He couldn¡¯t fully trust her, and even if it was unlikely she would recognize his forging techniques, it was a risk he didn¡¯t want to take.


    On a rare display, Lady Ilse showed his a displeased expression at his request.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Information I¡¯d like to keep secret,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the first thing about blacksmithing. How would I know your damn secrets?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be safe.¡±


    There was no point in lying to the woman, so he tried to be as straightforward as he could with the matter.


    Lady Ilse, however, just glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s my workshop too. It¡¯s what we agreed on, and I have my own research to tend to.¡±


    ¡°I know, which is why I¡¯m asking for a favor,¡± Red wasn¡¯t so clueless as to not realize he was imposing pretty heavily on her. ¡°I will make sure to repay it in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And how long do you need the workshop for?¡±


    ¡°A week at least. Possibly two.¡±


    These were just his estimates, but as he told Marina, this was his first time forging an artifact so he couldn¡¯t provide them with a precise timing.


    Lady Ilse massaged her temples at his reply and fell silent. An awkward atmosphere hung in the room until she looked up at him again, her expression calmer but still displeased.


    ¡°Will this be a problem going forward?¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°Just this time.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t need to use the Amber Saber Sect techniques and recipes on Marina¡¯s commissions.


    She sighed. ¡°Very well, but you owe me a favor, which I intend to collect very soon! Are we in agreement?¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±


    She walked out of the workshop with heavy steps, closing the door behind her in a none too polite manner. Red, however, was just relieved his plan didn¡¯t find a sudden snag so close to completion.


    ¡°Is this what passes for a Spiritual Forge these days?¡± Aurelia¡¯s disdainful voice broke him out of his thoughts. ¡°Shameful! Nothing compared to what we had back in the sect! The furnace alone was the size of an entire building and the anvil was tougher than¡­¡±


    Red ignored her rant and started to set aside the materials. The main ingredients for his Spiritual Artifact were the black iron ore, one of the best Spiritual Energy conducive metals, and cloud-sky iron, a wind-aspected variant of iron found in the Skycrown Mountains. Everything else was just supplementary.


    After stabilizing his condition and revising the entire plan in his mind, Red tested the Spiritual Forge. Although he felt in complete control of the devices, he knew that forging a spiritual artifact required an inhuman amount of precision, and he didn¡¯t have any room for error. He experimented and got more familiar with the forge and anvil for almost five hours before he decided he was ready to begin.


    The first part was to create the alloy. This was a delicate process and possibly the hardest part of the forging process, as it required being precise in the amount of infused Spiritual Energy, the temperature, and in the timing of fusing the materials.


    Red picked up his black iron ore and put it inside the furnace. Then, he unsheathed his short sword, took off the hilt, and was about to throw it in before pausing. He looked down at the weapon for a moment, suddenly remembering the day he had forged it with the help of his master, Goulth.


    ¡®How far have I come¡­¡¯


    Yet, it was nothing more than a momentary pause, as Red never allowed sentimentally to give him hesitation. He threw the weapon in and activated the furnace. The flames burned hotter than anything he had ever seen before, but even then, the sturdy metal would take a long while to melt.


    In the meantime, Red put the other materials in the other chambers of the furnace, lighting fires in them and monitoring their condition. He was afraid of overextending his attention and missing some crucial details in the transformation, but this was a necessary process for creating the alloy.


    Red had to keep his mind focused the entire time, studying changes in temperature and the consistence of the materials, all of which had their own specific conditions he needed to hit. It was a juggling act, which stretched his mental capabilities beyond even what he was used to. Then, when the materials hit their ideal conditions, came the time for Spiritual Energy infusion.


    While monitoring the alloys could be done with his senses, the infusion could only be monitored by his sensibility to Spiritual Energy. He pulled in the surrounding energy like a tide, the runes of the forge glowing brighter, and then, under the instructions he had read and reread a thousand times, infused the half-melted materials. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just a matter of turning on a faucet, but a process that needed to be done at specific times under specific conditions for each metal.


    It was difficult, harder than everything else Red had done before in arcane scripture, much more so because he wasn¡¯t that sensitive to Spiritual Energy. He considered asking Aurelia for help, but he decided against it.


    ¡®There¡¯s no point if it¡¯s not me.¡¯


    The alloy creation lasted five days of uninterrupted work.


    The fusion was completed, and the molten metal poured into the rectangular mould. It was suffused with Spiritual Energy that spread throughout the entire room, but even at this point, Red wasn¡¯t sure he had succeeded.


    Failure was not as simple to determine in blacksmithing as it was in arcane scripture. The alloy he made could just be of lesser quality, or unsuited for his crafting needs, and there would be no immediate indication of it. So next, came a round of careful tests.


    After the metal had cooled down, Red was left with a large block of alloy. It resembled wootz steel, except it had a vibrant azure color due to the wind energy infused into it. He tested its durability, hardness, even the sparks it produced against the grind wheel.


    Only after verifying all these properties did he come to a conclusion.


    ¡®I¡¯ve done it.¡¯


    The alloy passed all the tests, so it could be used for his Spiritual Artifact. Of course, it wasn¡¯t perfect in quality, but for his first attempt, Red was more than satisfied.


    Now came the shaping.


    Red had the rough rectangular block of metal, so he now needed to hammer it into the shape of a claymore. This part allowed for more room for error, but since he wanted excellence, he knew it would take him a long while until he was satisfied.


    He reheated the metal until it was malleable before bringing it over to the anvil, changing its shape before ordering the hammer to strike down.


    ¡­


    Over the next week, the sound of a hammering echoed through the manor. Even Red, with his superior senses, had felt his ears become numb to the ringing sound.


    Yet, he didn¡¯t stop.


    He shaped, reshaped, ground the tough block of metal until it resembled the exact shape of a claymore - over a meter of a narrow, large straight blade that tapered off into a triangular point, with a groove that ran along its whole length. After he made sure there were no dents, he quenched the blade after a week of keeping it at a malleable temperature. Then, Red started the sharpening process, aided by the magical grinder which allowed him to achieve optimal sharpness without having to guess and slash at things.


    When all that was done, came the final part - rune etching. This was what would give the Spiritual Energy inside the weapon purpose and allow it to become a full-fledged Spiritual Artifact. This was also the part he was the least concerned with.


    It was his first time rune etching, yes, but the skills between formation and talisman drawing were transferable to a large degree to rune etching as well. So Red picked up the spiritual materials - acids, dusts, and special pigments - and started to carve the runes he had prepared into the blade.


    This only took him a few hours. A line of runes was etched into the groove on both sides of the blade, resembling more a long line of arcane words than the interconnected symbol of a formation or talisman.


    Red was confident there was no mistake, but for one of the rare times in his life, he felt somewhat anxious as he held the hiltless claymore with both hands. He took a deep breath.


    ¡®If I have confidence in my skills, I should have confidence in the results, too.¡¯


    Red let his Spiritual Energy flood into the sword. Something resonated within the blade, and a spiritual connection formed between wielder and sword, as he felt the latent power within the weapon.


    He threw the claymore up in the air, and instead of falling down, it remained floating as azure energy covered its length. The air in the room was disturbed by a gust, and a bunch of tools were thrown off their shelves as the workshop fell into chaos for a split second, as if the wind itself was responding to the birth of this sword.


    Then, all fell silent again, as the glow of the claymore faded and it fell into Red¡¯s hands again.


    He let out a sigh and sat down on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

 Chapter 455 - Choosing a Sword Art

    Red forged his sword with a few functions in mind.


    First, it could fly. Its range would be limited by his Spiritual Energy, but Red guessed that for now, that wouldn¡¯t be more than a hundred meters. It paled compared to most ranged artifacts, but a flying sword also carried far more power behind its attacks than most ranged artifacts. Its range would also increase as Red¡¯s cultivation increased.


    Its second function was also related to flight. Red used his expertise with the Gale Drift movement technique and etched similar runes into this sword. This would allow it to travel the wind to gain speed.


    Its third function was called Wind Locking. The sword could condense the wind around its immediate vicinity, turning it into a physical barrier that could be used as a shield or as an obstacle to lock enemies in place. These powers made it so the sword was not only a strong offensive instrument but also a reliable defensive weapon, something Red lacked in.


    He was eager to test it, but it would be foolish to risk damaging the workshop.


    After making sure everything was in order with the weapon, Red attached a plain hilt to the weapon, modeled after the claymore picture in his manual, and sheathed the sword with a scabbard he had prepared earlier. Then he fixed the messy workshop and sat down in exhaustion as the Spiritual Forge powered down.


    Red was tired. Unlike arcane scripture, artifact forging took a lot of Spiritual Energy control, an area he didn¡¯t particularly excel at. The results were a dull pain in his Spiritual Sea and Spiritual Veins.


    ¡®If only I had advantages in this area, too.¡¯


    His mind was powerful, and he could already expand his awareness with it, and his body was almost inexhaustible thanks to the demonic blood in his veins. His spiritual sensitivity was just average, though, and even with a superior technique, he wasn¡¯t able to make up for that deficiency.


    Half an hour after he sat down to rest, the door to the workshop opened.


    ¡°I assume you are done?¡± Lady Ilse asked with a smile.


    None of her previous resentment was present in her expression.


    Red nodded. ¡°I¡¯m done. You can use the workshop.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I admit I was somewhat worried when I noticed the Spiritual Forge hadn¡¯t been turned off for a single moment this past week. It seems like you are more resilient than I first thought.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond to this. ¡°I appreciate that you kept your word. I will rest for a few days, but I will be free to help you then.¡±


    With that, Red got up and headed to the exit.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Lady Ilse stepped in front of him.


    ¡°¡­ What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I see it?¡± She pointed at the large sword strapped to his back.


    Red hesitated, but he saw no reason to refuse her. He unsheathed the claymore and held it in his palms.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Lady Ilse traced her finger along the azure steel. ¡°These swirling patterns - I¡¯ve never seen a weapon like this. And this size! I didn¡¯t imagine you to be the type to fight with a weapon this large. What does it do?¡±


    ¡°It aids my wind Spiritual Arts.¡±


    Red was evasive about the question, but the woman didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s a work of art, but¡­¡± she trailed off as her gaze came to rest on the hilt of the sword. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a hilt.¡±


    ¡°I know what it is! I mean, why is it so ugly?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hilt.¡±


    Lady Ilse massaged her temples.


    ¡°Listen, Master Viran, I understand you value utility above appearance, but a Spiritual Artifact is something that deserves care and attention. Its appearance should match its power, or else it¡¯s an insult to the art!¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Let me put it like this, Master Viran. Do you think your clients will be satisfied if their Spiritual Artifact comes out looking like a block of wood?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d hope they would care about its power first.¡±


    ¡°They would, but your clients will mostly be nobles or people of high society, and they care a lot about appearances. It is of extreme importance for the business that the quality of your products matches their looks! I assure you this is something Marina will tell you, too.¡±


    Other times, Red would have brushed off her complaint, but since this wasn¡¯t his business alone, he decided to heed her.


    ¡°I am not good with these things,¡± he said.


    ¡°I gathered as much,¡± her gaze lingered on his mask. ¡°In any case, I suppose you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Marina will have her people add finishing touches to your products. As for your sword¡­ When you return, I¡¯ll have a proper scabbard and hilt made for you.¡±


    Red nodded. He unsheathed his sword and left the room, feeling Lady Ilse¡¯s gaze lingering on his back.


    ¡­


    Less than an hour later, he was back at his manor.


    ¡°Master, master!¡±


    Emer came running up to him with an eager look.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°I-I saw someone yesterday!¡±


    Immediately, Red¡¯s entire body tensed.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The imp trembled at the sudden change in the surrounding air.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not what you think, master! It wasn¡¯t an intruder!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Red somewhat relaxed.


    ¡°Someone knocked at the door yesterday. When I looked out of the window, I saw it was a man with the uniform of the Golden Hand!¡±


    ¡°Did you greet him?¡±


    ¡°I-I had the maid do that, as you told me,¡± the imp pointed to the soulless maid sweeping the floor. ¡°She told him you were out, and the man told her Gustav would like to invite you to visit him at his office. H-He didn¡¯t give me a reason, though.¡±


    ¡®Gustav?¡¯


    Red had a faint guess as to what this matter was about. It would be almost impossible to hide his involvement with the Spiritual Forge, and this wasn¡¯t a construction that could be done in secret, either. He would have been surprised if the Golden Hand didn¡¯t catch wind of it.


    ¡°Did he give a date?¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°No, master. He just said you can come whenever you¡¯re available. Here, he gave you a communication talisman too.¡±


    The imp handed him a talisman slip. By this wording, it seemed like they were still trying to maintain cordiality. But Red was aware of what they were capable of, so this already put him on guard.


    ¡°What about intruders?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Nothing I detected, master!¡±


    Red nodded, though he still went through the same procedures of checking the entire manor. This took an hour, but he found nothing out of place, not even the window latches.


    ¡®They¡¯ve been scared off.¡¯


    Since the people spying on him now knew his manor was protected by formations, they definitely would not move in unless they were certain they could not be detected. Or so he hoped, at least.


    Red spent the rest of the day resting, and when night arrived, he took out the Storm¡¯s Blessing manual. His artifact was complete, and although he didn¡¯t need a sword art to use it, using a powerful weapon in conjunction with a suitable Spiritual Art would bring its power to another level.


    Before he even started leafing through it, though, he spoke to empty air.


    ¡°Tell me your recommendations.¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s figure manifested in front of him with a smirk on her face. ¡°Finally got it in your head to ask for help?¡±


    ¡°No. I just know I can¡¯t stop you from giving it anyways.¡±


    If the woman was bothered by his response, she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°You want a sword art recommendation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The Storm¡¯s Blessing manual was a very comprehensive book. His master made sure to give options for whatever path his disciple could possibly walk on, and as such, the manual contained techniques with weapons and fighting styles Red never even heard about.


    For Lesser Ring Realm Sword Arts alone, there were five of them.


    ¡°There are a few things to consider here,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°First, I can somewhat recognize two of these sword styles. They belong to the Hallowed Valley Sect.¡±


    Red recognized this to be the sect that focused mostly on swordsmanship. This, however, made him frown.


    ¡°Why would there be sect techniques here?¡±


    His master was vehemently against sects, so it surprised him he would include these arts in there.


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°What, do you think he just created all techniques in here from scratch? What cultivator has time for that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem,¡± Red pointed at the book. ¡°There¡¯s nothing indicating these techniques belong to a sect here.¡±


    What if he unknowingly practiced one of these sect techniques and ended up getting discovered by someone? Sects were very vicious in making sure their techniques didn¡¯t leak to outsiders.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting under erroneous assumptions,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Think of that friend of yours. She has a sect technique too, and she hasn¡¯t been hunted down for it. This could be the case for these techniques, too.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you aren¡¯t sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Give me a break! Do you know how long this sect has been around? Thousands of years! Who knows how many techniques they have lent out? Not to mention this is the Hallowed Valley Sect we¡¯re talking about. Every other hour, some new sword technique is invented there.¡±


    ¡°So you mean choosing them won¡¯t be a problem?¡±


    ¡°They seem like standard sword techniques, so even if some sect member questioned you about it, you could just come up with some excuse as to how you got it. It shouldn¡¯t be a rare occurrence for them.¡±


    Red nodded and then checked out the remaining three techniques. These were all elemental sword techniques, one for lightning, one of water, and one for wind. As he could only really use one of these energies right now, he only gave heed to the wind technique.


    ¡®Crystal Wind Blade.¡¯


    ¡°That should be a technique from the Crystal Sky Sect,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°They are to elemental magic what the Hallowed Valley Sect is to swords. Whatever technique you can think of, they will probably have a variation of it for every element in existence.¡±


    Red nodded and read the technique. The first thing he noticed was that this wasn¡¯t a sword technique exclusively, and it could be used with any bladed weapons. It consisted in materializing the wind energy from a weapon into hardened crystals that would penetrate the enemy¡¯s defense and stick to them, making it so wounds couldn¡¯t be healed.


    It was a vicious technique, and an obvious match for Red because his new sword was wind-aspected and his cultivation was primarily based on wind energy. Yet, he hesitated to choose it.


    Red looked up at Aurelia and saw her smiling at him.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve learned your lesson.¡±


    He immediately knew what she was referring to. He could choose this wind sword technique, and it would likely be more useful for him right now than any other, but his Storm Blessing cultivation art would eventually also included lightning and water. If he kept choosing arts just because they would be more useful for him at the moment, it would complicate his foundation in the future.


    ¡°So you recommend against it?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad technique, but it¡¯s not the best choice right now.¡±


    He nodded. Her thoughts aligned with his own, but this only left him with two choices.


    The Wide Arc Sword Style and the Vital Bloom Sword Style.


    All sword styles started with the manifestation of sword energy, and the most fundamental manifestation of said energy was the sword arc. It was a blade of energy that shot out towards its target, cutting everything in its path - similar to the wind blade spell. The first step of every sword art was this, and each technique had its own distinctive sword arc.


    It might sound counterintuitive for a ranged attack to be so fundamental for a melee weapon, but there was a solid reason for it. Since sword arts were about using the sword as a catalyst for powerful Spiritual Arts, one needed to have familiarity with this dynamic before using more advanced techniques. It just so happened there was no more fundamental move of a sword than an arcing motion, and the energy arc that could spawn from it came almost instinctually for a swordsman.


    From this simple sword arc, countless other sword techniques could appear, and it served as the foundation for almost every bladed art.


    The Wide Arc Sword Style took this concept to another level. Instead of branching out into more complex techniques, it leaned into the concept of sword arcs, and it specialized in how to make these arcs larger and stronger. It was a simple technique in nature, but it was straightforward to practice and could scale in power indefinitely since it mainly relied on Spiritual Energy to grow stronger. It was also an art that could be used with any element.


    The Vital Bloom Sword Style, though, was more complex. It consisted of the condensation of sword energy into a dense sword arc which, once it hit the enemy, would bloom into countless smaller sword arcs that would completely envelop its target. The energy of this technique was contained, and although it sounded like one, it was by no means an explosive attack. It was discreet, orderly, and the opponent might not even noticed the true nature of this move until after the sword beam had bloomed.


    The issue with this technique, however, was that it spent a lot of energy, both physical and spiritual. The condensed sword arcs needed to be formed one by one inside the Spiritual Veins, so one needed both enough Spiritual Energy and a very tough body so as not be cut from the inside by the sword energy.


    Red wasn¡¯t certain which technique to choose. The Wide Arc Sword Style fit his wind mastery more, since he was already so familiar with the wind blade spell, so he assumed he could advance fairly quickly in this sword art, which would remain useful in the future. The Vital Bloom Sword Style, however, had far more offensive potential and it also fit his fighting style more. Red tougher body might be able to resist the damage of the smaller sword arcs in his veins, though the amount of Spiritual Energy would remain a problem for now.


    This time, he was truly stumped and couldn¡¯t help but look at Aurelia.


    ¡°Which one should I choose?¡±


    The woman had a pondering expression.


    ¡°Why not both of them?¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it? Then ask yourself this: why did your master put these two specific techniques in the manual?¡±


    He looked back at the manual and reread the introductions of both techniques.


    ¡°They complement each other?¡±


    The Vital Bloom Sword Style was classified in power by layers. The first layer was ten smaller sword arcs condensed into one, the second layer was ten of said first layer arcs condensed into one, and the third layer was ten of second layer arcs condensed into one. This would result in three blooms for a thousand sword arcs enveloping the enemy, and this was the theoretical limit of the technique. Each layer was far harder to form than the next, and energy instability was a major issue, as the structure of the sword arc became unstable and harder to maintain.


    The Wide Arc Sword Style, though, specialized in exactly that, stability and scaling. Its sword arcs were harder to dissipate, and this stability was maintained even as they got stronger and bigger. It completely made up for the weakness of the Vital Blood Sword Style, and he might be able to condense more sword arcs into a single layer, or perhaps even create a fourth layer.


    Yet, there was a big issue with this idea.


    ¡°Fusing these two techniques seems very hard,¡± he shook his head.


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of using them both together. Each technique¡¯s energy had its own path to circulate in his veins, paths that clashed with each other or simply didn¡¯t cross. To fuse both techniques, Red would need to figure out an entire new circulation for these energies, and that was far more easily said than done.


    ¡°I do not have the sword skill to figure this out right now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°You can just practice both of them at the same time until you feel familiar enough to attempt a fusion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of work. I would likely fall behind on both of them if I try to split my attention.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide if it¡¯s worth it. The intention of your master in putting both these techniques here is very clear, so I can only imagine the end result will be incredible. Hells, maybe your master purposefully split a stronger technique into these two to make it easier to learn? I¡¯m not a swordsman, though, so you will need to figure it out yourself.¡±


    Red spent the rest of the night pondering on this decision. His cultivation was always a matter of weighing current versus future benefits, and this theoretical fusion of techniques was definitely something for the future. Was he pressed for power right now, though? Technically not, but he was also standing in the middle of a brewing conflict and there was no telling when that might change. What if there was another assassination attempt or a demon attack? Would he regret not having focused on a single technique then? Would it even make a difference?


    When morning arrived, Red wasn¡¯t any closer to a definite answer. Yet, the day had already begun, and he had other pressing matters to attend to.


    He activated Gustav¡¯s talisman and spoke.


    ¡°I am available for that meeting.¡±

 Chapter 456 - Intimidation

    Soon enough, a carriage from the Golden Hand was here to pick him up. Red was on guard once he learned the meeting was at their headquarters, but their organization wasn¡¯t the kind to act overtly, so he didn¡¯t think he would have any problems.


    As they rode through the streets, he saw the city somewhat returning to normalcy. As Marina told him, they didn¡¯t manage to arrest any cultists of particular importance, but this state of half-martial law was unsustainable for the city. So, activity picked up again, and the disaster from a few months ago was mostly forgotten.


    Investigations were still being made in the background, however. Red noticed quite a few guards questioning people on the streets, and this made him wonder when the demonic cults would deign it appropriate to act again.


    The carriage arrived at the Golden Hand Temple, where Gustav was waiting by the entrance to receive him with a team of servants.


    ¡°Master Viran!¡± The merchant bowed. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you accepted my invitation. I have been so eager to talk to you!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, staring silently at the overweight man.


    Gustav seemed a bit at a loss. He looked at the guild servants with an angry expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand there, you idiots! Go prepare the meeting room!¡± He looked back at Red. ¡°If you would follow me.¡±


    They entered the ostentatious bank, which was teeming with activity this early in the day. Curiously, Red didn¡¯t sense the fluctuation of that Spirit Core cultivator within the building, but he couldn¡¯t question the merchant about it without sounding suspicious.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice your shop hasn¡¯t opened for a while, Master Viran,¡± Gustav said as they ascended a flight of stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    The conversation died out as they arrived at a large meeting room. A round ornate wooden table was set there, with a dozen chairs spread around it, all the furniture being decorated by lines of gold in the Golden Hand motif. Inside the room were five people - the Arcane Scripture Master Heryd who assessed Red¡¯s skill the first time, two merchants he didn¡¯t recognize, a hawkish-looking man dressed like a bodyguard, and a young, bald noble man wearing brown and black colors.


    Red paused at the doorway as he looked at these people. The bodyguard fluctuations put him in the Greater Ring Realm, while the young noble was in the Lesser Ring Realm. The merchants also seemed ill at ease as they stole glances at these two, and when they saw Gustav appear, they displayed expressions of relief.


    But Red didn¡¯t take a step further into the room, looking back at Gustav.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me there were going to be other people here,¡± he said.


    The merchant struggled to respond, but a laughter interrupted him. Red looked over and saw the young noble stand up with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Viran. When I heard you were coming to visit, I decided to insert myself into this meeting,¡± he walked up to Red and extend his hand in greeting. ¡°I am Alphonse Claiborne. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡®Claiborne.¡¯


    This was the name of the other ducal family in the capital. They were also the prime suspects for collaborating with the demonic cultists.


    Red didn¡¯t return the handshake, which amused Alphonse.


    He looked back at his bodyguard. ¡°This one is not much for courtesy.¡±


    The bodyguard snorted. ¡°Doesn¡¯t surprise me, considering who he spends his time with.¡±


    ¡°Gentlemen!¡± Master Heryd, the only one who kept his composure, stood up. ¡°Remember that you gave the guild your word!¡±


    The young noble sighed and returned to his seat. ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡±


    Although Alphonse backed down, he kept staring at Red with a mocking expression.


    Gustav let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Right, then we can-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Red cut him off and walked out of the room.


    It took a few seconds for the people in the meeting room to register what had happened.


    ¡°Wait, Master Viran!¡±


    Gustav ran in front of him and blocked his way.


    ¡°P-Please, just give me a second to-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say. This was supposed to be a meeting between the two of us, and now not only are there three other guild personnel there, but there are also two outsiders. What is this supposed to mean?¡±


    Gustav gritted his teeth, at a loss, looking between the room and Red. A few seconds later, Master Heryd also walked out of the room.


    ¡°Master Viran, I apologize,¡± Heryd said. ¡°I was under the impression Gustav had informed you of this.¡±


    The overweight merchant looked at the old man with a wronged expression, which quickly turned into apologetic.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master Viran!¡± He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not informing you of this!¡±


    ¡°And what exactly does this change?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Young Master Alphonse and his family are important contributors to the guild, so-¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s here to intimidate me?¡±


    Gustav didn¡¯t know how to respond to this, looking over at Master Heryd for help. The old man scratched his beard in thought.


    ¡°¡­ I apologize for our oversight, Master Viran. Please, hold on just a moment,¡± he returned to the room and looked over at the noble and his bodyguard. ¡°I apologize, gentlemen, but I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to participate in this meeting.¡±


    Alphonse glared at Heryd. ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. If our guest doesn¡¯t want to participate in the meeting with you here, then we can only ask you to leave.¡±


    The young noble didn¡¯t respond, instead exchanging glances with his bodyguard. The hawkish man just shrugged, and Alphonse nodded, after which the two of them got up from their seats.


    ¡°We will let this matter go due to our relationship, Master Heryd. But be aware that my father is not in the best of moods after what happened in the market district. One of these days¡­ maybe he won¡¯t speak up for your guild in the Royal Court.¡±


    Master Heryd seemed unmoved by this threat. ¡°Whatever he decides, Young Master Alphonse, we will respect and abide.¡±


    Alphonse just smiled and walked out of the room, trailed by his bodyguard. He gave a quick glance at Red before walking past him. The bodyguard, however, stopped right in front of him and snorted.


    Suddenly, Red felt a wave of Spiritual Energy hit his body, causing him to fall down to one knee as the man¡¯s aura crashed down on him. Everyone was too stunned to react, and before Red could do anything, the pressure around him disappeared, and a wave of golden energy surrounded the bodyguard, forming a chain that locked him in place.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The man¡¯s expression twisted in pain, though he didn¡¯t seem surprised by this result.


    ¡°You dare raise your hand at someone inside our guild?!¡± Master Heryd glared at the bodyguard with unconcealed anger.


    The commotion had already attracted the attention of almost everyone inside the Golden Hand Temple. Red, who just now was recovering from the sudden attack, looked at the bodyguard with a frown. The golden chains that locked the man in place were clearly the work of a formation that Red failed to notice until now.


    ¡°Gregory, what have you done?!¡± Alphonse glared at the bodyguard. His tone and expression, however, were clearly exaggerated. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Master Heryd, I don¡¯t know what got into his head!¡±


    ¡°I have no time to play your games, child! You think the rules of our guild are something you can just break with no consequences?!¡±


    ¡°By no means, Master Heryd! I apologize profusely for this!¡± The young noble looked at his bodyguard. ¡°You moron, what do you think you have done?!¡±


    The bodyguard gritted his teeth in pain. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, young master. I wasn¡¯t thinking properly.¡±


    ¡°You think a simple apology will cut it?! Apologize to Master Heryd and Mater Viran as well!¡±


    Gregory turned his gaze to both of them. ¡°I am sorry, Master Heryd, for breaking the guild¡¯s rules. I am sorry, Master Viran, for letting my temper get the best of me and attacking you.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, staring at this whole theater with a frown.


    ¡°Damn you, Gregory! Do you think that¡¯s enough?! For some things, no matter how sincere your apology is, it just won¡¯t cut it. Here,¡± Alphonse pulled out two items from his pouch - a purple slip of paper and a small vial with a pill inside. ¡°This is a healing Spiritual Pill, and this is a voucher to exchange a hundred Spirit Stones in the bank. I hope this is enough to show my sincerity, Master Viran.¡±


    Red stared down at the items and accepted them without responding.


    Alphonse seemed to take this as acceptance for his apology and now turned to look at Master Heryd. ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± the old man cut him off. ¡°Just get out of my sight and make sure I never see this man here again.¡±


    The golden chains surrounding Gregory disappeared, and the man fell down to his knees, breathing heavily.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Alphonse nodded and looked at his bodyguard. ¡°Let¡¯s go, you moron! You¡¯ve done enough damage already!¡±


    The two of them left, disappearing down the stairs. The commotion seemed to die down after this, and Master Heryd looked over at Red with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Viran. Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Red said. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    His entire body was aching from that simple attack by a Greater Ring Realm cultivator, but he ignored it for now. He had a lot of thoughts in his mind and knew this meeting couldn¡¯t be delayed in any case.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the old man nodded and reentered the meeting room.


    The two other merchants left the table, and only Red, Gustav, and Master Heryd remained there.


    ¡°Why did you call me?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Well, Master Viran,¡± Gustav spoke. ¡°We hear you are involved with the construction of a new Spiritual Forge, is that right?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking, you already know the answer. But no, I was not involved. I am just using it.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, whatever the case, Master Viran, we did not know you were proficient in artifact forging.¡±


    ¡°I saw no reason to tell you.¡±


    There was an awkward silence as Gustav seemed to be at a loss about how to communicate with his guest. He looked over at Master Heryd, who sighed.


    ¡°You plan on working with Lehmann¡¯s Traders?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± Red saw no reason to deny it.


    ¡°Then I will make you an offer. Come work with us instead.¡±


    Gustav took out a pile of papers on the old man¡¯s prompting and slid them over the table towards Red. It seemed to be a ledger detailing transactions from artifact forging, which numbered in the tens of thousands of Spirit Stones over the last five years.


    ¡°The Golden Hand engages in various types of artifact forging, but blacksmithing remains the most profitable one by far, since most cultivators use metal weapons,¡± the merchant said. ¡°Kingdoms and other factions around the eastern part of the continent all have their own Spiritual Forges, but only a handful of organizations keep it open to commissions. In that sense, our guild has managed to carve our name in this business and has not just one, but three Spiritual Forges in countries around the eastern continent!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, reading the numbers in the ledger. Each artifact was at a minimum, worth two hundred Spirit Stones, and some of them were sold for over a thousand Spirit Stones. There were no specifics about what these artifacts could do, though, so he could only guess their powers by their rough names.


    Gustav continued. ¡°As you know, we are bordering the very edge of the Empire, so the demand for artifacts has increased exponentially. You won¡¯t be able to find another forge open for commission until you¡¯re three countries deeper into the east. Even the crown has commissioned us for artifacts!¡±


    This revelation gave Red some pause.


    ¡°The crown has commissioned artifacts from your guild?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gustav nodded, happy that Red was finally showing interest. ¡°They have their own forge and specialists, but they aren¡¯t able to keep the demand up by themselves. This is all to say, Master Viran, that not only have we built a reputation that provides us with a steady supply of clients, but we also have the means to connect with people from all over the world. It¡¯s not something a small trader¡¯s group can compare.¡±


    ¡°How much would you profit from each commission, Master Viran?¡± Master Heryd asked.


    Red, however, didn¡¯t respond.


    The old man didn¡¯t seem bothered by this. ¡°Well, I assume it¡¯s a three-way split since you¡¯re using the Fairclough manor, but industry standard should be about forty percent for the crafter. We are willing to offer you fifty, and beyond that, we are also certain we can sell each artifact for more than the Lehmann¡¯s group without losing clients.¡±


    ¡°Considering they wouldn¡¯t have a crafter if I left them, that wouldn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Red said.


    Master Heryd smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not just that. We have seen the blueprints of the Spiritual Forge they built. It¡¯s outdated by a few decades, and our forges have been constantly upgraded by our researchers. Our efficiency should be almost twenty percent better, which would make us able to produce artifacts better and faster.¡±


    This revelation made Red frown. An advantage of twenty percent efficiency was enormous in a competitive market. Not to mention that the Golden Hand could also take a loss to compete against Lehmann¡¯s Traders, considering how big their group was.


    ¡®This trade war is not my concern. My only task is to craft.¡¯


    ¡°You see, Master Viran,¡± Gustav leaned in. ¡°We are not enemies with Sir Lehmann. In fact, we often have business dealings, so suffice it to say we were quite blindsided when we heard their plans. A lot of us found this daring act commendable, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact we have to protect our interests and the interests of all our contributors that rely on us¡­ And the truth is, that even if we let you establish this business, some of our allies might not agree. They might even take¡­ radical actions to stop you.¡±


    Red looked over at Gustav. ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the simple truth,¡± Master Heryd interjected. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard of unsavory rumours about our guild, but the truth is the Golden Hand is not a unified organization. We are made up of many other merchant organizations that joined to achieve similar goals, and while there is a governing council, the factions in our guild have a great degree of independence. Where one might be willing to be diplomatic, another might rely on underhanded methods to deal with the competition.¡±


    ¡°Is that where the Claiborne Family comes in?¡±


    ¡°They are a contributor, not a part of our organization. In that sense, we have even less control over their actions.¡±


    Red fell silent. If he didn¡¯t know what this guild could do, he might have believed the man.


    But he had heavy suspicions that the display earlier from Alphonse, his bodyguard, and Master Heryd was an act to intimidate him. They probably knew exactly how Red would react when an outsider was invited into a private meeting, and they used the excuse of his relationship with the Northvale family for Alphonse to act antagonistically against him. He had no proof of this, but he knew how smart his opponents could be when they had been given trouble to Hector for decades back in Bestrem.


    Regardless, even if Red figured out the truth behind his earlier interaction, the result was the same. They were threatening him, and it was a very real threat.


    ¡°I know this is a lot to take in right now, Master Viran,¡± Gustav said. ¡°But you can give us your answer lat-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Red cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m not working with you.¡±


    They fell silent at his reply. Gustav looked over at Master Heryd with a strange expression.


    The old man, however, didn¡¯t hide the frown on his face. ¡°Are you certain, Master Viran? For all intents and purposes, this would make you our business rival.¡±


    ¡°That is something I can live with,¡± Red got up for his chair and threw the purple voucher to Gustav. ¡°Here. The payment for that loan. You can keep the change.¡±


    With nothing else left to say, he left the room, and no one tried to stop him. Neither did any servant escort him out of the guild, and he received quite a few gazes because of the earlier confrontation.


    When Red left the temple, no carriage was there waiting for him, and he had to make his way back home on foot. Before he could be on his way, though, he sensed a familiar fluctuation on the other side of the street.He looked over and saw Pierre, the guard captain, looking over at him with a serious expression. He nodded once he saw Red stare back and walked away to continue his patrol.


    Red didn¡¯t linger on the meaning behind his presence there and went back home. He barely arrived at the manor when he was bombarded by messages from one of his communication talismans. More specifically, the one Marina gave him.


    ¡°Master Viran, I heard you went to the Golden Hand Temple,¡± the woman said. ¡°Whatever they offer you, do not accept it! We can discuss improving the terms of our deal later, but whatever happens, I beg you to not accept their deal! These people are not any better than demons and¡­¡±


    Similar messages kept coming his way until Red had enough and responded.


    ¡°I refused them.¡±


    A minute of silence went by before another reply came back.


    ¡°Were their terms not good enough?¡±


    ¡°They were very good, but I already made a deal with you.¡±


    Another prolonged silence before the talisman glowed again.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Viran. I will make sure your trust is not misplaced.¡±

 Chapter 457 - Bottleneck

    Later in the day, Red met with Marina in her company¡¯s headquarters. Although she remained composed, he couldn¡¯t help but notice how talkative she was, and that was saying a lot knowing the woman.


    She sat on the floor cushion, waving her fan and looking at Red with a smile. ¡°I have already sent out the word that our forge is ready to take on clients. Some people are eager to put in their own commissions, considering that their relationship with the Golden Hand is not friendly either. That being said, they have shown some reluctance as well¡­¡± Marina trailed off.


    ¡°They don¡¯t trust my abilities,¡± Red said, picking up on her meaning.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not quite like that. It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t know you, so while the operation seems legitimate, they are hesitant to spend too much money on an unproven service.¡±


    ¡°And the Golden Hand? Haven¡¯t they tried to discredit us on this?¡±


    It seemed like the perfect opportunity for the merchant¡¯s guild to turn clients away from this new business rival.


    ¡°Well, some of them have, but most of the guild has been rather quiet on the matter,¡± Marina said. ¡°They were still trying to recruit you just today as well. But in truth, I suspect they will wait and see what we are capable of achieving before deciding on a course of action.¡±


    ¡°Can we expect direct intervention in that case?¡±


    ¡°Direct intervention?¡± She frowned at this question. ¡°As I said, maybe if this was outside the capital or against any other family, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate, but since it¡¯s the Fairclough¡­ I doubt they will take any underhanded measures.¡±


    ¡°What about that noble family?¡±


    ¡°Claiborne? That¡¯s even more unlikely. If they moved against the Queen¡¯s family, it might as well be considered treason.¡±


    Although Marina gave him her assurance, Red was still on guard. The meeting from earlier today was still on his mind, and if the Claiborne were potentially contributing with demonic cultists, would they really hesitate to attack Aurelia¡¯s manor? Granted, that would be a bold move, but Red didn¡¯t feel comfortable discarding it out of hand.


    ¡°In any case, since most of our clients still want to wait and see the quality of our products, I¡¯ve decided to approach one of our allies that has no issue putting their trust in your skills.¡±


    Marina slid a sheet of paper over the table to Red. He picked it up and examined it.


    On the paper, there were instructions for the construction of a shield artifact with simple specifications. Most of the function and form were left up to the artisan¡¯s discretion, but a list of the potential materials and budget for the artifact were also specified below. What caught Red¡¯s attention, however, was the name of the client.


    ¡°Leon Northvale?¡± He looked up at Marina.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Who better to give our business legitimacy than a ducal family?¡±


    Red supposed she was right. He hadn¡¯t met with Leon since the accident in the sewers, though it didn¡¯t seem like he was avoiding him. Rather, from what he heard, the young noble had just barely left his manor since then.


    ¡°When do you think you can start working on it?¡± Marina asked.


    ¡°Today.¡±


    ¡°Today?¡±


    Red nodded.


    She smiled. ¡°Great! Can you make a list of materials for us?¡±


    He did as much, and soon enough, a carriage was taking him to the Fairclough manor.


    When Red entered the workshop, his nostrils were immediately invaded by an acrid medicinal smell. He looked up, sensing the alchemy laboratory working at full power as the odor of herbs and other unknown ingredients filled every inch of the building. This was something he failed to take into account when agreeing to working alongside an alchemist, though he supposed he could deal with strong smells while working.


    As Red prepared the workshop, attendants brought in the ingredients for the shield, which happened to include Black Iron ore as well. This artifact was far simpler than his own sword, and with his familiarity using the forge, he didn¡¯t hesitate to activate the Spirit Gathering Formation and start working.


    ¡­


    On the second day of the forging process, the smells from the laboratory ceased, and Red noticed Lady Ilse walking down the stairs. Her apron was far dirtier with soot than usual, and her entire body smelled of medicines as she approached him with a tired and frustrated expression.


    ¡°What are you crafting?¡± She asked without ceremony.


    ¡°A shield,¡± Red said as he operated the forge.


    ¡°What will it do?¡±


    ¡°It will create a barrier similar to the Shielding spell, though in this case, it can expand up to thirty meters.¡±


    Lady Ilse frowned. ¡°It seems to be going well.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    She let out an exasperated harrumph and walked back upstairs. A few minutes later, she walked downstairs, carrying a sword hilt and a scabbard.


    ¡°Here it is,¡± she handed the items to Red.


    He accepted them, examining the woman¡¯s work. The scabbard was made of a fine black leather, which Red could tell came from some kind of monster. A golden criss-cross pattern extended along its length, making the item elegant without calling too much attention to it. The hilt followed the same line, a black leathery grip, a lobed silver pummel, and a tilted silver guard with the quatrefoil designed at its ends.


    Red had half expected the woman to hand him some ostentatious parts when she promised to make something for him, but it turned out both the hilt and scabbard weren¡¯t overly adorned and yet fit well together with his sword.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°Good. I assumed you wouldn¡¯t want something too golden, so I kept it simple. Make sure to fit your sword with those.¡±


    With that, she turned around and returned to her own laboratory, her mood not having improved.


    This same scene seemed to repeat many times over the course of the next few days. Lady Ilse, seemingly frustrated with her own lack of progress, would come downstairs and observe Red¡¯s work for a while, only to return to her laboratory with a frustrated expression.


    In the meantime, Red¡¯s work was going smoothly, and he even had the time to study the smells from the laboratory. He couldn¡¯t tell from what ingredients they came from, but every time before Lady Ilse came downstairs, the same familiar burning smell would reach him, indicating her failure. Since the woman constantly peppered him with questions about his own work, he decided to ask a question of his own.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Medicines,¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Red returned to his work.


    ¡°Wait! Aren¡¯t you going to ask more questions?¡±


    He turned back to look at her. ¡°What medicines?¡±


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    ¡°Mind clearing medicine, to use against that serpent¡¯s cult.¡±


    ¡°Against them? Wouldn¡¯t some kind of anti-corrosion or antidote be more appropriate against them?¡±


    From his experience, the most dangerous aspect of those snake demons was that corrosive gas.


    ¡°You can use physical barriers to block their poisonous gas, but conventional protections can¡¯t defend against their charming techniques,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°You were lucky that you only fought against mindless demons and a formation expert. But the truth is that cultists of the Serpent¡¯s World are all adept in Spiritual Arts that can charm others into doing their bidding.¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. This was indeed something he had failed to take into account. Even though he was confident in his mental strength, would he be able to resist a charming technique from a Greater Ring Realm cultivator? It was hard to say.


    ¡°Are you close to completing this medicine?¡± He asked, now very interested in the matter.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Lady Ilse shook her head. ¡°Concocting medicine is not a straightforward matter, and it¡¯s possible the recipe I have is flawed too. I can only experiment and guess at the next steps.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can help?¡±


    She looked at him with suspicion. ¡°Why would you want to help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in these pills, too,¡± He didn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°Well, unfortunately, I can¡¯t imagine how you could help in this particular instance. Perhaps the best way to assist me is to keep working on the forge so I have more money to experiment with.¡±


    Red nodded. Since he didn¡¯t know alchemy, there was no point in pushing the matter.


    Two more days passed before Red was done with the shield. It was a metal buckler, a duelist¡¯s shield, with a smooth grey surface where a circle of runes was written. If one wasn¡¯t paying attention, they would think it was just a common item.


    After testing the artifact and making sure the shielding spell was working, Red called Marina to deliver it to the client.


    ¡°You¡¯re done already?!¡± She asked through the message talisman.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to pick the order up!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for a group of attendants to arrive and pack the shield up in an ornate box with the Lehmann¡¯s Trader¡¯s symbol. They also gave Red his payment, a hundred spirit stones for his share. Seeing how easily he made this much money, he knew that his decision to work alongside Marina had been right.


    Lady Ilse came downstair after hearing the activity and stared at Red in surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Red nodded, packing his things.


    ¡°How is that possible? That sword of yours took more than a week to make!¡±


    ¡°My sword was much more complicated.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose¡­ Wait, where¡¯s the shield?¡±


    ¡°They took it to be delivered.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Her expression changed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me see it first?!¡±


    Red was confused. ¡°It was working.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem! Knowing you, I bet it looks like a regular shield, right?!¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Agh, damn you!¡±


    She ran out of the room, chasing the attendants that had just left.


    Still somewhat confused, Red left the workshop and returned to his own home.


    ¡­


    It turned out that this shield was all they needed to get their business going. A deluge of clients put in their own orders for artifact, so much so that a backlog that would probably stretch for months was quickly created. What caught the attention of the city the most was how quickly the shield artifact was completed, which was a testament to the skills of the person working behind it.


    Many of these clients wanted to meet with Red, but he simply refused. Fame was not something he sought, and Marina agreed to keep his identity anonymous, or at least not bring any attention to it. As for fulfilling the orders of these clients, Red decided to strike a balance that allowed him enough time to cultivate.


    One week, he would work on orders, and the other he would practice. Although Marina tried to convince him to dedicate his time to the forge more for now, Red refused to budge on this matter, much more so when he was at such a vital juncture in his cultivation.


    A month went by, and during this time, he fulfilled four more orders, and with the hundreds of Spirit Stones he earned from that, his cultivation reached a bottleneck. This was to say, the next step in his progress was to break through into the middle-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm. As for his sword cultivation, that was progressing slower than he would have liked.


    Forming sword energy turned out to be a very complicated process, and Red had yet to achieve initial success in either of the Sword Spiritual Arts he had been practicing. In fact, even if he had focused on only one of them, he wasn¡¯t sure he would have achieved success either.


    ¡®What am I missing?¡¯


    He stood in the living room of his manor, staring at the claymore in his hands. Up to this point, Red hadn¡¯t even been able to form a stable sword arc. He knew his talent in swordsmanship wasn¡¯t great, but there seemed to be a problem he wasn¡¯t able to identify that hindered his progress.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the problem obvious?¡±


    Aurelia manifested in front of him, as if reading his mind. Red looked at her smirking expression, which seemed to be waiting for him to ask for help. He didn¡¯t do it, though, instead closing his eyes in thought.


    ¡®An obvious problem.¡¯


    He could guess at the answer.


    ¡°Not enough battle experience.¡±


    Aurelia looked disappointed as she heard this. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right. Just think back to your experiences since you arrived in this city. How many times did you fight? Two? Three? Some of those weren¡¯t even proper fights. When it comes to weapon arts, there¡¯s no better teacher than experience, much more so for you.¡±


    Red understood her point. He came to this city to get a safe environment to cultivate, and he achieved that, but safety was sometimes detrimental to cultivation, too. Red was someone who always learned from experience, from putting his life on the line, and although there was plenty of danger in the capital, there weren¡¯t enough opportunities to fight and deepen his understanding of what it meant to be a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. With his talent in wind spells, this didn¡¯t prove to hinder learning wind arts, but with swords? That was a different matter.


    ¡®Unfortunately, there¡¯s no easy solution to this.¡¯


    What was he supposed to do? Go out on the streets and find opponents to fight to the death? Target the cultists? Either of those options was likely to get him killed instead.


    ¡°Maybe you can¡¯t find opportunities to fight in the city, but you can maybe find a sparring partner instead,¡± Aurelia said.


    Red frowned. ¡°A sparring partner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s what my sect did. Obviously, fighting experience is important, but entering a fight to the death without proper preparation is stupidity. So to prepare their disciples, elders organized sparring competitions which awarded many prizes for the winners. It was the next best way to prepare them for combat other than throwing them in a pit of monsters. Of course, these sparring competitions were useless to me, considering no one my age could keep up.¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to be bragging as much as stating a fact.


    ¡°It is a good idea,¡± Red nodded. ¡°But hard to put into action.¡±


    For one, a sparring partner would need to be in a similar realm to him, and he also needed to trust them not to reveal his secrets after they fought. Suffice it to say, Red hardly trust anyone without being forced to.


    ¡®If I had to choose a sparring partner, though¡­¡¯


    An idea came to his mind, though he didn¡¯t know how to put it into action.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a suggestion,¡± Aurelia shrugged. ¡°You can still master those sword arts. It will just take much longer.¡±


    ¡°I will think about it.¡±


    Although Red said that, this was put to the back of his mind. He wanted to break into the middle stage of the Lesser Ring Realm as soon as possible, and that was because two things concerned him.


    The first was the Golden Hand. Their silence regarding the success of this new Spiritual Forge was very concerning. Red would have understood their passivity if they had been told off by the Royal Court or some other faction, but no such thing had happened, which just led him to believe they were biding their time before doing something. On the off chance this something involved a direct attack against him, he wanted to be ready to respond appropriately.


    The second was Rimold¡¯s sister, Yrsa. According to the timetable Aurelia had given him, she only had a few more months to go before becoming an invalid, and Red wasn¡¯t sure her condition could recover after that. He had gone to observe her a few times over the last couple of months, and although there were no external signs of her condition worsening, his crimson sense picked the instability of her body.


    Red still had no idea where to start his investigation into how to solve her problem, but it was getting to a point where he needed to move, regardless of if he had a plan or not. He needed to investigate the Nine-Star cult.


    This was why he wanted to hurry and break through, and to achieve that quickly, he needed some external help. Red needed a Condensation Spiritual Pill, and Lady Ilse was the only one that could provide it - at least one that would help him break through immediately.


    He was hesitant to ask her for help, though. It wasn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t pay for it - the Spirit Stones he earned from his work were more than enough. Rather, it was because Red knew she was busy with her research, and he already owed her a favor she had yet to call upon.


    ¡®Whatever the case, there¡¯s no harm in asking. If she can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll just need to spend more money and buy as many Condensation Spiritual Pills as I need.¡¯


    With that in mind, Red took a carriage to her manor. When he arrived there, though, he was told by a servant that Lady Ilse wasn¡¯t home.


    ¡°She has gone to visit Her Majesty, Master Viran. She should be back in a couple of hours if you¡¯d like to wait.¡±


    Red nodded, and he was led to a waiting room. As per usual, servants offered him food, which he refused, and he was then left alone. Ten minutes went by, though, before he suddenly noticed something strange. More specifically, his crimson sense seemed to pick up on a strange fluctuation.


    ¡®This feeling¡­¡¯


    It was very familiar. A weak signal, hard to detect, yet still there all the same.


    Showing no signs he had noticed the oddity, Red stood up and walked over to a servant.


    ¡°I will be waiting in the workshop. If your mistress arrives, tell her I¡¯m there.¡±


    The servant nodded and went about his own work.


    Red then started walking towards the workshop, his crimson sense locked into this strange fluctuation at all times. It was following him, no more than twenty meters behind him, and yet he knew for certain there was no one there, as the servants walking by him showed no alarm.


    Finally, he reached the workshop room and opened the doors.


    ¡®As much space as I¡¯m getting.¡¯


    With that, Red walked over to the center of the room and turned around in the direction of the strange fluctuation. He said nothing, but his gaze was trained at a shadow formed by the shade of an unlit lamp in the room as he unsheathed the claymore from his back.


    A few seconds later, something seemed to emerge from the shadow. Or rather, it seemed as if the shadow was taking physical form as something grew from it. A human figure, completely covered in darkness, stared at Red from across the room.


    The Shadow, come to take his life again.

 Chapter 458 - Fighting Against Shadows

    The Shadow didn¡¯t move immediately, staring at Red from across the workshop. Red was also observing his opponent, or more specifically, their fluctuation.


    ¡®It¡¯s not the same person.¡¯


    Although their fluctuation was faint, he could tell that this assassin wasn¡¯t as strong as the dagger-throwing Shadow who attacked him before. But that revelation also confused him.


    ¡®They brought someone weaker to kill me?¡¯


    This made no sense to him. As Red tried to figure out the trick behind this matter, the Shadow finally moved.


    It raised its two shadowy arms and made a grasping motion. The shadows around Red seemed to come alive and form spikes that pierced towards him without making a sound. He jumped back and avoided the blow, but before he could even react, more shadow spikes shot in his direction in a cascade.


    Red was forced to move back again, but soon enough spikes also formed behind him to trap his path. Without hesitation, he pushed off his feet and jumped high into the air as his feet were covered with azure energy.


    Gale Drift!


    With his technique, Red rode the wind currents of the room and outran the pursuing shadows. Instead of retreating to safety, however, he charged toward his enemy. Wind energy surrounded his sword as he soared like a hawk to strike at the Shadow.


    One second he was retreating, and the next, he was on the attack. This was the power of the wind to control the flow of battle.


    His opponent flinched, but didn¡¯t move. They raised their open hands in front of themselves, and a wall of shadows rose in front of him like a shield. Red didn¡¯t stop his attack and swung his sword around against the barrier, a shrill sound captured by the arcing tip of his blade.


    His sword bit into the shadows, but was stopped midway through. The wind energy in the weapon, though, exploded a moment later.


    A shockwave exploded from the point of impact, blowing the shadow shield apart and creating a wind storm within the workshop. Both combatants were thrown backwards by the force, and the entire room was thrown into disarray as blacksmithing items flew around them. To Red, though, this was an opportunity!


    The chaotic winds appeared in his vision, drawing dozens of paths that led to a multitude of corners of the room. But in the middle of it all, Red found the one he wanted. Before he even fell down from the explosion, he was already travelling back through a current towards his opponent, who still hadn¡¯t recovered their composure.


    Midway through his path, though, he sensed something strange.


    ¡®Another fluctuation!¡¯


    Red twisted his body midair as he saw something leap at him from below. Something slashed his left side, drawing a fine line of blood, but still missing its target and allowing him to retreat. Without hesitation, Red moved to the other side of the room.


    His hand immediately moved to his new cut. Instinctually, he expanded his awareness and checked the wounded area for poison. To his relief, all he found was lingering shadow Spiritual Energy, which had failed to pierce him too deeply. Then his gaze moved back towards his enemy.


    There, on the other side of the room, now stood two Shadows.


    The first one was just now standing up from Red¡¯s earlier attack, while the second one was a few meters in front of them, its features likewise hidden by an impenetrable dark mist. In their hands, they held two curved daggers, and one of them dripped with blood.


    Red could tell with one glance these weapons were artifacts. But this wasn¡¯t what worried him.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t feel its fluctuation.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a matter of just having a hard time detecting the fluctuation. Red didn¡¯t detect it at all! For the first time, someone fooled his crimson sense, and this was something not even that Greater Ring Realm sect cultivator managed to do.


    ¡®What went wrong?¡¯


    Thankfully, Red wasn¡¯t left wondering for long. The dagger wielding Shadow started to seemingly melt away into darkness, before merging with the shadows around the room. When that happened, their fluctuation disappeared!


    Red frowned. Neither his crimson sense nor his vision could pick up any traces of his opponent, and the only thing he could do was jump away towards the light of a lamp. His thoughts were that the fewer shadows around him, the fewer angles he could be attacked from.


    As this plan came to his mind, the first Shadow stood up and made more symbols with their hands. Red expected more spikes to fly his way, but instead, they shot towards the lamps, shattering them one by one while he could only watch it helplessly.


    The entire room was plunged into darkness, the only faint light coming from the corridor outside.


    Then, the next moment, the second Shadow attacked again. This time, the attack came from above, as the Shadow plunged towards him, dagger first.


    It was too sudden of an attack for Red to react, so he raised his claymore and activated one of its abilities.


    Wind Locking!


    Although this was an ability meant to trap enemies, it could also be used as a shield in a pinch. The air in front of the diving Shadow solidified, and their movements were suddenly slowed down as if they were moving through a quagmire. This gave Red ample time to react as his claymore glowed with azure energy and slashed upwards.


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    But before it could connect, another shadow barrier rose from the ground to block the attack, allowing the dagger-wielding Shadow to disappear once again into the darkness. Red frowned and looked at his other opponent, who was already in the process of casting another spell.


    Red thought about charging forward and focusing on one opponent, but suddenly, his movements slowed down. He looked down, only to notice darkness tendrils wrapping around his ankles, holding onto him and making it hard to move swiftly. With alarm, he swung at the tentacles, which were cut in half but reformed almost a second later.


    Physical attacks were ineffective against this strange matter.


    Before Red could come with another plan, he felt the dagger-wielding shadow appear again, this time from his back. He turned around and used Wind Locking to protect him, but this time, his opponent was prepared.


    As the Shadow¡¯s first dagger was blocked by the wind barrier, it thrust its other dagger forward, which was now surrounded by dark energy. The blade cut through the shield, and a shadow spike shot out from its tip at Red. He leaned sideways, but the spike still pierced into his shoulder and sent him stumbling backwards.


    This time, Red knew he didn¡¯t have time to assess his wounds.


    ¡®I need light!¡¯


    As he sought to regain his balance, his hand went to his bag and grabbed a round disk. More specifically, the Spiritual Forge controller disk.


    The next second, the furnace came to life with a roar. A bright flame ignited in its gullet, lighting up its surroundings with intensity. It wasn¡¯t enough to banish the darkness, but it gave Red an opportunity as his bindings weakened, and the Shadows couldn¡¯t follow up on their attack immediately. With this brief lull, Red moved closer to the light of the furnace and focused on his crimson sense.


    ¡®Retract!¡¯


    The normal range for his power was three hundred meters. Red could extend that range if he focused on a certain direction and also sacrificed precision. In the same vein, though, he could retract this range for more precision in his readings. He never needed to do that before because his crimson sense never failed in detecting anyone before, but in this situation, perhaps this precision could prove to be useful.


    ¡®Or maybe this shadow technique is just a perfect counter.¡¯


    Whatever the case, this state could help with his reaction timing, even if it couldn¡¯t detect the Shadow. The dagger wielding opponent merged into the darkness again, while their companion cast another wave of shadow spikes towards Red.


    These attacks didn¡¯t scare him, though. With his back to the flaming furnace, he raised a wind barrier with his sword, and the projectiles shattered harmlessly when they clashed against the shield. This barrage continued, and Red expected the other Shadow to attack him at any moment.


    This didn¡¯t happen. Instead, a few seconds later, the barrage stopped.


    The caster Shadow and Red stared at each other. Then, the assassin made another symbol with his hands, and more spikes started to shoot out from the surrounding shadows again. Their target wasn¡¯t Red, though.


    It was the furnace.


    ¡®They¡¯re trying to extinguish the light!¡¯


    Without it, Red would have no way of reacting. As the first few pikes struck the obsidian stone, the flame within the furnace already flickered. Although this was a sturdy item, it wasn¡¯t meant to sustain this kind of damage, and it wouldn¡¯t take long before it stopped functioning.


    Red moved closer to it and formed a Wind Locking barrier around the furnace. However, at the next moment, the dagger-wielding Shadow manifested from the darkness and lunged at him - and this time, he didn¡¯t have the barrier to protect him.


    But Red was expecting this.


    ¡®I can sense them!¡¯


    After condensing his crimson sense, he could pick up the faintest trace of this Shadow. It wasn¡¯t enough to track them, but he could tell when they were about to reappear, and as such, he could mount a counterattack.


    His claymore was already drawing a wide arc towards the Shadow before they could even draw close enough to attack, and it seemed inevitable for a clash to happen.


    His opponent wasn¡¯t deterred and raised one of their darkness-covered daggers to block the attack. The claymore, however, was too heavy. It struck against the dagger, shattering it and causing the Shadow¡¯s arm to bend and break from the sheet force of the impact. Yet, even that wasn¡¯t enough to cause them to stop.


    The Shadow kept lunging forward with their remaining dagger, and Red was already bringing his claymore around to strike again. Even if he needed to exchange wounds to get rid of this opponent, it was a price he was willing to pay. However, something unexpected happened.


    The Shadow dropped their other dagger and abandoned their attack, instead diving low at waist height as if to grab something. Red¡¯s heart stopped when he noticed their target.


    The demon-sealing sword!


    The Shadow grabbed it and ripped it from his belt, while Red continued to bring his sword down against them. Before his attack could connect, though, the dagger his opponent had dropped suddenly exploded in a shower of steel shrapnel, peppering his body and giving the Shadow the opportunity to dodge his swing.


    With that, they tried to dash away, sword in hand, while Red ignored his wounds to give chase.


    However, the next second, the retreating Shadow suddenly fell down to one knee and let out a wailing scream. They held onto their head in agony, and the darkness surrounding their body flickered as they dropped the demon-sealing sword to the ground. It was enough to cause Red momentary pause, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity.


    He raised his claymore up with two hands, preparing to bring it down. But out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the other Shadow¡¯s hand movements, which gave him a sudden resolve. He blew out the air from his lungs, and a crimson-colored wind flew out from his mouth before surrounding his raised sword.


    It was his Gale Breath.


    The blood-colored wind covered his claymore, feeding on the azure-energy to give shape to a true demonic technique and bathing the entire workshop in a bright crimson light. Then, he swung it down at the fallen Shadow.


    As he expected, a shadow barrier appeared to block his attack, but this time the result was different. The claymore cut through the shield like paper, before cleaving into the Shadow below. It cut into their shoulder and out through their waist, cleaving them in half in a single motion.


    The blood from the Shadow¡¯s bisected body seemed to join the crimson wind surrounding the claymore, and the power of the sword got even stronger than before. Sensing this, Red turned his attention to the other Shadow across the room. Instinct seemed to guide his movements as he recalled the sword arts he had been training in and focused on them.


    The crimson wind surrounding his sword condensed, as if becoming solid and sharper, and although there were a dozen meters between him and his opponent, Red swung his sword as if the enemy were right in front of him. Then, in the aftermath of his movement, a crimson-colored energy arc shot towards the shadow.


    A sword arc.


    His opponent barely had time to react as they tried to create another barrier. Yet, the sword arc was faster. It reached his opponent in a flash, cleaving them in half at the waist and crashing into the wall behind them with an explosion of debris and crimson light.


    The second Shadow still kept moving and struggling for a few moments, despite their body being cut in half, but soon enough, they fell still. Red stared at the corpses and lowered his sword as the crimson wind dispersed.


    With a deep breath, Red gathered the bloody Gale Breath back into his lungs, where he noticed it seemed to have grown even stronger than before.


    ¡®It seemed to have fed on their blood.¡¯


    This, it seemed, was the true power of a demonic technique.

 Chapter 459 - Striking Back

    Red didn¡¯t spend any time reflecting on his victory. The commotion from the battle was already attracting the attention of the servants from the mansion, and he needed to clean things up quickly.


    First, he walked over to the demon-sealing sword and picked it up. As soon as Red touched the blade, though, a furious roar rang out in his mind. He stumbled and gritted his teeth, keeping himself standing despite the sudden shock.


    The Slaughter Demon, which had remained quiet for a long while, chose to struggle against its prison at this unfortunate moment, perhaps disturbed by the stranger that had touched it. This wasn¡¯t the worst news, though.


    It was stronger than before.


    Its murderous influence invaded Red¡¯s mind, causing his rationality to diminish as the desire to fight and murder took its place. It was such a powerful attack that he didn¡¯t have time to mount a defense.


    ¡°Snap out of it, you moron!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice rang out in his mind. Whatever she did seemed to provide Red a moment of clarity with which he immediately entered his meditative state. He focused on his mind, clearing the negative emotions from the sword.


    The demon, perhaps sensing opportunity, kept roaring and struggling in its prison. But Red¡¯s mind was resilient.


    Although he wasn¡¯t able to suppress the Slaughter Demon completely, he regained enough control over his senses and body to move again. Red didn¡¯t have time to deal with the sealed creature right now, as there were more pressing matters to address.


    ¡®My demonic energy.¡¯


    He had used a lot of it. Anyone would be able to detect this blood energy if they did a close inspection, so he needed to make sure there was none of it left before others came to investigate. The first thing he did was address the corpses, but when he looked at them, he had a surprise.


    There were no corpses at all. Instead, in their places were two pools of a dark sludgy substance and not even the clothes were left behind. Red seemed to have missed an important transformation while struggling against the influence of the Slaughter Demon, and somehow their bodies had melted into that strange liquid, leaving no traces behind.


    ¡®Were they clones? No, that¡¯s not possible. The Gale Breath clearly absorbed their blood.¡¯


    His guess was that this was a technique their organization used to not leave any traces behind in case one of their own was killed. This meant that Red wouldn¡¯t be able to discern anything from their corpses, but it also ended up helping him to disguise his demonic technique, since there was no corpse for other to examine. Of course, while this was one issue dealt with, there was still the lingering demonic energy in the air of the room and in the wall where his sword arc struck.


    ¡°Aurelia, help me clear any evidence.¡¯


    This was one of the few times he addressed her by name, or ask her for help directly, for that matter. The situation was dire enough to warrant it, though.


    ¡°I can help, but a stronger cultivator might still sense something amiss,¡± she said.


    ¡°Just do what you can.¡±


    With her help, Red started to clear away the demonic energy. This was done by dissipating concentrations of the blood energy with uncorrupted Spiritual Energy, as well as absorbing his own shed blood back into his body. Since Aurelia was more sensitive to Spiritual Energy, her help proved to be invaluable.


    This was all done in less than a minute, after which a servant finally arrived at the workshop.


    ¡°M-Master Viran,¡± he froze once he saw Red¡¯s wounded state. ¡°What happened?!¡±


    ¡°I was attacked by assassins,¡± Red said.


    ¡°A-Assassins?! We should call the guard the-¡±


    ¡°No. Send word to your mistress about it first, and then she can decide what to do.¡±


    Red hoped to get Lady Ilse involved before dealing with the guard directly, as his relationship with the latter wasn¡¯t great. It would also give him time to get matters sorted.


    ¡°Alright!¡± The servant nodded. ¡°What about you, Master Viran? You look wounded.¡±


    Red shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just go inform your mistress.¡±


    With that, the servant ran out of the room in a hurry. More servants and attendants flooded into the room, though they didn¡¯t touch anything in the crime scene, only standing around in shock and fear. Red didn¡¯t tell them to leave either, and instead sat down to focus on expelling the shadow energy within his wounds.


    While doing so, he reflected on this brief battle.


    ¡®Neither of them were the Shadow that first attacked me.¡¯


    Red was certain of this. Not just because of their fluctuations, but also because of their strength. He suspected both Shadows were in the middle-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm, while the dagger-throwing Shadow was probably at the peak of the Lesser Ring Realm. This was also what confused him mid-battle, as it seemed strange for them to send two weaker assassins after a stronger one failed. But now he understood.


    They wanted his demon-sealing sword.


    ¡®How did they notice?¡¯


    Red recalled his brief fight against that first Shadow. He would almost certainly have died, so he was ready to unleash the Slaughter Demon as his last resort. Yet, when the Shadow noticed his hand grab the hilt of that sword, they immediately stopped attacking and retreated. It was obvious then that his opponent sensed the danger, though it was never clear how they did it since the demon-sealing sword didn¡¯t emit any energy.


    ¡®Their objective wasn¡¯t to kill me this time, but to steal the sword.¡¯


    Without that trump card, Red wouldn¡¯t be able to defend himself against that dagger-throwing Shadow again. They must have realized that and come up with a plan to separate him from this weapon. For that, they employed an assassin that focused on stealth - someone who was able to completely fool his crimson sense. Red imagine this was also another counter they came up with, as he did prove to have great detection abilities by spotting the dagger-throwing Shadow before they could attack him.


    This was the first time his crimson sense failed him. Not even that Greater Ring Realm cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect could completely hide from it, yet this Lesser Ring Realm Shadow managed to do it. Red suspected this wasn¡¯t a matter of power, but rather that their abilities were a natural counter to his crimson sense.


    They came up with a perfect plan to counter Red, and they were just a hair¡¯s breadth away from succeeding. But they did not expect that his demon-sealing sword wasn¡¯t something just anyone could carry. The wielder of this prison made weapon would be constantly attacked by the murderous will of the Slaughter Demon, and the Shadow was wholly unprepared to deal with that side-effect from the looks of it. This told Red that although they knew the sword was dangerous, they had no clue what powers it had.


    ¡®I was lucky this time¡­¡¯


    Losing the sword wasn¡¯t just a matter of losing a powerful asset. It was also about potentially releasing a calamity onto this world, and this wasn¡¯t something Red could allow to happen in good conscience. This was also why he committed to killing them after realizing their plan, and why he used his blood energy to kill both of the Shadows before they could escape. Information about his demon-sealing sword couldn¡¯t make it out to their organization.


    As for why they decided to target him now, of all times, Red wasn¡¯t sure. His first gut reaction was that they were hired by the Golden Hand, but there was no guarantee that this was true. Attacking Red here, inside the manor of the Queen¡¯s own family, would be a huge matter for the Royal Court, and there was no way the Golden Hand wouldn¡¯t be suspected, considering their recent animosity.


    Were they above assassination? Red didn¡¯t think so, but were they dumb enough to attract this much negative attention? He didn¡¯t think so either.


    In actuality, Red was more compelled to think this was simply a continuation of the first assassination attempt by the Shadows, sponsored by the same client. Perhaps they just thought to use this opportunity to shift blame to the Golden Hand, which was definitely going to work despite the failed assassination. The real question, though, was who was this client, and why go through such lengths to kill Red?


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As Red sat down cross-legged in meditation, an attendant walked up to him.


    ¡°Lady Ilse has been informed, Master Viran,¡± they said. ¡°She told me she will be here promptly.¡±


    Red nodded. As it turned out, the woman wasn¡¯t lying, as barely five minutes later she walked into the workshop with an incensed expression. Judging by her long red dress, jewelry, and styled long hair, she had just been pulled from a rather fancy and social encounter.


    She looked around the room, assessing the damage and spotting the two dark sludges on the ground. Her expression worsened, and she walked up to Red.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said.


    His wounds weren¡¯t minor, but he had suffered much worse injuries back when he hadn''t even opened his Spiritual Sea.


    Lady Ilse, however, didn¡¯t seem too happy to hear this. With a frown, she pulled a small bottle from her pouch and tossed it to him.


    ¡°Eat it.¡±


    Red frowned and thought to protest, but decided against it. He opened the bottle and swallowed the pill, after which a healing power spread through his body. The foreign shadow energy in his wounds dissipated, and his wounds closed at a visible rate.


    After sensing his body had recovered, Red stood up and patted himself down.


    ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± Lady Ilse asked.


    ¡°I was attacked by two Shadows.¡±


    Red did a brief recounting of the battle, though he omitted and twisted a few events. Mainly, he didn¡¯t mention the Shadows¡¯ attempts to steal his demon-sealing sword or how he used demonic arts to kill them.


    Lady Ilse looked somewhat surprised at his retelling, though. ¡°You killed two Shadows by yourself?¡±


    Red nodded.


    The woman still seemed skeptical, but this wasn¡¯t something he was worried about. She could suspect him of hiding his powers, as long as she didn¡¯t suspect him of being a demonic cultivator.


    However, her concerns weren¡¯t focused on Red at the moment.


    ¡°Those Golden Hand bastards really have the gall¡­¡± Lady Ilse gritted her teeth.


    ¡°It might not have been them,¡± Red said. ¡°I was targeted before this.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you can¡¯t discard the possibility. To think they would dare to attempt something inside a noble¡¯s house - these Shadows are getting far too bold, and I have no doubt the Golden Hand would be more than happy to sponsor this behavior.¡±


    ¡°¡­Would they do something as bold as this?¡±


    ¡°Under normal circumstances, they would hesitate, but now¡­ They aren¡¯t as worried about a possible backlash from the Royal Court.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Well-¡±


    ¡°Lady Ilse!¡±


    An attendant barged into the workshop in a hurry, interrupting their conversation.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lady Ilse looked at him with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s y-your frien-¡­ I mean Lady Marina! She says her company has been attacked!¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression fell.


    ¡­


    Soon, both Red and Lady Ilse were on their way to Lehmann¡¯s Traders headquarters. Marina had sent them a message about their company being attacked, and said that her father had requested the presence of both of her associates there to discuss this accident. Her father was, of course, the de facto owner of the company, and someone Red had yet to meet despite having worked with them for a long time.


    When they arrived at the merchant¡¯s headquarters, there were no signs of any fighting or destruction. The building¡¯s doors were closed, though, and only two guards were there, waiting to lead them inside.


    After entering the building, they were greeted by Marina, who had an ashen expression and was not carrying her fan like usual.


    Lady Ilse frowned when she saw this. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They¡­ they attacked us.¡±


    ¡°You mean they attacked your shipments?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ They attacked our employees.¡±


    There was a prolonged silence after that.


    Lady Ilse tightened her hands into a fist, her arms trembling with anger. Yet her voice maintained an icy tone.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-four people¡­ Some of them were killed in their own homes,¡± Marina¡¯s voice quivered. ¡°They got Elena too.¡±


    Red recalled that name. This was the attendant that first greeted him when he tried to buy materials for the talisman drawing in this store. She always stood at Marina¡¯s side as far as he remembered.


    ¡°Is your father here?¡± Red asked, trying to move the conversation along.


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Marina nodded. ¡°Come along. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡±


    The store was almost deserted, with only a handful of servants here or there wearing nervous expressions. Marina led them to the very top floor of the tall building, into a wide open room. Inside, there was a long low table akin to the one Red was served tea at in the store, with multiple sitting mats spread around it. On one of these mats sat an old man.


    He had a soft expression, with a long white beard and a hair that was tied in a topknot. He wore a long white robe that reminded Red of the clothing Hector used to wear, though he didn¡¯t seem to command the same authoritarian air. Although he seemed approachable, right now the old man wore an expression of someone who had just had their entire life pulled from under him.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ve brought them here,¡± Marina said. ¡°Master Viran, this is my father, Sir Lehmann.¡±


    The old man didn¡¯t get up to greet them, simply nodding and pointing at the seats across from them.


    ¡°There is no need for that, sir,¡± Lady Ilse shook her head. ¡°I have an inkling as to why you called us here. Tell us what happened first.¡±


    ¡°There is not much to tell,¡± Lehmann said in a sorrowful tone. ¡°All of our people were killed at the same time. Stabbed, drowned, shot down¡­ Some were walking the streets, others were resting with their families. The only ones that escaped were the ones working here in the store at the time.


    ¡°Were they targeted by Shadows?¡±


    ¡°Shadows?¡± The old man seemed confused. ¡°No, not shadows. They were targeted by trained assassins, but not Shadows, no. Someone else was responsible for this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Were any of them caught?¡±


    ¡°None. Conveniently, there were no guard patrols around where this happened.¡±


    ¡°Any witnesses?¡±


    ¡°Some, but they either don¡¯t want to talk or can¡¯t offer anything useful.¡±


    Lady Ilse closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then looked back at the old man, this time more composed.


    ¡°You want to break off our deal, correct?¡± She asked.


    Lehmann sighed as if in shame. By the side, Marina was looking down, refusing to stare at her friend.


    ¡°Even if we wanted to continue, we don¡¯t have the means,¡± the old man said. ¡°The people that were killed weren¡¯t just attendants, they were also merchants and people who kept our business running. Without them, we¡¯ll have a hard time keeping our guild afloat, much less trying to compete against the Golden Hand in artifact forging.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Is that all?¡± Lady Ilse asked, her voice devoid of her earlier emotion.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lehmann looked up at her, only to be met by an expressionless face of a noblewoman. ¡°¡­Yes, that is all.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our leave.¡±


    With that, the noblewoman turned around, and Red followed after. Marina accompanied them to the entrance of the building, seemingly struggling with her words when it came time to see them off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ilse.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lady Ilse shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    With that, both Red and the noblewoman reentered the carriage and set about returning to the Fairclough manor.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Golden Hand going to suffer consequences for this?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°As I said before, maybe they would have in the past, but right now¡­¡± Lady Ilse shook her head.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Today in the Royal Court, they just signed a large contract with the country. Golden Hand is going to fix the Kingdom¡¯s Aetheric Artifact.¡±


    Red frowned.


    Artifacts had three levels of power. The first level was Mystical Artifact, the initial power for all Spiritual Artifacts, including his claymore. The second level was Aetheric Artifact, which included artifacts whose spirits had awakened, like Hector¡¯s Deep Sea Sword, and whose power could reach the Spiritual Awakening Realm and above. The third level was Sidereal Artifact, and although Red didn¡¯t know a lot about them, he knew these were the rarest and most powerful artifacts in the world, and even sects only had a handful of them each. As far as he knew, the Ancestral Spirit of the Divine Dream Sect, which was the overseer for Spiritual Contracts, was one such artifact.


    Suffice it to say, when one considered the fact that the kingdom¡¯s most powerful cultivator was in the Spirit Core Realm and they were fighting the Empire, which had multiple cultivators in the Spiritual Awakening Realm, then an Aetheric Artifact was of utmost importance for them. Red had heard before that the kingdom had such an artifact in their possession, though he didn¡¯t know it was damaged.


    ¡°When was this artifact damaged?¡±


    ¡°A few years ago, in a fight against the Silver Knight,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°The Kingdom has been desperate to get it repaired, and now that the Golden Hand seems to have the means to get it done, well¡­¡±


    ¡°They are willing to overlook their transgressions, I assume.¡±


    ¡®It all comes back to Bernard again.¡¯


    The Silver Knight was perhaps the most hated individual on the entire eastern continent. He was the commanding officer of the Imperial Armies in this region, and up until now, none of the mortal kingdoms had even managed to slow down his advance. If not for the sects¡¯ interference, then the Empire would have already conquered the entire region.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t bode well for us,¡± Red said.


    If the Golden Hand really had the means to repair this artifact, he couldn¡¯t imagine the Royal Court would object to any of their demands.


    ¡°Can you repair an Aetheric Artifact?¡± Lady Ilse asked, half-serious.


    ¡°If you give me ten years, then maybe.¡±


    ¡°That probably won¡¯t work, then¡­¡±


    She fell silent, as if deep in thought. Then, her expression twisted in hatred and she looked back at Red.


    ¡°You know, Master Viran, I am very angry. These people feel like they don¡¯t have to play by the rules, and what¡¯s worse is that they¡¯re right. If the Kingdom had to side with someone, they would pick the Golden Hand every time over me or you, even though we have helped them stave off a demonic invasion. Doesn¡¯t that make you angry, too?¡±


    ¡°¡­Power is what matters in the end. Everything else is irrelevant.¡±


    They were in this situation because they were weaker. Even if Red knew it was unfair, it was just the nature of a world where people could wipe out entire cities with a wave of their hand.


    ¡°That may be so, but it doesn¡¯t mean we are powerless,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°Strong cultivators have been taken down by weaker enemies before, and it doesn¡¯t matter how strong the Golden Hand guild is, they are not invincible!¡±


    Red thought to refute her point, but then he remembered the story of his master. One man who went against every sect in the world and came out the other side victorious. Was his master the one in the advantageous position back then? Of course not, but he won all the same. If even the sects could be beaten by someone weaker than them, what about some merchant guild?


    ¡°¡­ What do you propose?¡±


    Lady Ilse gave him a dangerous smile. ¡°The Golden Hand has stood behind laws and money to shield themselves from consequences for their heinous acts. Up until now, they haven¡¯t found a problem they couldn¡¯t buy themselves out of, but that¡¯s because they haven¡¯t provoked someone who couldn¡¯t be bought yet. Well, it turns out that I can¡¯t be bought, Master Viran. Can you?¡±


    Red thought for a second and shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s show them what happens when they provoke someone who doesn¡¯t care about their laws or money. Let¡¯s use their own tactics against them and show them that when it comes to viciousness, they aren¡¯t as good at it as they think. Help me, Master Viran, to tear these vermin apart and teach them what happens when greedy, spineless merchants overstep their boundaries.¡±


    Red went silent again before nodding.


    ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 460 - Middle-Stage

    Lady Ilse smiled after Red¡¯s agreement.


    ¡°Good. Do you need to make any preparations?¡±


    ¡°Are we moving right now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, but we are doing it as soon as possible. I have no doubt that the City Guard will come bother me about the attack at my manor, so I will need to deal with that before anything.¡±


    ¡°Will they question me?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t point them in your direction, but they will obviously realize you¡¯re related. If I were you, I¡¯d get ahead of this and answer their questions now rather than later.¡±


    Red thought to himself for a few moments. If there was no way to avoid it, then he might as well deal with it now.


    ¡°Can you make me another Condensation Spiritual Pill?¡± Red asked.


    Lady Ilse frowned. ¡°I can, but how is that going to help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to break through.¡±


    ¡°To the late stage?¡±


    ¡°No, the middle stage.¡±


    She seemed shocked by his words. ¡°¡­You¡¯re in the early stage of the Lesser Ring Realm?¡±


    Red nodded.


    ¡°Then how did you kill two Shadows?¡± She asked.


    ¡°My claymore is very strong.¡±


    This was half the truth. His sword was indeed not only expertly crafted with the Amber Saber Sect¡¯s technique, but it was also created to fit perfectly with his techniques, a privilege not even nobles could get even if they could afford. This made it so Red could fight above his level, if only barely. The other half of the reason for his victory, though, was his demonic technique and the element of surprise.


    If the Shadows knew he had that power in his repertoire, then they might have survived.


    ¡°I see,¡± Lady Ilse eyed the large sword strapped to his back. ¡°In that case, breaking through to the middle-stage will indeed provide you with a big jump in power. I will make you the pill.¡±


    ¡°How much will it be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s free of charge. If you¡¯re as strong as I think, then you will be the one spearheading this operation either way. It¡¯s my responsibility to see you¡¯re well prepared.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t bother debating with the woman about payment. They kept silent for the rest of the trip until they arrived back at the Fairclough manor.


    At the entrance, though, a group of guards was there waiting at the gate. Amongst them was Pierre, and also the Lesser Ring realm captain who just so happened to have been the one who first arrived at the scene in the Shadow¡¯s previous attack, Captain Johann. The latter looked impatient as he was being held at the gate by the servants.


    When he saw Lady Ilse and Red walk out of the carriage, he didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    ¡°We heard reports of explosion from your manor,¡± he said to Lady Ilse. ¡°Your servants tell me there was an assassination attempt. What happened?¡±


    She looked over at Red, who nodded.


    ¡°Master Viran was attacked by two Shadows while I was away at court.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Captain Johann looked over at Red. ¡°Tell me what happened, exactly.¡±


    He was about to recount the events, but Lady Ilse interjected.


    ¡°He already told me what happened, so I will speak and you can ask me questions.¡±


    The guard frowned. ¡°It would be better if-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a guest at my manor, Captain. I will not have him be harassed just after having survived an attack.¡±


    ¡°Lady Ilse, this is a matter of great importance to our investigation.¡±


    ¡°Great importance?¡± She snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t think I am not aware of how your general treated Master Viran the last time he was attacked. Yet, it¡¯s been months since then, and what have you turned up with your investigations? Nothing! If we had to rely on you lot, Master Viran might be dead already.¡±


    Captain Johann seemed at a loss. He turned to look at Pierre, who had remained silent with his usual serious expression throughout the entire conversation.


    Pierre looked over at Lady Ilse. ¡°Please, tell us what happened.¡±


    She nodded and started to recount Red¡¯s report word for word. There were no details that she missed, but by the end of her explanation, Captain Johann didn¡¯t seem very satisfied.


    ¡°He killed two Shadows by himself? How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a cultivator, and cultivators keep their abilities secret,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°Do you propose he reveal his entire arsenal to the guard? How would that help the investigation?¡±


    The Captain looked like he wanted to say more, but Pierre interjected.


    ¡°May we investigate the crime scene?¡±


    ¡°You may, but be quick about it!¡± She said.


    They entered the manor, with Lady Ilse leading the way to the workshop. When they got there, though, a servant approached her with a distressed expression.


    ¡°M-Mistress! The bodies, they¡¯re gone!¡±


    The noblewoman¡¯s expression changed, and she hurried past the servant, with Red and the two guards following behind. Indeed, when they entered the room, there was no sign of the sludge that was supposed to be the Shadows¡¯ body.


    ¡°How is this possible?!¡± Lady Ilse turned to her servant with an infuriated expression. ¡°Did no one keep watch over the room?¡±


    ¡°I-I did, ma¡¯am,¡± the same servant nodded. ¡°I just looked away for a moment and-¡±


    ¡°And then what?! The bodies disappeared?!¡±


    The servant nodded with a nervous expression. Lady Ilse seemed about to go on another tirade, but Pierre stepped in.


    ¡°Do not blame him. The Shadows are known for their furtive capabilities, so all they would need is one second of distraction to accomplish something like this. That being said, this also means one thing¡­¡±


    ¡°There was another Shadow waiting nearby,¡± Red said, also coming to this grim realization.


    Were there actually three Shadows in that assassination attempt? Or did this Shadow only come in after they realized Red and Lady Ilse left the manor to clean up the scene?


    ¡®I did not sense anyone with my crimson sense, but I can¡¯t discount that they could have been hidden as well.¡¯


    With all that said, it would be strange that this third Shadow refused to move at any point during the assassination attempt. Red was leaning toward them being a late arrival, but the faint possibility that they might have seen his demonic technique during the fight was bothering him.


    ¡°Where were the bodies located?¡± Pierre asked.


    ¡°There and there,¡± Lady Ilse pointed at two spots.


    The guard walked over and examined these spots with his companion. A few seconds later, though, he shook his head.


    ¡°No signs left at all. They must have used a special method to get rid of this sludge.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Have there been similar cases before?¡± Lady Ilse asked.


    ¡°Of bodies disappearing? No, but this is also one of the few times a Shadow has been killed in a situation where the body could be retrieved. I would need to consult the files to find any clues about it.¡±


    ¡°So this is all to say that, other than the destruction, there is no evidence of any Shadows here?¡± His colleague said, looking over at Red.


    ¡°Are you implying my guest is lying, captain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m merely saying it¡¯s strange that there is no evidence, and you keep being vague about how these Shadows were killed.¡±


    Lady Ilse snorted. ¡°Even if there was any evidence, I don¡¯t trust you lot would have found it. But since you seem so sure there¡¯s nothing to be found, you don¡¯t mind being on your way, right?¡±


    Captain Johann frowned. ¡°Lady Ilse, it is our job to raise these questions. The reason we haven¡¯t made any progress with our investigation into the Shadows is because we have little information about his background and what could have prompted others to kill him.¡±


    ¡°We both know that¡¯s not the reason you haven¡¯t many progress. If you want answers, you know where to search for them, but in truth, you¡¯re all too scared to provoke the people responsible for this. Let me guess, this too: you have yet to catch any of the murderer who killed the employees of my friend¡¯s company.¡±


    The guard fell silent at this.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t posture in front of me, captain,¡± she said. ¡°The reason I don¡¯t trust you is that I know you¡¯re not up to the task. So why don¡¯t we just skip the entire ordeal and get to the part where you leave the crime scene empty-handed?¡±


    Captain Johann sighed and looked at his companion. Pierre nodded.


    ¡°Wait for me outside.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t protest and left the workshop under the guidance of an attendant.


    Pierre looked over at Lady Ilse. ¡°You know I¡¯m part of the City Guard too, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I feel sorry for you every time I¡¯m reminded of it.¡±


    The guard didn¡¯t comment on this, instead looking over at Red. ¡°You¡¯re sure it wasn¡¯t the same Shadow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Red nodded.


    Pierre looked back at Lady Ilse. ¡°You told me everything¡±


    ¡°As Master Viran told me, yes.¡±


    He gazed at Red, seemingly wanting to ask something more. However, he seemed to give up and nod.


    ¡°I will look into the matters of the corpses. Though perhaps you¡¯d have more luck asking Leon about it. As far as I¡¯m aware, his father was one of the few people who actually ever killed a Shadow.¡±


    ¡°We actually need your help with something else too,¡± Lady Ilse said before Pierre could leave.


    The guard raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The murders of the Lehmann¡¯s people - do you have any suspects?¡±


    Pierre fell silent at this question, looking at Lady Ilse with a serious expression.


    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Just ask them a few questions.¡±


    ¡°¡­This is not a good time to provoke them.¡±


    ¡°There is never a good time to provoke them, so I have just lost my patience waiting and decided to do something about it.¡±


    Pierre frowned and looked at Red. ¡°You¡¯re going to help her?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    The guard fell silent again. He looked back after the place where his companion had just left.


    ¡°We have no suspects, even though we know there are witnesses,¡± he said. ¡°Still, some of the murder methods match with the abilities of some members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    Lady Ilse expression worsened. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Nikon is one of them.¡±


    Red felt a wave of surprise as he heard this name. Nikon was the demonic cultist that had come to negotiate with him after he killed a member of their group. He was also in the late-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm and the one who killed Emer before Red transformed him into an imp.


    ¡°Nikon?¡± Lady Ilse frowned. ¡°Am I supposed to know him?¡±


    ¡°He has kept a low profile, but he is a former soldier turned mercenary from the Stormgard Kingdom. He is at the late-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm, possibly the peak.¡±


    ¡®Stormgard Kingdom?¡¯


    Red recognized that as the name of the kingdom from where Rickard, the bandit leader, came from. It had been conquered by the Empire almost a decade ago.


    ¡°Great, so he dies too,¡± Lady Ilse said, unbothered. ¡°Are there any others?¡±


    ¡°Other adventurers close to him, mostly, but¡­ You really intend on killing them?¡± Pierre asked.


    She snorted. ¡°What do you think? Is there any other way to send a message?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re way too strong for you both, even if Master Viran did kill two Shadows.¡±


    Red was compelled to agree. Not only because Nikon was potentially at the peak of the Lesser Ring Realm, but also because he was a demonic cultivator, which was bound to make him even stronger than he seemed. Of course, he couldn¡¯t tell them about this last part.


    Lady Ilse, however, seemed unconvinced. ¡°So? We don¡¯t need to fight them head on to kill them.¡±


    ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡± Pierre asked.


    ¡°If you are trying to dissuade me, I¡¯d advise you to not waste your time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I¡¯m just going to suggest a slight change of plans.¡±


    She looked skeptical, but still nodded. ¡°Go ahead and suggest.¡±


    ¡°There is going to be a black market meeting in the slums in a week. From my understanding, Nikon and his comrades have never missed this gathering before, so it¡¯s bound to be a great opportunity to target them.¡±


    ¡°A black market gathering? Who¡¯s sponsoring it?¡±


    ¡°The Golden Hand as per usual. This time, I hear that the Royal Court is also turning a blind eye to the smuggling activity, so it¡¯s going to be a large gathering this time.¡±


    ¡°And how is that the best opportunity to target them?¡±


    ¡°Because the authorities won¡¯t be looking.¡±


    Lady Ilse fell silent in thought. She looked over at Red with an inquiring gaze.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°If they feel like they have the protection of the Golden Hand, this is an opportunity to catch them off guard,¡± Red said. ¡°Other than that, I don¡¯t know enough about this gathering to make a judgment.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lady Ilse looked back at Pierre. ¡°Will you accompany us?¡±


    The guard frowned. ¡°A guard in the middle of the black market?¡±


    ¡°We would be disguised, of course. But if your intent is to help us, then your knowledge would be extremely useful.¡±


    ¡°And you would have me fight them as well?¡±


    ¡°At that point, that wouldn¡¯t be much of an ask, would it?¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose it would be reasonable to help you all the way through it. Have you told Leon about this?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Pierre sighed. ¡°It¡¯s your choice. In any case, I will give you more information about the meeting as it gets closer. Meanwhile, I¡¯d suggest to not do anything to grab attention to yourself.¡±


    With that, the man left the workshop and Red and Lady Ilse were the only two remaining there.


    The woman seemed to suddenly realize something and looked around the room. ¡°Damn it, I forgot we need to repair this place!¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Red asked. ¡°We lost our business.¡±


    ¡°And do you think it will remain that way forever? Besides, we may yet need your skills in forging. Now, just stay here for a second.¡±


    She walked up the stairs into her lab before returning with a bottled pill and handing it over to Red. It was a golden pill, with the same horse markings over its surface.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Superior Condensation Spiritual Pill,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°It¡¯s not wind-aspected, but it has more energy than a normal condensation pill. I would concoct a wind-aspected pill for you, but I have to make preparations now that I know who our target is. Do you think this will suffice?¡±


    Red thought to himself for a second. ¡°How much more energy does it have?¡±


    ¡°Double the amount, roughly.¡±


    ¡°Then it should be fine.¡±


    Breaking through small realms was not about accumulation, but rather about battering a barrier to advance your foundation to the next stage. If you failed, the progress would reset and you would need to try again later, which was why quantity of available energy was also important.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°Tell me when you break through. There are a few things that we need to discuss before we proceed with this operation.¡±


    Red nodded and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Lady Ilse called out after him.


    He looked back at her, confused.


    ¡°Thank you for helping me,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I doubt anyone else would have helped me with this.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond and walked down the corridor, thinking to himself.


    In his mind, he thought Lady Ilse¡¯s behavior was strange. She was ruthless and decisive, not hesitating to consider the thought of killing, something that simply did not match her upbringing and seemed to imply that she had some experience with the matter, unlike her peers. He knew there must be something she was hiding, but he didn¡¯t bother pushing her about it.


    They all had their secrets.


    ¡­


    When Red returned to his manor, he was greeted by an eager Emer.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re bac-¡± The imp¡¯s eyes widened when he looked Red over. ¡°Your clothes! What happened to you, master?!¡±


    ¡°I was attacked, but the situation has been dealt with,¡± Red was about to walk past the imp before a thought came to him. ¡°Do you remember Nikon?¡±


    ¡°N-Nikon?¡± The imp trembled. ¡°I-I do remember him, master. Why?¡±


    ¡°Did you know he came from the Stormgard Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master. As far as I¡¯m aware, he was a colonel in their army.¡±


    ¡°Then do you know if there are any of his compatriots in the capital?¡± Red asked. ¡°Someone named Rickard, perhaps?¡±


    He only met the bandit leader once at the end of the inheritance ground, but much of his early life on the surface was defined around that man¡¯s actions. As far as he knew, Rickard wasn¡¯t dead either, though he had simply disappeared seven years ago.


    ¡°Rickard?¡± The imp tapped his chin in thought. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard the name before, master. Is there something else to describe him?¡±


    ¡°He uses a spear and attacks that can explode at the tip of the weapon.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know of anyone that matches the description.¡±


    Red nodded and walked away towards the Spirit Gathering formation. He didn¡¯t know if he was hoping to meet Rickard, and he wasn¡¯t even sure if he was the man¡¯s match despite having opened his Spiritual Sea. Still, a part of him wondered what would happen if they fought again, and he couldn¡¯t quite wipe this thought away.


    After activating the formation, Red sat down and started to meditate. His body had been completely healed from the battle earlier, but he still needed to calm his mental state.


    This meditation lasted for almost five hours before he decided he was ready to break through. He took out the pill Lady Ilse had given him, as the aroma of rich Spiritual Energy pervaded through the room. Without hesitation, he swallowed it and felt the energy spread through his Spiritual Veins. Unlike the wind-aspected pill, Red needed to circulate the energy for a long time before it was appropriate to assimilate into his Spiritual Sea, but there was enough energy to more than make up for this inefficiency.


    Like an unstoppable tide, he sent the energy towards his Spiritual Sea, where it started to assimilate with the azure mist vortex within. The vortex, which was his cultivation base, however, wasn¡¯t able to absorb anything else no matter how much Red threw at it, and its surroundings became covered in saturated Spiritual Energy.


    He wasn¡¯t dissuaded by this, though, and continued to force the energy into his Spiritual Sea. Eventually, some of the energy started to be absorbed by the vortex, which seemed incapable of maintaining this level and was trying to spew it out again. Red saw his opportunity, though, and kept forcing more energy into it.


    The mist vortex continued to tremble as more energy was forcefully inserted into it, like it was about to explode. Yet, at one point, it seemed to reach an equilibrium, completely stabilizing as the earlier resistance disappeared and it eagerly absorbed all the remaining energy. By the time it was done, the azure vortex had more than doubled in size, and its misty energy was far more condensed.


    At that moment, Red knew.


    He broke through into the middle-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm!

 Chapter 461 - His Virtues

    Red examined his Spiritual Sea. Although it was still stabilizing, he sensed the vast reserves of energy that were now available to him. An early stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator would struggle to use too many Spiritual Arts, as their energy was limited, but a middle stage one didn¡¯t have this worry.


    Right now, Red felt he could use the wind blade spell dozens of times before being spent. Of course, this was likely an exaggeration because of the feeling of breaking through, but the fact of the matter was that he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about spending Spiritual Energy for simple techniques.


    As for sword arts, that was a different matter.


    He was confident in creating a sword arc, but there was still a gap between that and initial mastery of the sword styles, and since they were sect Spiritual Arts, he guessed they would spend more energy than normal as well. It was something he would need to experiment with before assessing his battle prowess.


    Quantity wasn¡¯t the only improved aspect of his cultivation, though. His Spiritual Energy was purer, and it flowed through his body more easily, such that his spells were more powerful and could also be executed more quickly. Overall, this was a great boost to his power, but he tried to put it into perspective.


    ¡®Jumping between small Realms doesn¡¯t provide a considerable upgrade.¡¯


    This made sense, he supposed. There was no fundamental change in the energy available to the cultivator, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to access stronger spells or improve their current ones. It was all to say that, although one might be a small Realm above someone else, it wasn¡¯t enough of a difference to completely disregard those below them, and Red knew this firsthand.


    His cultivation was weaker than the Shadows, but they both died in his hands because of his secret demonic technique and his artifact. A cultivator could make up for this difference in strength with superior weapons and techniques, as Red had done, and he wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to think he was the only one capable of it. Someone weaker than him could also be hiding secret techniques, and there was no rule saying that stronger cultivators couldn¡¯t use tricks or surprise someone weaker than them, either.


    Someone like Nikon, for instance, was not only in the peak of the Lesser Ring Realm, but he had been around long enough to have amassed their own arsenal and trump cards. Could Red also take him by surprise and kill him in a single move? It was doubtful, in which case Nikon would have the overwhelming advantage because of his cultivation.


    It was difficult to imagine a scenario where Red emerged victorious in that situation.


    ¡®Cultivation base alone does not provide me with enough confidence.¡¯


    Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t be the case in higher realms, but right now, he felt this was the truth.


    ¡°What¡¯s the strength of an average sect disciple?¡± Red asked Aurelia through his expanded awareness.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to answer that without a point of reference,¡± she said.


    ¡°How do they measure up against a rogue cultivator in the same realm?¡±


    ¡°Against a rogue cultivator?¡± She snorted. ¡°There¡¯s simply no comparison! Both their circulation technique and Spiritual Arts are on completely different levels, and an early stage Lesser Ring sect disciple would have as much energy in their spiritual sea as a middle stage rogue cultivator. They would have no issues defeating someone in a higher stage, and some of them could even beat late stage Lesser Ring cultivators depending on their talent. It is not unheard of for some cultivators to fight people in an entire higher Realm than them either. That Silver Knight can probably do that, if I had to guess.¡±


    Red thought to himself for a while.


    ¡°How would I fare against a sect disciple?¡± He asked.


    ¡°On the same realm? Hmm¡­ With all your powers and tricks, you would have a chance, but it would be a tough fight and you might lose. Against a core disciple, though, you would lose without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°Were you a core disciple?¡±


    Aurelia laughed. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. He was satisfied with her assessment of his strengths. To be put in the same realm as an average sect disciple, even without all their advantages, was more than enough for Red, at least right now.


    ¡°Do you have any advice on how to defeat that demonic cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do: don¡¯t fight him until you¡¯re at the late stage of the Lesser Ring Realm.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is he that strong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that¡­ Of course he is strong, but the matter of the fact is that I simply do not know about this Infernal Emperor they worship, nor what kind of ability he grants to his worshippers. Demonic cultivators all have powers that make them annoying to deal with, even if you¡¯re aware of them. Now, going against them without even knowing what they can do? That¡¯s asking to die!¡±


    He recalled her mentioning there was no Archdemon called Infernal Emperor during her time alive. Red only knew about his name from books, but information about their abilities or origins was not available to the public, and searching for them was taboo.


    However, it just so happened there was a source of information about the cult right next to him.


    ¡°You,¡± Red looked over at the imp.


    Emer, who was organizing materials by the side of the living room, looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, master?¡±


    ¡°What are the abilities of your cult?¡±


    Red refrained from asking this for a long time. He knew otherwordly influences were already very interested in him, and learning more about the cult of the Infernal Emperor might open him to corruption without him even realizing it. But since it seemed confrontation between them was inevitable, what choice did he have?


    ¡°A-abilities, master?¡± The imp seemed nervous, as usual, when speaking about his cult.


    ¡°Have you never seen them fight?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°S-Sometimes, but I wasn¡¯t part of any operations, master.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me what you know.¡±


    Emer looked around anxiously, as if he was afraid someone was listening in on their conversation. This made Red frown.


    ¡°You have already betrayed your cult. Whatever punishment was forthcoming, you already paid with your life.¡±


    His words seemed to give the imp some confidence. He looked back at Red and nodded.


    ¡°Does master know why we-¡­ they are called the Nine-Star Cult?¡±


    Red shook his head.


    ¡°The nine-star is a symbol of the nine elements of the I-Infern-¡­ of their lord¡¯s domain over nature. Fire, water, air, earth, wood, metal, lightning, darkness, and light - He controls and influences all elemental energy and His worshippers can also gain access to his domain.¡±


    ¡°They can use all elements?¡± Red asked, surprised.


    ¡°Theoretically, yes, but their vessels can only carry so much. They only choose one of the elements to focus on - a facet of His authority that is represented by one of His angels.¡±


    ¡°Angels?¡± He was confused.


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    ¡°Y-Yes, master. His angels¡­¡±


    Red was about to ask more, but he caught himself. This wasn¡¯t relevant information, so he didn¡¯t need to know it.


    ¡°What element did you brother use?¡±


    He remembered Cassemir invoked a purple energy shield in front of him to block his attack in their brief confrontation.


    ¡°H-He focused on the Loreth¡¯s domain, the Angel of Light.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°There is no need to speak their names.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, master!¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again,¡± he said, trying his best to wipe the name off his mind. ¡°I assume there is something more to these elements that makes them special, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± the imp nodded. ¡°Each of them represents a virtue of the Infernal Emperor. His light represents his knowledge and gives his worshippers a glimpse into the hidden truths of the world.¡±


    ¡®Hidden truths?¡¯


    It sounded like this power had something to do with perception. Was this why Cassemir was able to read through Red¡¯s actions back when he first arrived in the capital?


    ¡°It¡¯s better to put this creature¡¯s explanation in context,¡± Aurelia interjected in his mind. ¡°He was told the version that his leaders wanted him to hear. If you had to guess what it actually does, I would presume this light can induce madness in both the user and the target, or something akin to that.¡±


    He was compelled to agree with her.


    ¡°What about the other elements?¡± He asked the imp.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too clear on all of them, but¡­ They all have a purple aspect to them, a symbol of his influence. Fire represents the passion of the Emperor, water his serenity, earth his tenacity, air his joy, wood his vitality, metal his courage, lightning his authority, and both darkness and light represent aspects of his wisdom.¡±


    Red sighed. This sounded more complicated than he was expecting, and he needed to absorb all this knowledge knowing they represented something far more sinister than the imp¡¯s description made it seem.


    ¡°You call him the Infernal Emperor, right?¡± He asked.


    Emer nodded. ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    ¡°Yet, he represents all these positive aspects?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    The imp didn¡¯t seem to notice the contradiction in these two things. There was an obvious negative connotation in the word ¡°infernal¡±, yet the cultists still used that to describe their Emperor. It made little sense to Red, but he had to reel back his curiosity before the conversation veered towards the cult¡¯s actual doctrines.


    ¡°Other than light, have you seen any of these powers?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, I¡¯ve seen the fire aspect before, master,¡± the imp seemed as if he had recalled something uncomfortable. ¡°Some of our cult members were being punished for failing a task. T-The one punishing them burned bright with the Emperor¡¯s fury a-and he¡­ killed all of them as if he was possessed by a beast.¡±


    ¡®A berserking state?¡¯


    Red was familiar with this state, mainly because the lizard demon from long ago and the slaughter demon imprisoned in his sword were both possessed of said states.


    ¡°What about Nikon? Do you know what power he possesses?¡±


    ¡°N-Nikon?¡± The imp trembled at recalling the man. ¡°He has the metal aspect, master!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He recalled what he saw from the man. Nikon had shattered Emer¡¯s head with a single punch, without the use of Spiritual Energy or an artifact, something not even Red was confident in accomplishing. This indicated that his physical strength was at an extremely high level, which lined up with the idea of metal and its toughness.


    Afterwards, Red asked the imp other questions about these elements, redirecting the conversation whenever it happened to wander in a dangerous direction. He didn¡¯t gain much information beyond the powers of the light and fire, but he felt as if he could make some educated guesses about what the other powers could do.


    Still, as the conversation dragged on, an uncomfortable feeling grew in Red¡¯s gut. It was minor, and he might have missed it if he wasn¡¯t paying attention to his state, yet, given the context of what he was doing right now, he immediately called the conversation to a close.


    ¡°This will do for now,¡± Red said, dismissing the imp.


    He sat down and went over the information he had just learned, all while monitoring this unexplainable feeling that surged through his body. It had stopped growing as soon as the conversation with the imp ended, but it still lingered, only disappearing after a few minutes had passed.


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡± Red asked Aurelia.


    The woman¡¯s figure manifested in front of him, and she had an unusually serious expression. ¡°No, though I can guess what it is you felt. ¡±


    ¡°Corruption?¡± It was his best guess.


    ¡°Definitely, though where it came from is the important question,¡± Aurelia looked him over. ¡°Mentioning an archdemon by name so many times is not a good idea. Just being knowledgeable about them is enough to open yourself to corruption, much more for you who they seem to have taken note of.¡±


    ¡°¡­I thought I was being careful.¡±


    ¡°You were. There¡¯s just nothing you can do that will be one hundred percent effective.¡±


    Red frowned. He recalled that Emer, when he was still a human, had discovered his identity as a demonic cultivator with the help of his medallion, which presumably connected him to the Infernal Emperor. Was Red still under the watch of this archdemon, even though he couldn¡¯t feel it?


    He reached out with his expanded awareness to the crimson mist within his body. To his surprise, the being was silently shivering, and when he reached to it, it responded.


    ¡°Careful.¡±


    Red realized then that what he felt wasn¡¯t the corruption, but rather the crimson mist¡¯s warning. This, of course, worried him even more, since he wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect this perilous state without the being¡¯s warning.


    ¡®Not even being careful is enough.¡¯


    Red looked over at Aurelia. ¡°Anything to add?¡±


    ¡°Nothing beyond what I already told you¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°Make sure you¡¯re careful when dealing with this man. It¡¯s clear there are forces at play here that even I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Her figure disappeared after giving him this uncharacteristic advice, but she didn¡¯t dissuade him from his course of action. After all, being in the dark might be even more dangerous than the risk that came with knowledge.


    ¡­


    Red informed Lady Ilse about his breakthrough, as he had promised. The woman was eager to learn about this, and she told him they would meet in six days at her manor, on the night of the black market meeting.


    She gave him details about the operation, as well as providing Red with a proper disguise. This included a mask, a blonde wig, some merchant¡¯s clothing, and even bags and scabbards to hide his weapons. None of these were artifacts, but as she explained to him, a lot of people would visit the black market under disguises, so no one would suspect him for doing the same.


    Finally, when everything was done, Red snuck out of his manor and went to meet with Lady Ilse and Pierre, who were waiting in the Fairclough manor. He snuck past the main gate, something he had already told the noblewoman he would do, and climbed into the second floor toward where he felt the two fluctuations of his companions.


    When he got there, he saw the two of them sitting in a waiting room. They were disguised as well, wearing masks, wigs, and clothing that did not give away their identity.


    Lady Ilse was disguised as a mercenary, wearing leather armor and carrying a short sword at her side. She also changed the way she carried herself, as if she was used to dressing like this, and if Red didn¡¯t know who she was, he would have thought her just another common adventurer. As for Pierre, he had foregone his plated armor and was also wearing merchant¡¯s clothing, not carrying any visible weapons.


    Lady Ilse seemed surprise at Red¡¯s sudden appearance, even though he made sure his approaching steps were heard.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time you have done this, is it? I didn¡¯t even hear you enter the house!¡±


    Pierre, however, looked unbothered, as if he had already expected him to appear in such a manner.


    Red didn¡¯t respond to the woman¡¯s question. ¡°What is the plan?¡±


    ¡°There is no plan, just a window of opportunity,¡± Pierre said. ¡°I have checked the plans of Nikon and his comrades, and they will be serving as bodyguards for an auction.¡±


    ¡°An auction?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sponsored by the Golden Hand,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°Unfortunately, this means they will be in a rather fortified place for most of the night, so it will be no easy task to approach them. On the other hand, it also means we have the element of surprise, as I don¡¯t think they would be expecting an assassination attempt targeting them rather than their clients.¡±


    ¡°I have made reservations for us at this auction,¡± Pierre said. ¡°Most of the details are being kept secret, though, other than information about some of the items being sold. We won¡¯t really be able to know what we¡¯re up against until we¡¯re inside, at which point we will need to improvise.¡±


    Red frowned, looking over at Lady Ilse. ¡°This is not a good plan.¡±


    ¡°This is why he said it is no plan, just a window of opportunity,¡± she said. ¡°I expect you to recognize that these opportunities do not come around often, Master Viran. If we spend time instead trying to come up with a better plan, our chance will have passed us by.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I expect us to react to the situation accordingly as well.¡±


    This was to say, he didn¡¯t plan on risking his life if the situation was untenable.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lady Ilse nodded. ¡°We will take whatever we can get out of this. Now, Pierre, hand him the file.¡±


    The guard picked up a piece of paper from the table before handing it over to Red. ¡°Those are the details on our targets, as well as some of their powers.¡±


    ¡°¡­ There are nine people on this list.¡±


    ¡°We will prioritize Nikon and his right hand.¡±


    Red read over the file. All nine people were in the Lesser Ring Realm, with five being in the early stage, three being in the middle stage, and one being in the late stage, that being Nikon. Most of them used weapons to fight, according to the report, and only a handful even relied on spells.


    As for Nikon, he was written as being a body cultivator.


    ¡°Nikon will be the hardest to kill, not just because of his cultivation, but because of his defenses,¡± Pierre said. ¡°His focus is on body cultivation, and his skin is tougher than even most energy shields. We need a powerful and well-placed strike to at the very least debilitate him before we move in for the kill.¡±


    ¡°I will be responsible for that,¡± Lady Ilse said before Red could speak up.


    He looked over at her. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yes, me. I have prepared myself for this over this week.¡±


    With that, she handed Pierre and Red a vial with a pill each.


    ¡°What is this for?¡± The guard asked, his expression hidden by his mask, but his suspicion was obvious from his tone.


    ¡°Just remember to swallow this pill when I tell you to.¡± She said.


    ¡°What about collateral damage?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°No need to concern yourself. I have that handled.¡±


    Both Red and Pierre nodded and stowed away the vial. They could guess as to what she intended to do, but neither of them were about to complain.


    They discussed their plans for a while longer, though there was little they could do before the auction began. With that, they finished their preparations and left the Fairclough manor towards the outer city.


    Though night had arrived, the capital had just come alive.

 Chapter 462 - A Forgotten Story

    Before Red could raise the concern about sentries watching their movements, Lady Ilse led them over to a hidden passage within the manor - a trapdoor that opened into a set of stairs leading deep into the ground.


    ¡°This will take us to the market district,¡± she said, carrying a lamp to light the way. ¡°From there, I have a carriage to take us to the outer city.¡±


    The underground passage resembled a mining tunnel, reinforced by wooden beams and traced by a barren dirt path. It went deeper than even the sewers, and extend for a kilometer before they reached stairs leading them back to the surface.


    ¡°Are there many of these passages in the city?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Not many,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°Only old noble houses who have been in the city for a long time have these kinds of passages, as far as I can tell, and none of them are very long. The sewers extend throughout the underside of the capital, so it¡¯s difficult to build these kinds of passages without others taking notice. Unless, of course, you are powerful enough to keep it hidden.¡±


    Her implication was that there were people in the capital who could do it. Red guessed they were the two Ducal families, the Royal Family, and the Golden Hand.


    As they rose through the stairs, they came upon a storage room, where a servant wearing plain brown clothes was waiting for them. He led them outside, where Red realized they were at the edge of the market district, and a nondescript carriage tied to two horses was waiting for them. Everything, from the coach¡¯s clothing to the vehicle¡¯s decor, was disguised to not to give any clues about the identity of their passengers.


    The trio entered the carriage and were soon on their way. As they travelled, they could see other people heading in the same direction as them, some of them even wearing disguises of their own. There was also a distinct lack of guard patrols on the streets tonight, which Red guessed was not a coincidence.


    As they got closer to the outer city, traffic became an issue. The streets narrowed, and there were so many people some of them had to walk in the middle of the streets as well, slowing down the carriage. Eventually, Lady Ilse was fed up by the wait.


    ¡°Just stop here. We¡¯ll go the rest of the way on foot.¡±


    Neither Red nor Pierre complained. They got off the carriage and walked the rest of the way to the slums.


    There was no gate or sign telling them they had entered the black market, and only when the first few stores appeared into view did they know they had arrived. The slums streets were narrow, such that only one carriage could cross it at a time, but even that was now impossible as vendors set up stalls on either side of the road and crowds of people browsed through their merchandise. Even above them, on the roofs and sky bridges connecting the tall houses, commerce was active, and plenty of costumers walked up and down the shoddily built stairs looking at whatever services or items were available.


    And there was a lot.


    Food, clothes, weapons, and other items that weren¡¯t normally available in the common market were now being sold in the open air of the capital streets. These items weren¡¯t uncommon because they were illegal, but rather because they were heavily taxed by the city and could only be acquired by smuggling or other underhanded means. Most of the year, it was impossible to sell these things openly, but now and then the Royal Court would allow these kinds of open-air markets to form to appease powerful organizations like Golden Hand who were suffering losses because of the strict tax policies of the capital.


    Of course, this alone didn¡¯t explain why this was called a ¡°black market¡±.


    ¡°Sirs, madam!¡± A vendor called them over as they passed by his stall. ¡°We¡¯re selling exotic bugs from the Empire itself! You won¡¯t be able to find them anywhere else on the eastern continent!¡±


    This cause Red to pause, but seeing as neither of his companions stopped, he just kept moving as well. Exotic bugs was just a nice way for the vendor to say he was selling poisonous bugs, something that was definitely not allowed to be sold without very strict regulation from the city authorities.


    ¡°There are many things like that here,¡± Lady Ilse said, as she noticed Red¡¯s curiosity. ¡°If you know where to look for them, you can find even more sinister goods and services here. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to sell slaves here either, if they could.¡±


    ¡°Does the Royal Court know about this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°They do. They just turn a blind eye to it.¡±


    They came to a stop at a large intersection, where even larger stalls and crowds gathered. Red could even recognize fluctuations of vendors he came across in the market district in here.


    ¡°There are still a few hours before the auction begins,¡± Lady Ilse said, looking at her companions. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in buying anything here,¡± Pierre said. ¡°I will wait.¡±


    She nodded and looked at Red. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to look around.¡±


    Although he had nothing to buy in mind, he thought it would be a waste if he didn¡¯t at least look around for something that could interest him.


    ¡°Then we meet here again in two hours,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°I doubt anyone will target us here, but I suggest not wandering into dark corners or isolated places if you can help it. If you do encounter any problems, inform me through the talisman. I will also be looking around.¡±


    Red nodded, and the group split up.


    He wandered the streets, examining the crowd and stalls. Plenty of people also wore masks, afraid of being recognized, but others displayed their faces without fear. As for the merchandise, there were a lot of things that made him curious.


    Some people were selling weapons Red had never seen before, not even in his Amber Sect manual. One of them looked like a one-handed scythe connected by a chain to a heavy iron weight, and another one was a thin sword whose point curved into a hook. This was not all, as even fruits and clothes that he had never even read of in books were available, carried from the other side of the world to be sold at this overcrowded market.


    Yet, despite all that, there was not much that could interest a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator here. Red didn¡¯t think this was because there weren¡¯t such items here, but more because vendors didn¡¯t dare display such valuable merchandise in their tents. This was justified, as he came across multiple fights while browsing, and accusations of theft were thrown around every few steps he took. Of course, the other side of the matter was because the cultivation items they had in store were probably illegal or heavily restricted by the authorities, such that they couldn¡¯t just display them in public, even in this place.


    Red eventually came across criers and signs indicating they were selling items for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators. They instructed those interested in approaching certain people so they could be led to where these items were sold, or to find a specific building where these vendors set up shop. Some of these advertised items did interest Red, but he remembered Lady Ilse¡¯s advice, and he also knew that a lot of them could just be scams.


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    In the end, he couldn¡¯t forget why he was here in the first place, and he needed to be extremely careful not to leave any clues behind that could tie his presence back to this place. So, Red didn¡¯t enter any stores or accept the guidance of anyone, sticking to browsing from outside.


    Eventually, though, he came across a sign that cause him to pause.


    ¡®Ancient Tomes and Manuscripts.¡¯


    Such a provocative name gave rise to Red¡¯s curiosity. Of all the stores in this place, this was the only one selling books, and in some ways, that was probably the most dangerous thing to sell as well. From outside, he could sense a single person inside the store who didn¡¯t seem to be a cultivator, which arose his suspicion even more.


    ¡°Do you sense anything?¡± He asked Aurelia through his expanded awareness.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother, anyway. If it¡¯s being sold here, it¡¯s probably just a bunch of tales or fake manuals. It¡¯s not uncommon in the cultivation world.¡±


    Red knew she was probably right. Still, the store wasn¡¯t out of the way, and he didn¡¯t see the harm in at least checking, and walked into the building.


    It was a rather small store. The ceiling was very low, barely reaching over two meters, and the entire place had a rustic feeling to it, built off of a mix of wood and stone that reminded him of the buildings back in Bestrem. Inside, there were four tables on top of which books and scrolls were stacked, and off to the side, there was a wooden counter behind which the presumed owner of the store sat.


    When Red saw him, he was taken aback. He had seen large people before, but this man was the biggest person he ever met. Even sitting down, the owner was taller than Red, and standing up, he might easily reach two meters and a half, yet even this wasn¡¯t the most impressive thing about him.


    He was a mountain of muscles. His arms and chest bulged underneath a set of grey monk robes that barely seemed capable of fitting over him, and his bronze-toned skin reflected the light like a precious metal. The man was entirely bald too, and he looked over at Red with a warm smile.


    Suddenly, Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice reached Red¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s one of those monks! You need to r-¡±


    ¡°Welcome to my humble store, little brother.¡±


    The man bowed from his sitting position, his deep voice reverberating through the store. Red felt his entire body shake, and it took him a second to regain his composure, though the shook of the scene still hadn¡¯t worn off.


    The first thing he did was check his crimson sense again, but he confirmed he didn¡¯t make a mistake. The man in front of him seemed like a normal individual, his life force as strong as the average individual in all aspects. However, what his fluctuation told him and what his eyes saw were two different things.


    The giant continued, seemingly unaware of Red¡¯s consternation.


    ¡°My name is Bo. I have gathered many books and recordings over the years about many topics as I travelled the world, and I have decided to share that knowledge with others,¡± the monk pointed at the books. ¡°Many of these are tales and folklore from different regions of the world, and although I can¡¯t verify their veracity, I can assure you that many of these stories hold hidden truths to them and can help expand anyone¡¯s horizon! So please, tell me how I can help you, or if you prefer, browse the items at your leisure. They¡¯re just a gold coin each.¡±


    With this brief introduction done, the man leaned back and crossed his arms, looking at Red with the same warm smile.


    ¡°¡­ I will take a look, then.¡±


    He walked over to the books and started to browse through them. Of course, although he did that, his mind was completely focused on something else.


    ¡°Listen to me, Red,¡± Aurelia continued to warn him. ¡°This man is a monk from the Desert Blossom Sect. They¡¯re all mild-mannered most of the time, but if there¡¯s one thing they do not tolerate is undead! If he notices the moonstone energy in you, he¡¯ll kill you without question!¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, afraid to give off any signs of nervousness, scrambling his mind for information about this Desert Blossom Sect.


    This was a sect in the southern part of the continent, in the middle of an enormous desert. In the past, most other factions ignored that region because of its hostile weather and lack of cultivation resources, yet the founder of the Desert Blossom Sect settled down right there despite all these disadvantages. This wasn¡¯t because they were na?ve or forced into it, but rather because they were a sect focused on bodily cultivation! Resources that were useless for normal cultivators were instead invaluable to them, and as such, they thrived where others would have died off. This wasn¡¯t to say they didn¡¯t cultivate normally as well, but they saw that as a secondary pursuit compared to the improvement of their physical body.


    Compared to other sects, the Desert Blossom Sect was rather isolated and had almost no involvement in the conflicts against the Empire - not to mention they were the youngest of all sects. But alongside the Cursebreakers, the undead hunting organization, their sect had a vendetta against all forms of undeath. They claimed to protect the sanctity of life and were trying to make sure no figure like the Queen of the Dead rose up ever again.


    Suffice it to say, Aurelia was just about at the top of their list of natural enemies. As for how she knew he was a member of that sect? Red guessed it was due to his clothing and his almost three meter tall figure.


    He browsed through the books, thinking of how to leave this place without arousing suspicion, until a title suddenly caught his attention.


    ¡®Great Oak¡¯s Trip to the Moon¡¯


    Red¡¯s hand froze as he held the book, staring at it in a daze. A second later, though, he recovered his composure and opened the book. It was more of a booklet, though, with only four pages of content inside, which he browsed casually as he had done with the other books.


    A brief description on the first page told him this was a report about the Great Oak¡¯s trip to the moon. Before he could continue reading, though, he heard the monk chuckle.


    ¡°That one caught you eye, huh?¡±


    Red felt his blood run cold. He thought he had managed to hide his surprise at the book¡¯s title, but the man had clearly noticed it.


    ¡°It¡¯s no surprise, though,¡± the monk said with a proud smile. ¡°It¡¯s a tale from the founder of the Desert Blossom Sect, the greatest sect in the world¡­ or so people say.¡±


    ¡°¡­Can I read it? I¡¯ll buy it.¡±


    The book was so short one could read it in a few minutes, but Red knew it was rude to do that without buying it first.


    The man nodded. ¡°Ah, feel free to read it, little brother¡­ I¡¯ll tell you what, you can just take it for free. I can¡¯t bear to put a price on knowledge in front of a curious soul!¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask but returned his attention to the booklet. Patriarch Great Oak was a name he recognize, both because he was the founder of the Desert Blossom Sect, but also because he was one of four people ever recorded to have been born with their Spiritual Sea open - the highest mark of cultivation talent.


    Those four people were the Great Oak, the Diamond Sage, founder of the Crystal Sky Sect, the Queen of the Dead, and the Silver Knight.


    The author of the book noted how it was their belief that the moon was a desolate land, devoid of life and Spiritual Energy, but the celestial body was so far that not even the most powerful cultivator ever managed to reach it. This wasn¡¯t because no one was capable of it, but because between our world and the moon was a vast expanse of nothingness, and the Spiritual Energy within human bodies had the tendency to disperse within this void. Any cultivator within this empty space would have their cultivation crumble away and their energy would leave their bodies without them being able to stop it.


    The only result of this would be their death, no matter how powerful they were.


    But Patriarch Great Oak was different. He reached the peak of bodily cultivation and could forcefully keep his cultivation from dispersing, allowing him to make a trip to the moon that no one else could. As for why he did it?


    He didn¡¯t believe the moon was truly dead!


    Much of his life was spent fighting the undead, and as such, he was keenly aware of the impact a full moon had on their power. Many other experts explained this as a mutation of the sun¡¯s Spiritual Energy reflected to our world, yet this didn¡¯t explain why this transformation happened and why the undead benefited from it. To verify this matter, once Patriarch Great Oak was nearing the end of his life in this world, he made a trip to the moon despite all the risks.


    The booklet reported it took him ten years to get back, and whatever he saw seemed to have affected him deeply. As for what he saw, he only said two things: the moon is not dead and its spirit benefits all living beings. This confused a lot of his disciples and fellow cultivators, but they never got the clarity they hoped from him, and before long, the man departed from this world.


    The author of the book then said that many people speculated about what he meant with those two sentences, some saying that perhaps the moon was a shield against the undead, since despite strengthening them during a full moon, it could also weaken them in a new moon. However, without the means to substantiate any of their theories, the matter was quickly forgotten in history and only recorded in some forgotten annals.


    Once Red got to the final line, he took a deep breath - his eyes glowing for the first time in a decade.


    Someone else knew about the being in the moon - it was the first lead he ever got!

 Book One of Nameless Sovereign is out + my thoughts on my journey!

    Honestly, it''s hard to imagine we even got to this point after I started this novel with no big hopes to be where it is today. I was even surprised that people actually seemed to enjoy it to any degree despite my flaws as a writer, much more so early on. Along the way somewhere though, I started to realize I might actually be able to pull it off and make writing my life if I put in the hard work. Of course, putting in the hard work is the difficult part.


    If you''ve been following this novel for long, then you know that at some point releases became spotty. I used to publish way more regularly, but at some point I started taking long breaks. Part of it was due to my health and commitments with college. I have had diabetes since I was 10 years old, and I haven''t taken care of myself well enough so over time problems started popping up right and left. My sleeping schedule got turned upside down, with me going months on end sleeping at 6 am and waking up at 6 pm, yet feeling tired the entire day and making it extremely hard to focus on writing or doing my college assignments. Even now I''m still facing problems that I''m currently dealing with, but honestly despite all that the main reason that I took these long breaks is because I started losing confidence in my story and writing.


    Over time, the growth of the novel stagnated as one might expect. I was thankful that I was still able to maintain a steady reader base, but it was far from being able to reach the heights I was hoping to, and it seemed my dream of being a full time author wouldn''t really happen with this story. I thought that maybe the story just wasn''t good enough, or my weaker writing towards the beginning potentially turned a lot of people away. I started to consider writing an entirely new story, but even that seemed difficult with the problems I was facing and unfortunately I was at a point in my life where I needed to start earning my keep, which I just wasn''t able to do with writing right now.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    But still, I never quite gave up or commited to doing something else. I continued to write chapters, even if I missed weeks or months at a time, but I kept doing it. I think that even if only a few people continued to enjoy the story, it was still rewarding for me to keep writing it, and it would feel unfair to those that supported me to abandon it or start something else. I mean, I still notice some familiar folks that have stuck through all these long pauses reading and commenting under the chapters, and for that I must thank you. If there are still people reading after so many breaks, then I must be doing something right at least.


    It was around last year then that I was presented with the possibility of publishing this novel as a book. I honestly still had my doubts about this story, if it was even worthy of being published, so much so that I initially even thought about refusing the offer, but I eventually changed my mind. I was convinced that if I wanted to take the next step it would be through this.


    I''m aware that stubbing stories is not a popular decision, and that may leave some readers betrayed or disappointed. Still, I know that this is how I can take a step forward towards my dream of being a full time author, so even if you don''t support this decision, I am hoping that you can at least understand it. Whether you choose to abandon this story or continue to support it, I must thank you either way because I know without the long time readers keeping my motivation up through some difficult times I would never have reached this point.


    Sorry for rambling on, but if you got to this point thank you for reading my thoughts and I hope you continue to support me and the novel!

 Chapter 463 - Soul Cultivation

    As Red got to the end, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and closed the book, setting it aside. He continued browsing for a while longer, but found nothing else that arose his interest like the booklet.


    With that, Red picked up the booklet and walked over to the counter, setting it down in front of the monk.


    ¡°You said this is a tale. Is it not real?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± the man shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s very sparse on details for such an important matter, much more so for such an important figure as Patriarch Great Oak. I am of the opinion it is likely real, but it¡¯s not the original report.¡±


    ¡°So you think the original report still exists?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say, but if it exists, it¡¯s not on our¡­ I mean, on the Desert Blossom Sect¡¯s library.¡±


    Red fell silent. There was no reason to believe the monk was lying, and if the Patriarch Great Oak left behind some information about what he saw on the moon, there was just no way for Red to know about it. Yet, this didn¡¯t dissuade him.


    ¡°Is this the last report about what Patriarch Great Oak did before he died?¡±


    His thought was that even if there was no more information about the moon, perhaps whatever else the great figure did before passing away could be a clue.


    ¡°If I can be honest, little brother, very few people know about the Patriarch¡¯s late life,¡± the monk said with a regretful expression. ¡°It is reported he became a recluse in his last few decades of life, and this trip to the moon is one of the last things of note that we know he did.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know anything else?¡±


    The large man hesitated before responding. ¡°¡­Return here in two months. If there¡¯s anything else, you¡¯ll know by then.¡±


    Red nodded and picked out a handful of spirit stones out of his pouch.


    ¡°No need,¡± the monk held his hand up to stop him. ¡°It would weigh on my conscience to accept money from a fellow follower of the Way.¡±


    This confused Red, but he didn¡¯t insist on it. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With nothing else to say, he turned around to leave the store.


    ¡°Wait, little brother.¡±


    The monk¡¯s voice caused him to stop in his tracks and look back, his entire body tensing. The large man was staring at him with a conflicted expression.


    ¡°You practice the Radiant Current Meditation technique, right?¡±


    Red felt his blood run cold. This meditation technique the man spoke of was something Eiwin had taught him back in the trial world to control his body¡¯s reactions. Later on, he found out this technique was capable of much more, though, as he developed an expanded awareness that allowed him to communicate with Aurelia and the crimson mist through his mind, as well as travel the Soul Realm.


    The fact the monk knew about such a technique wasn¡¯t what surprised him, but rather the fact the man could guess Red practiced it. It wasn¡¯t a technique that should leave a trace in his body, or so he thought.


    Red stared at him in thought before nodding. ¡°I do.¡±


    He didn¡¯t see a point in lying. Although he couldn¡¯t feel it, Aurelia¡¯s warning was enough to tell him that this monk was extremely powerful, and Red knew better than trying to make a fool of such an individual.


    The large man smiled at his response. ¡°I thought so¡­ Look, this might surprise you, little brother, but I¡¯m actually a disciple from the Desert Blossom Sect.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, many people are surprised by this, but it is the truth. In any case, is this little brother a part of our Order?¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. He could guess where this conversation was going.


    ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°Ah, truly?¡± The monk seemed surprised. ¡°Might I ask who taught you this technique, then?¡±


    ¡°A friend¡­ She might have been part of such a subsidiary of your sect.¡±


    This was the conclusion he came to. Eiwin had always carried herself like a monk, so it was no surprise she came from a temple.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The monk nodded in understanding. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be tense, little brother. The meditation technique you used is not a hidden secret of our sect, and even if it was, we do not persecute people for using them. At most, we force them to join our sect.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t feel relief at hearing this.


    The man continued. ¡°This, however, ties in with my second question, little brother. Have you come across any demonic corruption lately?¡±


    This question shocked Red even more. He nodded, feeling apprehensive.


    ¡°I see. Were you involved in that accident with the serpent cult a few months ago?¡±


    ¡°I scoured the sewers searching for them,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°To fight against the evil of the demonic cult is commendable, little brother. However, you need to be more careful!¡±


    The monk¡¯s tone was impassioned, and Red didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°It is understandable that you might be confused, since you¡¯re not a part of our sect, but let me explain.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The man made to get up, only to hit his head on the ceiling.


    ¡°Ugh, I mean,¡± he sat back down. ¡°The Radiant Current Meditation technique is actually a foundational technique meant to cultivate one¡¯s soul. It seems you have already reached initial mastery over it, so you must be able to manifest your soul inside your own body, right?¡±


    Red nodded, but he wasn¡¯t surprised to learn this. Back when he first entered the Soul Realm by accident, he encountered another disembodied soul that taught him about this. Now that he thought about it, it was likely that individual was also a member of this Desert Blossom Sect.


    ¡°Well, cultivating the soul is very beneficial for one¡¯s perception, but it is also a double-edged sword. The state you are in is the most basic manifestation of the conciousness, which is impressive for someone of your age, but also very dangerous. That is because you are exposing your soul to outside influences, but because you are in this initial stage, you also don¡¯t have the means to defend yourself against them. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    How could he not understand?


    ¡°Has my soul been corrupted?¡± He asked with a heavy heart.


    Corruption was a process that generally happened outside-in. That was to say, the physical form was the first thing to be corrupted, and the soul was the last - which was why this was a very concerning matter for Red.


    ¡°There are probably trace amounts of lingering corruption, little brother,¡± the monk said with a serious expression. ¡°It can¡¯t even be felt at a glance, but I have seen similar cases before. Your soul is pulsating at a slightly irregular rhythm, like a heart plagued with an illness, and that is generally a symptom of corruption.¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Not in this state, but it can continue to grow if you¡¯re not careful, and it may affect you at very critical junctures.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t what Red wanted to hear.


    ¡°Is there a way to cure it?¡±


    ¡°If we were back in our sect, maybe, but now¡­ I¡¯d advise you to keep practicing your meditation technique and reach the next stage of consciousness manifestation. That way, you will be able to cleanse the corruption yourself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to progress.¡±


    This was a matter Red had been stuck with for a while. Of course, he focused on other areas of his cultivation since opening his Spiritual Sea, but he felt as if his expanded awareness had not improved despite him using it constantly to monitor his condition and to speak with Aurelia.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are focused on the wrong things, little brother. There are two parts of the soul,¡± the monk pointed at his head. ¡°The consciousness and the mind. You have achieved success in expanding your consciousness, but what about your mind?¡±


    Red was a bit at a loss. This wasn¡¯t the first time he heard of such a division, but both terms were almost interchangeable in meaning, and it was difficult to internalize their differences. As far as he understood, the mind was the collection of every thought and sensation he ever experienced, while consciousness was the experiencer of everything he ever experienced. The latter was what interacted with the world, while the former was what interpreted these interactions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that,¡± Red admitted.


    In other situations, he might have tried to figure it out by himself, but he didn¡¯t dare to take the threat of soul corruption lightly.


    ¡°It is not something that can be forced, little brother,¡± the monk said. ¡°Just keep meditating and expand your horizons. When you have finally organized your thoughts, you will know the way forward.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t like the man¡¯s explanation. He wasn¡¯t the type to passively wait for a problem to solve itself, so having to just idle by for a solution to appear wasn¡¯t natural to him. Yet, how could he discount a more experienced person¡¯s advice? If they told Red to wait, then he would wait, no matter how hard it might be.


    ¡°Thank you for the help, senior,¡± Red held his hands together and bowed towards the man.


    He had never been an ingrate, and the help the monk provided him was invaluable.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± the monk waved him off. ¡°Just remember to be careful. There are terrible things happening in this city, and I won¡¯t be able to help even if I want to. Make sure that when the time comes, you are ready for anything.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    With that, he left the store and walked back into the busy slum streets. Only when he walked far away from the store did he grab the moonstone core in his pouch and extended his awareness into it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me my soul was corrupted.¡±


    ¡°Cultivators normally don¡¯t cultivate their souls until they¡¯ve reached the Spirit Awakening Realm,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°The technique those monks used are different from anything I¡¯ve ever come across in my sect.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°¡­My perception in this form is limited. Even now, I don¡¯t sense anything wrong with your soul.¡±


    ¡°Was he lying then?¡±


    Aurelia didn¡¯t respond.


    Red sighed and let the matter drop. ¡°Where do you think my soul corruption came from?¡±


    ¡°There are four suspects. Which of them do you think is more likely?¡±


    He knew who these suspects were:


    The first was the snake demon in the sewers, which had hit Red with a wave of corruption, though it hadn¡¯t lasted for long.


    The second was probably the Infernal Emperor, whom Red had spoken about with Emer at length, which caused him to experience a strange sensation that he guessed was corruption.


    The third was the crimson mist in his body, though he didn¡¯t think it would act to his detriment at this point in their collaboration.


    The fourth was, of course, the slaughter demon sealed in his sword, which had lashed out against its prison just recently and whose seals were constantly weakening.


    Realistically, the more likely culprits were the second and fourth option. Red was leaning more towards the latter, though, as he was in constant contact with the imprisoned demon, so it seemed likely he would be affected if the seal weakened. There was also the fact he could only effectively shield himself against this fourth option as well, so it might be the only one relevant to his consideration.


    ¡°What do I do about this demon?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Look for someone who can re-seal it,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Alternatively, throw the sword in a lake and run away. Even if it can save your life, it¡¯s not worth it if it may kill you before you can use it.¡±


    He was compelled to agree, but he didn¡¯t know of a way to dispose of the sword without causing a potential calamity to the entire country. Red did have another idea, though.


    He retracted his expanded awareness from the moonstone core and moved it towards the pit of his stomach, where the crimson mist lay.


    ¡°Do you know of a way to seal the demon in the sword?¡± He asked.


    The crimson mist stirred in response. ¡°Absorb.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°What are the consequences of that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Half-demon.¡±


    He guessed this was to say that if he absorbed the slaughter demon, then Red, in turn, would complete the transformation into a half-demon. Perhaps he would keep control of his mind with the crimson mist¡¯s help, but he refused to turn into a monster.


    ¡°Can you protect my soul from corruption?¡± Red asked.


    The crimson mist stirred, as if in affirmation, though it seemed reluctant. ¡°Soul¡­ Weak. Body¡­ Powerful.¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too sure what it meant by this, though he assumed it was trying to tell him it wasn¡¯t as effective in protecting his soul as it was his body. Whatever the case, it seemed the help it could provide was limited.


    ¡®I need to¡­¡¯


    His thoughts slowed down as he recalled the monk¡¯s words.


    ¡®This is a matter that can¡¯t be forced. Keep meditating and expand your horizons.¡¯


    This was a state of mind that was hard to reach when one¡¯s life and sanity were on the line, much more so for Red who tried to figure out solutions for every problem in his way, even if they were out of reach. Yet he understood that overly worrying was detrimental to one¡¯s mental state. As long as he was sure he was doing all that he could, then what was the point of worrying? He needed to be confident in his own efforts and abilities, as only that way would he progress through the path he was meant to travel.


    Perhaps this was a state of mind that had eluded him recently, or that he never reached in the first place. Red still didn¡¯t think that he was close to it, but maybe just knowing the right direction was enough to set him on the right path.


    Whatever the case, these were considerations for later. Right now, he had some cultivators to kill.

 Chapter 464 - Auction Begins

    On the way back to the intersection, Red saw the open market grow even more active. He couldn¡¯t avoid bumping into people now, and quite a few pickpockets tried to target him after seeing his merchant¡¯s clothing. None of them succeeded, and Red just slipped by them without causing a scene.


    Along the way, he also heard quite a few people speaking of the auction. Anyone could enter it as long as they had an invitation or paid a fee of ten spirit stones, which was a steep price even for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, much less for the common citizen. But this didn¡¯t stop them from gossiping about it.


    ¡°I hear there will be Parting Sea pills in the auction. A lot of nobles will bid for it.¡±


    ¡°Why would they be selling Parting Sea pills in a black market? It¡¯s not illegal.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem with the item, but more where it came from. We know Golden Hand has dealt with the Empire in the past, so¡­¡±


    Similar conversations continued to happen around the streets, and Red got a rough idea about the kind of items that would be sold in this auction. Most of them were meant for Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, but none of them were particularly rare, so he concluded the more valuable items weren¡¯t announced to the public beforehand.


    When Red arrived at the intersection, he quickly identified Lady Ilse¡¯s fluctuation, browsing the items in a stall, and approached her.


    The woman nodded once she saw him and continued studying a bundle of green plants in her hand. ¡°Did you find anything useful?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Good for you. I was tempted by some of these offers, but I can¡¯t afford to blow my cover,¡± she set down the item and looked at Red. ¡°Pierre said he will be waiting for us at the entrance of the auction. There¡¯s still half an hour before it starts, so if you need to make any more preparations, now is the time.¡±


    ¡°There are no more preparations I can make without seeing our targets first.¡±


    ¡°Then we are in agreement. Follow me.¡±


    She led him down a busy road of the slums, and it didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at their destination. It was a rather simple house, which didn¡¯t stand out in the chaos of the market, yet it seemed most people gave it a wide berth. The reason was obvious - that being the Lesser Ring Realm cultivator standing guard in front of the door. He had his arms crossed, staring at onlookers with an impassive face, and wearing a piece of plated armor with a purple chalice symbol on it.


    That symbol was an indication that they were in the right place.


    As the duo approached, they saw Pierre waiting on the other side of the street. He walked up to them and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching the entrance. There¡¯s nothing suspicious as far as I can tell, but it¡¯s safe to assume there must be a hidden passage inside leading to the actual auction.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s be on our way,¡± Lady Ilse walked up to the bodyguard.


    He stared at them without reaction, though his expression opened up once Lady Ilse pulled out the three invitation slips from her pouch. The man picked up and studied each of them carefully before handing them back and nodding.


    ¡°Welcome, madam and sirs,¡± he stepped aside and opened the door. ¡°A servant is waiting for you inside.¡±


    They entered the building and found a woman dressed in a servant¡¯s dress with the same chalice symbol greeting them.


    ¡°Please, follow me,¡± she said with a bow.


    The house was very ordinary, though, like Pierre guessed, there was a hidden passageway there - a set of stairs leading down a narrow underground corridor that extended for quite a long way, lit up by bright white lanterns. Unlike the Fairclough Manor¡¯s passageway, this one was paved with stone slabs and seemed to be used quite a bit.


    ¡°If there are any accommodations that you need, dear guests, please make sure to tell me right now,¡± the servant said as she led them through the corridor. ¡°Once the auction begins, we won¡¯t allow for any interruptions.¡±


    ¡°We are fine,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    The servant didn¡¯t insist.


    The passage wasn¡¯t as long as the Fairclough one, and soon enough they came upon a locked iron door. The woman knocked on the door a few times.


    ¡°I have three guests with me.¡±


    There was a shuffling of feet from behind the door before someone unlocked it. Another Lesser Ring Realm bodyguard dressed similarly to the one at the entrance opened the door and nodded at them. Unlike the one outside, this man was wearing an iron mask, but he didn¡¯t bother hiding his dark hair color or his signature scimitar.


    Red then knew immediately that this was one of their targets - a member of the adventurer¡¯s guild. He felt Lady Ilse¡¯s fluctuation flicker, but no one in the group showed abnormal reactions.


    The bodyguard stepped out of the way, allowing the servant to lead them inside. They were then greeted by a surprising sight.


    The corridor opened up into an enormous auditorium. Rows of embroidered and cushioned red seats lined the room with a gallery towards the back, set up in a half circle, which sloped down towards a raised center stage. Paintings and other decorations were hung on the marble-like walls of the auditorium, where golden lamps shone a soft light into the rest of the room in which quite a few people were already sat down. The auditorium also extended up into multiple floors, with private rooms with an open view into the stage below were set up, akin to opera boxes.


    ¡°I will lead you to your seating.¡±


    Unfortunately for the trio, these private rooms weren¡¯t meant for them, and the servant led them to a set of open seats towards the back of the room. Thankfully, the auditorium was large enough so that they weren¡¯t sitting too closely to another group, which afforded them some measure of privacy.


    ¡°To think there was a place like this right below the slums,¡± Lady Ilse said, her surprise evident.


    Red was, likewise, taken aback. He expected the auction to take place in an improvised auditorium, not something so delicately constructed and decorated. It certainly didn¡¯t feel like the kind of place that would just be used once and discarded.


    He fell silent and started to examine the room, and his companions followed suit. They didn¡¯t have Red¡¯s crimson sense to help them, though.


    The first thing he noticed was the large amount of Lesser Ring Realm cultivators here. He counted thirty of them, and the place wasn¡¯t even full yet, so he assumed there would be at least fifty of them by the time the auction started. The second thing he took note, much to his relief, was a lack of a Greater Ring Realm fluctuation. That had always been a concern of his in this operation, but no expert at that level seemed to be present here.


    Then, Red focused on fluctuations he recognized. There were a few of them, nobles and other mercenaries he came across before while wandering the city, but none he knew personally. That is, except for a handful of them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see him,¡± Lady Ilse said, her face masked but her voice evident.


    ¡°He¡¯s back stage,¡± Red said with certainty.¡±


    She looked over at him. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Indeed, Red could feel Nikon¡¯s fluctuation backstage, their main target for tonight. Other than him, he could also sense Heryd, the Arcane Scripture master from the Golden Hand, and also Gustav. He wasn¡¯t surprised by Gustav¡¯s presence here, though Master Heryd worried him.


    ¡®Has he set up any formations in the room?¡¯


    This could prove to be a problem in their plan, though Red noticed nothing after examining the place.


    ¡°I have identified them,¡± Pierre said.


    By them, he was likely referring to their targets from the adventurer¡¯s guild.


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    ¡°Point them to us,¡± Lady Ilse said.


    Pierre did as much, though he used his words to point them out. There were around ten bodyguards in the auditorium, five of them on each side of the room, and of them, Pierre pointed out five that were for sure their targets.


    ¡°There are more bodyguards here than I expected,¡± Pierre said in a low voice. ¡°Though they are also from the adventurer¡¯s guild, just not as involved with Nikon.¡±


    ¡°Avoid targeting them if they give us no issue,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°What about the rest of them?¡±


    ¡°I can only assume they might be backstage,¡± he looked over at Red.


    This time, Red couldn¡¯t provide confirmation, since he only knew Nikon¡¯s fluctuation.


    ¡°Who do we target?¡± He asked.


    The best-case scenario was for all of their targets to die, but that would be difficult to do in a brief window of opportunity before the tables were turned on them. Their main target was Nikon, and anyone else they could kill along the way was a bonus.


    Lady Ilse pondered to herself for a while. ¡°In ten seconds, and with the element of surprise, how many can you kill from this position?¡±


    Red frowned beneath his mask. ¡°The element of surprise will last for ten seconds?¡±


    ¡°You heard what I said.¡±


    He looked around the room at the position of his targets. ¡°I can do three¡­ Two, if I target the middle-stage one.¡±


    There were nine targets in total, and three of them were in the middle-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm. Only one of them was in view of them, but to their luck, he was quite close to them in the auditorium.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Lady Ilse asked Pierre.


    ¡°Two,¡± Pierre said without much thought.


    ¡°Then you kill your two,¡± she looked back at Red. ¡°Focus on killing the middle-stage one and then do whatever else you can. I will deal with Nikon, assuming he appears. Remember to take the antidote when I give you my signal.¡±


    She still seemed confident on that end, and none of them questioned her. They spoke further, ironing out their plan as the auditorium filled in. An escape plan was also made, which was, after ten seconds was up from Lady Ilse¡¯s signal, they needed to retreat no matter the results of their assassination attempt.


    After all, there were far more bodyguards than they could handle in straight up combat, and there was no guarantee members from the audience wouldn¡¯t help the auctioneers.


    The iron door wasn¡¯t magically reinforced, so they could easily break it, and the path from there was very forward. There were also other doors which they assumed led to other exits throughout the slums, but they decided to stick to the passage they came from.


    Red kept focusing on his crimson sense, observing every newcomer. Like he assumed, the number of Lesser Ring Realm cultivators increased until it was over fifty, and among them he noticed at least three in the late-stage.


    One of them in particular caught his attention - a woman that sat down in the gallery above them. She was dressed finely, no doubt being of noble origin, and didn¡¯t seem too bothered to hide her identity other than wearing a butterfly mask. Next to her was another late-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, quite clearly her bodyguard.


    Lady Ilse¡¯s attention also seemed drawn by those two figures, though she soon returned her attention to the stage. The rest of their targets eventually appeared, with the two middle-stage adventurers standing right next to the stage as their special protectors. Then, out from behind the curtain, came Nikon.


    Unlike everyone else working in the auction, he wasn¡¯t wearing the chalice uniform, and instead sported his usual military clothing. Although he was still using a mask, no one would be fooled by his disguise.


    He stood out to the side of the stage, and from behind him, an overweight man walked out. His clothing was almost entirely purple, resembling a jester¡¯s outfit, except for his mask, which depicted a golden glowing smile.


    Red evidently recognized this man as Gustav, and he frowned.


    The entire auditorium fell silent as he appeared - an indication that the auction was about to start.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to our Chalice¡¯s auction!¡± The merchant opened his arms and laughed.


    As Red had come to learn, Chalice was a fake organization. It was essentially just the name under which the Golden Hand organized their operations in the black market.


    Gustav continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you have been informed of the rules, but I feel compelled to remind you before this auction begins,¡± he raised a finger. ¡°First of all, the only thing that matters here are spirit stones! Strength, identity, all of it is irrelevant when it comes to buying one of our items, and the one who offers more spirit stones for it will always be the one to take it home!¡±


    The crowd was silent in response. Here, none of these nobles or their representatives would be able to bully their way into acquiring one of these items. In this way, the Golden Hand had always been very fair.


    ¡°Second, the price for the item must be paid upfront and with raw spirit stones! We do not accept bank slips or other promises, as you all should be aware,¡± Gustav regarded the crowd. ¡°In exchange, we also guarantee the quality of each of our items from our many specialists, and will deliver them to you as soon as the bid is closed.¡±


    There were, once again, no protests.


    ¡°The third and final rule - absolutely no fighting in our auditorium. We can¡¯t guarantee your safety out there, but while you¡¯re inside here, you¡¯re under our protection, and we will not tolerate hostile actions against our guests!¡± This time, Gustav¡¯s voice took a more serious tone.


    Once he saw no one in the crowd raised their voice at this, he laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you all understand it,¡± he clapped his hands. ¡°I will be personally answering questions about any items before their bidding begins, so do not hesitate to raise your hand if you have a question! Other than that, I¡¯m sure you understand how an auction works, right? Just shout out your offer. If you cannot pay it though¡­ We will be very disappointed.¡±


    Red was surprised by Gustav¡¯s speech. After re-encountering him in the capital, the merchant had proven to be very subservient and cowardly, showing none of the cunning and power that had made him such a threat to the Water Dragon Sect back then. Yet now, it seemed the man found some of his confidence again behind a mask.


    ¡®Or perhaps he was just fooling me all along.¡¯


    Gustav waved his hand, and from behind the curtain, a servant brought out a small ornate box, which he set upon the podium in front of him. The merchant looked around the crowd, basking in the anticipation.


    ¡°Our organization discussed at length how we should start this auction, but I think we settled on a pleasant option,¡± he opened the box in front of him, revealing five pale blue pills. ¡°For you, our guests - Parting Sea Pills!¡±


    There was an immediate commotion in the crowd. Although there were rumours already about this medicine, none of them knew there would be five of them offered at once.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to remind you how rare these pills are,¡± Gustav said. ¡°The sects have a chokehold on their production, and we see no more than ten of them offered yearly on the capital¡¯s market. But here, we have five of them at once! So go ahead, I¡¯m sure many of you have questions.¡±


    Immediately, some hands shot up amidst the crowd, and the merchant pointed at one of them.


    ¡°You, go ahead!¡±


    ¡°Who made these pills?¡± A man dressed as a mercenary asked.


    ¡°Ah, that is a delicate question, my dear guest. We can¡¯t divulge the name of the alchemist, but I can only tell you this¡­ It came from the west.¡±


    This sent a wave of shock through the crowd. That was because there was only one faction to the west of their kingdom.


    ¡®The Empire.¡¯


    Red frowned. Since when was the Empire creating Parting Sea Pills? He knew they had their own means of opening Spiritual Seas, but as far as he understood, Parting Sea Pills was a secret controlled by the sects.


    After that revelation, some of the crowd¡¯s excitement died down. Although the prospect of these pills was exciting, who amidst them would risk possibly angering the sects by holding onto this item?


    ¡°Ah, I assure you, my guests, that this matter is something the sects are already aware of,¡± Gustav said. ¡°There is no risk in buying these pills, and if you are still afraid, you can also turn these pills to one of the Sects and get a return much greater than what you spent in buying them. For that matter, these pills are also far cheaper¡­ The five together will be sold at the initial price of fifteen hundred spirit stones!¡±


    This seemed to reignite some of the excitement in the crowd. A Parting Sea pill may be sold upwards of five hundred spirit stones in the open market, so this would be a steal for a lot of these people. Unfortunately for most of them, the pills would all be sold together, and fifteen hundred spirit stones were not something a lot of people could afford. Some more questions were asked, such as assurance of the pills quality, which Gustav guaranteed with live testing and documents. Eventually, the time for bidding started.


    ¡°Then I declare the bid open!¡±


    ¡°Two thousand spirit stones!¡±


    Someone immediately raised the price by five hundred Spirit Stones, and the entire auditorium went quiet.


    Red frowned and looked to his side. Lady Ilse was the one that had made the bid, and from her fluctuation, he could feel her emotions burning up.


    ¡°R-Right, two thousand spirit stones for the lady in the back!¡± Gustav nodded, quite surprised by the sudden increase. ¡°Anyone else? Can I get twenty-one hundred?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five hundred.¡±


    Another bid came - this time from the butterfly masked lady in the gallery.


    Lady Ilse looked over at where the voice came from, her irritation apparent in her actions, though when she noticed who had made the bid, her fluctuations suddenly calmed down. Red could sense her struggle.


    ¡°T-Twenty-five hundred for the lady up there!¡± Gustav looked over at Lady Ilse. ¡°Can I get twenty-six hundred? Twenty-six hundred?¡±


    Lady Ilse didn¡¯t respond, and instead leaned back in her chair. There were no more bids after that, as the price seemed to have been hiked up too steeply for anyone else to participate. At this point, it wasn¡¯t too far off from the market value.


    ¡°Then it is sold for the butterfly lady for twenty-five hundred!¡±


    A servant closed the box and took it up the stairs to the woman. Red had been wondering how she would be carrying twenty-five hundred spirit stones to pay for these items, but the answer was soon revealed as she handed a small bag to the servant.


    The servant looked back at Gustav and nodded. ¡°Twenty-five condensed spirit stones.¡±


    Another wave of surprise ran through the crowd. Condensed spirit stones were worth about a hundred spirit stones, and it was a preferable alternative to running around with hundreds of spirit stones in your bags. But the truth was, they were rare in the capital because only Greater Ring Realm cultivators and above could produce such condensed spirit stones, as they were rarely found in natural mines.


    Twenty-five at once was already a huge amount, and people started to gossip about the woman¡¯s possible identity. Amidst them, a few surprising names were thrown, which caused Red to frown and look at Lady Ilse.


    Eventually, the transaction completed, and the auction seemed about to continue.


    ¡°The next item is also a rarity in the cultivation world, but we have managed to bring it here to you!¡±


    Gustav waved at the curtain, and a few servants wheeled out a plain wooden mannequin.


    ¡°A Spirit Puppet! It has the strength of an early-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, and it can be used by people who haven¡¯t even opened their Spiritual Sea yet!¡±


    ¡®A Spirit Puppet?¡¯


    This was the first time Red saw one. He read before that the art of making these puppets was lost a long time ago during the demonic invasions, before the Empire even existed. As such, it was a rarity to come across one of them, but its value was undeniable. Not only was it as strong as a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, but it could be used by non-cultivators too.


    ¡®A Spirit Puppet¡­ It would be useful to have something like that to spar against.¡¯


    Suddenly, an idea came to Red¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 465 - Fortunes Spent

    Before the bidding for the puppet could begin, Red looked over at Lady Ilse.


    ¡°Could you lend me some Spirit Stones?¡±


    ¡°You wish to buy this puppet?¡± She asked, confusion evident in her voice.


    ¡°I do, but I haven¡¯t brought many Spirit Stones with me.¡±


    It was inconvenient to carry around hundreds of Spirit Stones within your person, so Red hid most of his fortune within his manor. He also wasn¡¯t expecting he would find anything worth buying here. Lady Ilse, on the other hand, seemed to have a fortune with her, considering she was bidding upwards of two thousand Spirit Stones, which made Red realize she was probably carrying a magical pouch akin to the one Leon had.


    Lady Ilse was silent for a few moments before nodding. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll bid on them for you.¡±


    Red was surprised at her quick agreement. He expected her to at the very least question his intent, as the puppet wouldn¡¯t be too useful for someone of his cultivation, but she asked no such questions.


    On the stage, Gustav continue to explain the puppet¡¯s functions. It wasn¡¯t powered by Spirit Stones like one would expect, but by a Spirit Beat¡¯s Crystal Core.


    ¡°Depending on the elemental attributes of the core inserted into the puppet, it will be capable of utilizing different spells,¡± Gustav said. ¡°The core, of course, is not included with the puppet. Bidding will start at seven hundred Spirit Stones!¡±


    This was a very steep price for a Mystic Artifact, but the Spiritual Puppet warranted it. Most artifacts couldn¡¯t be used by mortals, unlike this puppet, so it was easy to imagine a lot of noble houses would want to buy such an item for their non-cultivator members.


    Many people were eager to put their bid in, but Lady Ilse¡¯s voice rang over the auditorium once more.


    ¡°Fourteen hundred Spirit Stones!¡±


    A mix of surprised and angered stares were thrown the group¡¯s way, and Red suddenly felt a sense of regret at asking her to lend him the Spirit Stones.


    ¡°R-Right, fourteen hundred for the lady over there¡­¡± Gustav looked around at the guests. ¡°C-Can I get fifteen hundred? Anyone?¡±


    He sounds both helpless and happy at the same time. After all, they would be getting the money either way, but this style of bidding wasn¡¯t conducive to a competitive auction.


    To no one¡¯s surprise, there were no more bids on the puppet.


    ¡°Then the Spiritual Puppet goes to the lady!¡±


    A servant carried the dormant puppet over to Lady Ilse and she handed over a small box she took out from her pouch to them. The servant looked inside, and his eyes went wide for a moment as he saw the fourteen condensed Spirit Stones inside, but this time, they didn¡¯t make any commotion about it.


    ¡°Here is the control disc and a manual explaining the puppet¡¯s functions.¡±


    He handed the items over to Lady Ilse, and she passed them to Red without sparing them a glance.


    ¡°You can pay me back in your own time,¡± she said.


    He sighed, but chose to put the matter aside for now. The auction continued below, but Red focused instead on inspecting the unmoving puppet in front of him.


    ¡®Like I thought, there are a lot of arcane runes I don¡¯t recognize here.¡¯


    The wooden mannequin looked very ordinary from afar, but upon closer inspection, one could see the faint runes and connections spread through its segmented parts and joints. Other than this, though, it resembled a figure stores used for displaying their clothing and other accessories, with no expression or other details.


    Red read through the short manual on how to control and insert a core into the puppet before nodding in satisfaction.


    ¡®Like I thought, this should work.¡¯


    He reached for Aurelia with his expanded awareness.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Her voice cut him off before he could say anything.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a body you can control,¡± Red said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn puppet! I want a real body!¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t find you a body later. This should be better than nothing for now.¡±


    ¡°No, actually, I¡¯m not sure it is.¡±


    ¡°¡­It would help me a lot to have a sparring partner I could practice with.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°So this is all about you now? I said forget it!¡±


    Red sighed and retracted his awareness. His idea was to use the Moonstone Crystal Core Aurelia was contained within as the core for the puppet, which would both provide him with a better hiding place for the core and also allow her to interact with physical matter. While the proud woman seemed to be against the idea right now, he thought she would eventually come around to it. After all, she often bemoaned having to live her entire existence as an incorporeal being.


    While Red examined the features of the puppet with interest, the auction went on.


    A lot of items he had never heard of before were being sold. They ranged from artifacts with powerful and strange effects, to ingredients and pills that could help the cultivation of practitioners of very rare arts. Even formations and talismans were up for auction, some of which Red recognized from his manual, and others which took him by surprise.


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    ¡®A sword formation?¡¯


    As Gustav described it, this was a formation that could transform Spiritual Energy into powerful sword arts that could be used to strike down intruders or even siege a fortress. Purely offensive formations like this were rare, much more so ones that utilized Sword Energy to function. Red had never even come across any arcane symbols that could represent sword arts.


    ¡®Still, a thousand Spirit Stones¡­¡¯


    This was just the initial price, too. It was too expensive, and he didn¡¯t feel like owing yet another couple thousand Spirit Stones to Lady Ilse. Not to mention, this was a complete formation, not a blueprint, so if Red wanted to study it, he would need to reverse engineer it, which would take a long time and might not even yield him much success.


    It was not worth it from his point of view.


    Yet, a while later, he found something else that piqued his interest again.


    ¡°A pair of crystallized water-beast lungs,¡± Gustav pointed to the crystalline blue organs, smaller than a human¡¯s own lungs, that reflected the light from the bright lanterns. ¡°Though our researchers are unable to uncover which monster these lungs belonged to, they can indeed confirm it has been frozen in spiritually rich waters for almost a hundred years. Suffice it to say, this is an extremely valuable material for alchemists or artifact-crafters who wish to create water-aspected items.¡±


    Red knew all of this, but his interest in the item wasn¡¯t in creating a treasure. Rather, his interest was piqued because this was one of the ingredients mentioned in the Storm¡¯s Blessing manual that could be used to increase one¡¯s talent with the water element.


    This was the kind of material one would struggle to come across under normal circumstances, so Red couldn¡¯t let this chance escape him.


    He looked over at his companion. ¡°Could you-?¡±


    ¡°You want that one?¡± Lady Ilse cut him off. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±


    She bought the item with little trouble for six hundred Spirit Stones. This put Red¡¯s debt at two thousand Spirit Stones, which was far more than he had stashed away, but since the woman wasn¡¯t pressuring him about repaying it, he could definitely earn that amount in due time.


    The crystallized lungs were given to him in a sealing container, which he stowed away in his pouch.


    ¡®This will help me set the foundation for when I try to breakthrough into the Greater Ring Realm.¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t be more satisfied with his two acquisitions, but he didn¡¯t lose sight of his goal in the auction.


    Two hours went by, as Gustav presented item after item without pause. Since most of the people here were cultivators, they could easily go a long time without a break, and very few of them even got up from their seats throughout the entire thing.


    Lady Ilse bought quite a few things, mostly alchemical ingredients, which added another few thousand Spirit Stones into her expenditures. It made Red realize the woman was richer than he previously thought. No other items caught his attention, though, so he remained seated and examined his targets.


    The guards didn¡¯t change positions, standing at full attention throughout the whole process as they observed the room. This spoke to their professionalism, but Red could also tell through their fluctuations that they didn¡¯t expect any trouble. As for Nikon, he resembled an unmoving statue the entire time as he stood on stage.


    Finally, it seemed as if they were gearing up for presenting the last few items for the auction.


    ¡°Be prepared,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°I will act soon.¡±


    Red nodded, though he was still unsure of what she meant.


    ¡°My honored guests, as you may know, our Chalice organization prides itself in acquiring items that not even cultivators can lay eyes upon for their entire lives,¡± Gustav said, his voice filled with a dramatic tinge. ¡°Most of the items we have presented thus far have been aimed for use by Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, not because we are incapable of procuring more valuable items, but because we know this is what would be most useful for our guests.¡±


    Some murmurs and curious glances were thrown Gustav¡¯s way, as most people seemed confused about where he seemed to be going with his speech. The man seemed to revel in the suspense.


    ¡°Yet, we also know what is most important for practitioners like you, honored guests. And that is - to reach the next realm!¡± He motioned over to a servant, who brought a golden box to him. ¡°This is why we have brought the most valuable item a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator could ever wish for!¡±


    He opened the box, upon which a rich wave of golden Spiritual Energy spread throughout the whole auditorium. Red felt his whole body tingle in reaction to the abundance of energy, and his attention was taken by the item revealed inside the box.


    A shining golden-purple pill.


    Gustav smiled. ¡°This is a Shaping Sea Pill, and it can help a cultivator stuck in the peak of the Lesser Ring Realm to break into the Greater Ring Realm!¡±


    At his explanation, the guests couldn¡¯t hold themselves back and exclaimed in surprise. Even Lady Ilse seemed to have hard time containing herself, though something told Red she had been expecting this development.


    ¡°Do not trip over yourselves, guests! I will explain the value and effects of this pill at length.¡±


    A pill that could help someone break into a higher realm was a rarity. They differed from pills that helped one improve their cultivation within a minor realm, in that they contained mystic powers that would assist a cultivator in breaking past the hardest obstacles they would ever face. A Parting Sea Pill was something that helped a mortal open their Spiritual Sea, while a Shaping Sea Pill would help a cultivator condense the misty Spiritual Energy contained in their body into a proper lake and step into the next realm, which was an equally daunting task.


    A Shaping Sea Pill was invaluable, but it was also different from a Parting Sea Pill. The latter was rare, but much of its rarity was due to sects and other factions monopolizing its production, while the former was not only rare, but it couldn¡¯t be produced at will. Its ingredients were rare to find and couldn¡¯t be grown normally, so there was not a constant supply of said pills, even for a lot of sects. That was to say, not even the largest factions could consistently produce these pills, so it was possible to imagine how rare they were to be seen anywhere.


    Gustav explained all of this with a smile. ¡°Now, there are a few things that may be obvious, but I feel the need to explain. This pill is only effective for Peak Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, so please be certain you have stabilized your cultivation base before consuming it! Also, while it can almost certainly guarantee a breakthrough, there might be personal elements within an individual¡¯s body that could interfere in the process and result in failure, so do not blame us should such an accident happen to you!¡±


    None of the guests seemed to pay much heed to such a warning.


    ¡°Who concocted the pill?¡± Someone asked.


    Gustav laughed. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell by the color? It was the grandmaster of the Golden Hand!¡±


    Red wasn¡¯t too familiar with this grandmaster, but he imagined the title could only refer to the Spirit Core cultivator that lived in the Golden Temple.


    Surely enough, at this response, a lot of the worries in the crowd were assuaged. After all, if the pill was faulty, the blame would be put entirely on the Golden Hand and they wouldn¡¯t be able to divert it with this Chalice organization.


    ¡°Since I assume most of your questions have been answered, I can announce the starting bid,¡± Gustav looked around at the crowd, the excitement in his voice undisguised. ¡°Five thousand Spirit Stones!¡±


    At this, the entire place fell silent. A few seconds later, grumbles of complaining could be heard.


    ¡°F-Five thousand? That¡¯s too much!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fortune even for the Duke¡¯s family. I would need to sell my entire manor to afford it.¡±


    Such responses were heard throughout the entire auditorium. Yet Gustav seemed unbothered by them. Red even noticed his gaze wandering to a certain spot in the gallery above.


    ¡°Five thousand Spirit Stones! That is the starting price.¡±


    ¡°Five thousand it is, then.¡±


    A serene voice came in response. Everyone turned to look at its source - the lady with the butterfly mask up above, whose faint smile was still lingering on her face.


    Gustav was elated upon hearing this. ¡°Five thousand for the fair lady up above! Anyone else willing to offer more?¡±


    Although he asked this, he wasn¡¯t expecting any offers.


    ¡°No one? Well, then-¡±


    ¡°Six thousand!¡±


    Lady Ilse¡¯s clear voice cut him off as she stood up.


    The smile on the masked lady¡¯s face disappeared.

 Chapter 466 - Meteoric Punch

    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to Lady Ilse, who had a tone of challenge in her voice. Gustav was the one to break the silence, though he still seemed shocked.


    ¡°S-Six thousand?¡± He sounded uncertain of what to do, as his gaze kept wandering to the masked lady up above. ¡°R-Right, a six thousand Spirit Stone bid¡­ T-That¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°I feel forced to ask a question on our host¡¯s behalf,¡± the lady in the butterfly masked cut him off. ¡°Six thousand Spirit Stones is a substantial fortune, the likes of which few people in this city are capable of presenting. Suffice it to say¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I have it?¡± Lady Ilse completed her thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t think you have it, but it¡¯s hard to believe anyone could have it,¡± the lady fanned herself as if to accentuate her words. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to cast suspicion on your person, my fellow guest, but when speaking of values this high¡­ It would be best if you could present your means of payment upfront to lift the worry from our host¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Is there such a rule that I need to do it?¡± The young woman turned her attention towards Gustav.


    ¡°A-Ah, no, it¡¯s not that. If our guest wants to bid for the pill, they are free to do so, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    They didn¡¯t expect anyone else to bid on this product. It was clear to Red that the masked lady was supposed to be the sole bidder for the pill, but Lady Ilse¡¯s actions had thrown their plan into disarray.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lady Ilse waved at Gustav before he could babble on. ¡°I indeed don¡¯t have that amount in Spirit Stones, but I can make up for it with another item.¡±


    ¡°Another item?¡± Some of the merchant¡¯s surprise was replaced by reluctance. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not how the rules of the auction work, honored guest. We only take raw Spirit Stones.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but you¡¯re a business organization, right? Shouldn¡¯t you at least verify what I¡¯m offering?¡±


    At this, Gustav hesitated. He looked at the curtain behind the stage, as if having a silent conversation with someone. No one heard anything, but it didn¡¯t take long before the man turned back to Lady Ilse.


    ¡°What is the item you wish to exchange?¡±


    ¡°This is preposterous!¡± The masked lady slammed the arms of her chair and stood up. ¡°Is your organization going to go back on the rules you promised to protect so fervently?¡±


    ¡°By no means, my lady.¡± Gustav shook his head. ¡°We will still protect the rules and interests of our guests, but we are also a business. Should the item this guest offers be sufficiently valuable, then we will also put it up for auction, and then this other guest can use the money to bid for the Shaping Sea pill.¡±


    ¡°And you still think that¡¯s fair? This is not what was agreed upon.¡±


    ¡°My lady, please, if you are still unsatisfied with our arrangements, we are more than willing to discuss compensations with you afterwards.¡±


    The masked lady looked like she wanted to say more, but Lady Ilse cut her off.


    ¡°Before you continue, perhaps you should learn what the item I offer is. Maybe it would even interest the lady up there.¡±


    At this, she took out a box from her pouch. It looked to be the same size and shape as the box the Shaping Sea pill was in, though its decoration were far more modest.


    Everyone watched the item in her hands with enraptured attention, and Lady Ilse seemed to revel in the anticipation. She looked over at her companions, and they both nodded.


    Red had already been preparing for a long time, having stowed away the disassembled puppet into his bag. Both he and Pierre knew this was the signal, and the two of them popped the pills into their mouths. As the crowd¡¯s attention was drawn to the woman carrying the box, though, no one seemed to notice or react to their actions.


    Then she opened the box, revealing a gleaming green pill. A wave of vivid Spiritual Energy, just as strong as the Shaping Sea Pill, spread throughout the room from it, causing the auditorium to exclaim in surprise. Just as everyone wondered what this pill was exactly, something strange happened.


    Red noticed it affecting their fluctuation first before spotting anything on the surface. A sense of sluggishness spread through their body as the Spiritual Energy entered through their pores, and their limbs stopped responding to them properly. Guests fell back onto their chairs, guards stumbled, and a sense of confusion


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    This happened to everyone in the auditorium except for the trio. No words were spoken before they sprung into action.


    When it came to assassinations, Red had a weapon that gave him an edge to most other assassins - the Tranquil Beak Weapon Art. It was a skill that consisted of accumulating strength within his muscles and patiently waiting to explode into action and kill the target with one blow. As it turned out, throughout the entire auction, although he seemed relaxed and laid back, this was exactly what he had been preparing for.


    Red dashed towards the Middle-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator closest to him, crossing the significant distance between them in a single step as the winds carried his body. Then, in one swift motion, he unsheathed his claymore and hacked at his opponent like an axe.


    There was no need for finesse when his opponent couldn¡¯t move.


    The man showed panic in his eyes as he tried to react to no avail, his limbs not responding to his commands fast enough. A blue barrier formed around him, though, likely from a protective artifact. This didn¡¯t dissuade Red, as his sword also glowed with cyan energy and he swung down.


    The barrier shattered like glass and the sword bit into the man¡¯s body. His armor offered him no protection, and the claymore cleaved his body across from shoulder to waist.


    Two seconds had passed, and just like that - a Middle-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator died. Red would have considered this concept absurd before breaking through, but now he knew that even Lesser Ring Realm cultivators were still very vulnerable in front of powerful attacks, and two seconds was an eternity for someone like him to kill such a cultivator ten times over.


    As he prepared to attack his next target, he spared a quick glance at his companions from the corner of his eyes.


    Just a second behind him, Pierre also killed one of his target, his rock-covered spear blowing their head clean off. Further ahead, Lady Ilse had just reached the stage where Nikon stood. The numbing effect of the pill seemed to have affected him the least, but even then, he could barely take a few steps before stumbling to one knee.


    Lady Ilse took this opportunity to pull out a needle and throw it at the man¡¯s chest. Red saw it strike true, but he couldn¡¯t pay attention to the rest of the details as he approached his next target.


    This one was in the early stage, and he seemed so confused he didn¡¯t even see his death approach. A thought passed through Red¡¯s head to slash him in half like he did his companion, but instead, he saw an opening to finish it faster. He grabbed the claymore with both hands, but rather than wielding it like a heavy weapon, he swung it with a saber¡¯s finesse and grace as he approached the clueless target. The guard turned around just in time to have his head cut clean off.


    This was the benefit of his claymore - it was built in such a way that one could wield it like a light weapon should he find the need to. Before the spilled blood had even touched the ground, Red had already dashed off.


    ¡®Five seconds. I can still kill another.¡¯


    To be truthful, his early estimate of only being able to kill two was rather conservative. He thought it was possible he could kill more, but he didn¡¯t want to risk it. Now, though, he realized his weapon allowed him to cut Lesser Ring Realm cultivators apart like butter, so killing even four cultivators before ten seconds were up was possible.


    His goal, though, was one of the other two middle-stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivators down by the stage.


    While soaring over the auditorium, he once again studied his companions¡¯ efforts. Pierre was in the process of killing his second target - a step behind Red - and Lady Ilse was throwing yet another needle into Nikon¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t tell the purposes of those needles, but judging from Nikon¡¯s expression and fluctuation, they were likely poisoned.


    Right as he got ready to strike again, though, he sensed something.


    Nikon¡¯s fluctuation changed.


    Red¡¯s eyes narrowed, and a bad premonition came to him.


    ¡®Demonic fluctuations.¡¯


    Suddenly, all the negative effects disappeared from Nikon¡¯s fluctuation and his skin started to glow in a purple-gold light. Lady Ilse seemed to notice this and made to dash away, but the giant man exploded into movement before she could.


    His fist, now covered in a metallic gleam, soared forth into a punch. All the light in the room dimmed before this unstoppable force, and the fist seemed to grow into an enormous boulder in the eyes of observers. The Spiritual Energy in the room formed into a vortex around Nikon¡¯s hands, as if being absorbed and reinforcing the power behind this simple but devastating punch.


    Lady Ilse¡¯s movements were also slowed down, and it seemed as if she could not dodge the attack.


    Red saw this and froze his sword mid-swing before making a quick decision. He let go of his sword, but the claymore didn¡¯t fall. Like an arrow, it shot forward on its own, leaving a cyan-light trail in its wake, and struck the side of Nikon¡¯s fist right before it could hit the woman.


    There was a sharp clang of two weapons clashing.


    The claymore was sent tumbling away, unable to pierce the man¡¯s flesh, yet it struck with enough force to redirect the punch away from its target. Nikon stumbled, and his punch meant for Lady Ilse instead struck into a row of guests near the stage.


    A meteoric explosion happened. Purple Spiritual Energy, debris, and the mangled flesh of those unfortunate enough to be caught in the way of the fist burst from the impact center to cover the entire auditorium as a large crater formed beneath. The entire underground room shook and almost every guest was thrown off their feet.


    Even Red felt his body shake from the shockwave, but he didn¡¯t stop. He recalled his sword and soared over to Lady Ilse, who was coughing blood from being caught in the aftermath. Without hesitation, he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and dashed towards the exit.


    From behind, he heard Nikon¡¯s heavy steps chasing after them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you bastards!¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s fast.¡¯


    Even with his Gale Drift, Red didn¡¯t know if he could lose him fast enough. As he reached the top of the auditorium, he felt his movements suddenly slow down and his Spiritual Energy being sucked away from his body. A quick glance behind him revealed the reason.


    Another punch was coming his way.

 Chapter 467 - Relentless Force

    ¡®An attractive force?¡¯


    Red understood the power behind Nikon¡¯s fist now that he was on the receiving end. He thought about trying to outrun him, but after feeling the force of the slowdown, he realized it was a bad idea.


    Sword in one hand and Lady Ilse in the other, he turned around and swung the weapon at the fist - which was still far from reaching him. The claymore glowed, and a cyan energy blade cut through the air and clashed against the fist.


    Sword Energy Arc!


    A wind explosion threw the entire auditorium into further disarray. Nikon grimaced, but the only sign of damage from the blow was a faint white mark in his metallic fist. The punch slowed down momentarily, but it didn¡¯t stop.


    Red tried to take this opportunity to create distance, but the attractive force struck him again. Not only that, but this time, it was even stronger.


    ¡°He can absorb Spiritual Energy!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s warning revealed yet another terrifying aspect of this fist. If Red¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t strong enough to break the punch, then all he was doing was strengthening his opponent¡¯s attack.


    As he was considering his next move, a spear covered in glowing yellow stone flew at the fist from the other side of the auditorium. With a crash, Nikon¡¯s punch was sent askew and crashed into the ground.


    Another earth-shattering explosion ensued.


    Red, who was on the ground this time, almost lost his balance. However, he didn¡¯t waste the opportunity Pierre gave him. With another soaring step, he reached the locked iron door and swung his sword at it. The steel tore apart like paper before the claymore, opening the way into the tunnel.


    From behind, he sensed Pierre following behind him.


    ¡°Go! I¡¯ll keep up!¡±


    Red took heed of his advice and sped forward. A groan came from Lady Ilse, who finally seemed to be coming to after the earlier impact.


    ¡°It¡­ It should have worked, so why¡­?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond to her, nor he could. From observing Nikon¡¯s fluctuation, he knew that both the paralyzing mist and the poison in the needles had taken effect, but then it was all expelled from his body in the blink of an eye. It wasn¡¯t that Red believed that couldn¡¯t be done, but to neutralize the poison that quickly? It seemed impossible for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.


    ¡®Is that part of his demonic powers?¡¯


    Before Red could think further, he heard another rumbling. He took a look behind and saw the purple glow of Nikon stretching down the tunnel as he chased them.


    Pierre, who was the first in the way, seemed poise to face the brunt of the man¡¯s rage, but he acted as soon as he saw their pursuer. His hands glowed in an earthy yellow light and he slapped them against the walls of the tunnel before continuing to run.


    The entire passage trembled, and from the point where Pierre touched the wall, the corridor started to collapse, his spell causing the earth to crumble. Red wondered for a moment if the guard would escape in time, but then his steps suddenly quickened as he caught up to them.


    Nikon, however, was completely buried under the collapsing ceiling.


    The tunnel wasn¡¯t that long, and soon enough the trio had made it out onto the abandoned building they first entered from. A confused Chalice servant was staring at them as soon as they got out of the house, attracted by the loud noises.


    Red was about to set Lady Ilse down, but then sensed something. He looked over at Pierre.


    ¡°He¡¯s still coming!¡±


    Although he couldn¡¯t see his face, the guard¡¯s fluctuation showed his surprise. Sure enough, a few second later they heard explosions coming from the abandoned building and the noise attracted the attention of others in the busy street.


    ¡°Up above!¡± Pierre pointed at the rooftops. ¡°We¡¯ll lose him there!¡±


    Red nodded, and with one jump, he hopped onto a balcony. As they were about to set foot on the rooftops, another explosion shook the entire neighborhood.


    Nikon burst out from the abandoned house, sending the stunned Chalice servant flying to splatter onto a building on the other side of the street. His skin was glowing with a deeper shade of purple.


    ¡®He¡¯s stronger.¡¯


    His fluctuation was also growing more powerful. For a second, Red assumed he had been holding back earlier, but that didn¡¯t align with his raging attitude. This time, they didn¡¯t throw any spells directly at him, either, which left only one conclusion.


    ¡°He¡¯s getting stronger every second,¡± Red said to his companions.


    The strengthening in his fluctuation was slight, but it was there.


    ¡®Is this the metallic power of the Infernal Emperor?¡¯


    They hoped to make it onto the roof before Nikon could notice them, but the man immediately locked gazes with their positions, as if he knew where they would be. Then he crouched, his wild energy receding into his body for a moment.


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    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Pierre¡¯s warning came a moment later, though Red had already dashed ahead.


    There was a sudden, loud thump, as the air in the streets below was displaced. Then Red looked up, spotting Nikon¡¯s purple far above them, soaring into the air as if flying. His momentum came to a stop a second later, and he raised a fist aimed at the trio below.


    Then, gravity worked on his body, and he fell down like a meteor towards them.


    Red felt the same locking energy from earlier slowing his movements down, but this time, he willed himself to move. The strong winds created from the man¡¯s incoming punch allowed his Gale Drift to drag him forward with unprecedented speed as he sought to get out of the way. Pierre, not afforded such swift movements, crossed his arms in front of his chest as his body was encased within a coffin of glowing rocks.


    Then Nikon¡¯s fist came crashing down where they had just stood.


    The rooftop caved in like clay. The man¡¯s power carrying his fist straight through the roofs down onto the floor belows, and a moment later, came the explosion. A wave of deep purple Spiritual Energy spread from the point of impact, followed by a shockwave that spread through the entire neighborhood as the wooden building crumbled.


    The wave of energy hit Red¡¯s back as he sought to shield a wounded Lady Ilse from the blow. His entire body shook, and he felt blood running up his throat. Pierre¡¯s shield took on some of the impact before shattering, and the guard was sent flying away uncontrollably to the other side of the block.


    Red frowned in pain, but the internal injuries weren¡¯t enough to stop him. He soared across rooftops in Pierre¡¯s direction, where he could sense the man was wounded but still conscious. There, he saw the guard on one knee, struggling to get up as blood ran down beneath his mask.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± Red said. ¡°Can you still run?¡±


    Back where they had just come from, he could sense Nikon¡¯s fluctuation moving as he tried to get out from the debris of the destroyed building. It was growing stronger still.


    Pierre nodded and popped a medicinal pill into his mouth. His wounded fluctuation stabilized somewhat, and he started to move again.


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Lady Ilse spoke up. ¡°We can¡¯t outrun him!¡±


    ¡°Do you suggest us take a stand?¡± Red asked.


    This was something he was seriously considering. However, he wasn¡¯t sure he could defeat Nikon, who was only growing stronger, and fighting here was bound to catch other cultivators¡¯ attentions.


    ¡°Put me down,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle him.¡±


    Red stared at her in silence.


    Lady Ilse seemed to guess his thoughts. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. This time it will work for sure.¡±


    He looked at Pierre, who hesitated for a second but nodded. He seemed to put faith in Lady Ilse¡¯s abilities.


    Red then did as she asked and set her on the ground. The woman tried to get up, only to stumble and fall down onto her knees.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    On the other side of the rooftop, Nikon finally climbed out of the debris and looked in their direction. His metallic body seemed to have grown as his clothes started to burst at the seams. He stared in their direction with hatred.


    ¡°Decided to stop running?!¡±


    Nikon started running towards them, the wooden rooftop cracking with his every step.


    Red was about to pick up Lady Ilse and start running again, but then he noticed the air around her change. An aura of dark Spiritual Energy started to form around her body and her fluctuation underwent a subtle change, but one that he was familiar with and could never miss.


    ¡®Demonic corruption?¡¯


    Before he could make sense of what was going on, Lady Ilse raised her hand and pointed her shadowed finger in Nikon¡¯s direction. Strange words came from under her mask and the Spiritual Energy around her suddenly diminished. No bolt of darkness or other type of spell shot out from her finger, but instead, the energy seemed to simply disappear, leaving Red confused.


    A second later, Nikon screamed in agony and fell down to one knee. There were no changes to his body to indicate a wound, but his fluctuation started to grow weaker, as if an unseen force was suppressing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hex!¡±


    Aurelia''s timely explanation reached Red¡¯s ears, the woman sounding no less surprised than he was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s run while he¡¯s like that,¡± Lady Ilse said, the dark aura disappearing.


    She was struggling to stay awake after casting the mysterious spell. Red didn¡¯t protest, suppressing his questions and suspicions for now as they sought to flee from the slums and left an agonizing Nikon behind.


    The entire marketplace was abuzz with tension and fear. People were wondering whether another disaster had struck the city, and both merchants and customers were scrambling to leave the slums before they were caught in the middle of it. This offered the trio enough cover to retreat without notice.


    ¡°We¡¯re going into another passage,¡± Pierre said as he guided them. ¡°We need to make sure we are not being followed before going back to the manor.¡±


    Red nodded. He also noted how Pierre didn¡¯t seem to question Lady Ilse¡¯s earlier actions, though that kind of composure in the face of danger was to be expected of a guard, and it didn¡¯t necessarily indicate that the young man knew about her powers before this.


    They hid in another warehouse they had prepared beforehand, and Lady Ilse finally fell unconscious. This left Pierre and Red alone as they kept watch for anyone approaching their location.


    ¡°Did you know about her powers?¡± Red finally took the opportunity to ask.


    ¡°¡­Lady Ilse¡¯s abilities have always been strange. This didn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Pierre said.


    That seemed to indicate he had his suspicions about the matter before.


    ¡°Do the others know?¡±


    ¡°No, and I¡¯d like to keep it that way. What matters is that she risked exposing herself to help us. It¡¯s her secret to tell¡­¡± Pierre trailed off.


    Red didn¡¯t ask anything else.


    It took them a few hours before they were sure no one was following them, the length of which Lady Ilse was entirely unconscious for. Guard patrols increased through the streets in response to the accident from earlier, but Pierre deliberately chose their hiding place to avoid them, so they were never found.


    The trio then returned to the Fairclough manor through the secret passage, upon which a group of alarmed servants quickly took the unconscious Lady Ilse from Red¡¯s hands and took her to her bedroom. Neither Pierre nor Red lingered in the place for too long, as they both needed to return to their homes before suspicion arose.


    ¡°Do you have an alibi?¡± Red asked the guard before they parted ways.


    ¡°I do, though it is not perfect,¡± Pierre said. ¡°Still, I doubt much will come out of this investigation since the Chalice wants to cover up for their mistakes. Some nobles might have died under their protection, after all¡­¡±


    ¡®And one of their guards is a demonic cultivator.¡¯


    Red left that part unsaid. Demonic corruption wasn¡¯t necessarily obvious unless you came in contact with it for long enough or it was strong enough to leave a mark behind. Nikon¡¯s abilities were mostly physical, but he left quite a few marks of his corrupted purple energy behind with his punches, so it was likely a strong cultivator could pick up on this abnormality.


    ¡®Unless they find a way to erase the corruption.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t out of the realm of possibility for a cult whose aim was to stay hidden from authorities. In fact, Red still thought Nikon¡¯s actions earlier were quite reckless and possibly harmful to his cult, but demonic cultivators weren¡¯t known for being calm and rational.


    ¡®He was¡­ Very strong.¡¯


    With pain still lingering in his chest, Red returned to his manor, ready to reflect on what had just happened. After confirming there was no suspicious activity in the surrounding houses, he stepped foot inside through the upper floor window.


    A second later, though, a message arrived to one of his transmitting talismans. It was from Lady Ilse.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 468 - Lady Ilses Nightmare

    Red debated delaying the meeting so he could discuss things with Aurelia first. However, Lady Ilse¡¯s voice seemed to imply the matter was urgent.


    So instead, he asked Aurelia the most pertinent question.


    ¡°Did you recognize her technique?¡±


    ¡°It was a hex, but I can¡¯t say I know the technique,¡± Aurelia said, sounding as if she was also in deep thought.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s from a cult?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible to say. Your blood techniques aren¡¯t from a cult either, so she could have developed them on her own or have come across a recorded Spiritual Art.¡±


    ¡°Then who¡­¡± Red trailed off.


    ¡®¡­Who is it from?¡¯


    As far as he understood, although demonic techniques weren¡¯t necessarily related to a cult or worship, their powers were always associated with an archdemon¡¯s domain. Red¡¯s blood powers came from the being within his body, whom he suspected to have been an archdemon or something close to that level at some point, so Lady Ilse''s techniques intersected with a similar existence. However, he knew it wasn¡¯t wise to ponder upon such matters aloud.


    Aurelia scoffed, as if reading his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s good you can rein in your curiosity now. Besides, darkness and shadows are a domain shared by more than a few of them, and techniques from demonic sects weren¡¯t limited to just one type of corruption. So really, there is no way of knowing for certain.¡±


    Red was relieved his curious mind wasn¡¯t afforded the opportunity to ponder on this dangerous matter.


    ¡°However¡­¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice broke his brief reprieve. ¡°Perhaps the more important question is: now that you know she can use demonic techniques, what other parts of her skills can you cast suspicion on?¡±


    He closed his eyes, pondering for a second. Lady Ilse¡¯s primary focus was on alchemy, which wasn¡¯t necessarily connected to any archdemon that he knew about, but there was another skill of hers that stood out - something Aurelia had brought to his attention before.


    ¡®Her visions¡­¡¯


    As someone who knew about divination, the woman told him once that the way Lady Ilse described her visions was strange. There was not much to go on back then, but now that Red knew what she was capable of, an explanation presented itself.


    ¡°Her divination is also a demonic technique?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility, but there might also be other explanations,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°That¡¯s not what matters, though. Do you remember how she said she got her visions?¡±


    ¡°Through her dreams¡­¡±


    Red froze as the pieces clicked in his mind. From the little information available to the public, archdemons were described with brief and vague words, but one of them stood out as both being related to darkness and dreams.


    The Mare.


    As soon as Red came to that name, he tried to empty his mind of those thoughts. He didn¡¯t feel any lingering corruption or unease like with the Infernal Emperor, so this allowed him to relax somewhat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve realized it then,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Of course, that is just one suspect, but it fits the parameters quite well.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do with that information?¡±


    ¡°Just be prepared. The girl doesn¡¯t look like she is corrupted, but sometimes corruption is not very apparent on the surface. The influence of this being, in particular, has always been extremely hard to pinpoint, since it was the only archdemon that never had an organized cult,¡± she said, reminiscence in her voice. ¡°Though maybe that too has changed since my time.¡±


    Red took her warnings very seriously. Aurelia wasn¡¯t a paranoid person - in fact, she often told him he was too paranoid - which was why this was something he needed to take seriously.


    He focused on his crimson sense, and only after confirming there was no commotion on the streets did he leave through the second-floor window once again.


    ¡­


    Just like Pierre told him, their earlier incident hadn¡¯t caused that big of a commotion - at least not one that reached the inner city. Guards patrolled with the same frequency, and Red was able to sneak past them with no issue as he arrived at the Fairclough manor.


    He sensed Lady Ilse¡¯s fluctuation inside, right by a window on the second floor that was left conveniently open. She seemed to expect he wouldn¡¯t be paying a formal visit. When he got inside, he saw her sitting on a sofa, wearing a sleeping gown as she looked down at a box in her hands.


    Red recognized it to be the pill box she used earlier to stun the auditorium, though there was no pill inside.


    ¡°It should have worked,¡± she said without looking up, her voice still quite weak. ¡°Even a Greater Ring Realm cultivator would have disoriented for a second or two.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a demonic cultivator,¡± Red said.


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    Lady Ilse froze and looked up at him. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though I¡¯m unsure how his abilities work. For him to use them so freely in front of so many people, I assume he must have something to rely on to not give his identity away.¡±


    ¡°I see. That certainly makes this failure more digestible,¡± she put the box down. ¡°Then I suppose I must explain-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also a demonic cultivator.¡±


    Her face changed for a second, though she seemed more surprised at his bluntness than at his words.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call myself that, though I suppose if knowing a demonic technique is all it takes to be a demonic cultivator, then yes,¡± she nodded, studying his reaction beneath his mask. ¡°You seem rather unbothered by this revelation. Is there a reason for that?¡±


    She looked at him with a frown. Her strange question and expression seemed to indicate she was expecting something. Red saw that her face and posture displayed confidence, though her fluctuation was in a state of unease, as if she was fearing for the worst.


    Her words made it clear to him what she was expecting from him.


    ¡°When did you find out?¡± He asked.


    She let out a sigh of relief, and some of the hidden tension in her body disappeared.


    ¡°After your fight in the workshop, I sensed something strange and familiar at the same time,¡± Lady Ilse said. ¡°I¡¯ve been in constant contact with demonic corruption my entire life, so I¡¯ve become sensitive to its presence.¡±


    ¡°You knew I was a demonic cultivator and still covered for me?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Of course! What kind of hypocrite would I be if I sold you out instead? Besides¡­ I know that just because you use those arts, it doesn¡¯t make you a bad person.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°It seems like a big risk to take with all the cultists in the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a risk at all. Leon trusts you, and you¡¯ve proved yourself to be a decent person a few times already.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    ¡°How did you come across your powers?¡± Lady Ilse asked, some eagerness in her voice.


    Red hesitated to answer. ¡°¡­They were forced on me.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. In truth, you didn¡¯t strike me as the kind of person to choose this path of your own volition. I was also¡­ ¡®granted¡¯ these powers through no choice of my own.¡±


    ¡°Was it through your dreams?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± This time, she seemed shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°The way you describe your divinations has always been strange. After I found out you were a demonic cultivator, it made sense.¡±


    She crossed her arms in displeasure. ¡°You have misunderstood. Yes, my demonic powers came from my dream, but my divinations are most certainly not a demonic technique.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, and the two of them stared at each other in silence.


    Lady Ilse shifted on the sofa. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what happened?¡±


    ¡°You mean you would tell me?¡± He asked, confused.


    ¡°Yes, of course! I mean¡­¡± She stood straighter. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it give you peace of mind?¡±


    ¡°In some ways, I suppose.¡±


    Lady Ilse smiled and pointed at the chair across from her. ¡°Sit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather stand.¡±


    ¡°Just sit down and listen to the story!¡±


    Red sighed and decided to not argue with her. He took his seat, and she began her tale.


    ¡°Well, the story is simple. Since I was younger, I¡¯ve been plagued by nightmares. At first, my parents assumed it was nothing to worry about, but at some point, these nightmares became prophetic, and the things I described to them came to pass. Murders, disasters, deaths - all kinds of malign events I saw in my dream became a reality in real life. Some in my family thought I was somehow responsible for them, though thankfully my father was more knowledgeable about demons and contacted one of his friends - a powerful rogue cultivator.¡± She paused and gave Red a deep look. ¡°Since you were able to guess about my dreams, you should know the entity responsible for what I was going through, right?¡±


    He nodded. The Mare, the archdemon of the night and the bringer of nightmares. It was one of the most elusive archdemons - an entity that could corrupt through dreams, something not even powerful cultivators could guard against.


    She continued. ¡°That cultivator could tell that I was being corrupted by that¡­ thing. Unfortunately, exorcising someone¡¯s nightmare is something only cultivators from the Divine Dream Sect can do, and my father didn¡¯t have the means to summon them for help, even as a noble. So instead, he bought me one of their techniques - ¡®A Distant Dream¡¯. It is a dream divination technique, and it could be used as a way to counteract the nightmares and stop the corruption from spreading further.¡±


    ¡°¡®A Distant Dream¡¯?!¡± Aurelia¡¯s shocked voice reached Red¡¯s ears. ¡°What nonsense is this? It¡¯s a core technique of the Divine Dream Sect. It has never been for sale and they would kill anyone from outside their sect with it!¡±


    He frowned at this revelation. ¡°¡®A Distant Dream¡¯? Your father was able to buy a sect¡¯s technique for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though in truth, to this day I am not entirely sure of the price he paid,¡± she grimaced. ¡°And I¡¯ll never be able to find it out.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not what matters! Let me finish the story,¡± Lady Ilse cut him off. ¡°Perhaps unsurprisingly, I proved to be talented with divination and was able to advance in the technique very quickly. The nightmares didn¡¯t stop entirely, but their frequency decreased, and the corruption no longer spread in my body.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain how you learned that strange technique.¡±


    ¡°The hex?¡± She frowned. ¡°That was something I learned from my nightmares. Although they often presented me with horrific visions, there was also knowledge to be gleamed from them. In fact, I would have avoided learning them if I could, but once I saw them in my nightmares, the information was etched in my mind, and I couldn¡¯t forget it.¡±


    Red found the entire situation to be strange. Why would a nightmare present someone with means to get stronger?


    ¡°Perhaps it was trying to convert you into a believer through the technique¡¯s corruption,¡± he said.


    ¡°I thought that too, which is why I avoided practicing them for a long while. However, when you have a powerful tool at your disposal and your life is on the line, you would be a fool to not use it out of fear of corruption. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Red sighed and nodded. How could he disagree considering what he did in the past? He was, however, reminded of Aurelia¡¯s earlier warning.


    ¡°You are confident that you can control your corruption?¡±


    Lady Ilse seemed somewhat offended at the question. ¡°I assure you, I take Cleansing Pills on set intervals and have demonology specialists examine me for corruption every year. I do everything within my means to ensure the corruption does not influence me.¡±


    Indeed, if there was something more she could do to help herself, Red didn¡¯t know what it could be. This didn¡¯t mean he was completely reassured considering the source of her corruption, but this wasn¡¯t something he could bring up to her.


    ¡°Your friends, do they know this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, though Pierre has probably always suspected it. In this city, only my sister and the king know about it. And now you too, I suppose,¡± Lady Ilse stared at him. ¡°I would appreciate if you told no one else about it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Red nodded. ¡°Though I¡¯d like to ask a question.¡±


    Since he heard Aurelia mention hexes, he couldn¡¯t help but get an idea.


    ¡°You said you know hexes, right? How well?¡±


    ¡°That is a broad question¡­ However, I have reached mastery in hex arts.¡±


    ¡®Mastery?¡¯


    She barely practiced them, and she was already a hex master. It seemed her nightmares imparted to her with more than just techniques.


    ¡°Then do you think you could help remove a hex from someone¡¯s soul?¡±


    Red was, of course, referring to Yrsa, Rimold¡¯s sister, who was cursed by a hex.

 Chapter 469 - Treatment Plan

    ¡°From someone¡¯s soul?¡± Lady Ilse frowned. ¡°I can only cast hexes on the physical body. I can¡¯t interact with souls at my cultivation level.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s impossible?¡± Red asked, still holding onto some hope.


    She went quiet, her expression displaying deep contemplation.


    ¡°Who is this person that has been cursed with a soul hex?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mortal. That¡¯s all I can say for now.¡±


    ¡°A mortal? Why would they use a soul hex on a- wait, unless¡­ Could it be a bloodline curse?¡±


    Red was surprised that she was able to arrive to the same conclusion as Aurelia so quickly. However, he didn¡¯t respond.


    Lady Ilse sighed at his silence. ¡°Look, there are some things I could try. If I knew the structure of the hex and its effects, I could theoretically devise a way to break the curse. It might be difficult, but I believe it¡¯s possible. The problem is, though¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t interact with her soul.¡± Red finished her sentence.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My alchemy is also not at a high enough level to concoct a medicine that is capable of affecting the soul, and I have no other way to interact with it.¡±


    ¡°Then, if someone was capable of interacting with the soul, could you break the spell through them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple¡­ Wait, you know someone who can do that?¡± Her eyes showed some measure of alarm.


    The implications behind Red¡¯s statement were obvious. Souls were the realm of Spiritual Awakening cultivators, so if someone could interact with them, it meant one thing.


    ¡°I might, but it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Red tried to correct the misunderstanding at once.


    Lady Ilse still seemed suspicious, but she didn¡¯t pursue the matter. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not that simple. Even if you had someone like that, they would need to have some mastery over hexes and anti-curse magic, not to mention extremely precise control over Spiritual Energy so as not to harm the soul. In that sense, not even some sect cultivator might be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Aurelia, who had remained silent despite Red¡¯s obvious plan, appeared beside Lady Ilse. She looked down at the younger woman with a sneer. ¡°She thinks I can¡¯t do something so simple? The only reason I didn¡¯t cure that girl on the spot is because I can¡¯t do the research on my own! Tell her I can definitely do it!¡±


    ¡°As long as you can devise a working plan, you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with the execution,¡± Red said.


    ¡°Truly?¡± Lady Ilse seemed skeptical.


    ¡°It¡¯s as I said. The only question is, can you do it?¡±


    She seemed conflicted for a second. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly answer that without seeing the hex first.¡±


    ¡°What do you need, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I need to examine the victim myself and get an accurate depiction of the hex. I assume your¡­ associate could provide me with that, correct?¡±


    Red gazed over at Aurelia, who just snorted in response.


    ¡°They can do it.¡±


    ¡°Then I can only promise I will do everything within my power to help you.¡±


    Red nodded, feeling a large weight lifted from his shoulder. ¡°How much would that cost me?¡±


    Lady Ilse looked at him with a strange expression. ¡°Cost? There¡¯s no need to pay me anything. This is just a favor for a friend.¡±


    ¡®A friend?¡¯


    He frowned, but didn¡¯t insist on offering payment. The truth was that her assistance was invaluable, and he didn¡¯t know if he could find anything to repay her with.


    ¡°Can I bring them over here, then?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Yes, but be aware that they might need to remain here for a long time so I can do my research. Will that be a problem?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer immediately.


    This was a problem. In fact, it was a big one.


    Assuming Yrsa was being watched by imperial agents, what would they think if she suddenly disappeared? Would they suspect Red was behind it? He needed to be careful with how he approached this.


    ¡°Could you keep someone hidden in here?¡±


    ¡°It depends. Will someone be looking for them?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not an issue.¡±


    Red nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them here over the next few days. I need some time to prepare.¡±


    Lady Ilse nodded back, and he turned around to leave. As he hopped onto the windowsill, though, he paused and looked back at her.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for her response before soaring down to the streets below.


    ¡­


    After arriving at his manor, Red once again confirmed surveillance around it hadn¡¯t increased. Then he went over to the imp, who jumped at his sudden appearance.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re alive! N-Not that I had any doubts¡­¡± Emer looked around in embarrassment. ¡°Did you do it? Did you kill him?¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t shared the specifics with the imp, he had told of their assassination plan beforehand.


    Red took off his mask and frowned as he looked around. ¡°Did anyone come by? Why does the room look like this?¡±


    Someone had swept all the dust and gathered from the ground.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The imp shivered. ¡°I-I took the liberty of ordering the maid to clean your workshop, master¡­ I-I swear I didn¡¯t touch any of your tools!¡±


    The soulless old maid was waiting by the corner of the room, carrying a broom and with a blank stare plastered across her face. She had always been so unobtrusive that he almost forgot she existed.


    ¡®I¡¯ll need to deal with her at some point.¡¯


    Red couldn¡¯t bring her soul back, but he also wasn¡¯t cruel enough to simply kill her. He hoped to turn her to the authorities at some point so she may be reunited with her family, but he couldn¡¯t do this right now without the risk of exposing himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Putting the matter to the back of his mind, he looked back at the imp. ¡°And no, we didn¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ T-That is extremely unfortunate.¡±


    The imp¡¯s disappointment was evident, but Red ignored it.


    ¡°I have a question for you. How did your cult disguise their demonic corruption?¡±


    ¡°Disguise it?¡± The demon was in thought for a bit. ¡°We¡­ I-I mean, they mostly avoided using demonic techniques in public.¡±


    ¡°So they never had to clean away the lingering corruption?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they did, but I wasn¡¯t part of the process. From what I learned from my brother, though, it has something to do with their star symbol.¡±


    ¡®The necklace?¡¯


    Red had almost forgotten about the symbol. He didn¡¯t dare to investigate it back then, but he knew it could be used to communicate with other cult members, and it also allowed Emer to identify Red as a demonic cultivator. Now, he had learned it might also be capable of disguising demonic corruption.


    ¡°Is there anything else this necklace can do?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It can also be used as a focus for rituals, and probably other things. I-I¡¯m sorry, master, but I wasn¡¯t privy to all its functions.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how they are made, or who makes them, for that matter?¡±


    ¡°Who makes them¡­?¡± The imp seemed at a loss. ¡°N-No, now that you mention it, I have never seen them being made. Our superiors always gave them to new recruits, but I never saw where they got it from.¡±


    ¡®So it might be some sort of Spiritual Artifact?¡¯


    Red knew that these symbols had some magical functions, but he always assumed their uniqueness came from a symbolic connection with the Infernal Emperor. Now, it seemed there was something special in their make, too.


    He dismissed the imp to another room along with the maid and sat down to contemplate some matters.


    ¡°What do you make of this?¡± Red asked as Aurelia manifested across from him.


    She sat cross-legged, unbothered by her long dress, if this was even possible for ghosts.


    ¡°The symbol?¡± She rubbed her chin in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of similar devices before, but they emitted far more Spiritual Energy, like an artifact would. Those symbols they carried had no such energy, at least not the amount required to do something so difficult as cleansing corruption. So either the imp is mistaken or there has to be some way to activate it he is unaware of.¡±


    ¡®If only we had them on hand, we could¡­¡¯


    Red cut this thought short. Even if he had them on hand, would he dare to investigate it?


    He sighed and changed topics. ¡°What do you make of Ilse¡¯s story?¡±


    ¡°Bah! I still refuse to believe she got her hands on that technique, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t sense she was lying.¡±


    ¡°Has a core technique from a sect ever been leaked before?¡±


    ¡°They have. All disciples are kept under magical oath to not share the sect¡¯s techniques, though, so such occurrences are extremely rare and quickly dealt with.¡±


    ¡°And the other sects, do they not take advantage of this to learn another sect¡¯s techniques?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rogue cultivator¡¯s outlook on things,¡± Aurelia looked at him as if he was a fool. ¡°A sect is more than just their techniques, it¡¯s also about spirit and doctrines. Even if they stole another sect¡¯s technique, what use would it be for them if it conflicted with their teachings?¡±


    ¡°Still, they could study them for weaknesses and improve their own methods.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but there¡¯s no need to go so far as stealing. Sects constantly fought each other, so they knew how to deal with each other¡¯s techniques better than anyone else. Of course, the reason such thefts didn¡¯t happen was because there was little benefit while inviting too much risk on themselves, so it wasn¡¯t worth it for them.¡±


    ¡°Then how could she come across that technique?¡±


    ¡°¡®A Distant Dream¡¯¡­¡± Aurelia seemed to be reminiscing. ¡°It¡¯s the standard divination technique of inner disciples of the Divine Dream Sect. Leaking it is tantamount to treason of the highest degree, and I assure you that their sect, above all other sects, has several means of ascertaining if one of their techniques is being practiced by a non-disciple.¡±


    Red followed her logic to its natural conclusion. ¡°So this means that either she is practicing a different technique, or she has the sect¡¯s permission to use it.¡±


    ¡°The latter is even more absurd! Why would they grant permission to a non-disciple? If they feel she had potential as a recruit, then they would have recruited her to their sect a long time ago.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t able to offer a counter-argument to that. There might have been strange circumstances behind the matter that allowed this deal to come to pass, but he had no way to investigate it and neither did Lady Ilse, so he decided to explore the remaining option.


    ¡°Why would they give her a fake technique?¡± Red asked. ¡°The effects still seem real and naming it that would only serve to invite danger to her.¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Aurelia glared at him. ¡°Stop pondering over useless matters. No matter the reason, there is something suspicious about her story, whether she knows it or not.¡±


    Her implications were left unsaid, but Red knew what she meant with that gaze.


    ¡®Don¡¯t trust her.¡¯


    He still felt somewhat conflicted over the matter, but further discussion with Aurelia was pointless.


    ¡°What about Nikon? Do you have any insights into his ability?¡±


    ¡°Not beyond what you already know,¡± She shrugged and leaned back. ¡°His technique consists of absorbing energy into reinforcing his body into becoming a sturdy metal. It is an ingenious combination of essence and bodily cultivation, but I¡¯m not sure it is without its flaws.¡±


    Red¡¯s attention was piqued by her words. ¡°You have figured out a flaw in the technique?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. However, you need to understand how strong this ability is for a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. Only Spirit Core cultivators can do something similar by assimilating ambient Spirit Energy into their own techniques, so I sincerely doubt someone so much weaker can do the same with no limitations, regardless of being a demonic cultivator or not.¡±


    ¡®So, there is a flaw involved?¡¯


    Red closed his eyes and thought back to their battle. Other than Nikon¡¯s temper, he couldn¡¯t recall anything that stood out as a weakness in his technique. Maybe there was a limit or a side-effect that would appear eventually, but he could only probe that the next time they fought.


    ¡®The next time¡­¡¯


    For some reason, he assumed there would be a next time, as if it was a foregone conclusion. Perhaps now that he was actively resisting the cults, it was only a matter of time before he met up with Nikon again.


    With most immediate concerns addressed, Red took out the disassembled mannequin from his bag. Aurelia¡¯s eye twitched when she saw it.


    Red started to assemble the puppet. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t do it, but-¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Her figure vanished into thin air.

 Chapter 470 - Puppets Body

    Red felt a headache incoming. He didn¡¯t have much experience convincing people to do things, and when he did, he often relied on logical arguments. Logic wasn¡¯t what Aurelia was basing her decision on, however.


    ¡°There is a risk that the crystal core might be discovered,¡± Red said. ¡°Hiding it inside the puppet protects us both.¡±


    He had been lax with protecting the moonstone core, and that was because it didn¡¯t emit strong Spiritual Energy, and even if someone noticed, they wouldn¡¯t be familiar with the strange energy. However, this was a risky gamble. Stronger cultivators would definitely sense it if they examined Red, and if someone familiar with necromancy noticed it, then his safety would be in jeopardy. If he lost the moonstone core, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the curse when it inevitably returned, and Aurelia would also lose her freedom, since her soul was trapped inside of it.


    The puppet would be able to both hide the core and give Aurelia a means to defend herself or flee if they were threatened. As for whether she would run away? There was no reason for her to, since their fates were tied together, and even if she did, he would still have the controlling disc for the puppet which could track and deactivate it as necessary.


    His appeal, however, didn¡¯t seem to move the woman, so Red used the other reason he came up with.


    ¡°I would also like your help with training.¡±


    This time, Aurelia responded with a snort. ¡°How would I be able to help you with the body of a useless puppet?¡±


    Red noticed this line of thought seemed to move her.


    ¡°My progress with swordsmanship is not quick enough. At this rate, it might take me a year or more to master the sword arts.¡±


    ¡°And what would you have me do? I¡¯m a saber master, not a sword master!¡±


    ¡°No, but you could spar with me.¡±


    Red was never the type to passively train in quiet and peace, as much as he wanted to. From back in the mines with Viran all they to his training session with Domeron, he always pushed his progress by sparring against people far more skilled than him. Practical combat was, of course, also a good alternative, but it was hard to find in the middle of a city.


    This was where Aurelia would come in - not just a sect disciple, but a core one at that. She was probably superior to both Domeron and Viran when it came to skill foundation.


    ¡°¡­ You want to spar with me?¡± She asked, her voice filled with surprise.


    ¡°Yes. It would be the best way to speed up my training.¡±


    A few seconds of silence went by before Aurelia laughed, her mood suddenly shifting.


    ¡°Fine, I will be your sparring partner then!¡±


    Her words contained undisguised hostility, and it gave Red pause for a second. It went away, though, as he was prepared for this attitude when he came up with his plan.


    After assembling the puppet into its standing position, he opened its chest compartment and inserted the crystal core into it. He felt strange parting with the item after having it constantly by his side for so many years, but he knew this was for the best.


    Red closed the chest compartment and took a step back, examining the puppet. He took out the control disk, ready to activate it, but the puppet started moving on its own. Its movements were labored as its limbs jerked around without fluidity, which left him worried.


    In truth, when he suggested this plan, he wasn¡¯t too sure of its viability. Aurelia couldn¡¯t interact with physical objects, but she could still use the Spiritual Energy in the core to influence the world around her to some limited degree. Red¡¯s plan hinged on the fact she could use the core¡¯s Spiritual Energy to control the magical mechanisms of the puppet and thus move it on her own, but he didn¡¯t know how difficult that would be. If she struggled to move the puppet around, though, then this was too much of a risk.


    The puppet continued to test its movements, and to his relief, it was able to move its limbs more naturally. A few minutes later, it stopped moving and looked over at Red with its featureless wooden face.


    ¡°Can you¡­?¡±


    Red trailed off, as he realized he didn¡¯t know if the woman could communicate inside the wooden puppet. His concern was unfounded, though, as Aurelia¡¯s voice responded.


    ¡°I can speak properly, if that¡¯s your concern.¡±


    Right as she said that, Red heard a yelp from the other side of the house. He looked over and saw the imp, who had been busying himself organizing materials while its master spoke to himself, staring at the puppet in shock.


    ¡°M-Master, who is¡­?¡±


    A sudden realization hit Red as he looked back at the puppet.


    ¡°What, surprised?¡± Aurelia asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the manual? The puppet also has a voice function to transmit messages.¡±


    Red could visualize the smirk behind her words. Of course, he knew about this ability of the puppet, but he failed to consider the implications behind Aurelia having access to it.


    ¡°You, imp!¡± She looked over at Emer.


    ¡°Aahh! It can speak?!¡±


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    ¡°Be quiet, fool! Bring me all the clothes you have in the house. And be quick about it!¡±


    The imp was both confused and scared, looking over at Red for help. He hesitated for a second before nodding.


    ¡°Do as she says.¡±


    Emer was all too glad to get out of the room, moving upstairs with the maid to gather the clothes.


    Red then looked back at Aurelia.


    ¡°What do you need clothes for?¡±


    ¡°To wear, of course.¡± She said, as if it was obvious.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a puppet¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°So what? You are the one who told me to use this body, so I will make myself as comfortable as I want to while I use it. If you have a problem with it, then forget about asking me for help!¡±


    Red chose not to argue.


    Soon enough, the maid and the imp came downstairs carrying chests full of clothes. Aurelia barked orders at them to take out the clothing and show it to her, which the imp did with all haste.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to show her dissatisfaction.


    ¡°What is this garbage?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s clothes ma¡¯am. It¡¯s everything we have in the-¡±


    ¡°I know what it is! I mean, why is it all men¡¯s clothing?¡±


    The imp seemed at a loss. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it was just me and my brother living here¡­ There were no women other than the maid.¡±


    ¡°Bring me her clothing, then!¡±


    They brought them over, but Aurelia wasn¡¯t any happier.


    ¡°Too large! Too old! Horrible tailoring! None of this will work!¡±


    The imp looked up at his master, on the verge of tears.


    ¡°These are all the clothes we have. Any of them will suffice for now,¡± Red said.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t! Just because you spent your entirely life clothed like a vagrant doesn¡¯t mean I will do the same. I want clothes worthy of a sect¡¯s disciple!¡±


    Red sighed. For a second, he thought she was just making his life difficult, but her tone was sincere. This was clearly a very important matter to her.


    ¡°I can try to sew you a dress.¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°What do you know about sewing dresses? With your eye for style on top of it? I would rather go naked!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then what would you have me do?¡±


    ¡°Let me buy my clothing.¡±


    ¡°That is a terrible idea.¡±


    Bringing a puppet to shop for her clothing would evidently attract a lot of attention.


    Aurelia was displeased, but she also recognized the risk. ¡°Ask one of your female friends, then. That merchant girl can probably get anything you ask her.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly should I ask her?¡±


    ¡°Ask for her best dresses, preferably ones that still allow freedom of movement but that are also of quality-materials and style. Orange ones would be better, but I can also make do with brown and yellow. Not green, though! Also, ask her for light shoes, black preferably, but it depends on if it matches with the dress. Don¡¯t forget to ask for a wig too, but make sure it matches my hair color. It is a soft black color, and not jet black¡­¡±


    Red closed his eyes as Aurelia went on and on about her preferences.


    ¡­


    Dawn approached, during which Aurelia continued to pester the imp. She started to make adjustments to her puppet body, carving the wood to better fit her feminine figure while avoiding damaging the arcane lines which allowed it to move. However, she wasn¡¯t able to change too much, and she made sure Red heard her complaints.


    ¡°To think you are making me use such a useless puppet for a body! It doesn¡¯t even have a function to customize its features. I¡¯m not even able to shape my chest without destroying it.¡±


    At the end, Aurelia decided against carving facial features, instead only modifying her limbs and torso. Red was all too eager to move past this, so as soon as morning arrived, he made ready to use a communication talisman to call upon Marina.


    To his surprise, though, she was the one who called first.


    ¡°Master Viran, would it trouble you to meet up in our guild¡¯s headquarters as soon as possible?¡±


    Her voice was full of worry, with none of the relaxed and laid back tone the merchant¡¯s daughter carried herself with most of the time. Red could guess why.


    ¡°I am on my way.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take him long to arrive. Walking through the streets, Red heard no mention in conversation about the confrontation in the slums from last night, which could only mean the news were suppressed by authorities. This gave him some relief, as it meant no wide searches for the culprits would be conducted, but it also meant he wouldn¡¯t know how or if any investigations were being conducted.


    No guards spared him a suspicious glance as he soon arrive at the Lehmann¡¯s headquarters, which remained closed. A servant brought him inside and to the upper floors, to a room where Marina waited, pacing around nervously while waving her fan.


    She looked over at him with a nervous expression as soon as he arrived.


    ¡°Were you and Lady Ilse behind what happened?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Red answered with a question of his own.


    She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. ¡°You mean you truly don¡¯t know? There was an accident in one of the auctions the Golden Hand was conducting from the shadows in the black market yesterday. News haven¡¯t spread about it to the public, but word is that plenty of royal officials and even a few nobles died because of a group of assassins last night. The entire royal court is in chaos demanding for the Golden Hand to give them an explanation!¡±


    ¡°And why are you asking if I was involved?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Marina hesitated, looking around as if worried someone was spying on them. ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, Master Viran, but I have known Lady Ilse for years, and I know how ruthless she can be. I was worried something like this would happen when we told you two that we would be breaking off the deal, and now all of a sudden this disaster happens to the Golden Hand! How could I not be suspicious of her?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered why you think I was involved.¡±


    She seemed somewhat reluctant to reply. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You two are business partners, so she would approach you first about such a matter. Not to mention¡­ You fit the part of an assassin very well with your mask and attitude.¡±


    ¡°If you harbor such suspicions, you should clarify them with Lady Ilse herself,¡± Red said. ¡°Golden Hand has provoked plenty of other factions who would have reason to target them as well, so while your suspicion is not unfounded, it is not the only explanation. All I can tell you for certain is that if I was behind this attack, I would never involve innocent bystanders in my revenge, and I don¡¯t believe Lady Ilse would, either.¡±


    When she heard this, some of the tension in Marina¡¯s shoulders seemed to leave her body. ¡°I know, I know. I-I shouldn¡¯t have even asked you so directly. It¡¯s just that when I heard how many people were killed, I just¡­ Still, even if you two weren¡¯t involved, you can expect people in court to throw a suspicious glance your way at the very least.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± Red knew that was a possibility, but it was a risk he was willing to take when he accepted Lady Ilse¡¯s proposal.


    Besides, he knew there were certain things that the Golden Hand wouldn¡¯t want to have revealed about that accident, least of which how one of their bodyguards was responsible for killing their clients, not the assassins themselves. With that in mind, they would also be very careful in conducting their investigations.


    ¡°You really do need to be careful, Master Viran¡­¡± Marina stared at him with a serious gaze. ¡°In the past, I feel like I could predict the movements and actions of the court, but these days¡­ It feels like their decisions are being influenced by things I don¡¯t even know about, beyond their reliance on the Golden Hand to fix their Aetheric Artifact even.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Red asked, not dismissing her worry out of hand.


    ¡°His Majesty King Thomas hasn¡¯t been as active in decision making as he was in the past. These days, he leaves most of the meetings in the hands of his ministers, and those who meet him say he has lost a lot of the vigor with which he carried himself in the past¡­ Almost as if he has resigned himself to his defeat.¡±


    ¡°Defeat?¡± He frowned. ¡°To the Empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It is possible he is considering surrender."

 Chapter 471 - Familiar Training

    ¡°What changed?¡± Red asked upon learning the news.


    If the city of Carlhanne truly fell to the Empire, a lot of his plans would be thwarted. Right now, this was one of the few places on the eastern side of the continent free of both imperial influence and far from any sects - an ideal base for him to cultivate. Any other country he wandered to, there would be an increased risk of exposure to a sect cultivator or imperial agent.


    ¡°Nothing changed,¡± Marina shook her head. ¡°We still are at peace for the moment, but the reality of the situation is probably setting in for his Majesty. He has explored every option to fight back, but all of them have serious drawbacks, the least of which would turn our entire country into a battlefield between the sects and the Empire.¡±


    ¡°What about the Aetheric Artifact then? Why waste his time fixing it?¡±


    The importance that the royal court put on fixing the artifact didn¡¯t seem to match the attitude of a country ready to surrender.¡±


    ¡°That is a point of contention, but some say it is a maneuver to discuss more favorable terms of surrender,¡± Marina shrugged. ¡±It also makes little sense to me, seeing as we are far from equal to the Empire to discuss any kind of surrender terms that benefit us. Of course, these are all rumours at the end of the day, but King Thomas¡¯ change in attitude is definitely something that has occurred.¡±


    ¡°Could others be spreading these rumours?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past them. Still, if it¡¯s coming from the royal court, that means troubling times are ahead of us.¡±


    Red frowned and looked down in thought. He imagined the cultists were the biggest danger in the city, but now there might even be nobles within the court pining for an imperial takeover. Was the Golden Hand also involved, considering their trade dealings with the Empire?


    ¡®This wouldn¡¯t necessarily benefit them.¡¯


    The Golden Hand was a trade organization, and their motto was to make a profit wherever they could. In the current tense political situation, there were plenty of opportunities to make a profit from both the Empire and Carlhanne, whereas if the Empire took over, then the need for their services would severely diminish. The best possible situation for them was if this conflict extended for as long as possible.


    ¡®Then if it¡¯s not them¡­ Does that mean the Empire has agents in the royal court?¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t too far-fetched. There were imperial sympathizers amidst the nobles who saw a brighter future for their country under the Empire, but none outright supported the foreign power in fears of being branded a traitor. However, that did not mean they couldn¡¯t be moved to action with the right offer.


    For instance, if the Empire offered one of the noble families the right to rule the city after their takeover, would there be no one that took the offer? No, some of them would be only too eager for the opportunity to ascend as a royal family.


    Red looked back at Marina and nodded.


    ¡°I understand. I will be careful.¡±


    He truly meant it. Given the tense political climate in the city, there was no telling if laws or conventions would stop someone in power from making a move against him if they wanted to.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Marina nodded. ¡°I know that we are no longer trade partners, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t support your other endeavors, either. Do you need any materials for talismans or formations? Given what happened, we won¡¯t charge you anything for it now.¡±


    Red was about to refuse, but he caught himself. Considering how much money he owned to Lady Ilse, could he be refusing these acts of kindness?


    ¡°¡­I will keep that in mind, but right now, I need something else.¡±


    Marina looked both surprised and relieved that he accepted her offer. ¡°What is it, Master Viran? As long as it¡¯s within my power, I can get it for you.¡±


    ¡°I need dresses.¡±


    She seemed at a loss. ¡°Dresses?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and a wig too.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see. And might I ask¡­ Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. I will get these for you. Do you have any preferences?¡±


    He recited Aurelia¡¯s long list of requirements, which he had memorized despite his unwillingness.


    ¡°Very well!¡± Marina nodded and stood up. ¡°I will make sure to pick them out and package them myself, so you don¡¯t need to worry about any of our employees knowing what they are delivering!¡±


    Red was confused, but just nodded along, and they soon parted ways.


    ¡­


    He returned home in the same carriage, and a few hours later, some servants from Lehmann¡¯s Traders delivered a lot of carefully packaged boxes. There were so many of them, Red thought Marina must have made a mistake.


    ¡°This is what Lady Lehmann told us to deliver, Master Viran,¡± one of the servants said. ¡°We can take it back if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Red was silent for a second before shaking his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Soon everything was inside, and before he could say anything, Aurelia came walking down the stairs.


    ¡°Are these the clothes? Are you sure you haven¡¯t forgotten anything?¡±


    Red took a second to respond as he stared at her puppet body, which he still wasn¡¯t used to. She had done her best to shape her features into her own likeness, while still leaving some details purposefully simple, since there was only so much you could do with a wooden puppet. It looked considerably more human than before, but that likeness seemed to bother him on an instinctual level.


    ¡°I ordered everything you asked.¡± He said. ¡°This is more than I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Aurelia looked over at a certain spot in the living room. ¡°Imp, help me open these boxes!¡±


    The imp jumped up in fright from a corner of the room he seemed to be hiding in.


    ¡°A-At once, Mistress!¡±


    He and the maid set about unboxing the items. Soon enough, an assortment of colored dresses, wigs, and other pieces of clothing were spread all over the room.


    Aurelia started to assess them carefully, and even though her puppet face remained unmoving, Red could tell the expression she was making behind it.


    ¡°Very low quality! I have seen rags in my sect weaved of better material!¡±


    ¡°Is this supposed to be a wig? Are you sure they didn¡¯t just take this from a mop?¡±


    ¡°Bah, this shoe doesn¡¯t even fit properly!¡±


    Instead of standing around listening to her complaints, Red walked over to the Spirit Gathering Formation and started to cultivate. It took over an hour of complaining and trying out the clothing before Aurelia seemed to settle on something.


    ¡°I guess these will have to do. The rest you can throw in the trash!¡±


    Red powered the formation down and looked over at the woman. She had tried her best to replicate the appearance she used while in her ghost form, albeit with some differences. Her puppet body wore a one-piece orange light dress that still allowed for leg movement, a long straight black hair that reached the middle of her back, and black shiny shoes that covered her wooden feet.


    Other than those, she set aside a handful of clothes and shoes, which she claimed she would use whenever she felt like it.


    ¡°Go and store these in a chest upstairs.¡± Aurelia waved at Emer without looking in his direction. ¡°And make sure you don¡¯t wrinkle them, you moron!¡±


    The imp was all too eager to flee the room, bringing the clothes upstairs with the help of the maid.


    With them gone, Aurelia turned to Red.


    ¡°So, how do I look?¡± Her tone seemed to indicate she wore a haughty smile on her face.


    ¡°You look like a puppet.¡±


    The woman froze, and he could sense her glare. A second later, her wooden body shimmered, and her wooden features were replaced by her previous lifelike appearance.


    Red was taken aback for a second before realizing what happened.


    ¡°You can still manifest your image inside that puppet¡¯s body?¡±


    Aurelia snorted. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s a simple matter to superimpose my image over this puppet¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°Only I can see you in that form, though.¡±


    ¡°So what? It¡¯s better than carrying around this wooden face all day!¡±


    He chose not to comment on her words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought sparring weapons too.¡± Red pointed at another box, where a handful of wooden weapons were lined up. He knew Aurelia practiced saber arts, though there were many types of sabers, so he had brought along every kind he could find, including some swords he could use as well.


    Of course, alongside these sparring weapons, were also real steel weapons. These were not meant for training traditionally, but Red had brought them along as well.


    ¡®If I¡¯m not mistaken, then she will choose¡­¡¯


    ¡°Bah! What¡¯s the need for sparring weapons?¡± She didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the wooden weapons before grabbing a steel saber. ¡°All proper training is done with real weapons. You should know that by this point.¡±


    The weapon she choose was a long saber, with a less pronounced curve and a blade that widened at its end. It was similar to the sabers Narcha used to wield, though a few times smaller.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Red nodded.


    He walked over, about to grab a steel sword, but Aurelia suddenly interrupted him.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±


    Red looked at her in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m picking a weapon.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You can use your wind-sword.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°That seems inappropriate.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Red was afraid of hurting Aurelia with his weapon. Rather, a normal steel weapon was to a Spiritual Artifact as butter was to a knife - a single clash of arms was all it would take for that non-magical armament to shatter into pieces. With such an advantage, even if Aurelia was much more skilled than him, there was little point in sparring.


    ¡°Just shut up and draw your sword,¡± she waved her hand, and a gust of wind cleared the room of all the clutter, opening a large space for moving.


    Granted, it was still a small space for cultivators who moved around so fast, but Red knew the limitation of movement forced one to be more calculated with their movements. It was a constraint that promoted improvement.


    He watched as the woman walked to the other side of the room and held the saber pointed down by the side of her body. He knew that nothing he said would convince her to reconsider, so he instead drew his claymore and stood opposite of her.


    ¡°You may take the first move,¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡®Do I?¡¯


    Red still remembered when they fought her while she was possessing Narcha¡¯s body. Back then, she was limited in how well she could use that body and still almost defeated him and his sect members. Now, she was using a Spiritual Artifact as a vessel, and no one was struggling against her possession. The last thing he would do in a combat situation against such an opponent was take the first move, but since he asked her for help in the first place, it wasn¡¯t like he had much of a choice.


    He held his sword up with both hands, pointed it at the woman, and charged. There was no Spiritual Art used in his movements, but with a single step and the blink of an eye, he already reached Aurelia. His claymore stabbed at her, and he used its length to probe her from a safe distance.


    She stared at him, her face containing none of her previous haughtiness. With the same swiftness as Red, she swung her saber up to clash against his claymore.


    It didn¡¯t seem as if her attempt at deflection carried the same weight as his attack, and yet, the moment their weapons clashed, he felt an enormous force redirecting his weapon away. Red almost stumbled, but managed to hold on to his balance.


    Yet, he didn¡¯t have time to recover.


    With a spin, Aurelia brought her saber to bear against him again, and he could only raise his weapon to block. Another clang rang through the room, and Red felt himself slide backwards under the force of the blow.


    Aurelia, however, didn¡¯t stop. She spun again and again, like a tornado, bringing her saber against Red from every angle, who could only do his best to block it. Not only that, but with every spin, her attacks seemed to get faster and stronger, and soon enough, he felt his claymore slipping from his grip.


    The woman seemed to take this opportunity, and with another spin, brought her saber down with a sudden increase in speed. Red wasn¡¯t fast enough to block it, and his claymore was sent flying away. The saber didn¡¯t stop, though, slashing down against his shoulder.


    Even with his improved physique and the normal weapon, Red felt his flesh rip against the slash. When he looked down, blood was running down his arm, though the wound closed on his own a few moments later.


    He looked up, staring at Aurelia, who had ceased her attacks and was smirking at him as she lowered her weapon.


    ¡°If all you do is defend, then you¡¯re just going to die.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond.


    The situation seemed all too familiar to him.

 Chapter 472 - A Realm Beyond

    Red stood up and stared at Aurelia, who grinned at him.


    ¡°What is it? I know this is not the first time you have trained like this.¡±


    ¡°How was there so much power behind your swings?¡± He asked.


    It was not surprising he lost. Aurelia was a legitimate Spiritual Awakening cultivator while she was alive and was more experienced and talented than him in her time. Rather, what puzzled him was how she could gather so much strength in her attacks using no Spiritual Energy.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so surprised.¡± The woman, like always, seemed to revel in any opportunity to flaunt her knowledge over Red. ¡°I was a Grandmaster in saber arts and it was the basis for my ascension into the Spiritual Awakening realm. You, on the other hand, haven¡¯t even mastered sword arts yet. The difference is not something you can understand even if you tried.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Red learned about mastery. To reach mastery in an art was to reach a level of skill most people couldn¡¯t even dream of, and above that still stood the realm of Grandmasters. Reaching grandmastery in an art was one of the requirements to advance into the Spiritual Awakening realm, though that was as much as he knew about it.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how proficiency allows you to do something that defies common sense.¡±


    ¡°Even if I tried to explain it, you wouldn¡¯t get it. Achieving a certain level of understanding in something does not mean you only get more skilled at something. Rather, you gain a new perspective into the world and its laws, as well as how to use them.¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Let me ask you this - you have reached mastery over wind arts, correct?¡±


    Red nodded. This was the only art he had mastery over, though he felt he was approaching a similar breakthrough with his Arcane Scripture as well.


    ¡°Then you must have noticed how easy it is for you to master and use wind spells and arts. Your wind blade spell, for instance, if you wanted to, do you feel like you could modify to make it stronger or faster?¡±


    He thought about the prospect for a second and nodded. ¡°With enough time, I could.¡±


    ¡°Then with those modifications, do you feel like the average Lesser Ring Realm cultivator could still use that spell as efficiently?¡±


    Red was taken aback by the question. ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    When he thought about how he could improve the wind blade spell, a lot of possibilities came to his mind. Without him noticing, though, his ideas were all using his innate understanding of how the wind element worked and his superior control, which not a lot of cultivators would have.


    ¡°This is what mastery over an art can afford you,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°Basic spells like fireball and wind blade remain unchanged even from my time because they are meant to be learned by any cultivator. A master of an elemental aspect could improve these spells by instinct alone, but the transformations behind that would be beyond the comprehension of your average cultivator. Of course, their time would be better spent learning stronger spells instead.¡±


    ¡°Then mastery can allow you to improve Spiritual Arts through innate understanding,¡± he nodded in understanding. ¡°Then what about being a grandmaster?¡±


    Aurelia gave him a wide smile. ¡°That allows me to tap into the laws of the world directly...¡±


    Red frowned, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    After seeing he wouldn¡¯t ask a question, she snorted and continued. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to explain how this works in detail, but think about it this way: the saber is above all a weapon for attacking with unwavering momentum! I can use that understanding I have of a saber as a weapon and dictate to the world: my attacks are powerful and unstoppable, and they will be so without me using a shred of Spiritual Energy. This way, even a kitchen knife can become a deadly saber.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fascinating.¡±


    Red couldn¡¯t help but express his wonder aloud. This was an aspect of cultivation he never knew about, and it made him more acutely aware of how important comprehension was to one¡¯s strength as well.


    ¡°Is there a limit to what this skill can do?¡± Red asked.


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    ¡°There are a few. If I were to use a sword, my mastery wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve the same effect, even though there are a lot of similarities between them. It is also not a replacement for Spiritual Arts, but rather a complement that allows you to reach a new level in strength.¡±


    ¡°I see. You also said that the saber is a very aggressive weapon, but what if someone saw it instead as a defensive weapon? Would they also be able to reach the Grandmaster level or use their comprehension in the same way?¡±


    Aurelia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an astute question. Sects, and even cultivators inside the same sect, have different interpretations of this. Technically, someone who used the saber as a purely defensive weapon could reach the grandmaster level the same way as me, but a lot of my elders would say they were following an unorthodox path that would lead them to a dead end in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think?¡± He noticed she claimed the opinion as her elders¡¯, not her own.


    She hesitated for a second. ¡°¡­I think every aspect of an art is an aspect that can be mastered. There are multiple types of sabers, some heavy and large, and others thin and light. So, while someone might choose an unorthodox and difficult path to follow, it does not necessarily mean they are wrong. Of course, as far as a sect is concerned, though, they don¡¯t want to waste their time teaching a disciple who doesn¡¯t mean to follow their tenets.¡±


    Red felt as if there was something else she didn¡¯t want to say, but he wasn¡¯t interested in prying, either.


    ¡®Viran was also a Spiritual Awakening cultivator once, but I never saw him display this type of strength¡­¡¯


    If he could fight like this back then, would he have died to the insectoid? The only guess Red could make was that his mastery wasn¡¯t something he could take advantage of without the use of Spiritual Energy - such as a natural element rather than a weapon art.


    ¡°I can understand why you are so strong now, but this doesn¡¯t seem like an advantage I can surmount,¡± Red said.


    He knew his own skills, and how much they lacked compared to someone who could manipulate the very laws of the world to their advantage. While he was not afraid of being on the receiving end of a beating, it was pointless if he couldn¡¯t learn anything out of it.


    Aurelia, however, snorted at his comment. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re an idiot. The intent was to train your sword arts, not just your combat skills. If you don¡¯t use your Spiritual Arts, then you don¡¯t even qualify as a sparring partner.¡±


    Red frowned and looked around. ¡°Use my Spiritual Arts here?¡±


    It was one thing to swing his sword around - thing could be cut and damaged, but it wouldn¡¯t cause too much destruction. His sword arts, however, could tear the entire manor apart and even damage his workshop.


    ¡°Take it as a challenge,¡± Aurelia said. ¡°For weapon arts, I find that control is much more important than raw power at your level. You barely know how to form a sword arc, so learning how to do that seamlessly in combat while limiting its strength should be the first thing you learn.¡±


    ¡°Is this what they taught you in the sect?¡±


    She glared at him before laughing. ¡°Me? Hah! I never needed help in learning how to control my saber energy.¡±


    For some reason, he doubted that very much.


    ¡­


    As expected, Red suffered no small amount of wounds in their training session. Perhaps knowing about his passive regeneration abilities and sturdy physique, Aurelia didn¡¯t hold back in cutting him, though she was never heavy-handed to leave behind deep wounds. It was a much bloodier and intensive affair compared to his training sessions with Viran and Domeron, and unlike in those, Red wasn¡¯t receiving useful feedback either.


    It wasn¡¯t that Aurelia didn¡¯t want to - even though he doubted she was as good of a teacher as his previous instructors. Rather, she didn¡¯t know sword arts, and while there were many similarities between a sword and a saber, she didn¡¯t want to cloud his understanding with her own.


    ¡°You are setting your foundation. If I told you about what I think you¡¯re doing wrong, then you¡¯d start using your sword like a saber instead.¡±


    Red agreed with her rationale, though he found that figuring out the intricacies behind swordplay by himself was much harder than he expected. Not only that, but he also needed to circulate his Spiritual Energy and form sword arcs at the same time - a task he continued to fail at.


    Yet, despite all that, he didn¡¯t find the training session nearly as mentally draining as the ones he had when he was younger. Perhaps it was because of his increased experience, or the fact he could see Aurelia smiling while attacking him as she let out all her centuries of frustration, but the entire ordeal was rather relaxing to him. It was an opportunity to improve in combat without the fear of death.


    It wasn¡¯t until a few hours had passed that Red finally succeeded in creating a sword arc under Aurelia¡¯s relentless attacks. It was small, unstable, and it barely left his blade before the woman redirected it towards the ceiling.


    A small explosion ensued, as wood splinters showered their heads. A shrill scream came from above, and the imp peered down at them from the hole that had been formed from the sword energy.


    ¡°M-Master, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Red said as he sheathed his sword. ¡°We were just finishing our training.¡±


    ¡°Already?!¡± Aurelia asked with displeasure.


    Red looked at her, surprised by her reaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two hours already, and there are other things I must do.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, just two hours and you¡¯re done?¡± Aurelia stabbed her saber into the ground and crossed her arms. ¡°We would have sparred for days on end if we were back in my sect.¡±


    ¡°You had the privilege of time back then. Right now, we have someone we need to kidnap.¡±


    ¡°¡­You mean that girl.¡±


    Red nodded. It had been some time since he had checked on Yrsa, and after learning of the rumours about an imperial takeover, he was worried that delaying action any further could cause unforeseen accidents.


    ¡°I have a plan, but it depends on if you¡¯re able to help.¡±


    ¡°Me? Help with what?¡± Aurelia stared at him in confusion.


    ¡°Can you use your undead energy to help fake someone¡¯s death?¡±

 Chapter 473 - Familiarity

    Aurelia seemed ready to protest, but caught herself. After a few seconds of silence, she responded.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it before.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it would work?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, though there is always a risk things could go wrong with that girl. Using something like a pill would be far easier.¡±


    ¡°Pills may also be more easily detected if someone were to do an examination. Your undeath energy could be easily disguised as death energy, which could come off of a deathly sick person.¡±


    Red was making some assumptions, but they had some basis in his previous encounters with undead creatures. Undead energy came from death energy, and even though the two were not the same, one could be disguised as the other. All it would take for that to happen is a cultivator skilled enough to make it happen.


    Aurelia looked thoughtful, seriously considering the suggestions.


    ¡°There are a few other problems,¡± she said. ¡°I would need to be close by to monitor her situation, as it is possible the undead energy could kill her outright. I also can¡¯t guarantee the disguise will hold if a stronger cultivator examines her.¡±


    ¡°How strong exactly?¡±


    ¡°A Greater Ring Realm cultivator might be able to see through it.¡±


    ¡®Would they put such a cultivator to spy on her?¡¯


    Red suspected the Empire was keeping an eye on Yrsa, but would they place such a strong cultivator just for watching a mortal? Not just that, but would such a cultivator even be able to infiltrate the city? They didn¡¯t necessarily have the same connections as the demonic cultists in this place.


    In the end, this was a risk he was willing to take.


    ¡°If such a cultivator appears, we¡¯ll deal with it then.¡±


    His plan was simple. Kidnapping Yrsa would arouse too much suspicion if the Imperials were indeed watching her, which was the last thing Red wanted to do. Instead, he planned on faking her death, have her be buried, and then unearth her body to sequester her in Lady Ilse¡¯s manor.


    It was a simple plan, which wouldn¡¯t arouse suspicion given the girl¡¯s sickly state. There were other factors that could come into play, but it was impossible to make specific plans for the unknown, so he could only deal with them if they ever came to pass.


    With his course of action decided, Red discussed the specifics with Aurelia and informed Lady Ilse to be ready to receive Yrsa over the course of the next few days.


    ¡­


    ¡°Yrsa, three meads to the gentlemen in armor near the entrance! Be quick, we have more people coming in!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Tulley!¡±


    Yrsa moved through the busy inn, weaving through rowdy and drunk customers as she picked up a plate with a set of tankards on top of it. When she lifted it up, though, her arms trembled, and she almost lost her balance.


    Tulley, who was busy filling more tankards, noticed this from the corner of his eye and looked at her with a worried frown.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? If you¡¯re not well, we can talk to one of the girls to-¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine!.¡± Yrsa cut him off and wandered off carrying the tankards.


    Her expression looked focused, with fine beads of sweat running down her forehead. Yet, if anyone paid attention to her, it was obvious she was trying her best to hide the strain she was under.


    Her body was weak, and it felt as if the simplest of tasks were becoming harder and harder for her to do. The medication didn¡¯t seem to have an effect anymore, and not only that, but the people from the Golden Hand said she wouldn¡¯t be receiving any more pills as they hadn¡¯t gotten payment from her brother in months. This wasn¡¯t something Tulley and his wife knew about, though.


    ¡®What happened to you, Rimold?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for her to not see him for months on end, but he had never missed a single payment for her medicine. This was a sign that something must have happened to him, and her worries increased when she heard the Empire had attacked a southern town some months ago, in the region where Rimold operated. Nothing had escalated from it, and the Royal Court hadn¡¯t retaliated either. Yet, some months before then, she had stopped getting word from her brother.


    ¡®What can I do?¡¯


    That question crossed her mind many times. She even considered going off on her own to search for her brother, but just around that time, her illness also worsened. Or maybe that was just an excuse she made for herself.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    As she delivered the tankards to a table, she heard a familiar voice call to her.


    ¡°Young Lady Yrsa, it has been a while.¡±


    Yrsa turned around, looking at the source of the voice as her face brightened.


    ¡°Sir Lyon, you¡¯re back!¡±


    The individual in question was a middle-aged knight, wearing worn down plate armor that was missing pieces and patched here and there, sitting in an isolated table at the corner of the rustic inn. He looked like a vagrant mercenary, with a long scraggly beard and his brown hair tied back in a long ponytail. His face, however, seemed to bear the features of a distinguished nobleman more so than a warrior.


    He also happened to be one of the few connections she still had to the outside world - one of her brother¡¯s old friends.


    ¡°It has taken me the better part of a year, but yes, I¡¯ve finally returned.¡± Sir Lyon said with a smile.


    ¡°S-So, what have you foun-¡­¡± Yrsa caught herself, looking embarrassed. ¡°I mean, I hope the road has been treating you well, Sir Lyon.¡±


    Lyon laughed. ¡°No need for pleasantries, Lady Yrsa. I know you are worried about your brother.¡±


    Her eyes lit up. ¡°And? Have you found him?¡±


    The man¡¯s face became more serious. ¡°After I finished my other obligations, I went to Bestrem, where you told me he operated from. When I got there, though, I found the town was completely abandoned.¡±


    ¡°A-Abandoned? Weren¡¯t they attacked?¡±


    ¡°That was my thought too, but there didn¡¯t seem to be too many signs of a fight. Some royal soldiers were also there, and they stopped me from investigating the city, but they told me they also failed to find anyone, or any corpses, for that matter. Still, I tried to go to the surrounding villages and settlements, since I know Rimold was a wanderer, and while some of them had met him before, none of them seemed to have seen him recently.¡±


    Yrsa felt a ball form at the pit of her stomach. ¡°Then, do you think he is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions, Lady Yrsa. Rimold has always been very adept at avoiding trouble, and no one has found any corpses. Even if he is in trouble, it doesn¡¯t mean he is dead.¡±


    This seemed to offer scant comfort to Yrsa, whose pale complexion seemed to worsen.


    Lyon saw this and frowned. ¡°How is your condition?¡±


    ¡°I-It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Is there really nothing more we can do?¡±


    ¡°That depends. Your brother had a lot of friends and connections, so others might know about his fate better than me. That being said, if he is in trouble, he might be hesitant to communicate with you through normal means.¡±


    ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, how will I ever know if he¡¯s alive?!¡±


    ¡°Now, calm down,¡± Lyon raised his hand as if to pacify her. ¡°I said he wouldn¡¯t communicate with you through normal means. As I said, he has a lot of friends, and some of them might try to approach you through unconventional means that you might not even notice.¡±


    Yrsa frowned in worry. ¡°No one has talked to me, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain, Lady Yrsa? Has nothing strange happened around you? Maybe someone tried to give you a sign?¡±


    The young woman gave his words some serious thought, but she couldn¡¯t remember anything close to a sign.


    ¡®Wait, that one night¡­¡¯


    Her expression changed, and she felt a cold shiver run up her spine.


    Lyon was quick to pick up on that change. ¡°Did you remember something?¡±


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not that. I just remembered a nightmare I had one night, but that didn¡¯t really feel like a sign.¡±


    The man studied her expression for a while before sighing. ¡°Just keep an eye open, Lady Yrsa. You never know where a sign may come from.¡±


    With that, he got up, dropped a couple of gold coins on the table, and made to leave.


    ¡°Wait, Sir Lyon!¡± Yrsa rushed after him. ¡°Where will you be going now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave,¡± the man looked at her with a smile. ¡°I will ask around the city if anyone has any new information. Rimold was a precious friend of mine, and I don¡¯t intend to abandon him.¡±


    This seemed to offer Yrsa some comfort, and she nodded with a forced smile. ¡°Thank you, Sir Lyon.¡±


    The man nodded back and left the inn. Not soon after that, Yrsa heard Tulley calling her from the bar.


    ¡°Yrsa, where are you girl?!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m coming!¡±


    ¡­


    After Red made his preparations, he left to execute his plan on the same night. Both he and Aurelia had decided it was best to leave the puppet body behind and have Red carry the crystal core with him, so they would be harder to detect.


    Generally, Aurelia was limited in how she could affect the world around her in her soul form. Though she could push herself to use a lot of power in that form, that came at the cost of her very soul, something she couldn¡¯t recover in this state. If she used too much of it, she could just cease to exist.


    Still, manipulating the Spirit Energy inside the crystal core was something that she could still do. While the power she could summon in that state was very limited, it was still more than enough to do what they planned to do.


    At this point, Red had committed the route to the inn to heart. He floated from roof to roof like a ghost, expertly avoiding detection by guard patrols and common citizens alike. Then, as he got close to his destination, he spread his crimson sense in that direction, perching himself in a nearby building.


    After living in the capital for so long, the hundreds of fluctuations that entered his mind didn¡¯t overwhelm him any longer. Still, it took a while for him to sort through all that information and find his target.


    A familiar, trembling fluctuation that stood out amidst all the others. This was Yrsa. However, as Red continued to examine the other fluctuations in search of someone out of place, something caught his attention.


    Another fluctuation, moving away from the inn. It was a man¡¯s, not a cultivator, but someone who had probably opened all his veins. For some reason, Red felt a sense of familiarity as he examined that fluctuation, but nothing came to mind immediately.


    Still, he would never ignore this kind of feeling, and started to search his memory. First, from his recent time in the city to when he first arrived here.


    Nothing.


    With a frown, he thought further back to his time back in Bestrem town with the Water Dragon Sect around the disaster that struck them.


    Still nothing.


    ¡®Am I mistaken? No, that shouldn¡¯t be.¡¯


    Red felt familiar fluctuations often as he wandered the capital, but none of them ever seemed to evoke the feeling he had right now. Whoever this was, it was imperative he found it out.


    ¡°What are you doing staring into nothing?!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s voice reached his ears, but he ignored it. He thought back even further, to many years in the past, all the way to the time his sect was still whole, as well as all the fluctuations of those around him.


    Then suddenly his eyes narrowed as a wave of shock hit his mind.


    ¡®Reinhart.¡¯

 Chapter 474 - Decisive

    After confirming he hadn¡¯t made a mistake, Red informed Aurelia about what he felt.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I recognize from my old town.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t recognize him. He was gone before you arrived, but he used to work for Gustav.¡±


    Reinhart was a subordinate of Gustav back in Bestrem town. After the trial where Red acquired his inheritance, he disappeared and was never heard from again.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a spy?¡± Aurelia asked with a dismissive tone.


    ¡°Very likely.¡±


    ¡°We already knew there would be those around her, so why do you seem surprised?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond. In truth, his time interacting with Reinhart was short, but their struggles inside the trial land were something he could never forget. The man was decisive, ruthless, and second only to Domeron in swordsmanship. And of course, he also betrayed them and had a vendetta against Allen and the remains of the sect behind him for removing his Spiritual Sea from his body.


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t remember much about what happened inside there, though.¡¯


    The hawk spirit had wiped out the memories from every participant but Red, and all that remained in their minds were lingering feelings and conclusions about what happened then. For all he knew, the man might not even remember Red at all after so long.


    ¡®But why is he here?¡¯


    Was he still working for Gustav?


    ¡®He was also inside the trial like me, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the Empire¡¯s divination.¡¯


    Unlike Red, he didn¡¯t have protection against divination and, unlike his companions, he also wasn¡¯t under the protection of a sect, so he would be chased down to verify if he received the inheritance. So how did he escape their chase?


    ¡®No, he might not have escaped.¡¯


    It was difficult to imagine he could have fooled their pursuit, so the most reasonable conclusion was that he was likely captured but not killed. That led Red to come up with one possibility.


    ¡®He could be working for the Empire directly.¡¯


    After they found out Reinhart did not win the inheritance, they might have wanted to use him to find the rest of the Water Dragon Sect, whom he was very familiar with. In fact, it could be possible he was the one who might have told them about Yrsa, something only Gustav should have known about.


    This was all just a theory Red came up with on the spot, so he could still be off the mark. Whatever the case, he refused to believe the man¡¯s presence here was just a coincidence.


    ¡°You¡¯re not speaking!¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice brought him out of his thoughts. ¡°Tell me why you seem so worried. Is there something strange about this man? Is he a powerful cultivator?¡±


    ¡°No. He hasn¡¯t opened his Spiritual Sea.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, then why all the fuss? I know you¡¯re not the sentimental type.¡±


    Aurelia was right. It wasn¡¯t sentimentality that gave Red pause here. He could continue with his plan without having another thought about Reinhart, but his cautious nature told him to not act rashly and think things through.


    His Water Dragon Sect was full of people who were stuck at their cultivation level but had achieved things beyond what one would expect, which was something Red was sure about after learning what mastery meant. Hector was a water grandmaster, Rog was an archery master, Goulth was a blacksmith master, and Domeron, he was at the very least a sword master, perhaps a grandmaster. All of them had an air of experience and danger around them, and they could accomplish things that weren¡¯t limited by their cultivation level.


    This was something that always stuck in Red¡¯s mind, and very few people ever invoked a similar feeling in him.


    Reinhart was one of those people.


    ¡°He might be working with the Empire¡­ And he¡¯s a dangerous man.¡± Red said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Aurelia seemed confused. ¡°You want to kill him?¡±


    ¡°If the opportunity presents itself, yes. However, I want to follow him for now.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, does this really call for a change of plans?¡±


    ¡°If it was anyone else, maybe not.¡±


    Reinhart, however, was both a dangerous man and also someone with deep connections to the trial and, consequently, the Empire. Even if Red succeeded with kidnapping Yrsa, his mere presence in this city was a threat to his identity, even if he could not remember what happened inside the inheritance land.


    After reaching this decision, Red set off to stalk Reinhart. When he set eyes on him from the rooftops, he could see the man had aged and changed his appearance a lot, but his figure was still recognizable. Not only that, but that same sensation Red felt from him before seemed to have intensified.


    ¡®Did he get stronger?¡¯


    His cultivation hadn¡¯t progressed, but somehow the man carried himself differently. It was hard to pinpoint, but it made Red raise his guard even further.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Reinhart walked through the outskirts of the capital, never seeming to keep to the shadows or cut corners through an alley. He wasn¡¯t afraid of being spotted.


    Finally, he arrived at a small wooden house in a less active street and entered it. Red couldn¡¯t feel any fluctuations other than Reinhart¡¯s inside, and nothing else stood out to him either from the neighboring houses. Controlling his breath, he then approached the now lit house, peeking into a window while remaining unseen.


    From between the gaps of a half closed curtain, he saw the man taking off his armor before sitting down at a table with an exasperated sigh. Then he took out a strip of paper from a small box that Red immediately recognized.


    ¡®A communication talisman.¡¯


    Reinhart activated the talisman before speaking into it.


    ¡°Nothing new to report. I still think this is worth pursuing, and since the girl¡¯s condition is worsening, if they¡¯re going to do something, they will do it soon,¡± he scratched his beard with a bored expression. ¡°Whatever the case, now that we have captured her brother too, the kids would be forced to move one way or another.¡±


    Red felt his blood run cold once he heard this.


    ¡®Captured Rimold? How?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he in the Skycrown Mountains? Why would he leave the safety of that place?


    A second later, Red realized his question was silly. He left that place because he was worried about his sister, of course.


    ¡®Still, there must have been better ways to check up on her than doing it himself.¡¯


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t put it past Rimold to do something like that. He didn¡¯t know whether his sister would survive so long without medicine, and he obviously couldn¡¯t imagine Red was here looking out for her. Then, there was also the fact he probably wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else to help him out, considering his upbringing. All things considered, perhaps it wasn¡¯t strange at all he would set off on his own and be captured.


    Whatever the circumstances behind this capture might have been, though, it created a lot of other problems.


    For one, Allen would definitely not stand still after learning his companion was captured, though whether he, a talented cultivator, would be allowed to leave the Crystal Sky Sect on his own was questionable. Knowing this, a lot more pressure was then put into Red to act.


    ¡®I need more information.¡¯


    Even if he was eager to help, he knew rescuing Rimold wouldn¡¯t be a simple matter. For one, it sounded as if he was being kept by the Imperials, and from Carlhanne to the Skycrown Mountains was a vast distance, so it was simply impossible to know where he was captured or was being held. Even if Red knew, what kind of guards would the Empire have dispatched to imprison Rimold considering this was a matter they took so seriously? It wasn¡¯t far-fetched to imagine even Spirit Core cultivators could be involved.


    ¡®What can I possibly do?¡¯


    The more Red thought about it, the more helpless he felt. Yet, abandoning a sect member wasn¡¯t a choice either.


    With that in mind, Red looked at Reinhart again before making a decision. He hopped up to the second floor of the house before finding a window to enter.


    ¡°Hey, I thought you were just going to watch him!¡±


    Aurelia¡¯s alarmed voice reached his ears as he unlatched the window with a wind tendril. He didn¡¯t respond to her, afraid of raising his voice and being noticed.


    As Red stepped in, he used a gentle breeze to soften the noise of his footsteps and looked around in search of traps or formations Reinhart could have set for intruders. Sure enough, there were a few of them set around the corridors and doors of the second floor, which he could immediately identify with a cursory glance.


    It was evident these weren¡¯t installed by a formation master, and in Red¡¯s eyes, they were all quite amateurish. Without so much as hesitation in his movements, he avoided and disarmed the traps, waving his finger around as imperceptible but sharp waves of wind cut and disrupted the formations. Soon, he arrived downstairs, where he saw Reinhart.


    The man was sitting at the table with his back to him, seemingly busy writing something. His fluctuation showed no signs that he had noticed anything amiss, so Red continued to approach. It wasn¡¯t until he was just a few meters away that something happened.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Reinhart seemed to notice something amiss, but before he turned around, Red acted.


    Four wind blades shot out of his hand, targeting one of his limbs each. The man reacted with surprising agility as he rolled off the table to avoid them, showing reactions far surpassing the average vein opening practitioner. Yet, this too was something Red was expecting, which was why he got so close before attacking.


    Three blades found their mark, cutting into the muscles of his legs and left arm and causing the man to immediately buckles as he failed to sustain himself. Yet, with his right hand, he had grabbed and drawn his sword, which he swung around even in the process of being cut.


    Red, however, was already upon him. Covering his right arm in wind, he slapped the sword out of Reinhart¡¯s grasp and then stomped into his chest with an attack too fast to dodge.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Reinhart spit blood as he was pinned to the ground under the intruder¡¯s foot. Still conscious, he tried to struggle to free himself, to no avail. Then, when he looked up and saw the masked individual staring at him without moving, he seemed to give up.


    To Red¡¯s surprise, the previously serious expression on Reinhart¡¯s face gave way to a resigned smile.


    ¡°Ah, fuck¡­ I should have seen this coming.¡±


    Red ignored him, instead focusing his consciousness inside his body as he communicated with the crimson mist.


    ¡°Allen would never act like this, so I can only assume¡­ You¡¯re Red, right?¡±


    Although the man sounded confident, it was clear from his fluctuation that he was merely bluffing. After all, there were other people with reason to target him.


    ¡®But none of this matters.¡¯


    A few seconds later, Red received a reluctant but positive response from the mist inside his body. It told him that there were limits to that power, but once more shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to admit it. I can tell just from- hey, what are you doing?¡±


    Reinhart¡¯s expression changed as he saw Red cut his own hand with a dagger before dripping the blood over the man¡¯s mouth. He tried to turn his head to avoid it, but the blood seemed to take a life of its own as it shot into his mouth.


    ¡°Argh, what the fuck?!¡±


    The man started coughing incessantly, and Red stepped off his chest.


    He was now establishing a blood oath like he did with Emer.


    The crimson mist battled with Reinhart¡¯s will. The man was offering far more resistance than the imp, and as such, the process was taking much longer than Red was expecting. For a second, he was even expecting the crimson being to lose, but eventually Reinhart¡¯s resistance seemed to die down along with his coughs.


    Then Red could feel it. They were now bound as servant and master.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Reinhart looked at him in shock. However, a second later, he burst out in laughter. ¡°Haha, oh my! Who knew you had such tricks on you?¡±


    His sudden acceptance of his situation made Red frown, but his response didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°You can feel our connection, correct?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Ah yes. Some kind of blood contract, I assume?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So you should now understand that any actions you take against my best interest are considered a breach of the contract and will result in your death.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Reinhart nodded, still wearing a smile. ¡°I was expecting a lot of things, but I must say you took me by surprise. You were decisive and ruthless, as all cultivators should be.¡±


    Red ignored his backhanded compliment.


    ¡°Tell me about Rimold. Where are you keeping him?¡±


    Reinhart looked at him in confusion for a second, before bursting out in laughter again.


    Red frowned under his mask. ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, kid. We haven¡¯t captured him at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know exactly what I mean. I was just fishing in case the fish were listening,¡± Reinhart shrugged. ¡°I had a plan and everything, but¡­ While the fish took the bait, it seems I ended up reeling in a shark instead.¡±


    He had been tricked in the end.

 Chapter 475 - Aid from Afar

    Red considered for a second that Reinhart could be lying, but that was impossible after he was bound by the blood oath.


    ¡°Are you working for the imperials?¡±


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Reinhart said. ¡°I¡¯m still working for Gustav, but he promised his imperial contacts to keep an eye on the girl.¡±


    Even though the man was now forced to tell the truth, he didn¡¯t seem the least bit hesitant to reveal this sensitive information. It was clear he had no loyalty to his superiors.


    ¡°Did the imperials not capture you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give them the chance. As soon as I was out, I could guess they would come for me, so I asked Gustav to arrange a meeting that wouldn¡¯t get me killed or brainwashed,¡± Reinhart looked Red up and down. ¡±You were also inside the trial, right? Were you the one who won?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be under a misconception. This is an interrogation, not a conversation.¡±


    To make a point, Red formed small wind blades around his fingers - a variation of the Wind Blade spell he often used. Reinhart, however, threw his hands up with a smile before he could do anything.


    ¡°I get it, I get it! Ask away.¡±


    ¡°How did this meeting with the imperials go?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so much a meeting. I met one of their priests, and as soon as they looked at me, they lost interest. I guess he had some way to tell that I hadn¡¯t won the inheritance.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°They just looked at you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    This was a troublesome revelation. If the priest used some technique or ritual to discern whether Reinhart had the truth, then it would be something Red could easily avoid, but if all they needed was to look at him to know if he had the inheritance? Then there was not much he could do to escape their notice.


    ¡°It seems unlikely they would just let you go,¡± Red said.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want to. One of their soldiers was very adamant about interrogating me, but thankfully, Gustav stepped in and helped mediate. He negotiated with the imperials and arranged for me to become an informant for them in the capital. They are always eager for more of those, so it didn¡¯t take much convincing.¡±


    ¡°You have imperial contacts in the capital?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt they are in the capital, but I don¡¯t have direct contact with them. The only way to talk to them is through that,¡± he pointed at the talisman on the table.


    ¡°That message you sent¡­?¡±


    Reinhart smiled. ¡°It was for them, yes. And I know what you¡¯re thinking - they¡¯ll probably notice something strange from what I sent them about having captured someone. I can just explain to them I was trying to draw someone out - which, of course, I failed to do.¡±


    Red didn¡¯t dissuade him from this course of action. He still was undecided about what to do with Reinhart, but if he could at the very least clear the imperial¡¯s suspicion, then he could live until then.


    ¡°What exactly did the imperials ask you to do?¡±


    ¡°Until recently, mostly to keep an eye out for rumours and ongoings on the city underbelly. After the little¡­ accident with your home down south, they told me to look for survivors from the attack and gave me their descriptions. Obviously, as soon as they told me, I could guess immediately who they were looking for.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly were they looking for?¡±


    ¡°Three people - a red-haired young adult, a scruffy-looking rogue, and a noble young master¡­ Do we need to keep this charade up?¡±


    Red stared at him in response, and Reinhart sighed.


    ¡°Fine. Well, since I knew one of them was Rimold, I told them about his sister and suggested setting up a trap around her, since I couldn¡¯t imagine they would just abandon her. Unfortunately, they seemed convinced that none of their targets would appear in the city,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I guess that goes to show they should have just listened to me.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s something strange about this.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Why did they seem convinced?¡± Red asked.


    ¡°Well, they told me two of their targets were hiding in a place from where they couldn¡¯t leave and the imperials couldn¡¯t reach. The other, well, they told me they were currently chasing that one up north, though they didn¡¯t seem to have caught him yet from the sounds of it.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    For a second, Red was confused. He assumed the ones trapped somewhere referred to both Allen and Rimold, who were sequestered in the Crystal Sky Sect, so by process of elimination, the one being chased up north could only be referring to him. Was this the work of his anti-divination spell?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You said they were chasing someone up north?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°So they saw him?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Reinhart seemed to realize something as well, as a knowing smile grew on his face. ¡°Yes, red hair and everything. I hear they even fought him at some point, but¡­ that doesn¡¯t make any sense now, does it?¡±


    Red was well and truly puzzled. As far as he understood, creating fake copies of himself wasn¡¯t something the hawk¡¯s anti-divination spell could do.


    ¡°Aurelia, do you know if an anti-divination spell can do this?¡± Red asked with his expanded awareness.


    The woman, previously annoyed by his sudden change of plans, now was taking the conversation seriously. ¡°None that I have ever heard of. Anti-divination spells can either trick or block divination attempts, but they aren¡¯t able to alter the world to make fake visions a reality.¡±


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯


    Eliminating the impossible only left Red with a single possibility - someone was pretending to be him. His first thought was that such a person had malicious intent, but that didn¡¯t seem to match up with what was going on, either.


    ¡®The imperials chasing a fake version of me in the north means that all their attention is turned away from the city and from Yrsa. It¡¯s a tremendous aid to me.¡¯


    Anti-divination spells could trick and block divination attempts. Red was sure the hawk¡¯s shield was likely tricking the imperials, since blocking their divinations would be announcing there was something suspicious about him. Yet, tricking a divination attempt wasn¡¯t perfect either. After all, couldn¡¯t they verify the findings of the divination in real life? If they then noticed the information wasn¡¯t matching up, they would be able to tell he had some technique to trick them.


    This was a worry on the back of his mind since he learnt how divinations worked. Yet, even after this long, it seemed the imperials still weren¡¯t sure he had the inheritance. This would be explained if a fake Red was running around, corroborating their faulty divinations and making them believe they were on the right track.


    It was too much of a coincidence for Red to think this wasn¡¯t someone¡¯s plan to help him.


    ¡®Then who was it?¡¯


    Only three beings in this world knew about his inheritance. One of them was always by his side, and another was stuck inside the blessed land. That only left one reasonable suspect.


    ¡®The necromancer.¡¯


    Red thought back to the last time he talked to the being - or more specifically, their clone. It said it was cut off from the main body by the hawk and left to wander the world without a purpose. It also claimed the hawk had let it leave, which Red didn¡¯t believe back then.


    ¡®The necromancer said the hawk wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them from leaving clones on the surface even if it wanted to, but¡­ Was that true?¡¯


    Would the spirit leave behind such a dangerous being for Red¡¯s future? Even if supporting him was in the necromancer¡¯s best interest, would they trust them? It seemed unlikely the hawk would overlook such a matter, so what if that clone was telling the truth after all?


    ¡®The hawk allowed them to leave a clone behind to help me trick the divination attempts?¡¯


    This seemed like a reasonable theory. If Red could tell the shortcomings of an anti-divination spell, wouldn¡¯t the hawk be able to as well? In that case, it suddenly didn¡¯t seem unreasonable for the spirit to allow the necromancer to leave clones behind despite the potential danger they represented.


    ¡°Did you realize something?¡± Aurelia asked after his prolonged silence.


    ¡°That necromancer might be behind this.¡±


    ¡°The necromancer? Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I have some theories, but I¡¯ll share them with you later.¡±


    ¡°Why are you just standing there? Are you talking to someone in your head?¡± Reinhart asked.


    Red was taken aback before he realized the man meant it as a joke.


    ¡°Tell me about the imperials and the Golden Hand¡¯s involvement with them.¡±


    Reinhart went into as much detail as he could. The imperials kept him at an arm¡¯s distance, so he wasn¡¯t able to tell Red much about their operation, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about the Golden Hand. Being so close to Gustav, Reinhart knew a lot about the operations of the guild, mainly those centered around the underworld of the city.


    The list of crimes and contraband he revealed was enough to fill out a book, but none of it was outside of Red¡¯s realm of expectation. Yet, one thing caught his attention.


    ¡°You know who their contact with the Shadow is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Guild Master Anton himself.¡±


    ¡®Of course it is.¡¯


    Guild Master Anton was the Spirit Core cultivator from the Golden Hand Temple. This also meant that the highest authority within the organization had potentially hired the assassins that targeted Red.


    He questioned Reinhart further, learning a lot about underground routes and secret warehouses that the guild used. Eventually, though, it seemed the man couldn¡¯t offer any more relevant information.


    ¡°How long does it take for your imperial contacts to respond?¡± Red asked, pointing at the talisman.


    ¡°A day at least, unless it¡¯s informed through the urgent channel. They are very careful to make sure their communications are not intercepted.¡±


    Red frowned after learning this, thinking to himself.


    Reinhart noticed his silence and laughed. ¡°Are you troubled by the fact you will need to wait a day to kill me?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine. It gives me more time to come up with a plan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you want to get rid of me without raising suspicion, you will need to set a very convincing scene. Anything short of a perfect scapegoat might make the imperials suspicious. Think you can manage that?¡±


    ¡°What I think doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s something that I have to do.¡±


    This was his conclusion - Reinhart needed to die. Even if he was under a blood oath now, his connection to those powers meant they might find out any strange actions or changes in his body. When Red took action, this was the ultimate outcome he was prepared for.


    ¡°What if I offer an alternative course of action?¡± Reinhart asked.


    ¡°Are you trying to plead for your life?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. Though I was hoping this would be more like a negotiation that would benefit both of us.¡±


    ¡°Your life is in my hands. What do you have to bargain?¡±


    The man smiled as if he was expecting this question. ¡°Well, as far as I understand, the blood oath punishes any ill-will against its master. I can¡¯t lie or act against you or I will be punished, but¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem as if the contract can compel me to act, correc-?¡±


    As soon as Reinhart said that, he let out a scream of pain and spit a mouthful of blood. He grabbed his chest, panting in agony as he struggled to stay conscious.


    Red frowned. He wasn¡¯t the one that had attacked him. This was a backlash from violating the contract - as Reinhart seemed to think or act against his self-interest.


    ¡°N-Now,¡± the man spoke between breaths as he struggled to sit up. ¡°You are smart enough to see what I¡¯m suggesting, right?¡±


    Reinhart¡¯s meaning was obvious. The contract couldn¡¯t compel him to act, which meant that if he wanted to, he could still try acting against Red and then die in the process. If that happened, how would he possibly respond to the imperials or disguise his death?


    ¡®In the end, I was right not to underestimate him, but I still acted too rashly.¡¯


    The man was recklessly gambling with his own life, and Red had no choice but to hesitate.

 Chapter 476 - Life Negotiation

    The first thing Red did was to communicate with the crimson being in his stomach. He asked if it could retract the blood contract, to which he received a negative answer.


    ¡°Tied¡­ essence. Only¡­ death... release. If¡­ stronger¡­ maybe.¡±


    ¡®The contract is tied to his blood essence. Only death will allow me to release him from it.¡¯


    As for the last part, Red wasn¡¯t sure whether the being was referring to itself or to him being stronger. Being unable to renege a contract was a rather frustrating factor to blood contracts, but this was already an ability far beyond his means normally, so it made sense it couldn¡¯t be manipulated at will.


    ¡®That means I can only negotiate.¡¯


    Yet, his stance remained unchanged.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you live.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s debatable,¡± Reinhart said as he cleaned the blood from the corner of his mouth. ¡°What you need is for me not to reveal your presence to anyone else. Unless you have some other reason to kill me, that is.¡±


    ¡®Do I have another reason to kill him?¡¯


    Red thought to himself for a second, recalling the last time they met. Reinhart crushed a Sea Opening Pill in front of Narcha before fleeing, ultimately dashing all hope she had of advancing to the Lesser Ring Realm. This would also lead to her taking more dangerous chances in hopes of breaking through, which would then lead to her death. Yet, while Narcha might have remembered that fact, he didn¡¯t know if Reinhart had his memory wiped in the same way.


    ¡®Is that enough of a reason to kill him? Retribution?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t invoke the desire for revenge one would be expected to in this situation. However, this lack of emotional resonance was normal for him, and it didn¡¯t mean Reinhart didn¡¯t deserve to die either.


    ¡°You are a liability,¡± Red said. ¡°Not only are you smart and dangerous, but you know things you shouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡®And I don¡¯t know if the blood contract is impervious, either.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know at what the level of the blood oath the crimson being used was. Still, his guess was that only someone with the ability to manipulate souls could find a way around its restrictions to interrogate the man, meaning a Spiritual Awakening cultivator. While there were none of those around, it wasn¡¯t impossible that Reinhart could eventually run into one and be found out, and he knew the Empire had plenty of those at the frontier.


    Reinhart smiled as he noticed Red¡¯s refusal to budge. ¡°Well, the issue is that right now I am more useful to you dead than alive. But what if I could prove you wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­I will give you one chance. If you can¡¯t convince me, then I¡¯ll kill you and deal with the consequences.¡±


    Even if Reinhart¡¯s death compromised his position in some way, it was important to be decisive and cut his losses as soon as possible.


    The man smiled. ¡°Good. My proposition is simple - I can help you avoid the Empire¡¯s notice and act as a spy in the Golden Hand Temple.¡±


    ¡°Why would I need your help with that?¡±


    ¡°You want to keep that girl safe, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Red didn¡¯t respond, but Reinhart continued.


    ¡°Besides, your identity is under threat right now if I¡¯m correct in my assumptions.¡±


    ¡°And what is your assumption?¡±


    ¡°You were involved in that attack on the auction house, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡±


    ¡°Well, right now, the Golden Hand only has some suspicion about it, but this is not the first time you acted against them. Suffice it to say, your presence has now attracted their attention fully, and some of them even suspect you might be an agent of a rival organization. Now, all of a sudden, your identity has become a matter of particular interest to them.¡±


    Red frowned. ¡°Is this a guess, or do you base it off something?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know I can¡¯t lie to you,¡± Reinhart shrugged. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a guess, it¡¯s an educated one. And if they are indeed interested in your identity, it¡¯s entirely possible they could ask the Imperial agents for intelligence. They¡¯ve done it in the past, quite often, in fact.¡±


    ¡®This is indeed troublesome.¡¯


    He was prepared for some level of scrutiny after targeting the Golden Hand, but he didn¡¯t expect their organization to be so closely tied to the Empire.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°It seems unlikely they could make such a connection just off that alone,¡± Red said, still skeptical.


    ¡°Maybe, but the Empire is quite obsessed about this matter. If they start to look into you, are you certain that nothing they come up with would raise their suspicion?¡±


    ¡®Not for the most part, but¡­¡¯


    There were indeed some things that could raise their alarm, mostly related to his skills with Arcane Scripture. This wasn¡¯t something a lot of people knew about back when he was part of the Water Dragon Sect, but Gustav was well-informed and probably could have known about it just from the ingredients Red and his master bought from the market. This was a connection with his new identity he couldn¡¯t wipe out, even if he wanted to.


    ¡°Even the smallest thing could give you away in this situation, you know it best,¡± Reinhart said.


    ¡°And you could draw that attention away from me?¡±


    ¡°I am not only the main connection between the guild and the Imperials in the capital, but I am also their source of information in the underworld. The Golden Hand would never risk getting caught communicating with the enemy of the kingdom, so they maintain their contact secretive and rare. I could easily misdirect their efforts to find out your identity if that ever came to pass.¡±


    ¡°You seem very confident for someone who is not even a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You know it best that someone doesn¡¯t need cultivation to be useful.¡±


    Red started to seriously consider the proposal. Having Reinhart working as an insider could provide Red with something he seriously lacked in the city - intelligence. Most of the sensitive information he came to learn about in the capital was provided by others, and he couldn¡¯t ask them to look into certain matters, either. Reinhart could give him intelligence about two factions he was most worried about - the Golden Hand and the Empire - though on the other hand, he could be overestimating his own abilities.


    ¡®He is under a blood oath, so he can¡¯t lie. However, his confidence could come from a sense of self-importance rather than from his skills.¡¯


    Yet, like earlier, Red still felt the man exuding an air of confidence and mastery that he had seen in few people before. Something told him he wouldn¡¯t be able to find a more reliable subordinate, but there was some hesitation he couldn¡¯t dispel from the back of his mind.


    This was one of the few situations where Red hesitated for reasons he couldn¡¯t explain logically.


    ¡°Why go to these lengths?¡± He asked.


    For the first time in their conversation, Reinhart¡¯s half-smiling expression turned serious.


    ¡°Let me ask you this - were you the one who won the inheritance?¡±


    Red, again, didn¡¯t respond. He wasn¡¯t sure how the anti-divination technique worked or if it extended to shield others he revealed this information to, but even if he knew for certain, he wouldn¡¯t tell Reinhart the truth.


    Reinhart, however, didn¡¯t seem bothered about this. ¡°You know, after the trial, I had my memory completely wiped. I mean, I can¡¯t even remember what went on inside.¡±


    ¡®This seems to differ from what the others went through.¡¯


    While his sect members also had their memories altered, they could remember the broad strokes of what happened in the trial. Reinhart, however, seemed unable to remember even a bit of the details - possibly a measure from the hawk for someone who worked for the Imperials.


    ¡°I only had this lingering feeling that a weight was taken off my back, like I accomplished something that I had been wanting to do for a long time¡­Did we meet in there?¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Did you know I had my Spiritual Sea ripped from my body?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°So then, do you know who was responsible for this?¡±


    ¡°¡­I do.¡±


    ¡°This makes things easier to explain, then. For a long time, I thought about revenge against Hector and that boy, but somehow, after the trial, that feeling was no longer there. But this shouldn¡¯t be possible, right?¡± Reinhart looked down at his hands. ¡°They were still alive, so how could my desire for revenge be fulfilled?¡±


    ¡°So you want to know what happened inside the trial? Is that it?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± he shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I was confused for a long time, trying to find that hatred and anger again, but something else seems to have filled my heart instead. I didn¡¯t understand what it was for a long time, but then one day when I broke through, I understood what it was.¡±


    Red frowned in confusion. ¡°You broke through?¡±


    ¡°Yes, not in cultivation,¡± Reinhart looked at him with a grin. ¡°I reached the level that Domeron was at. I became a sword grandmaster.¡±


    Suddenly, Red understood the feeling of danger he felt from Reinhart. A sort of instinct that told him this was a man not to be underestimated despite his lack of cultivation, which he sensed in only Hector, Domeron, and Aurelia before.


    ¡®This is a man that can manipulate the laws of the world without the need of Spiritual Energy.¡¯


    After sparring with Aurelia, Red was now certain someone at this level could be a threat to your average Lesser Ring Realm cultivator without the use of Spiritual Arts. In fact, if he hadn¡¯t ambushed him, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy to capture the man.


    ¡°It was then that I realized perhaps my road doesn¡¯t need to end yet,¡± Reinhart said. ¡°Maybe, by relying on this ability, there is still a way I can become a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you sought the members of that sect? You were hoping to find the winner of the inheritance?¡±


    ¡°Correct. I imagine if there was any chance I could recover my Spiritual Sea, it would be found in that inheritance which the Empire placed so much importance on. It was a gamble, but surely you can see that it was worth pursuing.¡±


    As he heard this, Red had a realization.


    ¡°Were you hoping to steal the inheritance?¡±


    ¡°I considered that, yes. I hoped to surprise whoever came to find me with my skills and kill them, and if they had the inheritance, then all the better. If they were stronger than me, then I thought about making a deal with them instead - similar to what I¡¯m doing with you now. Of course, I just had some hopes that we could have done it in more equal terms.¡±


    ¡°You would just admit to wanting to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I can keep it a secret, right?¡±


    Reinhart couldn¡¯t lie, but he didn¡¯t seem to want to either. His plan, however, would have failed even if he killed Red, considering the full inheritance was never with him.


    The man smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s my reason - I want to be a cultivator, and this was the best way I thought to go about it.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you want to negotiate with me? The possibility of recovering your Spiritual Sea?¡±


    ¡°More or less. Of course, I plan to earn it. To begin with, as a show of good faith, I can help you with Yrsa.¡±


    ¡°Help me how?¡±


    ¡°She is under surveillance, from not only me but from a few other people in the Golden Hand. She is also close to dying, and I know the pills they have been providing to her are fake. I can get you the real ones.¡±


    A more compelling reason to keep the man alive suddenly presented itself.